Aufsatz 
Richard III. in Shakespeares plays compared with Richard III. in history
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and avarice, went so far as to league himself with the enemies ef his brother, and his house. Richard went with Edward, and shared with him all hardships and dangers of the flight. The banishment, however, was not of long duration. In the month of April 1471, after but six months' staying at their brother-in-law, the Duke of Burgundy's, and supported by him, the brothers retur- ned to England. Although Warwick had well guarded the Channel, they succeeded in landing at Ravenspurg in Yorkshire, and marched to York with a small retinue. Edward, at first, did not claim any rights as sovereign, he only claimed his hereditary duchy of York, which in his absence had been bestowed upon his brother Clarence. When he saw, however, that he found no resistance from Warwick, and his party, he came forward again with his claims upon the crown, be it on his own account, or urged on by his friends, especially bpy Montgomery and Richard, as Shakespeare represents it. His friends flocked to his standard, even fickle Clarence, who had looked through his father-in-law's egotistical deseigns, left him, and was reconciled with his brother Edward, especially by the exertions of Richard. As Warwick, in spite of all persuasions, could not be in- duced to submit to Edward, a battle took place at Barnet, near London(April 14th 1471). The fight was most obstinate, but, at last, the Yorkists were successful, the victory beeing chiefly due to the bravery of Richard. Warwick himself was slain, his army scattered.

But a new danger threatened Edward. Queen Margaret with her son Edward had come from France, and was now approaching with a large army of 40000 men to give battle. It was but 20 days after the battle of Barnet that took place the battle of Tewkesbury(May 4th 1471), which was to decide whether the house of York or that of Lancaster was to reign in England. The battle was again won chiefly by Richard of Gloster, who, by a feigned flight, drew the Lan- castrians from their advantageous position. Thousands of them were slain, among them the son of Queen Margaret, Prince Edward. The question is by whom? According to Shakespeare he is taken prisoner, and brought before King Edward, who asks him:.

Edward, what satisfaction canst thou make

For bearing arms, for stirring up my subjects,

And all the trouble thou hast turn'd me to?(Henry VI. 3 P. V. 5.) Whereupon Prince Edward proudly answers that he has done only what he has a right to do, being the lawful sovereign before whom Edward ought to bend his knees. His proud answer

exasperates the brothers very much, but when Prince Edward at last tpells them:

. you are all undutiful.

Lascivious Edward, and thou perjur'd George,

And thou misshapen Dick, I tell ye all,

I am your better, traitors as ye are;

And thou usurp'st my father's rights and mine(Ibid.) the three brothers cannot keep their tempers any longer, and they pierce the poor youth with their swords before the very eyes of his unfortunate mother.

This latter statement of Queen Margaret's presence at the murder of her son is false, since Queen Margaret was captured but a few days after the battle, in the neighbourhood of Tewkesbury together with Anne, the betrothed of Prince Edward. Concerning the murder of the gallant young prince in which, according to Shakespeare, Richard has no more share than his brothers, but which by the writers of the 16th and 17th centuries has been more and more laid to this charge