The Woodvilles: The Wars of the Roses and England's Most Infamous Family

by Susan Higginbotham

In 1464, the most eligible bachelor in England, Edward IV, stunned the nation by revealing his secret marriage to Elizabeth Woodville, a beautiful, impoverished widow whose father and brother Edward himself had once ridiculed as upstarts. Edward's controversial match brought his queen's large family to court and into the thick of the Wars of the Roses. This is the story of the family whose fates would be inextricably intertwined with the fall of the Plantagenets and the rise of the Richard, the squire whose marriage to a duchess would one day cost him his head; Jacquetta, mother to the queen and accused witch; Elizabeth, the commoner whose royal destiny would cost her three of her sons; Anthony, the scholar and jouster who was one of Richard III's first victims; and Edward, whose military exploits would win him the admiration of Ferdinand and Isabella.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, British Literature, Historical, Medieval, 15th Century

327 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2013

About the author

Welcome! I write historical fiction and nonfiction set in medieval and Tudor England and, most recently, nineteenth-century America.

As a writer of biographical fiction, one of my main goals is to avoid the stereotypes, myths, and misconceptions that have gathered around historical figures over the centuries. At the same time, I strive to remain true to known historical facts and to the mores of the times in which my characters lived. I use both primary sources and modern historical research to bring my characters to life.

Reviews

[Orsolya · Rating 5 out of 5]

The influence, power, and dominance of large families have been a prevalent concept in both history and modern times. One of these families, who played a key role in England during the Wars of the Roses, was the Woodvilles: the family of Elizabeth, Queen Consort to Edward IV. Susan Higginbotham explores the role of this notorious family in, “The Woodvilles: The Wars of the Roses and England’s Most Infamous Family”.

Higginbotham is well-known for her historical fiction novels focusing more on the historical end of events (versus narrative fluff) resulting in strong and informative writings. This style paved the way for Higginbotham’s first foray into nonfiction. The interesting factor of “The Woodvilles” is that Higginbotham avoids a chronological biography/portrait view of the family and instead focuses on events, myths, and important happenings; creating a topic-by-topic discussion. Don’t be alarmed that this causes confusion, as Higginbotham is very clear and concise making “The Woodvilles” very readable. Not many authors could pull this off successfully but Higginbotham does so with ease.

One of the positives of the stylistic format of “The Woodvilles” is that Higginbotham can avoid over speculation, biases, and assumptions which other authors use to fill their pages when not enough information is available. Granted, there are some speculative statements in “The Woodvilles” but these are few and far between. There are also some word phrases that are a bit blurry such as on page 65 where Higginbotham states that, “In recent years, popular fiction, especially the novels of Rosemary Hawley Jarman and Philippa Gregory…” This causes confusion as Jarman’s novels were published in the 70s. Again though, these are not excessive issues.

The most striking feature of Higginbotham’s “The Woodvilles” is her thorough and almost detective-like investigation, debunking myths left and right. One can assume that Higginbotham’s experience as a working attorney played a large part in her writing as all of her arguments could hold up in a court of law considering at least circumstantial evidence. Notably, “The Woodvilles” is one of the strongest history books on the topic with its ‘case closed’ attitude; yet, without a conceited tone. “The Woodvilles” is an expert blend of entertainment and fact.

“The Woodvilles” is effectively filled with quoted documents, letters, and even a poem written by Anthony Woodville; in full. These are strong supplements for those readers who appreciate primary sources and enjoy historical figures “speaking for themselves”. However, some readers may find this to break up the text too much and that it chops off the narrative flow.

A small but intriguing detail present in “The Woodvilles” is Higginbotham’s occasional sarcastic and slightly snarky comments. These appear in several of her books but rather than being juvenile or displaying biases; they are downright hilarious and enjoyable.

The concluding chapters of “The Woodvilles” are well-written and memorable capturing the essence of the Woodvilles while also summarizing the theme of the book with poignancy. Plus, Higginbotham encourages further research on members of the family not usually discussed (such as Edward Woodville). Flowing richly into an appendix which offers the full wills of some Woodville figures; “The Woodvilles” is truly engaging.

“The Woodvilles” includes a section of photo plates, bibliography (nicely sectioned by type of source), and notes. Unfortunately, a genealogical chart would have strengthened the text due to the many figures listed but is absent.

Overall, “The Woodvilles” is a very unique look at a family which is often gossiped about but not necessarily spotlighted. Higginbotham creates excitement backed up with intense research and detail, delivered in a readable prose. “The Woodvilles” is simply delicious and recommended for fans of Higginbotham’s novels and everyone interested in the Wars of the Roses.

