The story that inspired Game of Thrones. A sweeping historical drama based of the tumultuous reign of Richard III. Overturning Shakespeare’s flawed history, Monarch is a story of treachery, intrigue, love and war, set against Richard’s deadly power struggle with the hated former Queen who undermines him at every turn in an attempt to retain her former glory and rule England through her young son.

 Overturning Shakespeare’s flawed history, treachery, intrigue, war, love and passion are integral to the struggle for power between Richard III and the former queen

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overturning 500 years of lies, dispelling Shakespeare’s flawed drama treachery, intrigue, love and war as  Richard III and the former queen stuggle for power

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Monarch is a sweeping historical drama based of the tumultuous reign of Richard III. Following the unexpected death of his brother King Edward IV, Richard becomes a reluctant hero when he is forced to take control of the kingdom and defend the throne against challengers from within and without.  He is pitted in a deadly struggle against his sister-in-law, the hated former Queen, Elizabeth Woodville who undermines him at every turn in an attempt to retain her former glory and rule England through her young son. Overturning Shakespeare’s flawed history, Monarch is a story of treachery, intrigue, war, love, passion and the struggle for power between Richard III and his former queen. 

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Monarch is a sweeping historical drama about the tumultuous reign of Richard III. Following the sudden death of his brother King Edward, Richard is named Regent to take control of the kingdom and guide his young nephew’s reign.

As 4^th son, Richard was born to be the sword arm for his brother the king – but never to rule.  He hated London, the court and its intrigues. Yet for the good of the kingdom Richard became a reluctant hero, accepting the challenge that forced him to overcome a coup that threatened his life and unite the warring nobles in the vacuum left by Edward’s death. 

At every turn he is thwarted by the former Queen Elizabeth who seeks to retain power and rule through her young son. Then when Edward’s marriage to Elizabeth was found to be bigamous, their now-illegitimate son cannot inherit. Next in line, Richard is urged by the Council of noblemen to accept the crown.

We see Richard grow from a follower into a leader, a man confronting and conquering his fears, enacting progressive laws that we take for granted today. When Elizabeth supports Tudor’s French backed invasion and Richard is defeated in battle after betrayal by two ambitious and powerful lords, we learn of the gross injustice as the victorious Tudor blackens his reputation to justify his own flawed claim to the throne.  And finally we get closure when his protagonist Elizabeth realises it was the biggest mistake of her life to undermine Richard in favour of Tudor.

When defeated in battle after the betrayal of two ambitious and powerful lords, we learn of the gross injustice as the victorious Tudor blackened his reputation to justify his own flawed claim to the throne.  And finally we get closure when his protagonist Elizabeth, realises she made the biggest mistake of her life in undermining Richard.

What the synopsis above does not reveal is the character arc that Richard must go through to become a man he never aspired to be: a true hero.  Born a 7^th child and a 4^th son, Richard’s fate was either to go into the church or to be a soldier – never to rule.  He hated London and the intrigues of the court. Yet on his brother’s death, for the good of the kingdom he chose to accept the challenge, overcome a coup that threatened his life, the hatred of his brainwashed nephew and pull the warring nobles into line in the vacuum left by his brother’s death.  We see Richard grow from a follower into a leader, a man confronting and conquering his fears, enacting progressive laws that today we take for granted, the gross injustice when the victorious Tudor maligned his reputation and the regret of his protagonist, Elizabeth

Born to be a soldier, destined to be king, a good man strives to defend the throne of England against ambitious noblemen and an invading pretender. Overturning Shakespeare’s flawed history, treachery, intrigue, love and war are integrated in the power struggle between Richard III and his brother’s widow, the former queen.

Born to be a soldier, destined to be king, a good man strives to defend his throne against his own self-serving nobles and a foreign-backed pretender.

50 words:

Born to be a soldier, destined to be king. A good man strives to defend the English throne against ambitious noblemen and an invading pretender. Overturning Shakespeare’s flawed history, treachery, intrigue, love and war are background to the power struggle between Richard III and his brother’s widow, the former queen.

… blows away Shakespeare’s historical inaccuracies to present the man behind the myth: a loyal and courageous king, loved by his subjects and all who knew him,  and the rapacious former queen who will stop at nothing to retain her power.

