Thomas More's History of King Richard III

E48884

Thomas More's History of King Richard III is a seminal early-16th-century biographical and historical narrative that portrays Richard III as a ruthless usurper and heavily shaped the king’s enduringly negative reputation.


Statements (47)
Predicate Object
instanceOf Tudor historiography
biographical work
historical narrative
unfinished work
aimsTo present Richard III as a warning example of tyranny
associatedWith Henry VIII’s court
author Thomas More
circulation manuscript circulation before print
claimsResponsibilityFor Richard III ordering the murder of the Princes in the Tower
countryOfOrigin England
coversEvent Wars of the Roses
accession of Richard III
reign of Richard III
rise of Henry VII
dateWritten c. 1513
early 16th century
depictsEvent disappearance of the Princes in the Tower
evaluatedAs key source for Richard III’s historiography
seminal work of English prose
genre biography
political history
impactOn English historical drama
perceptions of the Wars of the Roses
influenced William Shakespeare's Richard III
later Tudor chroniclers
popular image of Richard III
language English
Latin
literaryStyle humanist historiography
rhetorical and moralising narrative
mainSubject Richard III of England
narrativePerspective pro-Tudor
notableFor shaping Richard III’s negative reputation
use of dramatic narrative techniques
vivid characterisation of Richard III
politicalContext Tudor dynasty legitimation
portraysAs deformed ruler
ruthless usurper
tyrant
questionedBy modern historians
relatedWork Polydore Vergil's Anglica Historia
The Chronicles of Hall
settingPeriod late 15th century England
status unfinished
survivesAs English version
Latin version
timeOfCompositionContext early reign of Henry VIII

Referenced by (3)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Historic Doubts on the Life and Reign of King Richard the Third
criticizesSource
Princes in the Tower murders ("Thomas More’s "History of King Richard III"")
primarySource
Historic Doubts on the Life and Reign of King Richard the Third ("The History of King Richard III by Thomas More")
relatedWork

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