The wars of the roses ended with the triumph of the lancasterians and the ascent of henry tudor. Medieval and middle ages history timelines wars of the roses. Michael hicks is professor of medieval history at king alfreds college, winchester. The wars of the roses were a series of dynastic civil wars between the rival houses of lancaster and york, for the throne of england. His claim to the throne was not strong and he became king after defeating richard iii at the battle of bosworth field in 1485. An easy intro to the wars of the roses history behind. They are much longer and also much more complex than either the anarchy of king stephens reign 1554 or the english civil war 164251 that are the principal parallels in english history. The name wars of the roses refers to the heraldic badges associated with two rival branches of the same royal house, the white rose of york and the red rose of lancaster. Her bestselling history books include the six wives of henry viii, eleanor of.
He writes and presents the popular netflix series secrets of great british. I never understood the emotional origins of the wars of the roses until i read this book or rather the chapters about the percys in the late 0s to 1480s. Im on the fence about richard iii, and i think it is possible he is innocent. Jul 28, 2019 the war of the roses begins in the opening battle of englands war of the roses, the yorkists defeat king henry vis lancastrian forces at st. Finally, this book examines the tudors struggles to keep the crown after 1485 and the process by which their history of the wars of the roses was established. Her intention is to give us her insight into the personalities. This book deals with the general theme of the interaction of war and. The civil wars consumed the whole nation in a series of battles that eventually saw the tudor dynasty take power.
In a brief history of the wars of the roses, desmond seward tells the story of this complex and dangerous period of history through the lives of five men and women who experienced the conflict first hand. Martin loosely based the political tangle at the heart of game of thrones on the bloody struggle in the midfifteenth century between factions of the plantagenet family for control of the english throne. A yorkist victory during which the duke of somerset one of the. It does not matter if you are reading a medieval history book, meditating or taking a nap. If you need to get to the guts of it this is the one. War of the roses 1455 1485 england became engulfed in a civil war between the houses, of york and lancaster. The wars of the roses were a series of bloody civil wars for the throne of england between two competing royal families. In the previous animated historical documentary on the wars of roses. In the wars of the roses, alison weir reconstructs this conflict with the same dramatic flair and impeccable research that she brought to her highly praised the princes in the tower. Battles of barnet and tewkesbury 1471 wars of the roses. From henry iv, the first lancastrian king, to richard iii, the wars of the roses follows the history of the kings of the houses of lancaster and york who shaped this tumultuous period of english history.
List of books and articles about wars of the roses. A bloody thirtyyear struggle between the dynastic houses of lancaster and york, they embraced localised vendetta such as the bitter northern feud between the percies and nevilles as well as the formal clash of royalist and rebel armies at st albans, ludford bridge, mortimers. A brief history of medieval warfare book depository. These books are not set in the wars of the roses, so they dont belong on this list. We use cookies to give you the best possible experience. The wars of the roses is history at its very bestswift and compelling, rich in character, pageantry, and drama, and vivid in its recreation of an astonishing period of history. But the underlying causes for the successive upheavals have been hotly contested by historians ever since. The wars of the roses are actually the longest period of civil war in englands postconquest history. The war of the roses history history history on the net. The volume includes nine strategic maps of the main campaigns, as well as an excellent bibliography. My goal is to create an ultimate resource for all fun. What is the definitive war of the roses history book.
Weir, in her inimitable way, can really write a good story. Apr 15, 2019 posts about war of the roses written by tigers68. Tauris short histories proved to be an excellent introduction, and winter king. A dynastic conflict, the wars of the roses saw the houses of lancaster and york struggle for the english throne. The house of percy in british history by alexander rose. The name wars of the roses is based on the badges used by the two sides, the red rose for the lancastrians and the white rose for the yorkists. Feb 05, 20 pollard history, university of teesside reevaluates traditional historical interpretations of the war of the roses.
