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Lancaster And York: The Wars of the Roses
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Product Description
Book Description
A riveting account of the Wars of the Roses, focusing on the human side of the story.
Product Description
The war between the houses of Lancaster and York for the throne of England was characterised by treachery, deceit and at St Albans, Blore Hill and Towton, some of the bloodiest and most dramatic battles on England's soil. Between 1455 and 1487 the royal coffers were bankrupted and the conflict resulted in the downfall of the houses of Lancaster and York and the emergence of the illustrious Tudor dynasty. Alison Weir's lucid and gripping account focuses on the human side of history, on the people and personalities involved in the conflict. At the centre of the book stands Henry VI, the pious king whose mental instability led to political chaos, Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York and Henry`s rival, and most important of all, Margaretof Anjou, Henry's wife who took up her arms in her husband`s cause and battled for many years ina violent man's world.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 45 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Alison Weir is a great historian and in Lancaster and York: The Wars of the Roses she has left us the greatest history there is of this civil war which spanned thirty gurling years and torn two royal houses apart.
Weir begins at the source of the many claiments to the English Crown: Edward III abd his many adult sons. This was not a problem at first, she states, but in 1399, when Henry Bolingbroke, son of Edward III's third eldest son John of Gaunt, deposed Richard II and claimed the throne as Henry IV, it now showed that a bloodclaim and force were all that were needed to seize the throne, and as Weir explains, these would envoke dire conquences in the next century.
Weir succeded in mapping out a great history of a really important war that stood England on its head for a while. The Lancastrians-Henry VI, Margret of Anjou, Edward, Prince of Wales as well as the dukes of Somerset and Suffolk-as well as the Yorkists-Richard, duke of York, Edward IV, Elizabeth Woodville, and Richard III are all well placed to make their empacts on English history.
Weir succeeded brillantly. She read all the records and she made this period of English history come alive. This book was also very readable. A very well written book, and a good history
Weir begins at the source of the many claiments to the English Crown: Edward III abd his many adult sons. This was not a problem at first, she states, but in 1399, when Henry Bolingbroke, son of Edward III's third eldest son John of Gaunt, deposed Richard II and claimed the throne as Henry IV, it now showed that a bloodclaim and force were all that were needed to seize the throne, and as Weir explains, these would envoke dire conquences in the next century.
Weir succeded in mapping out a great history of a really important war that stood England on its head for a while. The Lancastrians-Henry VI, Margret of Anjou, Edward, Prince of Wales as well as the dukes of Somerset and Suffolk-as well as the Yorkists-Richard, duke of York, Edward IV, Elizabeth Woodville, and Richard III are all well placed to make their empacts on English history.
Weir succeeded brillantly. She read all the records and she made this period of English history come alive. This book was also very readable. A very well written book, and a good history
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I enjoyed this very much. I found it much easier to read than Weir's book on Isabella of France, and it filled what turned out to be huge gaps in my knowledge - I always thought I had a pretty good grasp on the history of the Plantagenets, but the reign (or reigns) of Henry VI was something about which I turned out to know nothing at all, apart from the fact that he became king while still a baby. It was fascinating to read and Weir presents this confusing chain of events with its huge cast of characters in a way that I found interesting and even absorbing in places. But I am going to have to read some more on the subject to find out whether Margaret of Anjou was a bad as Weir makes her out to be. By the time I finished reading Isabella of France, I could not believe that Isabella was as misunderstood and maligned as Weir made her out to be. As a result, by the time I finished reading the Wars of the Roses, I was not sure whether to trust the presentation of Margaret of Anjou as so very much to blame as she appears in this book. It may be that she was, but I don't feel that I can accept only Weir's word for it, which is a great shame. But then I suppose readers of history should never rely on only one source for their interpretation of events and characters. It was still a 4-star book for me, and I shall definitely keep it for reference and re-reading.
One point about presentation - the family trees were a necessity for me and I referred to them frequently to double-check who was who. I understand that from a stylistic point of view it might've been thought attractive to present them as though hand-written, but I found the font very hard to read, particularly some of the dates.
One point about presentation - the family trees were a necessity for me and I referred to them frequently to double-check who was who. I understand that from a stylistic point of view it might've been thought attractive to present them as though hand-written, but I found the font very hard to read, particularly some of the dates.
