Edward IV

Edward IV (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 misters and had little taste for the arduous day-to-day businsess 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 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.