The Daughter of Time
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The Daughter of Time is a 1951 novel by Josephine Tey, often referenced by "supporters" of King Richard III of England, despite the fact that it never claims to be fact. It was the last book Tey published, shortly before her death. Josephine Tey was a pen name of Elizabeth MacKintosh.
Tey's regular hero, Scotland Yard Inspector Alan Grant, is forced to spend time laid up in hospital. Becoming interested in a postcard of a portrait that his friend Marta brings to him. He asks for history books because of the lack of imagination shown in modern mystery fiction, he has friends research reference books so he can puzzle out the mystery of whether King Richard III of England murdered his nephews, the Princes in the Tower.
The "research" carried out by Grant is based on historic fact. The conclusion that Richard III is not guilty, however, is based to some extent on Grant's "gut feeling" having looked at the portrait, as a detective, that Richard is a good man and therefore not capable of such a crime. Grant also reasons that due to the Titulus Regius, Richard III gained little by killing his nephews, who were his older brother Edward IV's sons. This document, which declared the two boys illegitimate, negated their claim to the throne. Richard's other brother, George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, had been executed for treason-negating his children's claim to the throne. Thus Tey through Grant reasons that, assuming Richard was supported by the people, there was no one else in line to the throne before him and, therefore, no reasons for him to murder his "illegitimate" nephews. As a more likely culprit Henry VII is presented because during his reign he repealed the Titulus Regius and destroyed it without it being read, legitimizing the nephews again. Assuming they were alive at this time, these two boys would then have been in line for the throne before Henry VII. Grant does not appear to consider that this all happened in a different era when the political landscape was a lot more brutal, nor does he realise that the portrait might not be an accurate portrayal of the man.