[happy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this slim volume (appox 170 pgs) historical novelist Susan Higginbotham takes issue with the commonly accepted portrait of the family of Edward IV’s wife – the Woodvilles. In this meticulously researched, book the author tells the reader of the rise a fall of the Queens family – starting with the fortuitous marriage of her father to the widow of Henry V’s brother - the Duke of Bedford, Jacquetta of Luxembourg and ending with the death of Elizabeth, the Queen Dowager in 1492. This is so well researched, that suprisingly for a gifted novelist I thought this book had a slightly academic feel, unlike many general audience histories of Medieval England.

The author attempts to debunk many of the accepted stories surrounding the Woodvilles, including the accusations of witchcraft made about Elizabeth, the Queen, and her mother and the bad blood between Richard III and the family. She also attempts to explain how a widow with two young children manages to marry the King of England when she brought absolutely no political advantages to the marriage while alienating one of the Kings most important advisors.


Ms. Higginbotham presents the commonly accepted scenarios on how they met and then says we can never know for sure, nobody bothered to write it down. She says the most plausible explanation for the marriage is that Edward became extreemly enamoured with her and then she refused go to bed with him until they were married, much like her one of her successors - Anne Boleyn with her grandson, Henry VIII


In her look at the bad blood that supposedly existed between the Woodville family and the man who became Richard III, she sites many instances while Edward was alive that they seemingly worked well together, or at least exhibited no public hostility.

In general, when Ms. Higginbotham examines the various accepted stories, the author tells the reader the accepted view, and then using primary sources tries to explain away that accepted view point. In doing this she makes vary pointed criticisms, by name, of various historians of this era – basically saying they don’t know what they are talking about.

Her conclusion is that the Woodvilles as a family were no better or worse than any other of the great families of England, ie the Nevilles, Beauchamp’s, Howards, and much like the Boleyns of a later era, just late to the party.

I found this an enjoyable read and Ms. Higginbotham has told a well thought out revisionist history. A solid 4 stars

[Rio (Lynne) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I couldn't wait for the US release, so I ordered this from England. I'm so glad I did. I love that Susan Higginbotham takes subjects (whether fiction or non-fiction) and studies her subjects immensely and doesn't assume popular myths or so called facts. Some have said this book is pro-Woodville, but I believe Higginbotham simply states facts she has uncovered and never states her opinions as truth. She lays what she has found on the page and then we can discuss the whys and actions? The War of Roses has caused many intense debates, current court cases, groups pro to either York or Lancaster, but bottom line we will never know the answers to these mysteries. I learned a lot about this time that I did not know. My mind has been opened to the Woodvilles and yes, I still think Richard was a bad guy, but who wasn't in those days? I'm going with 4.5 stars only because 176 pages couldn't cover it all. I wanted more, but the main issues are here....Elizabeth's court, Richard and George's relationship, what happened after Edward IV's death, The Princes in the Tower, did Richard want to marry Elizabeth and Henry VII. Fascinating. Even for NF, not my favorite genre, I couldn't put it down.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wavered a lot between three and four stars and finally decided on four. Here are some basic pros and cons of this read.

Pros:

The research that went into this book is substantial and you can tell while reading it- if you've read a lot on the time period, you're still not going to feel as if you are reading all the same stuff over again. Even where information overlaps, the opposing perspective is pretty refreshing. At the same time it is very readable. I doubt people without an interest in the time period would see much appeal in reading it but that can be said for most of the best historical nonfiction, or at least, that which focuses on a narrow subject. I'm not sure there can be greater pros for a piece of nonfiction that readable/well written and dense with information.

Cons:

I've really yet to find a well-written book (some truly technical-manual-esque piles of information don't count) on anywhere near this time period that manages to stay totally impartial. Being a voracious reader and devoting nearly all my reading time to nonfiction history of a few time periods, I am in a pretty good position to notice the author presenting two similar situations in a biased way by interpreting them differently without there being a call for such- what pops up the most often is situations where she's willing or not willing to conclude something despite it not being preserved in written historical record seeming influenced by which 'camp' the theory would affect. Or where she uses likely motivations as reasoning to disprove and argue against certain theories although she does not necessarily do the same for those which don't suit her purpose. To... not get too far into it. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night and I'm afraid I'm probably not coming across very clearly by leaving out specifics. But on that complaint, I also have to add that she is certainly fighting from the underdog perspective regarding the Woodvilles and may have a bit of a chip on the shoulder for them.

