Requiem of the Rose King (2022)
The crown of England has been hotly contested throughout history, and in the Middle Ages, a series of great civil wars became known as the War of the Roses. Claiming a right to the throne, the Duke of York seeks to unseat King Henry VI and his heir in order to become king himself.
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Requiem of the Rose King
2022 / TV-14
Seasons & Episode
Civil war grips Medieval England as the houses of York and Lancaster vie for the throne. Richard, the Duke of York's youngest son, wants nothing more than to see his father crowned king, but he struggles with a secret that he fears to confront.
The Duke of York is dead. The Earl of Warwick pushes the late duke's eldest son Edward as king, and Edward steps up to the responsibility. The decisive battle between the Houses of York and Lancaster takes place outside of London, and Richard is there, once again swinging his sword in search of blood. "In the darkness, all I see is the color of blood. That is why I must fill it all in..." As blood rains down like rose petals, the battle ends with the House of York victorious -- and the kingmaking Earl of Warwick is already planning Edward's marriage.
Edward has fallen in love with Elizabeth, a widower and lower-ranked noblewoman who approached him at a party. He meets her in secret on many occasions, disguising their encounters as hunting sessions. One day, as he accompanies Edward, Richard meets Henry, the young shepherd he once met before. Neither know who the other truly is, but they find themselves together after fleeing to a villa to avoid a rainstorm. "I don't care who you are," Henry says. "It's you yourself that I like, after all." Richard responds with stony silence, as the rain continues deep into the night.
The wedding of Edward and Elizabeth has opened a vast rift between the House of York and the Earl of Warwick. The repurcussions continue at a later dinner party, where Richard meets the Duke of Buckingham. "Richard," the duke says, "has it ever occurred to you? You, too, could become king...!" The advice throws Richard, but in his mind, the words of his father the Duke of York ring loudly: "Let my name live on...the name of the king." Then, as Richard stands before his father's portrait, the Earl of Warwick steps in.
Elizabeth gives birth to a baby girl, as Edward and his younger brother George grow more and more hostile toward each other. Meanwhile, the Earl of Warwick pushes a wedding between his second daughter Isabelle and George, bringing him even closer to his former enemies in the House of Lancaster. Queen Margaret challenges Warwick to prove his sincerity by offering his eldest daughter Anne's hand in marriage to Edward of Westminster, from the House of Lancaster. But before he commits, Edward has someone he must meet first -- Richard, a man already well familiar to him.
Henry VI is back on the throne, but so far it has only been a return to the days that tormented him. Meanwhile, Edward orders Richard to deliver the banner of the House of York as an ultimatum to Warwick and his brother George, who has joined the House of Lancaster. Richard's group acts in secret, but a Lancastrian nobleman discovers their York affiliation and they cross swords. Wounded in the battle, Richard unexpectedly runs into Henry, who is on a pilgrimage.
In the moonlit forest, the darkness of the night envelops Richard and Henry. But their time together doesn't last long, as Richard leaves with the newly-arriving Catesby. "I promise you we'll meet under that tree again," Henry says. Emotionally wrought, Richard promises to meet him again and heads for George's home. Meanwhile George, drunk and wondering where he went wrong in life, sees the ghost of his father, the Duke of York.
Edward becomes king, and York is overjoyed...but Richard's heart was sinking. "The light will never return." Richard goes to the prison where Henry was captured, even after receiving orders from Edward to kill Henry. "You've always appeared out of nowhere...healing my wounds, then tearing them open." With dagger in hand, Richard emotionally opens up to Henry. But what will Henry say when Richard reveals the greatest secret of all?
Ten years later, King Edward IV enjoys a future-predicting "destiny cake" at a banquet. The cake he grabbed was in the shape of a "G," but what does the wine-red "G" suggest about the future? At the banquet, Edward IV meets a woman named Jane. Meanwhile Richard, reappearing at the royal palace after many years, has married Anne, their son Edward growing up healthy and happy. But their happiness is only superficial. "When my soul died, I knew rest, for without a soul, there is no captivity."
Richard captures George for cursing Edward IV. However, Edward IV keeps hoping that George might come to his senses. Richard makes a decision: "Buckingham, kill George." Now Richard must convince Edward IV that it was the Woodville family that sent George to his death. George, cornered by Richard and Buckingham's plot, storms into the courtroom.
Richard is now taking care of Edward IV...but upon the king's death, Queen Elizabeth's brother Anthony plans to install a child prince as king and himself as regent. Anthony also attempts to arrest Richard for treason, but Buckingham also lurks behind the shadows. Finally, Buckingham learns the secret of Richard, who then reveals a dream: "If you can't escape your fate...then become the devil."
Richard and Buckingham embark on a majority-rule maneuver to gain the throne. It creates more suffering for Catesby, who has been trying to protect Richard while serving Hastings. Who is his loyalty truly for? Meanwhile, Hastings and the Queen Mother are planning a service for King Edward V. The service would publicize and solidify Elizabeth's power if held, and now Richard is gradually pushed into a position of inferiority.
Hastings and the Queen Mother carry out a plan to disqualify Richard...but it's revealed that Edward V, son of Edward IV and Elizabeth, had no rightful claim to the throne. So Edward V and his brother are imprisoned in the Tower of London. Thus Richard steadily closes in on the throne...but Cecily agitates the people against it, stating "the devil must not be made king!" Faced with throngs of angry citizens, Richard and Buckingham put on the play of the century.
At a rainy villa, a night spent with Henry VI springs back to Richard's memory. Buckingham, knowing who Richard once loved, joins hands with the king. "Say the name," he tells him, "my name." The villa is visited by Tyrell, the assassin who took George and the others. Buckingham is shocked when he realizes Tyrell is the spitting image of Henry VI. Meanwhile, in London, Richmond is on the move for the throne.
With Buckingham in open rebellion, an anguished Richard turns toward Catesby. "If only I hadn't been so intimate with him. If only I wasn't the son of the devil..." But that was no longer an option. Leaving his wife Anne and son Edward behind, Richard sets out for battle. Richard III and Buckingham cross swords in the Forest of Dean, just as they promised. "I will cross the border and abandon my name. I will stand by your side and cut through your thorns until the day I die. That...and the loyalty to your father that still binds you..."
"If this name, if this blood, was all an illusion...then what is the point of this battle?" Richard looks back at his past, guided by Tyrell in front of him. "Let us go home, even if it is a battlefield where not even sleep is allowed to us..."
The crown of England has been hotly contested throughout history, and in the Middle Ages, a series of great civil wars became known as the War of the Roses. Claiming a right to the throne, the Duke of York seeks to unseat King Henry VI and his heir in order to become king himself.
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