Cultural depictions of Richard III of England of Tudor England, Ben Jonson wrote a play about Richard entitled "Richard Crookback". His portrayal of the king is unknown, as it was never published. However, it is unlikely to have departed from the negative portrayal of Richard, and probably followed the same pattern as Jonson's only other tragedies, written at the same period, "Catiline His Conspiracy" and "Sejanus His Fall", both of which are about ruthless usurpers who finally receive just retribution. Several ballads about the battle of Bosworth also survive from this period, some of which may date back to the immediate aftermath of the battle. Perhaps the
Edward III of England extraordinary circumstances of the April parliament had forced the king into submission, but under normal circumstances the powers of the king in medieval England were virtually unlimited, a fact that Edward was able to exploit. Historian Nicholas Rodger called Edward III's claim to be the "Sovereign of the Seas" into question, arguing there was hardly any Royal Navy before the reign of Henry V (1413–22). Despite Rodger's view, King John had already developed a royal fleet of galleys and had attempted to establish an administration for these ships and ones which were arrested (privately owned ships pulled into royal/national service).