Ricardian (Richard III)
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Ricardian is a term used to describe a person who is interested in rehabilitating the posthumous reputation of King Richard III of England from detractors.
They seek to put right the image of Richard popularised by writers such as William Shakespeare, whose play paints Richard in such an unpleasant light. Their work has produced editions of documents from Richard's reign and many articles and research, which have shed light on the 1480s in England.
Ricardian fiction includes Josephine Tey's The Daughter of Time, based around very outmoded research by George Markham. Ricardian historiograpy would include works by Horace Walpole and Sir George Buck. Modern historians such as Charles Ross and Michael Hicks who write relatively favourably about Richard could broadly be referred to as Ricardians but would probably themselves shy away from the term because of the (now largely unfair) association with uncritical adulation and distortion of evidence.
There are two notable societies of Ricardians:
