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Product Description
Product Description
On 22 August 1485 the forces of the Yorkist king Richard III and his Lancastrian opponent Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond clashed at Bosworth Field in Leicestershire in one of the decisive battles of English history. Richard was defeated and killed. Henry took the crown as Henry VII, established the Tudor dynasty and set English history on a new course. For the last 500 years this, the most famous battle of the Wars of the Roses, has excited passionate interest and continuing controversy. Peter Hammond, in a vivid and perceptive account of the battle, retells the story of the tangled dynastic and personal rivalries that provoked the conflict, describes the preparations of the two converging armies and offers a gripping analysis of the contest itself. The latest documentary and archaeological evidence is considered, and the author weighs up the merits of conflicting interpretations of the battle and the battlefield. He also pays particular attention to the contrasting characters of Richard III and Henry Tudor, the villain and the victor of the drama, who are reconsidered as individuals and as commanders. This lucid, authoritative and readable new history will be essential reading for anyone who is intrigued by the short, unhappy reign of Richard III and the trial of strength that destroyed him.
About the Author
Peter Hammond is a medieval historian and a leading authority on the reign of Richard III. For 30 years he was research officer of the Richard III Society and he is currently a vice president of the society. He is probably best-known for his books The Battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury and Food and Feast in Medieval England. With Dr Anne Sutton he wrote The Coronation of Richard III: The Extant Documents and Richard III: The Road to Bosworth Field. As an editor he has compiled a new edition of Historic Doubts on the Life of Richard the Third by Horace Walpole and The Betrayal of Richard III: An Introduction to the Controversy by V B Lamb. He has also written and contributed to many other books and magazines on medieval and local history.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This Illustrated and very well written account of the days leading to Bosworth Field and the demise on the battlefield of King Richard III the Last Plantagenet King which gave rise to the new Lancastrian King Henry VII and the start of the short but colourful Tudor Dynasty. I would recommend this book to any that are interested in any of the following - The Wars of the Roses, King Richard III , King Henry VII or indeed The Battle of Bosworth. The book is very informative and easy to follow and contains New Contempory Facts as well as the old which are argued well. There will be facts and possibilities discovered by the reader which I'm sure they were not aware of this of course he has backed with strong references to actual witnesses and Historical Chronicles of the age. The writing is fluid and not interrupted the references to Chroniclers and other facts are numerically appendixed so that they are easily found at the end of the book. This book has been thoroughly researched and will surprise many , Peter Hammond argues well and puts the case well when he sums up with most of the Chroniclers of Time that regardless of their loyalties all give a good account of Richard III on that August Day 1485 in as much that he was Brave and Died Well at Bosworth Field the complete opposite of the Shakespearian Play. This book has been extremely enjoyable and I thoroughly recommend it to all
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Peter Hammond knows his subject and what he writes, he writes well. When Richard Plantagenet was cut down at Bosworth Field in 1485 the course of English history was changed and the Tudors came to power. It has been regarded as the end of the Middle Ages. How did it come about? The author begins with the death of Richard's brother, Edward IV, in 1483 and relates how the then Richard, Duke of Gloucester reacted to this event (which posed a serious threat to his future)and how he came to be crowned king a few weeks later (a not entirely bloodless journey). The story continues with Richard going on progress around England but it is clear that his throne stands on shifting sand. His cousin, the Duke of Buckingham (who had played a leading part in Richard's coming to power) leads a rebellion against him within weeks. In the following year Richard's only legitimate son dies suddenly and his wife dies early in 1485 leaving him no hope of an heir in the near future. It is downhill all the way as Mr Hammond describes the growing threat to Richard from his enemies at home and abroad; the steps the king took to try and shore up his position and the final campaign that ended with his death. He concludes by relating what happened in the early part of Henry VII's reign. Appendices include an interesting list of sources for the battle (far more than one might imagine).
This book has the additional advantage of being written after the recent archaeological discoveries (featured on 'Time Team') shifted the battle a couple of miles to the southwest of the long-established site centred on Ambien Hill near Sutton Cheney so that the author can say how this now relates to the several contemporary and near-contemporary accounts.
Peter Hammond is a well-known Ricardian but this Richard comes across as a far from sympathetic figure....rather prissy, certainly brave but a loser (a bit like a boy who, having pulled the bung out a barrel, then has to spend the rest of his time trying to stop the beer from pouring out).
There are just three disappointments (and these may lie with the publisher more than the author). Neither map of the battlefield has a scale (a serious flaw) and the photographs include just one of the new battlefield and this seems lonely and uninspired. A lost opportunity.
I would have liked brief biographical footnotes on the participants (eg Sir Richard Ratcliffe KG) in order to put a little flesh on their bones but accept this would have interfered with the flow for the general reader; increased the number of pages and thus the cost of the book.
I enjoyed this book very much. An easy read yet interesting. If you want to know about Bosworth Field then this is the book for you. Ideal for afternoons or evenings in the garden - or in bed. Strongly recommended.
This book has the additional advantage of being written after the recent archaeological discoveries (featured on 'Time Team') shifted the battle a couple of miles to the southwest of the long-established site centred on Ambien Hill near Sutton Cheney so that the author can say how this now relates to the several contemporary and near-contemporary accounts.
Peter Hammond is a well-known Ricardian but this Richard comes across as a far from sympathetic figure....rather prissy, certainly brave but a loser (a bit like a boy who, having pulled the bung out a barrel, then has to spend the rest of his time trying to stop the beer from pouring out).
There are just three disappointments (and these may lie with the publisher more than the author). Neither map of the battlefield has a scale (a serious flaw) and the photographs include just one of the new battlefield and this seems lonely and uninspired. A lost opportunity.
I would have liked brief biographical footnotes on the participants (eg Sir Richard Ratcliffe KG) in order to put a little flesh on their bones but accept this would have interfered with the flow for the general reader; increased the number of pages and thus the cost of the book.
I enjoyed this book very much. An easy read yet interesting. If you want to know about Bosworth Field then this is the book for you. Ideal for afternoons or evenings in the garden - or in bed. Strongly recommended.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Peter Hammond of course uses the new information arising from the archeological findings that have recently established the location of the battle, but the book is by no means dominated by it. As the title suggests the whole period from Henry Tudor first proclaiming himself king and raising an army right through to his coronation is covered. The only reason that I don't give it five stars is the paucity of maps. In particular there is only one small map of the site and the dispositions of the two (three? four?) sides and it isn't all that easy to relate it to Hammond's suggested version of the way that the battle unfolded. That version is, however, entirely plausible. It is also interesting that the author agrees with Michael K. Jones Bosworth 1485: The Psychology of a Battle (Revealing History) that French pikemen made a significant difference to the outcome of the battle.
Also noteworthy is the appendix where the author explains why he does or does not give weight to the various primary sources.
Also noteworthy is the appendix where the author explains why he does or does not give weight to the various primary sources.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great read
This book was a great read from start to finish. It set the scene from start to finish. I ended up feeling sorry for King Richard. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Cosmicsword
A well-researched, unbiased military account
Being the President of the Richard III Society one would expect a biased account of the king and of the Battle of Bosworth from Peter Hammond. Read more
Published 3 months ago by K. J. Greenland
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