The Rose of England the allegorical statements refer to the shields of those involved. The garden is England, and the rose tree the House of Lancaster, with the king being Henry V of England. The boar is either the House of York, which claimed the throne in the person of Edward IV of England, or Richard III of England, who endangerd the future Henry VII of England's life, causing his uncle Jasper Tudor to flee the country with him—or represents both. The Rose of England The Rose of England is Child ballad 166. It is an account of Henry VII of England claiming the
Richard III of England in England. The anonymous play "The True Tragedy of Richard III" (c. 1590), performed in the same decade as Shakespeare's work, was probably an influence on Shakespeare. Neither of the two plays places any emphasis on Richard's physical appearance, though the "True Tragedy" briefly mentions that he is "A man ill shaped, crooked backed, lame armed" adding that he is "valiantly minded, but tyrannous in authority". Both portray him as a man motivated by personal ambition, who uses everyone around him to get his way. Ben Jonson is also known to have written a play "Richard Crookback" in 1602, but