The discovery of Richard III’s bones under a car park (aka parking lot) in Leicester has renewed my fascination with the Tudors. And now, recreated from the bones, they say Richard looked like this:
Which, some observe, isn’t far from this:
Shrek's Lord Farquaad
But I digress. My first two manuscripts, which were never published and have been lost in many moves, were Tudor set. I love the time period! Especially the drama surrounding the “disappearance” of the princes, the two young sons of Edward IV and Richard III’s nephews.
Did he kill them? Were they killed at all? Were they simply hidden away, secreted away somewhere safe from those who wished to usurp the crown? Would Henry VII have killed them had they been available when he came to take the crown? So many questions, unanswered through time.
My theory was that the Duke of Buckingham killed them to protect Richard III’s reign (and his cushy place in it), against Richard III’s wishes. I came to this conclusion from reading Alison Weir’s The Princes in the Tower, and I still think it’s a possibility. But no one really knows.
But if I remember correctly, Weir mentioned that they found two skulls under the stairs in the White Tower, so maybe they could do some DNA testing on those? Or maybe they have? Anyone know?
But The Princes in the Tower is a good read and I want to find it again. I also enjoyed Weir’s The Six Wives of Henry VIII. 
I’ll be snowed in this weekend, so I plan to do some reading up on the Tudors. What are you reading? Do you share my Tudor fascination?
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
What a fascinating bit of history and so rich for a story to be told from it. That whole King under a parking lot was really cool and sounded like something from the Da Vinci code. LOL. I love history. Victorian is my fave.
Currently I am too far behind in my writing to read but I hope that I can change that by spring. LOL that is the eternal hope and wellspring of a writer.
When I first saw the mask rendition of Richard III in the news… I knew it reminded me of someone/thing… Lord Farquaad!!! Now I’m off to find a copy of Princes in the Tower..
I’m about to start Sweet Tooth by Ian Mcewan, the author of The Atonement.
Sounds good! I hope it doesn’t veer into depressing territory.
Atonement was SOOOOOOO depressing. Well done, but so sad.
Okay you’re totally cracking me up re the John Lithgow character in Shrek and the Richard the III likeness. Was totally besotted with the Tudors when I was younger. Maybe it’s time to fall in love again?
I want to watch Shrek and the Tudors again.
Back to back!
Sherri — I too am intrigued by all things Tudor, though mainly the Henry VIII – Elizabeth period. I did love The Tudors series with Jonathan Rhys-Myers even with its, ahem, lack of complete historical accuracy.
There was a time travel romance written that had the princes traveling (at the end of the story) to present day and becoming rock stars — it was actually a great twist in the story….I think it might have been Out of The Blue by Kasey Michaels?
I’ll have to check that out. I almost wrote something like that, but then I switched to Regency, published my first book, and never considered writing Tudor again. Though Philippa Gregory made me rethink, briefly.