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Whatever I was taught in History class seemed to have skipped a couple of chapters. I was born about ten miles from the Battle Of Bosworth and for that reason spent most of this book trying to wait for the account of the battle.
The fact it is mentioned only in the last chapter is some indication of how wide of the mark my History teacher was.
Firstly I have read and reviewed The Perfect King: The Life of Edward III, Father of the English Nation by Ian Mortimer and before that A Great and Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain by Marc Morris, and although by different authors they are incredible companion volumes to this, as Alison Weir effectively picks up from the point that Ian Mortimer left off. For a consecutive history lesson I'd get all three.
The one thing Weir does is quickly make you understand that the War of the Roses began it's roots well before Bosworth Field. It goes back to Edward I maybe, but clearly has wide and deep reasons.
Without spoiling the book (and yes it is a proper 'real' history book not a story based on the events), this is a real eye opener to the twists and turns in England during the period. You begin to realise that we had Kings who should never have been Kings, Kings who appeared to be better Kings but were probably just as bad, if not worse, than those they deposed, men who should have been King but never were and behind them, unexpectedly I suppose, the strongest women you may ever come across in history.
Will most definately be looking out for other book's by Weir as this gripped me each evening almost better than good ol' Bernard Cornwell!
The fact it is mentioned only in the last chapter is some indication of how wide of the mark my History teacher was.
Firstly I have read and reviewed The Perfect King: The Life of Edward III, Father of the English Nation by Ian Mortimer and before that A Great and Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain by Marc Morris, and although by different authors they are incredible companion volumes to this, as Alison Weir effectively picks up from the point that Ian Mortimer left off. For a consecutive history lesson I'd get all three.
The one thing Weir does is quickly make you understand that the War of the Roses began it's roots well before Bosworth Field. It goes back to Edward I maybe, but clearly has wide and deep reasons.
Without spoiling the book (and yes it is a proper 'real' history book not a story based on the events), this is a real eye opener to the twists and turns in England during the period. You begin to realise that we had Kings who should never have been Kings, Kings who appeared to be better Kings but were probably just as bad, if not worse, than those they deposed, men who should have been King but never were and behind them, unexpectedly I suppose, the strongest women you may ever come across in history.
Will most definately be looking out for other book's by Weir as this gripped me each evening almost better than good ol' Bernard Cornwell!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A great read
I have been after a good book about the war of the roses for some time and this did not dissappoint. Read more
Published 1 month ago by steve
war of the roses
Having been born and bred in yorkshire I was amazed at how detailed this book is,plus how little i knew, the things that have come to light about how the War of the Roses began is... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Eric Jessop
A very comprehensive review of the WAR OF THE ROSES
I bought this book to learn a little more about the War of the Roses, a historical period that I do not know very well, being brazilian and so on. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Deniza Futuro
Lancaster and York
I have not finished reading this book yet and I,ve found it difficult to follow the history. It is told in a factual way and if you prefer fictional writing then this book is not... Read more
Published 8 months ago by shelly
Alsion Weir does not deliver
Not as good as I had hoped, yet I read it all the way through in the hope of some illumation. It promised insight into people but rarely delivered. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Longshanks
Good, But Buy it on Kindle
This an excellent book which makes a difficult period of history easily readable. BUT the typeface is very difficult to read because of its poor print quality. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Tony Fisher
Excellent book written by a very clever lady - as accessible as you...
As a former University Student who specialised in the Wars of the Roses, I just wish I had access to this superb telling of the story when I was studying. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Asmodeous
Good, but not for academic study!!
Although this book tells the story of the War of the Roses quite throughly, be warned if you bought it for study (as I originally did), a lack of footnotes and some fluffy prose... Read more
Published 20 months ago by jtaz26
ok but biased
I enjoyed the book.It is well written and quite accurate so long as it is realised that it is written from a Yorkist point of view. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Mr. D. R. Mcmanus
Real, Reliable, Readable History
Lancaster and York: The Wars of the Roses]
[[ASIN:0224063219 Katherine Swynford
Alison Weir's books are as easy to read and as enjoyable as a novel, but she is a genuine... Read more
[[ASIN:0224063219 Katherine Swynford
Alison Weir's books are as easy to read and as enjoyable as a novel, but she is a genuine... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Annapaul
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