Royal Deaths in Medieval England
Michael Evans
A king's death was a critical and highly dramatic moment, often with major political consequences. Death in battle, wherher that of Harold at Hastings or Richard III at Bosworth, could end a dynasty, while the secret murders of Edward II, Richard II and Edward V blighted the fortunes of their murderers.
The Death of Kings is an account of what is known about the deaths of medieval kings, whether natural, violent or accidental (as William Rufus's death while out hunting in the New Forest). It shows how contemporaries and later writers, including Shakespeare, drew morals from such deaths and about the characters of individual kings, giving these deaths an imaginative and symbolic resonance that has lasted until the present day. Full of fascinating detail and personal infomation about the characters and attitudes of English kings and queens, The Death of Kings is a unique window into the heart of medieval society.
'For God's sake, let us sit upon the ground
And tell sad stories of the death of kings
How some have been depos'd, some slain in war
Some haunted by the ghosts they have depos'd
Some poison'd by their wives, some sleeping kill'd
All murder'd
-- WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, RICHARD II
