Author: Wang Weibin (Associate Professor, School of Foreign Languages, Hebei University of Science and Technology)
Recently, the American Archaeology Society (AIA) has selected the top ten archaeological discoveries in the world in the past decade. China's Shimao ruins are on the list, and the same person on the list was also in the UK in 2012. The tomb of Richard III was excavated in the city of Leicester. Richard III is the person who "donates a country because of a horseshoe" in the British nursery rhyme. Regarding him, there are several nursery rhymes alone, and there are many other legends and stories. The most famous one is of course Shakespeare's drama of the same name.
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Shapesian drama "Richard III" ends with Richard, who lost his war horse and was at the end of the road, was deeply trapped in the siege of the enemy, shouting "A horse, a horse, exchange my kingdom for another horse", but No one will give him another horse, even if he is willing to give up a country at this time, he can only face a strong enemy alone. After examining Richard's corpse, archaeologists concluded: "Eighteen injuries were found on him, as they were killed or before and after. Nine were in the skull, and two were in other parts of the body. The injuries were The position shows that Richard had lost his horse and helmet when he met the enemy. "It seems that the statement "losing a country because of a horse's sole" is quite reasonable.
1485, Richard III was killed in the Battle of Bosworth, and he was also the last British monarch to die on the battlefield. His enemy, Henry Tudor (Henry VII), took power and the Tudor dynasty began. After Richard's death, his body was exposed for two days and was buried in the Graverial Church in Leicester. After Henry VIII, Richard III's corpse was even more difficult to find, and the real Richard III also disappeared with his corpse, leaving only the abuse his enemies added to him. Shakespeare's plays are even more artistically appealing, which made the story of Richard III, "written by the enemy" deeply rooted in people's hearts and almost became the only official history.
At the beginning of Shakespeare's "Richard III", Richard said: "I am born with a bad appearance, not suitable for flirting with love, and I cannot seek favor with the affectionate mirror; I am not as good as the style of the God of Love. , How could I stalk in front of Na's fairy out of thin air? I was removed from all the symmetrical figure and appearance, and the slander of the creator deceived me away, making me incomplete. Before I could grow and take shape, I would throw me away Entering this breathing world, and I am so lame and sluggish, it is so unsightly that the dogs on the roadside even bark when they see me stop... I can't let my heart be unrestrained, With the time full of show-offs, he had to make up his mind to make up for himself as a criminal and devote himself to hating the leisure in front of him (translated by Fang Chong). "This monologue clearly shows that Richard is evil because of his ugly appearance. Being disliked by people and even cats and dogs, the evil thought of being an enemy of the world has arisen. In the American fantasy hit drama "Game of Thrones", there are many shadows of Richard III in the ugly dwarf "little demon" - the body is vulgar, cunning and treacherous. Fortunately, the conscience has not yet faded, making readers and audiences both hate and love .
Speaking of Richard III's "evil deeds", the most well-known one is the "Prince in the Tower". If you go to London and visit the Tower of London, the tour guide will definitely take you to see the place where Richard III imprisoned his two nephews, and will vividly tell you the obedience and miserable appearance of the two poor children. According to historical records, Richard's brother Edward IV suddenly died in April 1483 at the age of 40, leaving behind his 12-year-old heir Edward Little, and Richard naturally became the Duke of Protector, so he quickly went to London Go to "protect and assist" the little prince ascends the throne. However, the Woodville family, the Queen's side, joined forces with other families to premeditate the power from Richard, and even wanted to get rid of Richard. Richard, who had made the move first, suppressed the "conspiracy of usurping power", and later proposed that Edward IV had an engagement with others in his early years, so Queen Elizabeth Woodville could not be considered the "official queen", and naturally the children she gave birth to could not be considered the "Legitimate birth" shall not enjoy the right of inheritance. So Richard made himself king and called Richard III. Edward and his younger brother Richard were imprisoned in the Tower of London. Later, the two children were in a daze, so Richard III sent someone to secretly kill the two princes.
"History of Oxford Britain" states that Richard III's actions rekindled the fire of dynasty war. First, Thomas, the fifth son of Edward III, rebelled in 1483, and then Henry Tudor rose from France in 1485. Henry made a relationship from his mother, representing the Johns, son of Edward, and his "legality" was quite untenable. Of course, Henry had already married the sisters of the two princes at that time, and this weight added a sense of revenge for his wife and brother. However, rather than saying how justice was Henry's uprising, he was the luckiest among the many usurpers, because the people who usurped the power had no descendants, which allowed the Tudor dynasty to be long-lasting.
The two princes in the Tower of London drawn by John Everett Miles, a British pre-Raphaelite painter, were Edward (right) and Richard. Data picture
Portrait of Richard III. The original work has been lost. This imitation raised its right shoulder and narrowed its eyes on the basis of the original painting. It was the source of the later 16th-century portrait of Richard III. Data picture
Henry Tudor Data picture
Edward IV Data picture
Shakespeare Data picture
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However, there is actually no conclusive evidence whether Richard III committed that evil deed. In the 1950s, Josephine Tieyi used the hand of the detective Officer Grant to explain the old case in his mystery novel "The Daughter of Time". Grant, who was ill in bed, overturned an almost ironclad historical case by looking through books and materials. Tieyi used Grant's mouth to criticize historians. Grant pointed out the problem in one sentence with just one sentence "Who benefits?" Obviously, Richard won't get much benefit from the blatant killing of the two little princes. In Grant's view, later generations, including historians, regarded Richard III as too stupid. In fact, Henry Tudor benefits more by removing two more "qualified" heirs and smearing Richard. People in later generations, at least ordinary people, did have the impression of Richard III from the propaganda of the Tudor dynasty.
