Propaganda and Persuasion: Political Discourse and the Negotiation of Power and Authority in Yorkist and Early Tudor England

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My study provides the first, in depth investigation of the use and manipulation of language to serve political ends in this critical period of English political history. It explores the meaning and significance of common political utterances such as 'common weal', 'against king and God' and references to 'noble blood', which were linguistic tools used to persuade and manipulate public opinion towards or against a cause. This is particularly evident in 1470 when the earl of Warwick and the duke of Clarence published a manifesto detailing the flaws of Edward IV's government, and why he was unsuitable as a ruler. Such phrases were also used by Richard III to slander the Woodvilles when he seized power in May 1483. It considers the context in which this language was employed and the purposes for which it was intended. It considers the different ways language was used to justify either the maintenance of the political status quo or wholesale regime-change. It will seek to understand whether there were certain words or phrases utilised by the monarchy and the nobility in particular circumstances, for example when justifying the deposition of a previous monarch. It will also examine the origins of these words and phrases, specifically who created them, whether they were royalty or opponents of the monarchy, and if they were following linguistic templates used by predecessors and how they adapted these templates in order to fit their specific circumstance.