The Wars of the Roses

462 pages

English language

Published April 12, 1995 by Ballantine Books.

ISBN:: 978-0-345-39117-9
OCLC Number:: 32797945

(2 reviews)

Lancaster and York. For much of the fifteenth century, these two families were locked in battle for control of the British monarchy. Kings were murdered and deposed. Armies marched on London. Old noble names were ruined while rising dynasties seized power and lands. 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. 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.

The first battle erupted in 1455, but the roots of the conflict reached back to the dawn of the fifteenth century, when the corrupt, hedonistic Richard II was sadistically murdered, and Henry IV, the first Lancastrian king, seized England's throne. Both Henry IV and his son, the cold warrior Henry V, …

Lancaster and York. For much of the fifteenth century, these two families were locked in battle for control of the British monarchy. Kings were murdered and deposed. Armies marched on London. Old noble names were ruined while rising dynasties seized power and lands. 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. 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.

The first battle erupted in 1455, but the roots of the conflict reached back to the dawn of the fifteenth century, when the corrupt, hedonistic Richard II was sadistically murdered, and Henry IV, the first Lancastrian king, seized England's throne. Both Henry IV and his son, the cold warrior Henry V, ruled England ably, if not always wisely--but Henry VI proved a disaster, both for his dynasty and his kingdom. Only nine months old when his father's sudden death made him king, Henry VI became a tormented and pathetic figure, weak, sexually inept, and prey to fits of insanity. The factional fighting that plagued his reign escalated into bloody war when Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, laid claim to the throne that was rightfully his--and backed up his claim with armed might.

Alison Weir brings brilliantly to life both the war itself and the historic figures who fought it on the great stage of England. Here are the queens who changed history through their actions--the chic, unconventional Katherine of Valois, Henry V's queen; the ruthless, social-climbing Elizabeth Wydville; and, most crucially, Margaret of Anjou, a far tougher and more powerful character than her husband,, Henry VI, and a central figure in the Wars of the Roses.

Here, too, are the nobles who carried the conflict down through the generations--the Beauforts, the bastard descendants of John of Gaunt, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, known to his contemporaries as "the Kingmaker"; and the Yorkist King, Edward IV, a ruthless charmer who pledged his life to cause the downfall of the House of Lancaster.

The Wars of the Roses is history at its very best--swift and compelling, rich in character, pageantry, and drama, and vivid in its re-creation of an astonishing, dangerous, and often grim period of history. Alison Weir, one of the foremost authorities on the British royal family, demonstrates here that she is also one of the most dazzling stylists writing history today.

2 editions

LemonSky reviewed The Wars of the Roses by Alison Weir

Review of 'The Wars of the Roses' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Alison Weir is one of my favorite authors. She makes history accessible and easy to understand. The first book I read by her was "The Six Wives of Henry VIII," which started me on my Tudor history obsession. I bought "The Wars of the Roses" once it came out in the U.S. I like to keep it handy when I watch Kenneth Branagh's "Henry V" - it helps me keep track of the characters, though there are some differences.

Henry V was England's warrior king, victor of Agincourt, portrayed by Laurence Olivier and Kenneth Branagh in film versions of Shakespeare's play. However, he was not born heir to the throne. Actually, he was born Henry of Monmouth, the eldest son of Henry of Bolingbroke, Earl of Derby, who was himself the eldest son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the rich, powerful, and unpopular younger brother of King Edward …

Alison Weir is one of my favorite authors. She makes history accessible and easy to understand. The first book I read by her was "The Six Wives of Henry VIII," which started me on my Tudor history obsession. I bought "The Wars of the Roses" once it came out in the U.S. I like to keep it handy when I watch Kenneth Branagh's "Henry V" - it helps me keep track of the characters, though there are some differences.

Henry V was England's warrior king, victor of Agincourt, portrayed by Laurence Olivier and Kenneth Branagh in film versions of Shakespeare's play. However, he was not born heir to the throne. Actually, he was born Henry of Monmouth, the eldest son of Henry of Bolingbroke, Earl of Derby, who was himself the eldest son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the rich, powerful, and unpopular younger brother of King Edward III of England. No one expected Henry of Monmouth would one day become king. It was far more likely that he would become Duke of Lancaster upon his father's death. After all, John of Gaunt's nephew, Richard II, was king of England - but not for long.

Richard became king when he was still a child, upon the death of his elderly grandfather, Edward III. His early promise vanished and he alienated many nobles with his capricious ways and his greedy and arrogant favorites, Robert de Vere, Earl of Oxford, and Michael de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk. He also tried to rule absolutely without parliament, doctored the Rolls of Parliament so his enemies (who were legion) could be attainted without judicial process, created a private army to intimidate his enemies, imposed illegal taxes, and broke countless promises. His behavior became so extreme that some modern historians believe he was suffering from mental illness. Among Richard's many poor decisions was exiling his cousin Henry, Earl of Derby, and then trying to make the exile permanent upon John of Gaunt's death - it didn't work. Henry raised an army, rallied the nobles to his side, and overthrew Richard, who was imprisoned - and very conveniently died of "natural causes" later. Henry of Bolingbroke became Henry IV of England. However, he could not rest easy and it was not long before others began challenging his claim to the throne. A usurper never sleeps easy. This was the beginning of the Wars of the Roses.

It's a tangled story and really more of a family feud than what we normally think of as a war. The violence stretched out for a century or more, depending on when you want to end it - with the execution of the Earl of Warwick in 1499 or with the death of the last of the de la Poles, Richard, self-styled Earl of Suffolk, in battle in 1525. I'm always amused when people talk about the complex plot in "Game of Thrones." Personally, I prefer British medieval and renaissance history. It's much more interesting and it really happened.

Alison Weir makes sense of this complex story, which is not an easy thing. Really, if you want the whole story, I suggest you also read her "Mistress of the Monarchy," which is about John of Gaunt and his last wife, Katherine Swynford, ancestress of the Beauforts, Henry VIII, and Elizabeth I (and Elizabeth II), and sister-in-law of Chaucer; "The Princes in the Tower," which picks up after "The Wars of the Roses" leaves off; and "Elizabeth of York," which details the story of Henry VIII's mother, the eldest daughter of Edward IV of England and the Yorkist heir to the throne.

Highly recommended.

dks

rated it

Jan. 1, 2001

Subjects

Great Britain -- History -- Wars of the Roses, 1455-1485

Places

Great Britain