She also seems to wage a vendetta against Paul Murray Kendall, which is kind of funny and distracting. He pops up again and again. If you're not familiar with Kendall's book on Richard III, this might come across as a little strange. He definitely hated the Woodvilles, though.

Anyway. That's my review.

[Ernestina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a work of fiction, so you don't have to expect the author telling you what was in the mind of the various characters. Instead you will find plenty of informations, and what is most important, almost every statement is supported by a reference to the corresponding source. And at the end of the book eleven pages of bibliography, with primary sources separated from secondary sources.

At the end of this reading, apart from the subject matter which is certainly very interesting for a lover of the period, you are left (I was left) with the awareness of the giant work behind a book like this and the amount of research required to a serious historian in order to establish a single fact.

[Carolina Casas · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a family that has been the on the mouths of everyone lately because of recent popular fiction and TV shows, they have been either portrayed as supernatural beings aided by the mysterious force known as Mesluina, the "river goddess" that Jacquetta refers to in Philipa Gregory's White Queen and the mini series by the same name. However as Higginbotham stresses, *EVERY* noble family, it was common to have a mythological being attached to their ancestry. She noted the Nevilles through the Earl of Warwick's wife, Anne Bouchier, had one. And furthermore, Melusina was a famous romance every noblewoman would have been familiar with and proof of this is Jacquetta and other ladies having copies of the romance of Melusina.
The Woodvilles are explored thoroughly from Richard Woodville's father, to Richard who would later become squire to Duke of Bedford and then marry his widow, Jacquetta (daughter of the Count of St. Pol) and finally father of Elizabeth Woodville, wife to Edward IV. It would not be under Edward IV however that the Woodvilles would make themselves known, but under Henry VI and his Queen, the indomitable Margaret of Anjou. It was Jacquetta along with other ladies that petitioned their Lancastrian Queen's army not to advance on London. It was in Henry VI's regime that Sir Richard was raised to Baron and took the title of Baron Rivers.
When Elizabeth married Edward IV he was created an earl. To make her family well known and well established, Richard and Jacquetta's offspring were married off to some of the wealthiest nobles. The most notable besides Elizabeth's marriage to Edward, is perhaps her youngest sister Katherine who married the Duke of Buckingham, Henry Stafford.
The story that emerges is of a family that is not out to do evil but a family that is no more ruthless and ambitious than the other families at the time. Many things that are not known about the Woodvilles, and I myself was surprised to find out, Anthony's extreme piety and his will (which can be found after the last chapter in the appendixes, which also included all Woodvilles' wills) where he makes several mentions to the Virgin Mary, and he gives his property to his younger brother Edward. His constant pilgrimages -one of them which included to Spain to visit the shrine of Santiago de Compostela where he also sought to fought the "infidels" and his role in procuring an alliance between France and England and his poetry, some of which still survives. Edward Woodville who like his brother Anthony was very pious and also went to Spain and was highly instrumental in Henry VII's reign and aided him in his fight for the throne and in defeating Lambert Simnel and de la Pole's forces. When he let his honor get in the way, two important Kings asked Henry to forgive him telling him of the services Edward had given to them in fighting off the Saracens. Yes, you guessed it. These Kings were none other than the Catholic Kings.
When he died he was mourned greatly.
The Queen Dowager herself, Elizabeth Woodville, asked for no great pomp in her will and to have a humble ceremony. At the time her daughter, Elizabeth of York, was pregnant with her second son who would later become Henry VIII.
The last of Richard and Jacquetta's children to die was Katherine who had married three times, her second husband was Henry VII's uncle, Jasper, Duke of Bedford. And so went away a great piece of history. Over the centuries, as with Margaret Beaufort's name, the Woodville name was associated with ruthless ambition and were portrayed negatively. Higginbotham puts the sources, says which she does not agree and why but does not impose her view on the reader. This is a book I highly recommend.
However, it was not the things that I did not agree with, that were my nit-pick but that maybe is just the e-book version, but some dates were off, in some there was disparity mentioning for example: "Jasper died on 21 December 1497 ... by 25 February 1496, just two months after Jasper's death, she married her third husband, Richard Wingfield ..." This is not to discourage you, but just be on the look out in the e-book.
An important note that I will not leave out is Elizabeth Woodville herself because she has become the most well known of all the Woodvilles. She married a King but was it under an oak tree? Higginbotham gives some doubt to this and I doubt this was how it went down as well, or that that this was the first time they saw each other. She would have accompanied her mother during the time of Margaret of Anjou, after the Woodvilles were pardoned, she and Edward might have seen each other -albeit not romantically. Another thing is the date of May 1st which is popularly known as the day she and Edward married is also put into question. Last but not least though is her attitude, her regal attitude was just that, regal and according to protocol and as for influencing Edward to execute George, Duke of Clarence, there is no credibility to this.

