Ralph Shaa (sometimes erroneouslyShakespeare's Early History Plays: From Chronicle to Stage
by Dominique Goy-Blanquet, published 2003 by

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

called John Shaa;The History of King Richard III and Selections from the English and Latin Poems
by

Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VIII as Lord ...

; 1976 edition by

Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day, and became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and operationally autonomous. , Yale Universi ...

; edited by Richard S. Sylvester; note footnote 3: "John Shaa, brother to the mayor", "i.e., ''Ralph'' Shaa" (italics in original) died 1484) was a 15th-century English

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, the half-brother of the

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional pow ...

,Shakespeare's English Kings: History, Chronicle, and Drama
p. 174, by Peter Saccio, published 2000 by

Edmund Shaa Sir Edmund Shaa or Shaw (died 20 April 1488) was a London goldsmith, Sheriff of London in 1475 and Lord Mayor of London in 1482. Shaa lent money to Edward IV and, as mayor (at least), was extensively involved in the coronation of Edward IV's br ...

. Shaa (pronounced and sometimes spelled "Shaw") played a minor but pivotal role in the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...

by preaching a

sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. ...

on 22 June 1483"Shaw's Sermon"
in ''Encyclopedia of the Wars of the Roses'', by John A. Wagner; published 2001 by ABC-CLIO which claimed that Edward IV (as whose chaplain he had served)Infamous Cheshire
by Bob Burrows, published 2006 by History Press had already been

betrothed An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

to Eleanor Butler at the time of his marriage to Elizabeth Woodville, and that Edward V was therefore illegitimate and had no claim to the throne.Richard, Son of Richard: Richard III and Political Prophecy
by Lesley Coote and Tim Thornton; in ''

Historical Research The Institute of Historical Research (IHR) is a British educational organisation providing resources and training for historical researchers. It is part of the School of Advanced Study in the University of London and is located at Senate Hou ...

'' Volume 73, Issue 182, Pages 321-330 (October 2000) Shaa is mentioned as "Doctor Shaw" in

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's play '' Richard III''.CliffsNotes on Shakespeare's Richard III
by James K. Lowers, published 1999 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaa, Ralph 1484 deaths Clergy from Lancashire People of the Wars of the Roses English theologians Year of birth unknown