Richard III has come down through history as a deformed badly twisted human with an evil heart. What was Richard III actually like and did Shakespeare actually perceive him as a villain, or just material for a good mystery? Due to lack of media, as we understand it, there was no one in 16th century England to defend him. So let's look at Richards's life before he became king. Who were Richard's parents and where was he in line to become king? Would he have ever taken the throne without treachery? Why did Shakespeare lay all the guilt at Richard's feet; did it make a good story or did he really believe it? This paper will attempt to answer these questions, as well as establish Richard's innocence on several counts. Richard III, in some people's eyes, was one of the most villainous people in history. In others', he was a King who just got a bad reputation with little background as to why. Richard was born at Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire on October 2, 1452. He was born to Cecily Neville and Richard Duke of York of the house of York (Fraser, 158). Richard was the twelfth of thirteen children and the youngest of seven to survive their childhood. His parents did not exclusively raise him because he very seldom actually saw them. Through his childhood there was great danger in England because of the War of the Roses. The Yorks and the Lancasters fought over the Crown of England for about 100 years. Part of his childhood was spent in the custody of the Archbishop of Canterbury, while his parents were in exile in France. After his father's death in 1460, Richard's mother took him and his brother, George, to the Burgundian Netherlands where they remained until their older brother, Edward, regained the crown for the house of York and made it safe to return. At the age of nine, Richard became a Knight of the Garter and four months later, his brother, King Edward IV created him Duke of G...