The Wars of the Roses

For much of the fifteenth century, two branches of one royal family fought for the English crown: the House of Lancaster and the House of York. Kings were murdered and deposed, and armies marched on London. Old noble families were ruined while new dynasties took their lands and power. This is a history of the longest and most complex war in British history.

The account reaches back to the start of the century, when Richard II was murdered and Henry IV, the first Lancastrian king, took the throne. Henry IV and his son Henry V ruled capably, though not always wisely. Henry VI, who became king at nine months old after his father's sudden death, proved a disaster. He was weak, prone to fits of insanity, and unable to hold his court together.

Factional quarrels during his reign grew into open war when Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, claimed the throne and backed the claim with force. The first battle came in 1455. From there the book follows the war and the people who fought it.

Margaret of Anjou is a tougher and more powerful figure than her husband Henry VI. Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, is known as the Kingmaker. Edward IV, the Yorkist king, vows to bring down Lancaster. Katherine of Valois and Elizabeth Wydville appear among the queens, along with the Beauforts, descendants of John of Gaunt.

This is narrative history by Alison Weir, built on research into the period. It moves quickly, leans on character and spectacle, and does not soften a grim era of betrayal and bloodshed.