Tauris short histories proved to be an excellent introduction, and winter king. Besides the obvious consequences of lancastrian and yorkist kings swapping thrones several times and the establishment of the house of tudor at the end of it all, the wars killed half the lords of the 60 noble families of. As an aside, his book about richard iii is hilariously blunt. This book traces the history of the period through the eyes of five point of view historical figures. 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. Thats why ive compiled for you my favorite history books about western civilization, including some of the bestselling history books of all time. Her childrens book little arthurs history of england was first published in 1835. The novel begins quietly, introducing jonathan and barbara as they are introduced to each other for the first time. Popular wars of the roses non fiction books showing 150 of 65 the princes in the tower hardcover by. The wars of the roses were a series of english civil wars for control of the throne of england. 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. It led to the war of the roses, and planted the tudor house on the throne of england. List of books and articles about wars of the roses.
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. 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. Below is a list of the best books about the wars of the roses. The bestselling wars of the roses series spans the thirtyyearlong civil war when two families the yorks and the lancasters ripped england apart during one of the most bloody and brutal periods of british history. The scent of roses permeated the ancient world, where petals were scattered across the floor, the bed or the dinner table. Following a secret marriage to a lancastrian supporter, king edward iv was forced to flee to france by the earl of warwick a lancastrian, backed by henry vi, allowing henry vi to regain the english throne on 30th october 1470 in an act known as the readeption. If you have an essay to write and unfortunately have to hand it in at 9 am, made a decision to spend the evening playing poker til 2am, this is the book to turn to. Garcia y robertson is the author of numerous acclaimed novels, including knight errant, lady robyn, and american woman. The white queen by philippa gregory, the red queen by philippa gregory, the kingmakers daughter by philippa gregory. Anything about the wars of the roses is completely nonexistent. The wars of the roses were a series of conflicts that rival any modern conflict for intrigue, the reversals of lives and fortunes, and the. Harriss 2005 and pollard 2000 are contrasting detailed narratives, respectively, up to 1461 and of the whole 15th century. For the minute we settle down in a congenially authentic landscape of the past, we are.
Lancaster and york comic shops create war of the roses comic. Volume vi of the oxford history of england the fifteenth century is a good place to start. 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. 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. Praise for the wars of the roses exhilarating, epic. The dawn of tudor england is an absolutely riveting read about the period right after the wars of the roses. Wales and the wars of the roses by h t evans and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at.
Alison weir, one of the foremost authorities on british history, brings brilliantly to life both the war itself and the largerthalife figures who fought it. History middle ages for kids the wars of the roses was a civil war fought in england. I tried to find five books, each of which, in some way, the best at what it was trying to achieve. A history of britain in the late middle ages paperback by. Today, based on new research, this has become one of the most. The wars of the roses has attracted a series of topflight historians. Most influential among later contributors has been mcfarlanes brief paper mcfarlane 1981. Fortytwo captured knights were executed after the battle of towton. I also wanted to try and reflect the fact that the way we write the history of the first world war has changed immensely, certainly from when i was at school. Mar 05, 2020 wars of the roses 145585, in english history, the series of civil wars that preceded the rise of the tudors. The important result of the war of the roses was the destruction of the. I also own the military campaigns of the war of the roses.
Dont forget to check out my other reading lists, including the best books about the tudors. Wars of the roses military history oxford bibliographies. Wars of the roses 145585, in english history, the series of civil wars that preceded the rise of the tudors. Books on wars of the roses history behind game of thrones. Here, writing for history extra, lewis shares 12 lesserknown facts about the wars of the roses advertisement. Gave a nice overview with emphasis on politicsalliances and, iirc, enough military information to get things started.
For centuries, historians agreed about the wars of the roses, seeing them as four decades of medieval darkness and chaos, when the royal family and the nobility destroyed themselves fighting for control of the royal government. I am nearly done with anne easter smiths a rose for the crown. Warren adler is best known for the war of the roses, his masterpiece fictionalization of a macabre divorce turned into the golden globe and bafta nominated dark comedy hit. 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. Penns first book, a biography of henry vii arguably the tudor monarch. Even shakespeare got into the act, dramatizing, popularizing, and darkening this viewpoint in eight plays. 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. Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. Goodman 1981 is still the best military history of the wars. 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. Which is why its perfect that alison weir has a whole book just about that period in english history. Ive been to my local book store, but alas their military history section is lacking to say the least.
One of the habits of hourly history authors is to condense the entire book into the introduction. Im on the fence about richard iii, and i think it is possible he is innocent. The war of the roses as a film, to my mind, is an excellent rendition. I guess youre looking for a formal history of the period, but if you can take responsible historical fiction sharon penmans the sunne in splendour is a good solid account covering 1460 to 1485 in the form of a novel. Pete seeger, anita pollitzer and the war of the roses.
Timothy vennings exploration of the alternative paths that british history might easily have taken moves on to the wars of the roses. Apr 06, 2017 british history s biggest fibs with lucy worsley lucy worsley explores how british history is a concoction of fibs and stories manipulated by whoever was in power at the time. Best books about the wars of the roses tudor history by. I also felt overwhelmed by the war of the roses when i read anne easter smiths a rose for the crown. There are more books on the wars of the roses than flies on a pile of poo.
