Richard, Duke of Gloucester, established his position through loyal service to his brother Edward IV during the Wars of the Roses. He fought at Barnet and Tewkesbury in 1471 and acquired extensive authority in northern England. Marriage to Anne Neville helped connect him to major estates and regional interests. As a royal lieutenant and military commander, he developed a northern power base and participated in the campaign that recovered Berwick in 1482. Those responsibilities explain the resources and supporters he could draw upon when the succession crisis began.

Edward IV's death in April 1483 left the young Edward V as heir and Richard designated protector. Richard moved against members of the Woodville family, took custody of the king and executed leading opponents, including Lord Hastings. A claim that Edward IV's marriage had been invalid was used to declare his children illegitimate. Richard accepted the crown in June and was crowned in July. Edward V and his brother disappeared from public view in the Tower of London. Their fate and responsibility for it remain disputed; the absence of a conclusive account does not remove the political violence surrounding Richard's accession.

A rebellion in autumn 1483, associated with the Duke of Buckingham and supporters of Henry Tudor, failed, but exposed divisions among former Yorkists. Richard sought to strengthen government and reconcile subjects while relying increasingly on trusted northerners. His Parliament of 1484 approved measures involving justice, trade and the legal basis of his title. Such legislation forms part of his record, but does not establish that the usurpation enjoyed broad acceptance. The deaths of his son in 1484 and Anne in 1485 weakened an already uncertain dynastic position. Negotiations and rumours over remarriage added further controversy.

Henry Tudor landed in Wales in August 1485 and advanced toward Richard's forces. At Bosworth on 22 August, uncertain loyalties and intervention by Stanley forces helped determine the result. Richard was killed in the fighting, and Henry became king. Later Tudor narratives and Shakespeare's drama gave Richard a lasting image as a monstrous villain, while defenders have sometimes understated adverse evidence. Archaeological identification of his remains in Leicester in 2012 and reburial in 2015 renewed interest without resolving every historical dispute. His earlier public service cannot erase the coercive circumstances of his accession and fall.