… deals with the personal aspects of the momentous events of the two-year reign of Richard III: the attempted coups by the former queen, the shock discovery of the bigamous marriage leaving Richard as the only legitimate heir, the disappearance of the two princes in the tower and the French invasion that placed Henry Tudor on the throne, ending forever the age of chivalry.  It pits Richard against his sister in law Elizabeth Woodville, Edward IV’s hated queen. The relationship  between Richard and Elizabeth was one of jealousy and distrust and of ever switching power positions that lasted till each one had died.  An honourable man and a conscientious ruler, Richard was brought down in large part by Elizabeth’s plotting.  While he died a noble, heroic death, true to his own belief system, she was soon hoisted on her own petard, banished to a nunnery by her son in law Henry Tudor, who she plotted to place on the throne.  A stark contrast between perfect nobility and ultimate justice for these two larger than life characters.

Shakespeare’s Richard III is known as the archetypical villain, a hunchback (he wasn’t) who left a trail of murders in his quest for power (he didn’t), who usurped the throne (from his sense of duty) and killed his nephews (he didn’t). The film corrects all the inaccuracies of Shakespeare’s play, showing the loyal brother who reluctantly assumed the throne to prevent civil war in the power vacuum following his brother Edward IV’s death, Edward’s deathbed wish appointing him Regent for his 12 year old nephew, the revelation about the boy’s illegitimacy and unfitness to rule, Richard’s call to duty in spite of his reluctance to take the throne himself and the disloyalty of Lord Stanley, step father of Henry Tudor who invaded England with a French-backed army of mercenaries.

Born to be a soldier but destined to be king, a good man strives to defend the throne of England against challengers from within the country and without

Monarch is the epic story of the rein of Richard III, a good man and great king who was undermined by self-interested nobleman and an invading pretender

Born to be a soldier but destined to be king, a good man strives to defend the throne of England against attack from ambitious nobleman and an invading pretender

Following the unexpected death of his brother King Edward IV, a reluctant hero, Richard is forced to rise to the challenge when he must take control of the kingdom and defend the throne against challengers from both within and outside the kingdom.  He is pitted in a deadly struggle against his sister-in-law, the former Queen, Elizabeth Woodville who seeks to retain power by ruling England through her young son – a reign that would divide the kingdom and usher in a return to the civil war that was known as  the War of the Roses. Richard is on the only one who can stand in her way.

One page synopsis

MONARCH uncovers the dust and blows away the lies immortalised in Shakespeare’s dramatic licence, written to curry favour with his Tudor Queen, and presents the man behind the myth: a loyal and courageous king, loved by his subjects and all who knew him,  and the rapacious former queen who will stop at nothing to retain her power.

The story deals with the personal aspects of the momentous events of the two-year reign of Richard III: the attempted coups by the former queen, the shock discovery of the bigamous marriage leaving Richard as the only legitimate heir, the disappearance of the two princes in the tower and the French invasion that placed Henry Tudor on the throne, ending forever the age of chivalry. It pits Richard against his sister in law Elizabeth Woodville, Edward IV’s hated queen. An honourable man and a conscientious ruler, Richard was brought down in large part by Elizabeth’s plotting. Their relationship was one of jealousy and distrust and of ever switching power positions that lasted till each one had died. While Richard died a noble, heroic death true to his own belief system, Elizabeth was soon hoisted on her own petard, banished to a nunnery by her son-in-law Henry Tudor who she had plotted to place on the throne… A stark contrast between perfect nobility and ultimate justice for these two larger than life characters.

When Yorkist King Edward IV dies suddenly, entrusting his kingdom to the care of younger brother Richard, Elizabeth, his queen refuses to relinquish her power and schemes to rule England through her son, the 12-year-old heir. Richard quells her attempted coup and she flees into sanctuary to avoid recriminations for her treason, but as he attempts to govern according to Edward’s wishes, she continues to plot against him.

After the shock revelation that Edward’s marriage to Elizabeth was bigamous and his heir a bastard, Richard, being next in line for the throne, is urged to accept the crown.

But Richard was a 4^th son, trained as a soldier – not to rule – so he’s reluctant to take the reigns. Eventually he realizes this is the only way to avoid civil war. Although not comfortable with his kingship, he enacts many progressive and just laws for a prosperous England.