The house of percy in british history by alexander rose. Would you like to learn more about the wars of the roses. Since its publication it has spawned numerous film and stage adaptations, endless discourse on the dynamics of divorce as well as becoming part of the legal jargon describing the proceedings that follow. 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. The only book i ever read on this topic was war of the roses by desmond seward. Aug 25, 2017 pete seeger, anita pollitzer and the war of the roses by marguerite kearns august 25, 2017 comments closed a story from the annals of the womens suffrage movement. The wars of the roses 14551487 ce was a dynastic conflict where the nobility and monarchs of england intermittently battled for supremacy over a period of four decades. 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. Alison weir, one of the foremost authorities on british history, brings brilliantly to life both the war itself and the largerthalife figures who fought it on the great stage of england. This gives you the history leading up to the war of the roses. A short history of the wars of the roses short histories. 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 wars of the roses raged from 1455 to 1485 the longest period of civil war in english history. Stores is a regional discount store in the united states with its headquarters in henderson, north carolina.
The wars of the roses created an interesting time in history, and could have been a powerful book. Any book you pick up worth its salt, will have and better have at least two chapters dedicated to just background before you even begin to get to the foundations of the causes for the war. What are some good nonfiction books about the wars of the. There were some issues, however, that brought the effort down to a slightly better than okay status. In 1989, the war of the roses was translated from novel to film, proving to be a huge success both financially and critically.
The warrior kings and queens who made england by dan jones. 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. This episode covers the infamous wars of the roses yes plural which engulfed england after its failure during the hundred years war. Pollard history, university of teesside reevaluates traditional historical interpretations of the war of the roses. The fall of the plantagenets and the rise of the tudors 9780143127888.
Tauris short histories first edition by david grummitt isbn. 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. Artist jeff mccomsey discovered the war of the roses was a complex history lesson, but a good fit for a comic book. The fall of the plantagenets and the rise of the tudors. The wars of the roses were a series of bloody civil wars for the throne of england between two competing royal families. Buy a brief history of the wars of the roses 1st by mr desmond seward isbn. Since its publication it has spawned numerous film and stage adaptations, endless discourse on the dynamics of divorce as well as becoming part of the legal jargon describing the proceedings that. The first half of the book talks about the war of the roses and how it shaped the out look henry viis mother and the next generations. What if richard of york had not given battle in vain.
The war between the royal houses of lancaster and york, the most complex in english history, profoundly altered the course of the monarchy. 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. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read war of the roses. 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. The duchess, the queen, and the kings mother hardcover by. 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. Rose oil was distilled for use as a perfume, breath sweetener or medicine, and rose water was popular for cosmetic use and in food. List of books and articles about wars of the roses online. Online shopping for wars of the roses from a great selection at books store. 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. The wars of the roses by alison weir, paperback barnes. The wars of the roses were a hinge moment in english history.
I second the nonfiction recommendations of alison weirs the wars of the roses and the princes in the tower. Enemies to lovers virgin second chance romance ebook written by iris morland. Its not often that a book manages to be both scholarly and a pageturner, but british historian jones succeeds on both counts in this entertaining followup to his bestselling the plantagenets. The details of the struggle of the war of the roses are of mere passing interest to the student of english constitutional history. Blood and roses, by helen castor the new york times book. Apr 08, 2020 the iconic novel that became the hollywood boxoffice hit and enduring international stage play. The chain has stores in fifteen states, primarily in the south. Roses books, ioba roses books is an internetonly rare and used book service, located on cape cod, massachusetts. Any good books about the wars of the roses history forum. What is the definitive war of the roses history book. Amazon second chance pass it on, trade it in, give it a second life. The wars of the roses are actually the longest period of civil war in englands postconquest history. The people of london shut the city gates and refused to supply food to the queens army, which was looting the surrounding counties of hertfordshire and.
I actually read other books on the same topic or related to it before i started this one. Books on the wars of the roses the history of england. The battle of bosworth is one of the most important battles in english history. But these are the few that i have found to be the most helpful. Trevor royle provides a military history of the wars while placing the conflict in the context of the time.
Real game of thrones war of the roses documentary english history best documentary wonder where game of thrones takes inspiration for its plot. Wars of the roses childrens british history encyclopedia. The war of the roses has overtime emerged as a synonym for modern divorce and its emotional aftershock. Wars of the roses an overview this is a wikipedia book, a collection of wikipedia articles that can be easily saved, imported by an external electronic rendering service, and ordered as a printed book. Battle of bosworth war of the roses primary homework help. It lasted for just over 30 years from 1455 to 1487, however, the battles were mostly small and sometimes were years apart. The fall of the plantagenets and the rise of the tudors dan jones. I was happy to have my kings and queens of england book nearby that i often refer to when read. An online encyclopedia of british history for children. Fair warning, the war of the roses is a very complex and dense topic to dive into. So do any of you here have any books that can give a good overview of the wars.
Though it doesnt really talk about it until the epilogue. It is an interesting place to visit, a perplexing place to live. D in history and taught at ucla and villanova before turning to writing. Its all about backstabbing, betrayal and wars, so its ripe, he says. Mar, 2020 the union army in the american civil war had a standard ration, roughly. 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. During the hundred years war against france, a captured noble would be able to ransom himself for a large sum but in the wars of the roses, a captured noble who belonged to a defeated faction had a high chance of being executed as a traitor. The romans offered roses to statues of the gods and used roses to wreathe tombs. The wars of the roses, the pbs great performance series of shakespeares plays. Bbc british historys biggest fibs with lucy worsley 1of3 the. 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. If you have books you recommend, please add them to the comments section.