Edward IV has recently died, leaving his offspring and potential future monarchs: twelve-year-old Edward, Prince of Wales, and Richard, Duke of York, aged nine. However, disturbing the natural succession is their uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who will stop at nothing to become king.<BR>Preying on the fears of his fellow-noblemen, Richard of Gloucester conspires with them to have the Princes abducted and imprisoned in the Tower. He then usurps the Princes' birthright, alleging that Edward, Prince of Wales, is a bastard and not a legitimate heir to the throne. In their place, Richard persuades London to accept him as king, and, according to More's account, has the Princes smothered to death to secure his position as monarch. However, it cannot be long before the conspiracy will begin to fall apart.<BR>Much of what modern scholarship knows of Richard III stems from this biography - which itself proved the inspiration for Shakespeare's play - as does his notoriety as one of the most evil men in history. Freshly edited and presented alongside a glossary of archaic terms, this example of Early Renaissance English literature is now made available to a new generation of readers.