Who was Richard III?

This Sunday, 22 March, Cardinal Vincent Nichols will be preaching at Compline in Leicester Cathedral, for the reception of the remains of a king who died more than 500 years ago. On Monday, the Cardinal will celebrate a Requiem Mass for the repose of the soul of King Richard III at the Holy Cross Dominican Priory in Leicester city centre. A further Mass will take place in Holy Cross Church on Tuesday 24 March. But who was this medieval figure?

King Richard III is one of the most maligned characters in English history. Shakespeare portrayed him as an evil scheming hunchback who murdered his own nephews. Every English student knows Laurence Olivier's gruesome depiction of him in the 1955 classic film.

In recent years however, historians have begun to revise their opinions, and an astonishing discovery in 2013, has reawoken widespread interest in the man and his life. Rather than revealing a wicked tyrant, fresh research seems to show he was a brave, dutiful young man, and a devout Catholic with links to the Franciscans.

Richard, the last of the Plantagenets, had one of the shortest reigns in English history. Killed, aged 32, at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, which left the way clear for Henry VII to take power, it seems he was hurriedly buried in a Franciscan church in Leicester, which was completely destroyed 50 years later at the Reformation. While the true whereabouts of his grave was forgotten, there were rumours that his body had been dug up and thrown into a river.

From the time of his death, the Tudor propaganda machine began spreading defamatory stories about him that echo to the present day. But not everyone was convinced by these.

There is a good deal of contemporary evidence to show that he was a just and popular leader. Cambridge University bravely held a Requiem Mass for him for about 80 years after his death. The Richard III Society have held annual Requiem Masses for him since the 1920s. The Society has long campaigned to restore his reputation, and searched for years to discover where he was buried.

In August 2012, an archaeological excavation by the University of Leicester, discovered the location of a Franciscan Friary (on Friary Street!) in Leicester, under a car park.

Writer Philippa Langley from the Society was convinced Richard was there. Amazingly, in the first trench they dug, on 25 August 2012, a skeleton was discovered. "It's almost as if he wanted us to find him" said Philippa.

The bones were those of a man about 30 years old. His spine showed signs of a quite severe spinal scoliosis, (curved spine) which doctors think would have begun when he was about 12. They said it might not have been very visible if someone was clothed, but it could have been quite painful. There was also evidence of a number of battle injuries including a large gash on his skull which was probably the blow that killed him.

On 4 February 2013, the University of Leicester confirmed that the skeleton was beyond reasonable doubt that of King Richard III. This conclusion was based on mitochondrial DNA evidence; historian Dr John Ashdown-Hill discovered it was an exact match to a living descendant of his sister; soil analysis, and dental tests. The physical characteristics of the skeleton were also highly consistent with contemporary accounts of Richard's appearance.

Philippa Langley said: "When Richard fell in the battle, he was stripped naked and his scoliosis became known and was used to denigrate him. Today, we find the idea of using physical disability against a person as abhorrent. Let this now be a break from the Tudor medieval mindset."

On 5 February 2013 Professor Caroline Wilkinson of the University of Dundee conducted a forensic facial reconstruction of Richard, based on 3D mappings of his skull. It bears a strong resemblance to a contemporary painting of him. She described the face as: "warm, young, earnest and rather serious".

Following the discovery, the Mayor of Leicester announced that the king's skeleton would be re-interred at Leicester (Anglican) Cathedral and a Richard III museum will be opened in the Victorian school buildings next to the grave site.

A campaign was launched to appeal for the last of the Plantagenet kings to be given a Catholic funeral and burial. Dr Ashdown-Hill said: "Having played a major role in the recovery of Richard III's remains (by finding the living DNA link which proved his identity), and as a Catholic who, for many years organised annual Requiem Masses for Richard III and his family, I'd like to support the idea that Richard's remains should now be given a Catholic reburial. He was a sincerely religious man, and I believe this is what he would have wanted."

Richard III appears to have had links with the Franciscans. Dr Ashdown-Hill said: "We don't know why he was buried at the Franciscan friary in Leicester. There were many religious houses there at the time. We don't know if they were asked or offered to take him. But we know historically that the friary did support his family's cause. We know Richard III had a Franciscan Friar as his chaplain.

"Another thing which is intriguing, is that Richard's sister, Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy, chose to be buried in the Franciscan Friary at Michelin in Belgium. Her instructions were rather strange. She asked to be buried under the steps leading to the choir. This was exactly where we found Richard III at the Friary in Leicester - under steps leading to the choir."

Dr Ashdown-Hill said he doubts that the story of Richard III killing his nephews is true. There were many other people at the time who would have benefitted from their deaths, he said. But, he adds, the case for their being murdered at all is very shaky. "There are accounts of a physician visiting the tower and medieval records of Edward (the eldest child) dying of an illness."

Dr Ashdown-Hill said: "Richard III's name has been blackened. But it is completely overlooked that the man who took the crown from him, Henry VII, systematically killed all his opponents."

The historian said: "Richard and his wife Anne were devout Catholics. They gave many chantry endowments. They endowed King's College and Queens' College at Cambridge University. Richard planned the establishment of a large chantry chapel in York Minster, with over 100 priests.

"Richard's prayerbook is at Lambeth Palace in London. Many people had these beautiful illuminated Books of Hours - often they were like a modern coffee table book to browse in occasionally. But Richard III's is not like that. He has added little prayers and notes of his own. That shows that he didn't just have one but he used it. Its interesting the way it has survived. Contemporary records say a prayerbook was found in his tent at the Battle of Bosworth. They say it was given to his sister Margaret. The one at Lambeth Palace has her name in it. So its likely that's the one he used before the battle."

Dr Ashdowne-Hill said: "It is said he owned a Bible in English. His sister was also very devout but also a reformer."

In his short reign, Richard achieved a number of progressive reforms. In 1483, he instituted what later became known as the Court of Requests, a court to which poor people who could not afford legal representation could apply for their grievances to be heard. He also introduced bail in January 1484, to protect suspected felons from imprisonment before trial and to protect their property from seizure during that time. He banned restrictions on the printing and sale of books, and ordered the translation of written Laws and Statutes from the traditional French into English."

Phillipa Langley is currently developing a film script on the life of Richard III. Dr Ashdowne-Hill is writing a book about Richard's sister Margaret and he also investigating the story of the Princes in the Tower. He said: " What we have achieved is not the end. As a historian I 'm concerned about finding the truth and respecting people's reputations."