Lancaster Against York: The Wars of the Roses and the Foundation of Modern Britain by Trevor Royle

Synopsis

In this sweeping history, Trevor Royle details one of the bloodiest episodes in British history. The prize was the crown of England, and the players were the rival houses of Lancaster and York. The dynastic quarrel threatened the collapse of the monarchy as a succession of weak rulers failed to deal with an overzealous aristocracy, plunging England into a series of violent encounters. The bloody battles and political intrigue between the rival heirs of King Edward III brought forth one of the most dynamic ruling families of England--the Tudors.

Kirkus Reviews

An account of the epic 15th-century battle for the crown of England. How did the struggle between the houses of York and Lancaster, famously dubbed the Wars of the Roses, tear apart England for 30 years? Royle (Civil War, 2005, etc.) attempts to find the answers in his sprawling history, which outlines the involvement of all the key figures. He begins by pinpointing the conflict's genesis in the tumultuous period that followed the abdication of Richard II in 1399. Examining Richard's reign, the author cleverly uses Chaucer's Canterbury Tales to give a glimpse of 14th-century English society. A lengthy history of the reigns of Henry IV and Henry V follows, and Royle packs his text with dramatic descriptions of the violence that pockmarked that era. (The sudden beheading of Duke John under Henry V is a particularly gruesome highlight.) Tensions mounted during these successive reigns, minor skirmishes broke out, and after a nine-month-old child became King Henry VI, Richard, Duke of York, sought to claim the throne from the Lancastrians. Familiar tales of battles follow, and Royle does a good job of capturing the mood of the country, roiled by great economic uncertainty during the years of the Yorkist uprising. He leaves no stone unturned in this exhaustive retelling, and he has a sharp eye for detail, explaining in one instance how changes in the wind provided Yorkist archers with a sudden advantage. The source material occasionally feels overfamiliar, but Royle's meticulous research, supplemented by a useful appendix listing the main characters, makes this a welcome addition to the body of literature about this pivotal epoch in English history. Agent: Ed Knappman/New England PublishingAssociates

Biography

Trevor Royle is a historian, specializing in war and empire. His previous books include Civil War: The Wars of Three Kingdoms, Crimea: The Great Crimean War 1854-1856, and Winds of Change: The End of Empire in Africa. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Associate Editor of The Sunday Herald. He lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.