During his short reign he is besieged by problems from every front – betrayals by ambitious and powerful lords; the devastating deaths of his son, then his beloved wife Anne, then finally, encouraged by Elizabeth, he is faced with the invasion by Henry Tudor – a flawed claimant, backed by Welsh compatriots, French mercenaries and a few Lancastrian rebels.

We all know the outcome of that battle. What we don’t know is Richard’s courageous, suicidal charge towards Tudor that would end the battle and the wars.  Or the tragic outcome under the Tudor reign that set English law back 200 years.

As he looks over the great army that has come from all corners of England to support him, the men pledging their lives for loyalty to him, pride swells his heart and he finally accepts himself in the role of king. Although outnumbered against the stronger armies of French, Welsh and possibly Tudor’s step-father Stanley, Richard refuses to withdraw and regroup – he is emphatic – England has seen too much fighting.  Instead when he finds Tudor observing the battle from a distant hill, he sees an opportunity to finally put an end to England’s bloodshed – by hand-to-hand combat with his enemy. In a desperate gamble, with a group of just 80 loyal knights, he charges across the battle field, under the noses of the still-uncommitted Stanley army.

He gets within yards of Tudor when Stanley engages, outnumbering him 80 to one. Richard is struck down and brutally slain, leaving his crown and his reputation in the hands of Henry Tudor.  As Winston Churchill said “History is written by the victors.”

Through the eyes of his niece Bess, who was forcibly married to Tudor, we learn that Henry was a miserly and tyrannical ruler with no sense of justice or loyalty, only power mattered.  Elizabeth was hoisted on her own petard when Tudor discovered her plotting against him to reinstate her son to the throne. She was banished to a nunnery to reflect on her mistakes… She did just that, realizing that her biggest mistake was misjudging Richard.

Two page synopsis

1482. The War of the Roses is long over, ended by the victory of the House of York over Lancaster. England is at peace. For the House of York ‘the winter of discontent has now been made glorious summer’ by King Edward IV, that golden warrior prince who aged 19, avenged his father’s death, seized his family’s birthright and the crown of England.

Richard, Edward’s strongest general, is summoned to London to be honoured for his great victory against Scotland. He finds that Edward’s once-loving relationship with his wife Elizabeth Woodville has grown toxic as she ages and her hold on his affections fades. But the debauchery Richard witnesses is still not enough to dull his hero-worship for his brother, while Edward realises he can rely on the straight-laced Richard like no other. So despite their differences, the brothers are close.

Having spent the last 20 years accumulating wealth and honours for her low-born family, Elizabeth has made enemies among the old nobility. She has few friends and a strained relationship with her daughter Bess, who treats her favourite uncle Richard as a rock star. Elizabeth is jealous of Edward’s blind faith in Richard who she distrusts due to his growing popularity in the North as he governs with efficiency and fairness on Edward’s behalf, earning the love and loyalty of the Northerners.

After being feted in London, Richard has barely arrived home to his wife and son in the North, when he receives urgent letters from Lords Hastings and Buckingham, telling him of Edward’s sudden and inexplicable death, of the will appointing him regent for the young heir, and that Elizabeth has seized control of the government and has raised an army to escort her son to London to be crowned immediately (after which there will be no need for him to act as regent). The last thing Richard is equipped for is political intrigue, but his beloved brother has entrusted him to guide his young son’s rule and manage the kingdom until he is of age. He rides south again, into danger, backed by no army, wearing his faith like armour, formidable in his determination to honour his brother’s wishes. Without bloodshed, he overcomes Elizabeth’s army, arrests the Queen’s brother and arrives in London with the young king, to find Elizabeth has fled with her other children into sanctuary, where in her fury she continues to conspire against him.

As the date for the boy’s coronation approaches, it is revealed that the marriage between Edward and Elizabeth was bigamous, so Edward’s two young sons have no entitlement to the throne and Richard is the rightful and only heir. He reluctantly accepts the offered crown, knowing he is the best ruler to avoid renewed civil war and to defend England against invasion. The two princes, residing in the royal apartments of the Tower, are secreted away, initially to a country estate, then to Flanders… as much for their own safety as to prevent rebellions in their name by men of ambition.