Perhaps the better summary of this infamous family is better said by Higginbotham herself in the last paragraph:

"As their blood became diluted over the years, so too did the sense of the Woodvilles as individuals. They became an amorphous mass, and an unsympathetic one... Even with the blurring effect of time, we can still pick out distinct personalities amid the whole of the Woodvilles: the knight who dared marry a duchess, the widow who captivated a king, the jouster who went to his death wearing a hairshirt, the young knight who charmed Ferdinand and Isabella and who died fighting for a cause not his own, the men and women who quietly went about their daily duties. We should not do them the disservice of forgetting them."

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up

This is history light but I quite enjoyed it.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I happen to be a supporter of Richard III and, of course, the Woodville family is quite important in the War of the Roses and the time leading up to the beginnings of the Tudor dynasty.

For years, probably since they were alive, there have been questions about the role the family played in the reign of Edward IV, Richard's older brother, and why Edward would have married a woman of lesser rank, let alone an Englishwoman rather than a foreign princess for alliance purposes. Lots and lots of speculation. Lots and lots of historical novels. Etc.

Obviously the family can't be entirely evil, just as Richard III was not as Shakespeare painted him. But I think the "lady doth protest too much" in this book. Many times I felt that a statement had a bit of spite in it. I also think that she relied on contemporary sources that are considered a bit suspect. She seems to take it as truth when the sources say something bad about Richard and as off the mark otherwise.

There is no doubt that the Woodville family was large and got considerable benefit from its relationship with Edward IV. Whether this was a good thing or bad thing for England is currently and will remain unknown. But the author's claims must be taken with a grain of salt as she is obviously biased (the same with supporters of Richard, obviously), but her biases tend to be exposed rather bluntly.

The book does contain interesting information on the fate of the family after the Tudor dynasty was established. Edward's daughter became the female "founder" of the dynasty, but she had sisters and uncles still alive as well. Higginbotham gives us the rest of their histories.

[Jemidar]

Really excited about this book. Can't wait!

[Small Review · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok. Not my favorite type of non-fiction. "Themed" chapters with lots of references to other authors instead of a straight narrative of events.

Originally posted on Small Review

I've been dipping my toes into historical non-fiction lately, and I'm quickly learning to group these books into two personal categories: Narrative (more or less straight historical recounting) and Academic (themes and lots of quotes from other people). I very much like the first group, but I'm rapidly learning I could do without the latter.

Unfortunately for me, The Woodvilles is more the latter. There was a whole lot of "According to so and so...[insert long quote]" and I found myself skipping over the quotes almost entirely the more I read.

I'd rather do the comparisons between historians myself, at least at this point, and I'd rather the author quietly do their research and then present to me a straight narrative of their findings. I don't really like the whole, "Well, this historian thought this, but it's countered by this other historian with this diary entry we've since found..." And The Woodvilles had a whole lot of that.

There was also a lot of themed chapters that touched on highlights of the Woodvilles' lives, but skipped over a lot of the general historical timeline. This wasn't awful, since the chapters were laid out more or less chronologically, but it did remove some of the oomph of certain moments (like Jacquetta's witchcraft trial).

I also got the impression that there just was not enough known historical fact to really flesh out an entire book, so there was a lot of "probably, maybe, possibly" and a few scenes were repeated far too often (yesh, I get it, the Woodville men were "judged" by the Yorks!)

On the positive side, I did learn some things (though not nearly enough—possible limitation of the subject matter?), and that just further supports my already positive feelings toward Susan Higginbotham. Also, when she's not quoting other people, I really do like her writing style.

Points too for providing a more sympathetic approach to the Woodvilles (though it seemed at times perhaps a little too sympathetic? Especially when there really didn't seem to be enough historical data in some situations to back up either a sympathetic or hostile approach). This last was especially nice to see and makes me even more of a Susan Higginbotham fan given she has also written sympathetically from the Lancastrian side. Yay for balance!

So, will I read more of Susan Higginbotham's fiction? Absolutely! Will I read more of her non-fiction (if she writes more)? Eh, likely not. Or, I'd at least flip through it first to see how many block quotes there are and go from there.

