A Companion and Guide to the Wars of the Roses

Author: Peter Bramley
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 0752496913
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 379

Book Description
The Wars of the Roses (1455-85) saw the end of Plantagenet rule in England and Wales, and the accession of the Tudor dynasty to the throne. It is sometimes seen as the end of the Middle Ages in England, and the start of the modern era, and it paved the way for the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. A surprising number of historic sites from this turbulent period survive: battlefields, castles, churches, monasteries. Peter Bramley's beautifully illustrated field guide and companion to the Wars of the Roses gives full details of both the events and the personalities associated with each of these sites, together with the historical background and the reasons for the struggle between the houses of York and Lancaster. Arranged by region, it covers the whole of England and Wales, and provides invaluable information for anyone visiting or planning to visit any of the sites connected with the conflict, as well as anyone interested in the history of this period in general.

Battle Royal

Author: Hugh Bicheno
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1681773716
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 264

Book Description
England, 1454: King Henry VI, having struggled for a decade to contain the violent feuding of his dukes, is losing his mind. Disgruntled nobles support the regal claims of Richard, Duke of York, great-grandson of Edward III. The stage is set for civil war.The first volume of an enthralling two-part history of the dynastic wars fought between the houses of Lancaster and York, Battle Royal traces the conflict from its roots in the 1440s to the early 1460s—a period marked by the rise and fall of Richard of York, the deposition of Henry VI following the Lancastrian defeat at Towton, and the subsequent seizure of his throne by Richard's son Edward.Charting a clear course through the dynastic complexities of fifteenth-century power politics, and offering crisply authoritative analysis of the key battles of the Wars of the Roses, Battle Royal is a dynamic and rigorously researched account of England's longest and bloodiest civil war.

Henry VIII and his Six Wives

Author: Peter Bramley
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 0750957042
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 330

Book Description
A greatly romanticised era of history, the Tudor period kick-started one of the most significant shifts in British culture ever to occur. When the notorious Henry VIII began his hunt for a male heir it led to momentous changes: the British Crown breaking with Rome, the Reformation and the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Of the six wives Henry wed successively, two were executed – a chilling first in English history. From these tumultuous events an incredible number of historic sites linked to the Tudors survive, accessible now through this beautifully illustrated book. Here Peter Bramley has arranged the surviving sites by region, covering England and some of Europe. With directions to each site, along with full details of the Tudor events and personalities linked to them, this guidebook will bring life and colour to the study of history.

Bosworth 1485

Author: Mike Ingram
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 075247863X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 177

Book Description
'[An] important book to grace your bookshelves.' – JoeAnn Ricca, Founder of the Richard III Foundation, Inc. Bosworth Field saw the two great dynasties of the day clash on the battlefield: the reigning House of York, led by Richard III, against the rising House of Tudor, led by Henry Tudor, soon to become Henry VII. On 22 August 1485 this penultimate battle in the Wars of the Roses was fought, with the might of the Yorkists ranged against Henry Tudor's small army. In Bosworth 1485, historian Mike Ingram describes how they came to meet on the battlefield and how the tactics employed by Henry Tudor and his captains eventually led to the larger force's defeat and the death of King Richard III. Illustrated throughout and supplemented with maps and accessible timelines, this book explores the unfolding action and puts the reader on the front line of this crucial battle.

Towton 1461

Author: Andrew Boardman
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 075099987X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 332

Book Description
Palm Sunday 1461 was the date of a ruthless and bitterly contested battle, fought by two massive medieval armies on an exposed Yorkshire plateau for the prize of the crown of England. This singular engagement of the Wars of the Roses has acquired the auspicious title of the longest, biggest and bloodiest battle ever fought on British soil. But what drove the contending armies of York and Lancaster to fight at Towton and what is the truth behind the legends about this terrible encounter, where contemporaries record that the rivers ran red with blood? Andrew Boardman answers these questions and many more in the new updated edition of his classic account of Towton which provides a fascinating insight into the reality of the battlefield. The Battle of Towton is illustrated throughout with contemporary illustrations, modern photographs and specially drawn maps.

Social Attitudes and Political Structures in the Fifteenth Century

Author: Tim Thornton
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 0752494813
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 226

Book Description
This volume includes papers on political, religious, social and economic history and the history of ideas during the 15th century. The papers challenge existing conceptions and open new avenues of discussion on longstanding debates. Themes covered include parliaments and their relationships with the monarchs of the period, both in Scotland and in England; queens and their role in the 15th century English polity; the ideas that lay behind the English claims to the French throne, and the rituals of peace-making in the Hundred Years War. Debates over the importance of lordship and service are also touched upon, in a paper which examines Lord Hastings' retainers in the defence of Calais, while another chapter discusses the local politics of a small Welsh marcher lordship. The crucial subject of Lancastrian government finances in the 1450s also receives a fresh examination. In religious history, papers examine the activity of monastic propagandists and the religious life of cathedrals through the activity of fraternities based in them. There are also considerations of a noble widow, and of the 15th century rural economy.

The Normans

Author: Trevor Rowley
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 0750951354
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 245

Book Description
The Normans were a relatively short-lived cultural and political phenomenon. The emerged early in the tenth century and had disappeared off the map by the mid-thirteenth century. Yet in that time they had conquered England, southern Italy and Sicily, and had established outposts in North Africa and in Levant. Having traced the formation of the Duchy of Normandy, Trevor Rowley draws on the latest archaeological and historical evidence to examine how the Normans were able to conquer and dominate significant parts of Europe. In particular he looks at their achievements in England and Italy and their claim to a permanent legacy, as witnessed in feudalism, in castles, churches and settlement and in place-names. But equally from the political stage. The reality is that, even within this short time-span, the Normans changed as time and place dictated from Norse invaders to Frankish crusaders to Byzantine monarchs to Feudal overlords. In the end their contribution to medieval culture was largely as a catalyst for other, older traditions.

A Companion and Guide to the Wars of the Roses

Author: Peter Bramley
Publisher: History Press
ISBN: 9780752463360
Category : Great Britain
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
A companion and guide to the Wars of the Roses

Richard III and the Death of Chivalry

Author: David Hipshon
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 0752469150
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 217

Book Description
The conventional view of Richard III's defeat at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 is that it was due to a loss of support for him after his usurpation of the throne. However, David Hipshon argues that the result might very well have been in his favour, had not his support for James Harrington in a long-running family feud with Thomas, Lord Stanley led to the latter betraying him. Bosworth was the last English battle in which the monarch relied on feudal retainers: at Stoke two years later professional mercenaries were the key to Henry VII's victory. The author examines how the power politics of the conflict between the Stanleys and the Harringtons, and Richard's motives in supprting the latter, led to the king's death on the battlefield, the succession of the Tudors to the throne of England, the 'death of chivalry' and the end of the Middle Ages.

Uncrowned Queen

Author: Nicola Tallis
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 1541617886
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 236

Book Description
An "impeccably researched and beautifully written" biography of Lady Margaret Beaufort, matriarch of the Tudor dynasty (Tracy Borman, author of The Private Lives of the Tudors and Elizabeth's Women). In 1485, Henry VII became the first Tudor king of England. His victory owed much to his mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort. Over decades and across countries, Margaret had schemed to install her son on the throne and end the War of the Roses. Margaret's extraordinarily close relationship with Henry, coupled with her role in political and ceremonial affairs, ensured that she was treated -- and behaved -- as a queen in all but name. Against a lavish backdrop of pageantry and ambition, court intrigue and war, historian Nicola Tallis illuminates how a dynamic, brilliant woman orchestrated the rise of the Tudors.