The peasants revolt of 81, which was published in 2009. Richard iii at the battle of bosworth original signed by british history peter jackson at the book palace. The battles of the wars of the roses took place between 1455 and 1487. Books on the wars of the roses the history of england. He holds three history degrees at english universities and has written extensively on the wars of the roses, mainly through biographies of important protagonists such as warwick the kingmaker, false fleeting perjurd clarence. First hand accounts reveal how the lives of their women and children were blighted during three decades of war, as many of their male. This book traces the history of the period through the eyes of five point of view historical figures. The wars are viewed within a wider european context, and characteristics of civil war are considered alongside developments in european warfare. Dec, 2019 the wars of the roses were fought in britain from 1455 to 1485. War of the roses history behind game of thrones part 3.
Dan jones first history book was a popular narrative history of the english peasants revolt of 81, titled summer of blood. Feb 21, 2017 hello and welcome to feature history, featuring the war of the roses, a video that is certainly not early this month, and a fancy new intro. The war of the roses history is a story of tudor monarchs desperately attempting to unite a faction behind them large enough to unite the fledging realm of england. My wars of the roses research materials list fallon burner. The wars of the roses by michael hicks, paperback barnes. The war was not a constant fight that affected the whole country and its population, but a series of battles. Plot summary edit the novel begins quietly, introducing jonathan and barbara as they are introduced to each other for the first time. Death comes to pemberley, gentlemen prefer blondes, pure white and deadly, the paris wife, jane eyre, schindlers list, and wuthering heights. Queenship and power in late medieval england by helen e.
Wars of the roses came into common use in the 19th century after the publication in 1829 of anne of geierstein by sir walter scott. The war was fought between supporters of several descendants of edward iii, the king of england from 27 to 77. The war ended with the victory for the earl of richmond, henry tudor, who founded the house of tudor, which subsequently ruled england and wales for 117 years. The wars of the roses by bruce webster paperback the wars of the roses. Lincoln from the norman conquest to the wars of the roses cambridge introduction to world history. Included in this is his war of the roses series of novels, which is an epic collection of books that focus on this period in the medieval history of england. The wars of the roses raged from 1455 to 1485 the longest period of civil war in english history. This book covers only the first part of the wars of the roses all of which lasted from 1455 to 1487. Available now from amazon uk, amberley publishing, book depository and amazon us heroines of the medieval world tells the stories of some of the most remarkable women from medieval history, from eleanor of.
The medieval soldier in the war of roses download ebook. In 1996 a construction company preparing to build a garage near the site of the battlefield discovered the first mass grave of soldiers ever found on british soil. The wars of the roses were a series of civil wars fought in medieval england from 1455 to 1487 between the house of lancaster and the house of york. Timothy vennings exploration of the alternative paths that british history might easily have taken moves on to the wars of the roses. Here are a few books about the wars of the roses that i like. They barely affected the daily routine of the civilian population, yet for the leaders of the opposing houses of york and lancaster, the wars were devastating. War and society in medieval and early modern britain. There was tremendous bloodshed as defeated forces on both sides were brutally murdered by the victors. War of the roses during the late medieval period, a series of conflicts took place in england which were more destructive than the hundred years war had been in the previous century. I actually read other books on the same topic or related to it before i started this one.
These wars were mostly fought between 1455 and 1485. Cambridge core british history after 1450 the wars of the roses by christine. The wars of the roses are undoubtedly one of the most turbulent periods of english history, and the battle of towton reputedly the most bloody battle of any fought on english soil. August 14th, 2016 some of you know already that i am working on a show based on the women of the wars of the roses time period. He holds three history degrees at english universities and has written extensively on the wars of the roses, mainly through biographies of important protagonists such as warwick the kingmaker, false fleeting perjurd clarence and richard iii who shaped successive stages of the conflict. But this is a changed world, and medieval europe is dominated by the threat from the byzantine empire. Anthony cheetham provides insight into the politics, society, and economy of this time, and above all, he conveys the personal histories and. The women of the norman conquest traces the fortunes of the women who had a significant role to play in the momentous events of 1066.
