Of the many late-Plantagenet kings portrayed as weak or even despicable by William Shakespeare, none have as good a case for libel as Edward IV (1442-1483;

1461-70, 1471-83): it has long been believed by many historians and literary scholars that Shakespeare contributed, if late in the game, to an orchestrated campaign to justify the Tudor coup of 1485. Even a hundred years after the fact, the Tudor establishment encouraged stories about the weakness and depravity of the late-Plantagenet monarchs in order to justify the invasion by Henry VII (1457-1509,

1485-1509) and his establishment of the Tudor line. Whether Shakespeare was a deliberate propagandist, or whether he simply based his great historical dramas on propagandist sources, cannot be established with certainty. In…

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Citation: Dougherty, David C.. "Reign of King Edward IV". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 January 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=618, accessed 27 November 2024.]