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
Richard III of England was executed by Henry VII in 1499. The only extant direct male line of Plantagenets is the House of Beaufort, headed today by Henry Somerset, 12th Duke of Beaufort, but the Beaufort line was barred from the succession by Henry IV. There are numerous contemporary, or near-contemporary, sources of information about the reign of Richard III. These include the "Croyland Chronicle", Commines' "Mémoires", the report of Dominic Mancini, the Paston Letters, the Chronicles of Robert Fabyan and numerous court and official records, including a few letters by Richard himself. However, the debate about Richard's true character and motives continues, both