A brief history of medieval warfare by peter reid, 9781845295349, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Martins series of novels by the same title, has renewed interest in the english wars of the roses. English billman and foot soldiers during the war of the roses. While visiting fotheringhay castle, the site of the execution of mary queen of scots, we took a short walk down the road to st mary the virgin and all saints church in the village of fotheringhay. Which is why its perfect that alison weir has a whole book just about that period in english history. List of books and articles about wars of the roses online. A bloody thirtyyear struggle between the dynastic houses of lancaster and york, they embraced localised vendetta such as the bitter northern feud between the percies and nevilles as well as the formal clash of royalist and rebel armies at st albans, ludford bridge, mortimers cross. Martins series of novels by the same title, has renewed interest in the english wars of the roses martin loosely based the political tangle at the heart of game of thrones on the bloody struggle in the midfifteenth century between factions of the plantagenet family for control of the english thr. There were four different kings on the throne all except one of whom had overthrown another king in violent battle or subterfuge. It also covers the plague, the hundred years war, the changing economy, and so on.
Praise for the wars of the roses exhilarating, epic. In his wars of the roses dan jones covers roughly the years 14201525, discussing the precursors and the aftermath of the wars and all the time between. As an aside, his book about richard iii is hilariously blunt. Wars of the roses 145585, in english history, the series of civil wars that preceded the rise of the tudors. The success of the hbo show game of thrones, based on george r. The war between the royal house of lancaster and york, the longest and most complex in british history, profoundly altered the course of the.
The dawn of tudor england is an absolutely riveting read about the period right after the wars of the roses. As she states in the introduction, weir is not just recounting the history of the wars of the roses. I love pollard good historian, writes well without having to go to mortimerjoneskendall level. The nine contributors to this book focus on three english civil wars. In this original and stimulating new synthesis, distinguished historian michael hicks examines the. The reigning monarch the weak lancastrian king henry vi who also suffered periods of madness his week leadership developed the rivalry between the two houses which flared up in warfare in 1455 at the battle of st albans. While i knew the church was connected with the castle and the house of york, the building contained many fascinating features and was abundant with the history of the war of the roses. No rating dnf this book covers only the first part of the wars of the roses all of which lasted from 1455 to 1487. The art of warfare in western europe during the middle ages. Books on wars of the roses history behind game of thrones. It lasted for just over 30 years from 1455 to 1487, however, the battles were mostly small and. History middle ages for kids the wars of the roses was a civil war fought in england. The wars of the roses 14551485 begins with 23 pages of background material to the wars, and then plunges into the main campaign narrative, of 31 pages.
A list containing historical books set during the period of the wars of the. See more ideas about history, british history and wars of the roses. In 1455, just two years after the end of the hundred years war, this dynastic civil war broke out. Fought between the houses of lancaster and york for the english throne, the wars were named years afterward from the supposed badges of the contenders. Englands most powerful family in the wars of the roses.
Lite history to me are those pulpy history paperbacks that tend to populate the military history sections of bookstores about navy seals, special forces, nazis, and those god awful books about the. Alison weir, one of the foremost authorities on british history, brings brilliantly to life. The kings who made england, was published in 2012 in the united kingdom and a year later in the united states, 6 where. The war between the houses of lancaster and york for the throne of england was. Aug 15, 2012 history is written by the victors, and as the ultimate loser in the wars of the roses, richard iii has found himself long vilified, particularly by the historians and writers in thrall to the. Wars of the roses the middle ages encompass one of the most exciting periods in english history. Feb, 2015 anybody know if one exist or if they should create one. One of the most important historical events of the medieval era is the wars of the roses.
The war between the royal house of lancaster and york, the longest and most complex in british history, profoundly altered the course of the monarchy. This book covers only the wars between the lancasters and the yorks 14551471. His books do not fall into the category of popular history but they do read like them. Download gng, use my promo code kag and get a huge bonus pack.
This book was a very accessible work of history told with a friendly narrative, but i cant say that i was too blown away by it. It lasted for just over 30 years from 1455 to 1487, however, the battles were mostly small and sometimes were years apart. Rose reference types of armor knight art plantagenet wars of the roses medieval life mystery of history arm armor rose art. Click download or read online button to get the medieval soldier in the war of roses book now. The war of the roses tells the story of jonathan and barbara rose, and their descent from a picturesque family life into a world of macabre selfdestruction. Alison weirs war of the roses, does a good job of making the subject accessible to readers of history, though not to fans of lite history. Wars of the roses, traditional name given to the intermittent struggle 145585 for the throne of england between the noble houses of york whose badge was a white rose and lancaster later associated with the red rose. This medieval wedding has ten days of partying and festivities.