The True Tragedy of Richard III a source for his play, though the majority tend to favour this judgement. Geoffrey Bullough treats "The True Tragedy" as a "probable source" for "Richard III", citing several commonalities (as when, in both plays, Richard calls for a horse on Bosworth Field, yet refuses to flee the battle) — though Bullough admits that the nature of the plays' relationship is "not clear." The uncertainty in dating has allowed a few commentators to propose a reversed priority, and to argue that the author (or reviser) of "The True Tragedy" may have borrowed from Shakespeare's play. Shakespeare appears to have known of
Ricardian (Richard III) facts: that first the young king Edward the V was placed under the protection of his uncle Richard III; that Richard III himself was then crowned as the new king instead of young Edward V; and finally that the crown prince disappeared at some point over the coming year, never to be seen again. However, they dispute the initial common assumption by many, that Richard III was personally responsible for the apparent murder of Edward V. Richard III's reign lasted for only 2 years, and his short reign came to a violent end on 22nd August 1485 at the Battle