1. On October 2, 1452, Richard III was born at Fotheringhay Castle, which was also where the trial and execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, took place in 1587.
2. Richard III assumed the throne in 1483. He was the last Yorkist king of England.
3. The White Boar was the symbol of Richard III. Boars are associated with courage and ferociousness. White symbolizes loyalty. Watch this video by Yorkshire Museum and learn more about The York Boar Badge, worm by the supporters of Richard III.
4. His personal motto is ‘loyalté me lie‘ which means loyalty binds me.
5. Richard III enjoyed a high status diet full of protein and essential minerals but he also had roundworms.
6. Richard III consumed a bottle of wine per day, every day, on top of all the British ale he also drank.
7. Many historians believe that his nephews Edward V and Richard of York, who disappeared in 1483, were murdered on Richard III’s orders.
8. In August 1485, at the age of 32, Richard III was brutally slain in battle on Bosworth Field. He was the last King of England to die in battle. His death marks the end of the medieval period in England.
9. In 2013, the bones of Richard III were found in a parking lot in Leicester, central England. His skeleton is missing its feet.
10. Richard III’s reburial and funeral will take place in Leicester Cathedral in early 2015. It will be televised. The Archbishop of Canterbury will likely to take a service.
11. Richard III looked and sounded like this.
