Arthurian Myths and Alchemy: The Kingship of Edward IV

Jonathan Hughes examines how Edward IV’s kingship was shaped by Arthurian legend, alchemy and competing visions of royal authority. The book presents Edward as a ruler whose image could be connected with Arthur, the healing of a divided kingdom and the restoration of political order after civil war.

Alongside Edward’s campaigns, exile and return to the throne, Hughes considers the Yorkist court’s use of classical and Roman imagery when Arthurian models proved insufficient. Alchemy, courtly culture, personal symbolism and the king’s emotional and spiritual life are set against the practical demands of ruling England between 1461 and 1483. The result is a study of how myth, belief and propaganda could influence medieval kingship.