Armstrong, C. A. J., ed., The Usurpation of Richard the Third (Gloucester: Alan Sutton Publishing Limited)
Text name(s): The Usurpation of Richard the Third; De Occupatione Regni Anglie Per Riccardum Tercium Libellus
Number of pages of primary source text: 49
Author(s):
Dates: 1480 - 1485
Archival Reference:
Original Language(s):
- Latin
Translation:
- Translated into English.
- Original language included.
Translation Comments: The Latin is on the left page while Armstrong's English translation is on the right.
Geopolitical Region(s):
- Italy
- France
- England
County/Region: London
Record Types:
- Chronicle Annals
Subject Headings:
- War - Military History
- Towns / Cities
- Royalty / Monarchs
- Revolt
- Nobility / Gentry
- Government
Apparatus:
- Index
- Appendix
- Bibliography
- Introduction
Comments:
De Occupatione Regni Anglie is a chronicle written by Dominic Mancini after his visit to England in 1482-1483. It is one of the only contemporary sources to the reign of Richard III available to modern scholars. Mancini was an Italian poet, born approximately 1434, who worked in France for the archbishop of Vienne, Angelo Cato. It is believed that Cato sent Mancini to gather information on the English court, starting shortly before Edward IV’s death and continuing until early July 1483. Because he was not a diplomatic correspondent, De Occupatione was written as an unofficial history of the Yorkist kings. Mancini, who wrote exclusively in Latin, did not know English and could therefore not summarize the decrees made by the court. He was reliant upon sources who could speak Italian, and would remain silent where reliable informants were not available. One of his noted sources was John Argentine, a doctor who opposed Richard and saw to Edward V in the Tower of London. Argentine would later become a member of Henry VII’s court. Mancini wrote about Richard’s imprisoning of the Princes in the Tower after hearing rumors from Argentine and other sources, although he never accuses Richard of killing the boys. Despite a lack of explicit accusation, Guillaume de Rochefort, Lord Chancellor of France, used Mancini’s work as evidence of Richard’s guilt and inspired the French to support Henry Tudor’s claim to the English throne.
An exploration of the subject of the text is useful in understanding its context. Richard, as Duke of Gloucester, was incredibly supportive of his eldest brother, Edward IV of England, following him into exile and helping him reclaim the throne. He ruled the north of England until Edward IV’s death in early 1483, when he was named lord protector of Edward V. After threats from the family of Elizabeth Woodville, mother of Edward V, Richard placed the boy king and his brother, Richard, Duke of York, in the Tower of London. An informant told Richard that Elizabeth’s marriage to Edward IV was invalid because of his prior betrothal to Lady Eleanor Butler, leading Richard to declare Edward V and his siblings illegitimate. The citizens of London then drew up a petition to declare Richard king, which he accepted. Richard was crowned shortly after on July 6, 1483. Some have argued that Richard had his nephews killed in the Tower after his coronation, but there is heavy debate about this accusation. This point is where Mancini’s De Occupatione is most important, for its use as a source of evidence in the debate is pertinent. Later, in 1485, Richard met Henry Tudor, supported by the French who were potentially rallied by Mancini’s work, at the Battle of Bosworth Field. It was during this clash that Richard III was killed, becoming the last English king to die in battle and the first one to do so on English soil since the fall of Harold II at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
Richard III has recently become a popular topic as his remains have been found under a parking center in Leicester. They were originally laid to rest in the Greyfriars Church, but it was demolished in Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries.The remains found in Leicester were thought to be his as there was evidence of scoliosis and several battle wounds, two of which would be fatal. Mitochondrial DNA compared to that of a descendent of his eldest sister, Anne of York, confirmed that this was indeed Richard III. Richard will be the first pre-modern person with known historical identity to have his genome sequenced. His remains are expected to be interred at Leicester Cathedral in the spring of 2015.
Armstrong’s translation of De Occupatione is useful for students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Upper level undergraduate students who are unfamiliar with the history of Richard III, Dominic Mancini, and Angelo Cato can gain from the introductory biographies as well as the English translation of the work. Graduate students, on the other hand, can especially benefit from the comparison to the Latin translation included in the book as well as the historical notes to the text and the historiographical notes included in the bibliography. This bibliography is unique as it is included in the beginning of the book, not the end. In addition to the bibliographies and notes, Armstrong includes an appendix that details Nicolas von Poppelau’s account of Richard III and an index with a focus on geographical places and names of people.
Introduction Summary:
The introduction to Armstrong’s translation of De Occupatione (54 pp.) begins with a biography of Dominic Mancini, detailing his various works and his visit to the English court. Mancini’s patron, Angelo Cato, archbishop of Vienne, is described in the next section of the introduction. A friend of Louis XI of France, Cato was a well-known doctor and astrologer who possibly sent Mancini to England to collect information on the Yorkist kings. The final section of the introduction examines the manuscript itself and its language, discovering that while Mancini was the author of the text it was not written by his hand.
Cataloger: HVH
