Alison weir is a british writer of history books for the general public, mostly in the form of biographies about british kings and queens, and of historical fiction. Ross draws upon his experience as a professor of medieval history at the university of bristol to provide the reader with a well written survey of the wars of the roses. The wars of the roses is an irresistible account of a fascinating period of history. Sign me up to get more news about historical fiction books. Books on wars of the roses history behind game of thrones. About this title may belong to another edition of this title. The events of the wars of the roses are usually described in terms of the men involved. Click for even more facts or download the worksheets collection. Incisively written and highly readable sunday times john gillingham is emeritus professor of medieval history at the london school of economics and political science. The romantic name for the dynastic conflicts which troubled 15thcentury. 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. The tudors then dan jones swashbucklingly entertaining slice of medieval history will be right up your alley. Alison weir, one of the foremost authorities on british history, brings brilliantly to life both the war.
I never understood the emotional origins of the wars of the roses until i read this book. Best books about the wars of the roses tudor history by. Bearing the white rose of york and the red rose of lancaster, the power hungry kingstobe rode into battle to claim the greatest prize of all the throne. 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. A list containing historical books set during the period of the wars of the. There are battles fought in snowstorms, beheadings, jousts, clandestine marriages, spurious genealogies, flashes of chivalry and streaks of pure malevolence. The wars of the roses, the pbs great performance series of shakespeares plays, starring judi dench, benedict. The dawn of tudor england is an absolutely riveting read about the period right after the wars of. The medieval soldier in the wars of the roses by andrew w.
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. Conn iggulden the brilliant retelling of the wars of the roses in 15th century england from. Dont forget to check out my other reading lists, including the best books about the tudors from 1455 to 1485 england found itself embroiled in utter chaos as the rival factions of the plantagenet dynasty fought for the ultimate control of the kingdom of england. Any good books about the wars of the roses history forum.
Wars of the roses military history oxford bibliographies. Even today, with several generations of modern historians having put forward sophisticated explanations for the wars of the roses, drawing on research into late medieval law, economics, culture and political thought, the simple lancasteryork narrative is still the one that prevails when the fifteenth century becomes the subject of screen. Dan jones completes his epic history of medieval england with a new book about the the wars of the roses and describes h. List of books and articles about wars of the roses online. Much myth and fantasy surrounds the events of the wars of the roses. But this is a changed world, and medieval europe is dominated by the threat from the byzantine empire.
The history of a medieval mistress jeanette lucraft. The house of percy in british history by alexander rose. He presents the reader with discussions of views held by chroniclers of the period, as well as those of modern historians. The wars of the roses the bestselling author of crusaders and presenter of netflixs secrets of great british castles offers a vivid account of the events that inspired game of thrones and shakespeares henry iv and richard iii discover the real history behind the hollow crown. She is the author of numerous works of history and historical fiction, specialising in the medieval and tudor periods. The wars of the roses are among the most famous conflicts in english history. The wars of the roses in 2020 wars of the roses, historical. Warwick the kingmaker ladybird adventures from history. The dawn of tudor england is an absolutely riveting read about the period right after the wars of the roses. Richard duke of york, henry vi, edward iv, richard iii and henry vii. The wars of the roses and the rise of the tudors, from dan jones the celebrated author of the plantagenets is an exciting, fastpaced history of the wars of the roses. Rich landowners were able to possess private armies of.
Armstrong and charles ross while a student at the university of bristol. The conflict that inspired game of thrones ebook written by martin j. Slightly harder to get into than weirs book, though. Feb 20, 2020 the wars of the roses 14551487 was a series of battles fought between two rival branches of the royal house of plantagenet 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. Apr 20, 2003 michael hicks born 1948 is an english historian, specialising on the history of late medieval england, in particular the wars of the roses. Wars of the roses is within the scope of wikiproject yorkshire, an attempt to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to yorkshire on wikipedia. If you would like to participate, you can visit the project page, where you can join the project, see a list of open tasks, and join in discussions on the projects talk page. It is worth remembering that the wars of the roses were not the first prolonged sequence of later medieval troubles, but the second, comparable to the series of disorders that unfurled in the 70s and lasted in one way or another until the 1410s. A list of novels set during the english wars of the roses, including novels about. 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. This was because the 15th century ce witnessed the phenomenon of bastard feudalism which involved the partial degradation of medieval feudalism.
