ABSTRACT
Richard III is unique amongst medieval English kings in the degree to which his power was based on a northern affinity. Richard was crowned on 6 July 1483. It was an ostentatious coronation but it heralded a short and unhappy reign. In mid-July Richard set off on a triumphal progress to present himself to his subjects. With an impressive entourage he passed along the Thames valley, up through the midlands and on to the north. Richard had crushed the rebellion relatively easily, but the serious advocacy of the previously obscure Henry Tudor and the attitude of the southern gentry were ominous developments. However, Richard's position depended upon the loyalty of the heads of the four surviving great baronial families: Buckingham; Lord Howard, whom Richard created Duke of Norfolk; Lord Stanley; and the Earl of Northumberland. Buckingham was of course dead, but that merely enhanced the importance of the other three magnates.
