Born on the 2^nd of October, 1452, in Northamptonshire England, Richard III went on to become one of the most infamous royals in history. Born to Richard Plantegenet and Cecily Neville, Richard was the youngest surviving son of the third Duke of York. Majority of his life was spent being a part of the historical War of the Roses; the heated battle between the families York and Leicaster for the crown. He has been portrayed as a murder and deformed mad king because of his scoliosis, and was immortalized in Shakespeare’s play “Richard III”. To learn more about the last York king, here are 10 fast facts about Richard III:

Fact 1: Richard III liked to drink a lot. In fact, he loved wine so much that he couldn’t go a day without lugging down a bottle or two of the finest wines. He even drank beer in place of water, which was pretty understandable considering the fact that water sources were easily polluted or riddled with disease and ales were the safest bet. Nonetheless, the king lived a life of luxury and enjoyed banquet halls overflowing with wine, meat, and fish.

Fact 2: He didn’t have the best set of chompers! Results from his examined skull and bones how that the King suffered tooth decay from a diet rich in carbohydrates as well as sugar. To make matters worse, Richard III was a teeth grinder. Back then, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine medieval dentists running for the hills after an appointment with the King.

Fact 3: Richard the III suffered from scoliosis. And though Shakespeare famously portrayed him as a murderous king, coward, and hunchback, this wasn’t the case. Well, for the last part that is. He wasn’t hunched over like Gollum, but he did have to stoop a little. But I guess anyone standing beside him 6 foot and 4 inch tall brother Edward IV would look like a hunch back. The king would have been 5 feet and 8 inches tall without the scoliosis.

Fact 4: Most of Richard III’s early life was spent having a front row seat for the Battle of the Roses, primarily because his father’s conflict with Henry VI was one of the instigators of the historical war. His father was the Duke of York, and his mother was Cecily Neville.

Fact 5: Richard III became involved in a power struggle with Edward IV’s Queen Elizabeth Woodville about the young king who was the rightful heir to the throne but was too young to rule. The King had managed to imprison their son Edward V along with his younger brother, Richard, in the Tower of London. The two boys were never seen again and it’s said that he murdered them both, or had someone else do the dirty work. Shakespeare immortalized Richard III as the hunchback that murdered the two princes in the tower.

Fact 6: Henry Tudor, the Earl of Richmond, was a Lancastrian who also had a claim to the throne. He arrived in South Wales and engaged Richard in battle on Bosworth Field. Even though Richard III had more men in his employ than Henry, a number of his key lieutenants defected. Despite this, the king decided to continue the battle and refused to flee the scene.

Fact 7: The King was offered a horse to flee the siege, but he refused. He went on to say “God forbid I yield one step. This day I die a King or win.” He trudged into battle wearing battle armor and his crown on his head. He was struck down by several blows to the head shortly after.

Fact 8: Richard III was the first to introduce English as the official language of his courts. The hearings and legal documents were previously in French and Latin. He also created a system for legal aid to be given to those who couldn’t have afforded representation for themselves.

Fact 9: In September 2012, archaeologists from Leicester University discovered remains believed to be that of Richard III. The remains were uncovered at the previous site of the Grey Friars church where Richard III was said to be buried. The church had been demolished back in 1530 and had been turned into a parking lot.

Fact 10: The famous civil conflict between the Yorks and Leicesters, or the War of the Roses, was a huge part of Richard III’s. the struggle for power and the ongoing battles between the two families resulted in the death of his father and one of his brothers in December 1460.