A Short History of the Wars of the Roses

by David Grummitt

The Wars of the Roses (c. 1450-85) are renowned as an infamously savage and tangled slice of English history. A bloody thirty-year struggle between the dynastic houses of Lancaster and York, they embraced localized vendetta (such as the bitter northern feud between the Percies and Nevilles) as well as the formal clash of royalist and rebel armies at St Albans, Ludford Bridge, Mortimer's Cross, Towton, Tewkesbury and finally Bosworth, when the usurping Yorkist king Richard was crushed by Henry Tudor. Powerful personalities dominate the the charismatic and enigmatic Richard III, immortalized by Shakespeare; the slippery Warwick, ""the kingmaker,"" who finally over-reached ambition to be cut down at the battle of Barnet; and guileful women like Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret of Anjou, who for a time ruled the kingdom in her husband's stead. David Grummitt places the violent events of this complex time in the wider context of fifteenth-century kingship and the development of English political culture. Never losing sight of the traumatic impact of war on the lives of those who either fought in or were touched by battle, this captivating new history will make compelling reading for students of the late medieval period and Tudor England, as well as for general readers.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

212 pages, Paperback

First published January 29, 2013

Reviews

[Helene Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review - Although not the most detailed history of the Wars of the Roses it certainly gives you all of the basics about the people involved, and the battles which decided the outcome of the war. However, it does lack in detail in places, especially about the people. It is a lot more detailed about the battles and army movements. The book is meant for students and those fairly new to the topic, but it is a good study nevertheless.

General Subject/s? - History / Wars of the Roses / War

Recommend? – Yes

Rating - 16/20

[Anna Hepworth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This manages to be a mind-numbingly dull presentation of names and dates, and at no point did it actually catch my attention. Instead, I've read about five other books since starting it. While this is a topic I'd love to know more about, I'm going to have to find something else that actually doesn't define the two women in the 'dramatis personae' section as 'daughter of' (yes, some of the blokes get listed as 'son of', but when there are two women in a list of over 40 people, and that is their most important role, I'm feeling I'm not getting a balanced view of what was going on)

[David Santiuste]

This is the best introduction to the Wars of the Roses that is currently available. It offers a fluent narrative of political events, whilst also providing concise, accessible discussion of broader themes. I expect this will work very well as a textbook for students, but it should also appeal to general readers.

[Alaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had to read it for GoT class. I'm actually interested in the topic but it was soooo dry.

[Paul McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice to read this as I studied the subject some 30 years ago. Started really well but soon became a list of members of the nobility interspersed with narrative. Conclusions section disappointing.

[Alaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a bit bland, a bit dry, but informative and short. I've had to read this for two classes now -- Game of Thrones History, and my senior thesis paper class. So I'd say it's come in pretty handy. Good resource if you need info on this time period and don't want to read a tome.

[Ed Casement · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wouldn't read by choice - but if doing coursework or academic research it is useful.

[F Gato · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many people too many names. But it makes The Daughter of Time look childish.

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review originally appeared on my website at: https://www.stuartellisgorman.com/blo...

I have mentioned a few times that the Wars of the Roses are not my favorite subject. For some reason they have never caught my imagination the same way the Crusades or the Hundred Years War have. However, I was really impressed with David Grummitt’s biography of Henry VI, which I read last year, and seeing as the Wars of the Roses are intertwined to some degree with the end of the Hundred Years War I figured I should read a little more about them. I was also previously impressed with the A Short History of the Hundred Years War by Michael Prestwich, which was part of this same series, so this seemed like a great place to brush up on the subject.

One problem I’ve long had when trying to read about the Wars of the Roses is that it often feels like the histories are written by and for people who have had a private education in one of England’s posher schools. The authors assume a familiarity with the English nobility that I just do not have. It doesn’t help that the Wars of the Roses are naturally confusing - there are a lot of people involved and many of them die only to be replaced by more nearly identical English nobles you have to remember. It’s a lot to keep track of and if the writer doesn’t help you it can make for a confusing and tedious read. I bring this up because Grummitt does a great job at making the Wars of the Roses more approachable - in fact one of his stated purposes in the book is writing something that can be read by people who aren’t familiar with the war already. He mentions that it has been dropped from many school curriculums in Britain and you can’t assume that readers have a basic literacy in its key events and players.

Another element that I really appreciate is that Grummitt draws the war back to its origins in 1399 with the deposition of Richard II by his cousin Henry IV. Maybe it’s just because I find this period of history far more interesting, but in general I love when histories trace a line into the deeper past to show how events often have their origin far earlier than may seem obvious. While it introduces more names and people to remember, it also avoids that feeling of being dropped into the middle of a story and having to play catch up.

Grummitt does an admirable job narrating the history of the Wars proper, although military history enthusiasts may be disappointed by the lack of battle details, but his wider perspective on the wars origins combined with his analysis of what the Wars of the Roses meant to English political culture make the book shine. He shows you why the Wars of the Roses happened and why they were important then and continue to be today.

I would absolutely recommend A Short Introduction to the Wars of the Roses. This series has (in my admittedly limited experience) done a great job of getting senior scholars to write engaging and approachable histories of large and complex historical topics. If the rest of the books are like the two I have read then I must say it is a tremendous achievement.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book. Succinct and well structured. This tumultuous period of English history can be hard to get across but this book does it well.

[Wolfgang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very instructive. Explains the 1st stages of development of democracy (parliamentarism) in England.