The Life of Richard the III of England, and a Defense of His So-Called "Crimes" as Accused by Shakespeare and the Tudor/Lancaster

Equally unclear is the death of Anne Neville, Richard's wife. While it is possible that Richard killed her, it is unlikely as he had fought to vehemently to marry her in the first place. Also their only son, Edward of Gloucester had died the previous year and with Richard's position on the throne growing more unsteady daily, it's doubtful that Richard would leave himself without an heir or a means of procuring one. The only theoretically possible explanation would be that Richard wanted to marry Elizabeth of York, his niece. Marrying his first cousin, Anne Neville, had been enough of a canonical/legal battle; marrying his niece would have been a nightmare. Besides, having already invalidated the marriage of her parents, marrying Elizabeth of York would be as advantageous as marrying an unknown peasant; he would gain no new political alliances from the marriage. Even if Richard had swallowed his grief over the death of his only child and his wife, there is no reason for Elizabeth of York to marry him anyway. He was rumored to have killed her uncles, brothers and now her aunt. Some things are believable, but for Elizabeth of York to marry her mother's sworn enemy, twelve years her senior --- wouldn't happen.…