1. King Richard III's Reign Was The Shortest Of All Crowned Monarchs Since 1066... So His Impact Could Not Have Been As Significant As Has Been Suggested
King Richard III was only on the throne for 26 months (June 26, 1483-August 22, 1485) - and this makes his reign the shortest of all crowned monarchs since the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Coronated on July 6, 1483, Richard really could not have had quite as negative - or, indeed, positive - impact as some suggest because he simply was not in power for long enough. If you add to his short timespan on the throne the fact that he was also embroiled in the bitter Wars of the Roses anyway at the time, it seems highly improbable that he really could have spent his entire duration as monarch scheming and plotting his way to becoming one of the most evil and Machiavellian kings in history, doesn't it?