Enraged that the long buried secret of her bigamous marriage has finally come to light, Elizabeth redoubles her efforts to bring about Richard’s downfall by supporting the invasion of Henry Tudor, after he promises to marry her daughter Bess and in the naïve hope he will restore her son to the throne.

Although there is wide-spread popular support for Richard as king, placing their own self-serving interests first Hastings, then Buckingham switch their support to Elizabeth in the belief they would gain more power with a child king on the throne. 

Hurt beyond measure at these betrayals by two people who he trusted and regarded as friends, Richard has Hastings and Buckingham executed for Treason, but he makes the mistake of forgiving others who were also involved in the betrayals, including Tudor’s mother, her second husband the powerful Lord Stanley, and the devious Bishop Morton, an entrenched enemy of the House of York. Tudor regroups in France for a second invasion, with the support of the wily King Louis, whose goal is to destabilize England and so prevent Richard attempting to emulate Henry V and reclaim the lost French territories.

And as Elizabeth continues her plotting with Tudor through his mother, Richard’s private life is torn apart with the death of his 10-year old son, followed months later by the death of his beloved wife and childhood sweetheart Anne. Richard descends into a dark psychological hell causing him to question whether God had turned against him.

As Tudor’s army of French and Welsh mercenaries marches through England, Richard now needs support from England’s nobles and the private armies they command. Although a popular and progressive ruler who stamped out the worst injustices of Edward’s corrupt reign, many of the nobles preferred the favouritism and unchecked power they enjoyed the past. Many are tired of warfare after the 30 year War of the Roses decimated their noble families. Others are blasé in the belief that England’s greatest general has no need for them against Tudor who has never bloodied a sword and has no legitimate claim to the throne.

But mostly the battle would depend on the three great magnate families who would provide the greatest numbers of soldiers: the ever-loyal John Howard… Northumberland whose family had ruled in the North for generations until Edward handed that power to Richard… and Stanley, now married to Tudor’s mother.

Northumberland must decide whether to put his personal jealousy before loyalty to his king. Stanley must decide whether to fight for his step-son or remain loyal to his king. Even on the day of the battle Richard doesn’t know which way they will choose. He is urged to withdraw to fight another day, as the pragmatic Edward would have done, but he refuses to put his country through more warfare, just so one man can hold a throne. He will either defeat the Tudor pretender, or die this day as king of England. 

With the battle going against him, he sees an unlikely chance of victory. On a distant hill, Tudor has become separated from his men, protected only by a 100-strong bodyguard. If Richard can reach him, the battle can be won. He asks his 80 Household Knights who will ride with him? To a man they answer with Richard’s own motto: ‘Loyalty Binds Me’. On horseback they sweep under the very noses of Stanley’s still-uncommitted army and Richard cuts a swathe through Tudor’s bodyguard towards his enemy. At the last possible moment, Stanley engages, outnumbering Richard’s knights by some 80:1. Within meters of the quaking Tudor, Richard is killed by a vicious blow to his head, sending his golden coronet flying through the air to land in a thorn bush… leaving his kingdom and his reputation in the hands of Henry Tudor.

Two years later, now mother to Queen Bess of England and mother-in-law to Henry Tudor, Elizabeth has been restored to her position of former glory. Yet even now she wants more. She becomes involved in a plot to restore her exiled son Edward to the throne, backed by an invading army from Flanders and Ireland. When Tudor uncovers the plot, the punishment is swift and severe. She is banished to a nunnery to live out her days alone and in poverty.

Bess’ voice over tells us what happened to all the other characters of our drama: With Tudor a distrustful and vengeful tyrant, it did not end well for any one of them.

What the synopsis above does not reveal is the character arc that Richard must go through to become a man he never aspired to be: a true hero.  Born a 7^th child and a 4^th son, Richard’s fate was either to go into the church or to be a soldier – never to rule.  He hated London and the intrigues of the court. Yet on his brother’s death, for the good of the kingdom he chose to accept the challenge, overcome a coup that threatened his life, the hatred of his brainwashed nephew and pull the warring nobles into line in the vacuum left by his brother’s death.  We see Richard grow from a follower into a leader, a man confronting and conquering his fears, enacting progressive laws that today we take for granted, the gross injustice when the victorious Tudor maligned his reputation and the regret of his protagonist, Elizabeth