They have been symbols of love, beauty, war, and politics. Also, people sometimes changed names after inheriting titles, further complicating the task of following along. By august 1920, the spotlight was on nashville where the final battle for womens voting rights would take place. 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. In nature, the genus rosa has some 150 species spread throughout the northern hemisphere, from alaska to mexico and including northern africa. Dan jones first history book was a popular narrative history of the english peasants revolt of 81, titled summer of blood. So first on your list is a book by michael howard, the first world war 2003, which is a very nice, readable introduction to world war i. Comparison for war of the roses books hi all, i have been doing some research and i was hoping to find some insight. This book goes into great depth on the history before the war of the roses however as there are quite a lot of people involved it is complicated and difficult to keep. Fair warning, the war of the roses is a very complex and dense topic to dive into. Any history nerd worth their salt could have told you the clear connection between a song of ice and fire and the war of the roses, even before the author cited his source material. The war of the roses was a civil war in england that lasted from 14551487. Albans, where york defeated his enemies, and for a time secured control of the government.
Wars of the roses military history oxford bibliographies. 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 peasants revolt of 81, which was published in 2009. One of the ironies of the writing of military history is that the greatest book on war ever written was the second history ever writtennamely, this work. 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. A dynastic conflict, the wars of the roses saw the houses of lancaster and york struggle for the english throne. It had its roots in a disputed succession that had occurred two generations previously, when henry iv bolingbroke, a lancaster, ascended to the throne after richard ii had been deposed. The war of the roses 14551485 was one of the most important historical events in the history of england and took place between the house of lancaster and the house of york. List of 31 historical movies about the plantagenets lancaster, york, the tudors, and the war of the roses for those days you just dont feel like cracking a book. A short history of the wars of the roses david grummitt.
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. It is a mindblowing period of history, more exciting than any fiction we could concoct, and this book will transmit that excitement and provide a perfect platform to jump from if. Some are accurate to what we know from historical documents and some are just for entertainment. Best books about the wars of the roses tudor history by. In a nutshell, the war of the roses was primarily about the fight between two branches of the plantagenet family, the lancasters and the yorks, to win the english. It also covers the plague, the hundred years war, the changing economy, and so on. The wars of the roses is the 19thcentury name given to the english civil wars fought roughly between 1450 and 1509. The principal conflicts took place in 14591461 first war, 14691471 second war, and 14831485 third war. The history of roses our rose garden university of. In 1455, just two years after the end of the hundred years war, this dynastic civil war broke out. Buy a brief history of the wars of the roses 1st by seward, mr desmond isbn. The 19th amendment was just one state shy of ratification, with thirtyfive states having already passed it. 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. Tauris short histories first edition by david grummitt isbn.
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. First of all, as a standalone book, this is the best, single, short introduction to. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Books on the wars of the roses the history of england. The wars of the roses is the second book by alison weir ive read, and it definitely tells me theres no need to stop here. The house of percy in british history by alexander rose. Best books about the wars of the roses tudor history by michele. Dec, 2019 the wars of the roses were fought in britain from 1455 to 1485. This book covers only the wars between the lancasters and the yorks 14551471. Map of england the first battle in this struggle was fought in 1455, at st. Their contested authority culminated in the wars of the roses, and later inspired shakespeares history plays. The blooming and fragrant history of roses ancient origins. 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. The wars of the roses were fought in britain from 1455 to 1485.
Would you like to learn more about the wars of the roses. It is a mindblowing period of history, more exciting than any fiction we could concoct, and this book will transmit that excitement and provide a perfect platform to jump from if you want to go deeper in the future. A yorkist victory during which the duke of somerset one of the. Oct 30, 2012 buy a short history of the wars of the roses i. I also own the military campaigns of the war of the roses which was mentioned in a post above. I am a casual reader who loves history, and i was hoping to get an opinion. The white queen by philippa gregory, the red queen by philippa gregory, the kingmakers daughter by philippa gregory. Aug 30, 2007 buy a brief history of the wars of the roses 1st by seward, mr desmond isbn.
The wars of the roses and the rise of the tudors, published in 2014, picks up where the plantagenets leaves off and covers the period 14201541, from the death of henry v to the execution of henry viiis cousin, margaret pole. Wars of the roses 145585, in english history, the series of civil wars that preceded the rise of the tudors. Harriss 2005 and pollard 2000 are contrasting detailed narratives, respectively, up to 1461 and of the whole 15th century. 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. Here are a few books about the wars of the roses that i like. Despite this small complaint, it is still an excellent history book worthy of the time to listen. Dealing with it on a purely factual basis, he takes a look at the politics and the balances of power that were happening at this precise moment in time.
