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statementVerified

The History of King Richard III is composed as a dated unfinished political narrative

Around 1513–18 More composed the unfinished History of King Richard III in English and Latin. Later Shakespearean history plays are reception, not 1513 autograph. In the causal graph this event strengthens Digital Learning Access, a driver that weakens Learning Poverty Rate (low- and middle-income countries) — an improving welfare path.

Sources: [1][2]

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Around 1513–18 More composed the unfinished History of King Richard III in English and Latin. Later Shakespearean history plays are reception, not 1513 autograph.

Context

The Yale edition tradition and the British Library’s Tudor manuscript world independently locate the Richard III history. Medium confidence on the exact year of composition.

Thomas More’s documented role is bounded by other offices and collaborators named in the sources below.

Conventional years are 1478–1535. Surviving public files are later parliamentary biographies, TNA calendars, HRP Tower pages, the Yale More tradition, and encyclopedias. More did not typeset those later pages. 1935 canonisation is posthumous and is not a Fact.

Why it matters

Knowledge-access path of medium confidence on year, high on authorship as received.

Who was responsible

Contribution type and responsibility level for each recorded actor — not sole-author shorthand.

  • Thomas More

    Person

    Direct responsibility

    responsibility level 0.4 · verified

    He wrote the unfinished history. Later printers and Shakespeare’s neighbours reused it. Complex reception.

What changed

Fact → Driver → Indicator. Relationship strength orders the paths; it is not the observed indicator movement.

Evidence

The sources behind this fact and its verification state.

Verified2 sources on file
  1. 1.Essential Works of Thomas More — Yale-linked public siteYale University Press / Essential More · High credibility · verified
  2. 2.British LibraryBritish Library · High credibility · verified
What the sources establish

Essential More and the British Library independently describe the unfinished History of King Richard III as More’s narrative.

Established: More composed the Richard III history in the 1510s. Not established: that he typeset a later Folio play.

Thomas More did not file a later UNESCO form, a later Loeb colophon, or a later museum label as a personal act. A history is not a 1535 indictment. Keep July as the trial and death. A history is not a 1535 indictment. Keep July as the trial and death.

Causal path

How this event connects to drivers and indicators in the graph.

  1. ActorThomas More
  2. contributed toFactThe History of King Richard III is composed as a dated unfinished political narrative
  3. strengthensDriverDigital Learning Access
  4. weakensIndicatorLearning Poverty Rate (low- and middle-income countries)

Cite this page

Factrail. (2026). The History of King Richard III is composed as a dated unfinished political narrative. Factrail. https://factrail.ai/facts/tm-richard-iii-history

https://factrail.ai/facts/tm-richard-iii-history

Accessed 17 October 2026.

By the · Method: how we source and score · Last reviewed

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