Finding Richard (from across the Atlantic Ocean)

I had never been much interested in medieval history. I thought of them as backwards and a little too obsessed w the afterlife. However, the “what ifs” of history always intrigued me. What if the Nazis won WWII? What if the north had been defeated in the American Civil War? And so forth. I’d always been interested in the Tudors and knew about the Dissolution of the Monasteries and also wondered what it would be like if England were still Roman Catholic. English history was interesting but I’d only gone back to 1649.

When it was announced that Richard III had been found, I literally had to do a Google search to remind myself of why he was important. I never liked Shakespeare so the play meant nothing to me. Lo and behold, that one search lead me to umpteen websites, books and more. I was especially fascinated to see that the debate over his rule was still hotly debated 500+ years after his death. His story fit with all the what ifs I’d always been interested in. What if Henry VII’s son never became King of England? Might it still be a Catholic nation?

Fortunately with the internet, research is easy. I also have made many wonderful and close friends via my study of this. It turns out we have many other mutual interests as well besides Richard! I’m so very grateful Richard was found for this reason in particular. Had he not been discovered I would not have met so many outstanding people in the UK.