From Henry IV, the first Lancastrian king, to Richard III and his death at Bosworth, The Wars of the Roses follows the history of the kings of the houses of Lancaster and York who shaped this tumultuous period in English history.

The Wars of the Roses

The Wars of the Roses (c. 1455-1487) are renowned as an infamously savage and tangled slice of English history. A bloody thirty-year 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, Mortimer's Cross, Towton, Tewkesbury and finally Bosworth, when the usurping Yorkist king, Richard III, was crushed by Henry Tudor. Powerful personalities dominate the period: the charismatic and enigmatic Richard III, immortalized by Shakespeare; the slippery Warwick, the Kingmaker', who finally over-reached ambition to be cut down at the Battle of Barnet; and guileful women like Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret of Anjou, who for a time ruled the kingdom in her husband's stead. David Grummitt places the violent events of this complex time in the wider context of fifteenth-century kingship and the development of English political culture.Never losing sight of the traumatic impact of war on the lives of those who either fought in or were touched by battle, this captivating new history will make compelling reading for students of the late medieval period and Tudor England, as well as for general readers.

A Short History of the Wars of the Roses

Michael Hicks offers analysis of the Wars of the Roses that goes far beyond the conventional theories of dynastic enterprise, exploring the economic & especially the financial conditions of the time, the extent of political participation & the intervention of foreign powers.

Timothy Venning's exploration of the alternative paths that British history might easily have taken moves on to the Wars of the Roses. What if Richard of York had not given battle in vain? How would a victory for Warwick the Kingmaker at the Battle of Barnet changed the course of the struggle for power? What if the Princes had escaped from the tower or the Stanleys had not betrayed their king at Bosworth? These are just a few of the fascinating questions posed by this book. As always, while necessarily speculative, Dr. Venning discusses all the scenarios within the benefit of a deep understanding of the major driving forces, tensions and trends that shaped British history. In so doing, he helps the reader to understand why things panned out as they did, as well as what might have been in this tumultuous period.

The War of the Roses

The history of the Wars of the Roses from the common soldiers' perspective. Historians have researched extensively the motives and fortunes of kings, nobles and gentlemen in the Wars of the Roses that bewildering sequence of rebellions fought between 1455 and 1485. The shadows cast by the awesome puppet masters of the Wars, like Richard of York, Warwick the Kingmaker or Richard III, add to the mist which swirls around the mass of participants, Englishmen, Welshmen and others, including women and children. They were mostly commoners, the fifteenth-century equivalent of the Poor Bloody Infantry. What sort of people were they? Why did they repeatedly buckle and saddle up for combat? What hopes and fears kept them awake, lying under the stars? How did they behave on the way in alehouses and when they encountered beguiling lasses? In the sixteenth century, history-writing was to depict the Wars luridly as theatres of blood, as reflected in Shakespeare's history plays. Did such views square with family and folk traditions?

Much myth and fantasy surrounds the events of the Wars of the Roses (1455-1485): a bloody and prolonged dynastic struggle between the houses of York and Lancaster. Terence Wise's fascinating text lays bare the real story, and examines the armies, liveries and badges of the conflict. The author's readable account provides a comprehensive guide as to who fought whom, where, when, why and for what, from the origins of the Wars to such famous battles as Tewkesbury and Bosworth. The accompanying photographs, illustrations and colour plates by Gerry Embleton clearly detail the arms, armor and standards of the time.

The civil wars of the first half of the fifteenth century still stand in the popular imagination as the period of greatest anarchy in English history. While historians have long taken a more measured view, controversy still surrounds their interpretation. In this revised edition of his revaluation of the Wars of the Roses, A. J. Pollard has incorporated into the text the product of new research and consideration of the debates which have emerged since the book was first published in 1988. These include the new stress on 'constitutional' history, intensified dispute about the origins of the wars, and recent reinterpretations of the careers of some of the principal personalities. In a topic which has become more contested in the last decade of the twentieth century, this introduction offers a succinct narrative, a review of the historiography and an overview of the problems of interpretation of the character, causes, impact and consequences of the wars which periodically disrupted England between 1459 and 1487.

This authoritative A–Z encyclopedia of the Wars of the Roses provides accurate and concise descriptions of the major battles and events and the principal historical figures and issues involved. * More than 275 entries and over 40 illustrations * A map of the Wars of the Roses battle sites * Guide to related topics, chronology, and genealogies * Table showing the involvement of the higher peerage in the Wars of the Roses * List of Popes and English church leaders in the 15th century * List of selected websites for 15th century topics

Encyclopedia of the Wars of the Roses

It was the period when the French beat the English and the English fought among themselves. Traditional historians have glossed over it, considering it the time that wrecked Britain's military greatness. But Gillingham elegantly separates myth from reality, arguing that, paradoxically, the wars actually proved how peaceful the country was. His gifted graphic description makes this exciting and dramatic throughout. “Incisively written and highly readable.”—Sunday Times. “Gillingham informs us...with such verve, with and intelligence that we are left dazzled and delighted.”—History.

John Ashdown-Hill, whose research was instrumental in the discovery of Richard III's remains, offers a meticulous and engaging insight into the famous Wars of the Roses.

Wars of the Roses

AN HISTORICAL CLASSIC The Wars of the Roses were a series of civil wars fought in England during the 15th century. Edgar's work thoroughly covers the wars between the House of York and the House of Lancaster. DETAILS: Includes the Original Illustrations and Paintings of Battles and Monarchs of the Wars of the Roses

The Wars of the Roses (Illustrated)

The War of the Roses was a complex and tumultuous series of conflicts that engulfed England in the 15th century. It arose from a bitter struggle for the English throne between the rival houses of Lancaster and York, symbolized by their respective red and white roses. Lasting from 1455 to 1487, this dynastic struggle resulted in a profound impact on English history. Key figures like Richard III and Henry VII emerged as central players, with the latter establishing the Tudor dynasty. This period of strife ultimately culminated in the Battle of Bosworth Field, where Henry VII emerged victorious, uniting the warring houses and marking the end of the War of the Roses, paving the way for the Tudor era.

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War of the Roses

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