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. There were some issues, however, that brought the effort down to a slightly better than okay status. Aug 16, 20 anything about the wars of the roses is completely nonexistent. If youre a fan of game of thrones or the tudors then dan jones swashbucklingly entertaining slice of medieval history will be right up your alley. Boardman also consider looking at books from alan sutton publishing books a great historical publisher and also the osprey publishing warrior series. Click on the title for more information from powells books or another online. The wars of the roses, the pbs great performance series of shakespeares plays, starring judi dench, benedict cumberbatch, sofie. 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. The wars are viewed within a wider european context, and characteristics of civil war are considered alongside. Would you like to learn more about the wars of the roses. Apr 05, 2011 the civil wars that walter scott later rechristened the wars of the roses are often glossed over as being a spasm of violence typical of late medieval europe, noteworthy only as being the birth. We know how the wars of the roses ended with richard iiis body under a leicester car park but this is a thrilling history of the extraordinary noblewomen who lived through the battles and bloodshed.
Tauris short histories proved to be an excellent introduction, and winter king. May 20, 2020 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. The bestselling author of crusaders and presenter of netflixs secrets of great british castles offers a vivid account of the events that inspired game of thrones and shakespeares henry iv and richard iii discover the real history behind the hollow crown. The instability caused by the wars of the roses allowed nobles to take advantage and promote their own position at the expense of others. His claim to the throne was not strong and he became king after defeating richard iii at the battle of bosworth field in 1485. Below is a list of the best books about the wars of the roses. If you need to get to the guts of it this is the one. 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. The wars of the roses created an interesting time in history, and could have been a powerful book. Alison weir tells the story of the wars between the houses of lancaster and york in 15th century england in a most compelling manner.
Galgano, history carpernters book will be read with great interest and considerable respect by students and scholars for whom the wars of the roses remain the single most important event in english medieval history. One of the habits of hourly history authors is to condense the entire book into the introduction. Praise for the wars of the roses exhilarating, epic, bloodandroses history. I love pollard good historian, writes well without having to go to mortimerjoneskendall level. The bestselling author of crusaders and presenter of netflixs secrets of great british castles offers a vivid account of the events that inspired game of thrones and shakespeares henry iv and richard iiidiscover the real history behind the hollow crown. 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. Lincoln from the norman conquest to the wars of the roses cambridge introduction to world history. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the wars of the roses.
Weir makes it clear that the war of the roses was a long series of political intrigues and broken alliances. So do any of you here have any books that can give a good overview of the wars. Michael hicks is professor of medieval history at king alfreds college, winchester. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Medieval military history, medieval history, books barnes. I actually read other books on the same topic or related to it before i started this one. The wars of the roses, the pbs great performance series of shakespeares plays, starring judi dench, benedict cu.
What is the definitive war of the roses history book. The wars of the roses is an altogether fascinating account of what may be, i suspect, a not so well understood era of english medieval history. On 19 july 2007 he was elected into the fellowship of the. Eventually, the wars eliminated the male lines of both. If you would like to participate, you can visit the project page, where you can join the project, see a list of open tasks.
Eventually, the wars eliminated the male lines of both families. Terence wises fascinating text lays bare the real story, and examines the armies, liveries and badges of the conflict. The wars are viewed within a wider european context, and characteristics of civil war are considered alongside developments in european warfare. The war of the roses history history history on the net. The wars of the roses was a dynastic struggle between the english monarchy and nobility.
Books on the wars of the roses the history of england. Mar 20, 2018 michael hicks the wars of the roses another very good overview but a bit more detailed this one also has a timeline in it. The wars of the roses were a series of english civil wars for control of the throne of england fought between supporters of two rival cadet branches of the royal house of plantagenet. The wars of the roses by bruce webster paperback the wars of the roses. I dont want anything overcomplicated, i simply want something that can give a good overview of the war s causes, events and effects. Unlike most accounts of english royal history, the fulcrums on which the wars of the roses teetered was not the kings and claimants to the throne but the aristocrats who wielded the wealth and manpower to wage war. These series of dynastic wars saw the houses of york and lancaster duke it out for more than 30 years. Wars of the roses 145585, in english history, the series of civil wars that preceded the rise of the tudors. The nine contributors to this book focus on three english civil wars.