Written by the brilliant Sharon Kay Penman, the Sunne in Splendour is a must read for any fan of history.
Most of us know Richard III as a hunchbacked tyrant who murdered his nephews, the infamous Princes in the Tower. Sharon paints a different picture.
We begin in 1459 with a young Richard living life in the court of his father. One day, Richard’s and Edward’s father is killed during a battle in Wakefield. In turn, Edward lays claim to the throne after beating an army of Lancastrians. Upon Edward’s sudden death, his younger son, 12 year old Edward is set to take the throne with Richard being named Lord Protector.
However a string of events begins to take place that would see Edward’s children being deemed illegitimate and hidden away in the Tower of London. Where they are never seen again.
Richard begins his very short reign which eventually sets in motion the end of the Middle Ages and the Plantagenet dynasty.
Sharon expertly weaves fact and fiction into this beautiful story that aims to clear the name of Richard and to prove it may not have been him who whisked away the Princes in the Tower. You can find the book here.