The gap between literary works and "real" history is naturally not small. Even if it is "serious history", it must be carefully considered. Therefore, archaeology has become particularly important because this major provides "history" with more evidence to rely on. . Richard III's corpse is regaining its light in Leicester, which really provides key evidence for a historical "cold case".
The manifestation of this evidence is mainly attributed to Philippa Langley, a fanatical scholar who is fascinated by the "real person" under the mask of Richard III's harlequin. She was a member of the Richard III Society. At the beginning of the 21st century, she became more focused on studying the legendary king because she received a task of creating a script about Richard III. Many years later, she actually came to a parking lot in Leicester City "by a devil" - the famous Battle of Bosworth took place about 20 miles from Leicester City. She raised funds and organized manpower to dig. In April 2012, a remains with a curved spine that may have died on the battlefield were actually excavated. After scientific identification, this was indeed the bones of Richard III. As soon as the news came out, it shocked everyone.
Richard III in Shakespeare's play bent over and withered his arm. The image of hunchback is often placed on conspirators in Western literature, such as the Chillingworth, who is determined to take revenge in "The Red Letter". Although Richard III was scoliosis, he was not a "hunchback". His appearance during his lifetime was at most one high and one low on his shoulders. If he was covered by decent clothes, this "flaw" was not obvious and far from being so-called "Deformed and ugly appearance" is so serious. In addition, DNA tests also confirmed that the real Richard should be blonde and blue-eyed. The restored facial image also shows that although he is not as handsome as he looks, he has at least his facial features are upright.
In addition to the corpse, Richard's "grave" also exposed a lot of information. There are many wars in British history, and deaths on the battlefield are not uncommon. The tomb was very narrow, and the bones were curled up inside and forced to squeeze down.The deceased was obviously thrown into a tomb excavated, with neither coffin nor corpse clothes, let alone a funeral. Those who see that little grave will not help but sigh. Matthew Morris, an archaeologist at the University of Leicester who was involved in the excavation of Richard III's grave, said sympathetically: "I rarely see such perfunctory graves. Those The burial of Richard III could have done little effort to make the tomb better... His enemies really hurriedly buried him."
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Richard III's life, it seems It is indeed "hurried": he fled around and fought, ascended the throne in a hurry, calmed the chaos in a hurry, died in a hurry, and was hurriedly buried. As the king of England, Richard III was reigned for only two years, and seemed to have no time to do anything other than usurpation of power and attempt to quell various rebellions.
But that's not the case.
In the British historical community, especially in the Richard III Society, many people even believe that Richard III is actually the "best king" in British history. Philippa Langley said: “He always fought for justice for the common people, he opened the bail system, he promoted the printing industry, provided the British with freedom of books and information, and he established the so-called 'presumption of innocence' Principles promote the 'just' ruling. Rediscovering Richard is indeed to some extent to reverse the case for Richard, allowing people to see a real medieval man, a medieval king. Of course, rediscovering Richard is not Saying that Richard III has become a moral model. What we need to do is to abandon the flat, Tudor and Shakespearean comic understanding of the past, so that people can see a three-dimensional image of Richard III. "
Richard III's The story is more like a tragic story. His father, Richard Old, was killed because of his rebellion against Henry VI. Richard III lived a displaced life since childhood. When his elder brother Edward raised his troops and returned to England, he fought with his elder brother and drove Henry VI from the throne. Richard was only 18 years old at that time. After several repetitions, Edward finally settled in the throne, but died young. The world is about to be in chaos. At this time, Richard, who is the Duke of the People's Republic of China, faces such a situation, wherever he goes is far beyond words such as "evil" or "kindness". In fact, Richard treated his enemies—whether he had conspired to deprive him of his position as a public guardian or later rebel—more than other kings. According to Tieyi's view, perhaps he was too "leniency", and it was even because of this "leniency" that the enemy could attack him again and again until he was put to death.
In addition, no matter Richard's personal morality, he is indeed a good king who treats the people well. Although he was only in power for two years, he was more wise than his predecessors (Edward IV) and later (Henry VII). Perhaps it is because of this that Richard's body was buried in a hurry. Perhaps it is unknown whether the people who have been blessed with him saw the tragic situation of his body and then rose up to resist. In fact, in the British royal war, the most important thing is that ordinary people have neither interest nor ability to distinguish. Who can make the people live more comfortable is. In this sense, it is obvious that Richard III's "justice" is much greater.
Shakespeare's drama has humiliated Richard III for many years, and Richard III's bones are reappearing. I think it will not make Shakespeare's famous dramas shine. The lonely king who shouted "A horse, a horse" may not be the real Richard, but an artistic image that will always be remembered. And the twisted corpse curled up in the mud pit should also deserve more sympathy and respect from future generations.
In March 2015, Richard's corpse was reburied with the etiquette that a king should enjoy, which can be regarded as a recognition of this "good king" by future generations.
"Guangming Daily" (13th edition, January 14, 2021)
Source: Guangming.com - "Guangming Daily"