The war takes its name from the two roses that symbolized respectively, the houses of lancaster red rose and york white rose, among the english aristocracy. And when i say lancaster, it sounds out of place because i had to just record over me continuously saying lancashire. The only book i ever read on this topic was war of the roses by desmond seward. The rose also became the symbol of civil wars which took place in the 15th century in england. 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. The rose is, according to fossil evidence, 35 million years old. Martins series of novels by the same title, has renewed interest in the english wars of the roses. It gives you a good sense of the whole war, including the peace settlement at versailles. Most influential among later contributors has been mcfarlanes brief paper mcfarlane 1981. There was tremendous bloodshed as defeated forces on both sides were brutally murdered by the victors. George goodwin and john sadler both centre their accounts of the period on the battle of towton, which took place 550 years ago this week. 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. The writing is good, and gives a great overview of what is a legendarily confusing period of english history. The war of the roses was a terribly destructive, longlasting, civil war in england between two families with rival claims to the throne, the yorks and the lancasters.
Goodman 1981 is still the best military history of the wars. After this, however, lady of the roses departs from the commonplaces of romance fiction. This book goes into great depth on the history before the war of the roses however as there are quite a lot of people involved it is complicated and difficult to keep up if like me you are reading just a little in an evening when you get some time away from the kids. Still, this would be a great book to start with if you want to introduce yourself to the wars of the roses. The winner of this war, tudor henry vii, merged his lancastrian rose with the red rose of his york bride and thus created the tudor rose, the rose of england. The wars of the roses has attracted a series of topflight historians. If you need to get to the guts of it this is the one. This war began when the nobles of york attacked henry vi of lancaster. His claim to the throne was not strong and he became king after defeating richard iii at the battle of bosworth field in 1485. 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. 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. Warwick the kingmaker ladybird adventures from history. Thucydides examines the great themes of war from the highest levels of the making of strategy and policy to the moral dimensions and the sharp end of battle. Books on wars of the roses history behind game of thrones.
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. Her bestselling history books include the six wives of henry viii, eleanor of. Although the conflict lasted for over 30 years, fighting was sporadic and featured fewer than 20 significant battles. 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 44 best wars of the roses books, such as xv, the tudors, blood royal, tudor history, wars of the roses and 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. In 99, henry bolingbroke shattered the regal order of medieval england by deposing an anointed king and installing himself as successor.
The second part of the wars of the roses 14831487, the fight between the yorks and the tudors is presented in the authors book the princes in the tower. 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. Anthony cheetham provides insight into the politics, society, and economy of this time, and above all, he conveys the personal histories and. 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. Dont forget to check out my other reading lists, including the best books about the tudors. 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 were a series of conflicts that rival any modern conflict for intrigue, the reversals of lives and fortunes, and the. I love everything about the tudor history but i would like to read more about the war of the roses. Worths meticulous research into the war of the roses brings this tumultuous period of english history alive, and her telling of isobels story clearly benefits from the past 30 years of academic research into the lives of medieval women. As she states in the introduction, weir is not just recounting the history of the wars of the roses. What is the definitive war of the roses history book.
The wars, which troubled england for thirty years, are thus known as the wars of the roses. War of the roses books meet your next favorite book. The success of the hbo show game of thrones, based on george r. Below is a list of the best books about the wars of the roses. Her intention is to give us her insight into the personalities. 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. History of roses flowers and history the flower expert. 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. The kings who made england, was published in 2012 in the united kingdom and a year later in the united states, 6 where. War of the roses 1453 to 1485 lancastrians versus yorkists defeat and exile of the lancasters, 14531464 warwicks rebellion, 1471, usurper richard iii vs.
Weir, in her inimitable way, can really write a good story. Any book you pick up worth its salt, will have and better have at least two. 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 war between the houses of lancaster and york for the throne of england was. I love pollard good historian, writes well without having to go to mortimerjoneskendall level. Gave a nice overview with emphasis on politicsalliances and, iirc, enough military information to get things started. The wars of the roses ended with the triumph of the lancasterians and the ascent of henry tudor. The wars of the roses were a series of bloody civil wars for the throne of england between two competing royal families. 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 history of the wars of the roses is a mess of interwoven families and opponents who often switched sides, sometimes with no warning.