The Wars of the Roses in 100 Facts

by Matthew Lewis

The Wars of the Roses were a series of brutal conflicts between rival branches of the Plantagenet family – the Lancastrians and the Yorkists. The wars were fought between the descendants of Edward III and are believed to stem from the deposition of the unpopular Richard II by his cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, who became Henry IV. The wars were thought to have been fought between 1455 and 1487, and they saw many kings rise and fall as their supporters fought for their right to rule.The Wars of the Roses in 100 Facts covers this dangerous and exciting period of political change, guiding us through the key events, such as the individual battles, and the key personalities, such as Richard, Duke of York, and the Earl of Warwick, known as 'the Kingmaker'. Matthew Lewis takes us on a tour through the Wars of the Roses, fact by fact, in easy-to-read, bite-size chunks. He examines some of the most important aspects of this period, from the outbreak of the conflict at the First Battle of St Albans, to Henry VI's insanity, and the character of Richard III and his final defeat at the hands of Henry Tudor.

192 pages, Paperback

Published August 15, 2017

About the author

Matthew Lewis is the author of histories and historical fiction novels about Richard III and the Wars of the Roses. The medieval period is a particular passion of Matthew’s, a passion he hopes to share through his blog. He is dedicated to teaching and discussing this period, operating two history podcasts and providing bite-sized facts to his Twitter and Facebook following.

Lewis has degree in Law and currently lives in Shropshire.

Reviews

[Rachel Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ‘Wars of the Roses’ were a series of battles fought between the House of Lancaster & the House of York in order to control the throne of England.
Author Matthew Lewis takes us through a journey of 100 ‘bite-size’ facts including a number of interesting facts on the ‘run-up’ to the Wars of the Roses and also how things could have turned out so differently. There are tales of bloodshed battles, bravery, allegiance (including switching sides!), deceit & murder. We learn more about the significant battles such as the First Battle of St Albans (1455), Towton (1461) & Bosworth (1485) and meet the people & families who fought to change the ‘politics’ of England such as the Percy family, Richard Plantagenet (Duke of York) & Richard Neville (Earl of Warwick).
This is a great book to read in order to get an understanding and insight into that period and should you wish to delve any deeper into certain aspects such as, individual battles and/or persons then there are many books available which will satisfy your interest.
One criticism to this book is the lack of ‘family trees’ as I feel this would help identify the significant people of the period and their relationship with others. Also maybe a map of the ‘battle’ sites should have been included, especially for those readers outside of the UK.

[Michele Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this. Probably would not recommend to somebody that doesn’t know anything of this time only because 99% of the people had the same names and if you don’t know that time period, you will be very confused on who is who.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and will be a nice reference. All the pertinent details one would need to know when trying to sort out the War of the Roses.