Edward IV

Edward IV (king from 1461-83), so often overshadowed by his younger brother and eventual successor Richard III is a controversial figure in his own right. Was he a lazy and licentious lightweight who much preferred his mistresses to his minsters and had little taste for the arduous day-to-day business of government? Or was he, rather, a wise and successful monarch who laid the foundations for over a century of Tudor rule? This documentary study by the co-author of Richard III in the same series, presents contemporary and near-contemporary sources for Edward IV and his reign, enabling the reader to appreciate why the king's reputation has fluctuated so markedly, and provides and indispensable compendium for all who wish to enter the political world of Yorkist England.