Challenge for a Throne: The Wars of the Roses

by Franklin Hamilton, Robert Silverberg

In the fifteenth century, two families of royal descent, the Houses of York and Lancaster, clashed in an epic series of civil wars to win and control the throne of England. The crown slipped precariously from one family to the other, and not until the destruction of both Houses and the rise of a new royal family, the Tudors, did peace and stability return to the country. Robert Silverberg, writing as Franklin Hamilton, brings the personalities, politics, and events of this complex and exciting period to vivid and relevant life.

290 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The infamous War of Roses! This was a really well-written book and I loved the illustrations. It’s not the author’s fault that within the royal and noble families over centuries these people clung to about five names that got repeated over and over and over again. I finally quit trying to keep track of the John’s, RIchard’s, Edward’s, Henry’s and Edmund’s and just went with the flow. The genealogies were complex and interwoven, that’s for sure. And the bloodshed! Criminently! I lost count of how many men were beheaded along the way and of course all the treachery of people switching sides back and forth as political winds changed. What a hot mess! Eventually they sorted it out and here we are today with nary a beheading in England for a few hundred years now (I think). When the royal family gets weary of the paparazzi, they’d do well to reflect on their past and recognize that sitting on the throne in England used to be a short-lived occupation with a lot more life-threatening hazards.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The rate of succession to the English throne during the War of the Roses was remarkable. The legitimacy of those taking the throne, the acts they committed while they sat on that throne, and how they lost the throne are told by Hamilton in a compelling manner. The details are dizzying, but the author gives the readers enough of the details to navigate the history, but not weight them down. It's worth a read as a springboard, before going on to a more detailed history, as it gives you a sufficient framework.