Originally posted on Small Review

[Carole P. Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent accounting of the Rivers family. Susan Higginbotham has written a precise and unbiased book about the Elizabeth Woodville's' large family. She describes each one of them, giving both depth and substance to a family long maligned by their detractors. Stripping away gossip and legends, she is able to paint an authentic picture of a group coping with political dynamics in the fifteenth century. She addresses the family myths, describes the customs, and gives a very good idea of life during this time period. Even social slights and insults are explained to give substances to the political climate at the time. Great book that gives an alternate view of a family often seen as nothing more that interlopers.

[Fergie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susan Higginbotham had experience writing about the fifteenth century's The Wars of the Roses period in English history prior to authoring THE WOODVILLES; THE WARS OF THE ROSES AND ENGLAND'S MOST INFAMOUS FAMILY. In fact, Higginbotham penned a novel whose heroine was a member of the Woodville family: Katherine, later to be the Duchess of Buckingham and Bedford. It's clear from reading both that novel and this book (which serves as an historical study of the famous family who changed the destiny of a nation) that Higginbotham was determined to provide an objective review of the known facts about the members and circumstances surrounding the Woodvilles. Her research seemed to stand in defiance of the too often subjective suppositions that have been handed down through the years and which, too often than not, have masqueraded unchecked as fact (and, therefore, history).

It's not too far of a stretch to say that the Woodvilles -- and particularly Elizabeth, future consort to King Edward IV -- have been judged poorly by history. They have been deemed as interlopers; power-hungry upstarts who ruthlessly clawed their way to the top of political and class power. We tend to forget the very real (and most likely probable) possibility that the writers of what's become known as history were, in countless examples, the royals whose jealously and incredulity arose from the Woodvilles' stratospheric and unlikely rise and who felt themselves threatened by the Woodville "upstarts". It's from these biased roots that the systematic slander of the Woodvilles stems. Higginbotham (and Okerlund before her) challenges us to consider other possibilities based on her own suppositions, supported by what I feel is more unbiased research.

In history, it's common knowledge that Elizabeth Woodville's family was loyal to King Henry VII and his Lancastrian cause prior to her marriage to the Yorkist King Edward, who took the crown from Henry. From that point forward, contemporaries of the Woodvilles have done their best to malign them, and most often, as history has shown, have maligned them with success. It is only relatively recently that the cause to redeem the Woodville name has begun.

No novel could imagine a more incredible tale than the one that arose from Edward IV's marriage to Elizabeth Woodville. That family's ambition and rise to fortune and power would come at deep costs; costs more devastating than any imagination might deem possible, and would rival any of Shakespeare's tragedies. Higginbotham thoroughly examines and breaks down the accusations that have been leveled against Elizabeth and her kin -- accusations of ambition, murder, and deceit, facing the complex possibilities of what most likely occurred in a time when history is not as clearly defined by proof as later centuries. Higginbotham arrives at her own conclusions about the characters of her subjects through careful study and reflection. Like Arlene Okerlund before her, Higginbotham tends to side with viewing Elizabeth and all the Woodvilles in a more positive light. She comes to the conclusion that history has been more than biased and unfair to "England's Most Infamous Family", a conclusion that is made more sad when one considers the fates of many of the members of that family.

THE WOODVILLES: THE WARS OF THE ROSES AND ENGLAND'S MOST INFAMOUS FAMILY is the ninth book that I've read about that period. Each one of those books has the Woodvilles featured prominently. Higginbotham amply provides a review of all the Woodvilles -- at least as much as any surviving evidence would suggest. Whenever the Woodvilles were characterized negatively by any previous author of whom's material I've read, I was hard-pressed to be convinced by how they arrived at their conclusions. I felt each negative supposition was backed by the shakiest of details; details that, to me, seemed skewed and manipulated to meet a conclusion that the author had made long before beginning his or her research. Despite having read a number of books about this time period in English history, I felt Higginbotham's added further layers of support for the Woodvilles. I recommend it to anyone interested in gaining a greater knowledge of England's Wars of the Roses; the time that includes the end of the Plantagenet line of kings and the rise of the House of Tudor.

[Bettie]

From the description: In 1464, the most eligible bachelor in England, Edward IV, stunned the nation by revealing his secret marriage to Elizabeth Woodville, a beautiful, impoverished widow whose father and brother Edward himself had once ridiculed as upstarts. Edward's controversial match brought his queen's large family to court and into the thick of the Wars of the Roses. This is the story of the family whose fates would be inextricably intertwined with the fall of the Plantagenets and the rise of the Tudors: Richard, the squire whose marriage to a duchess would one day cost him his head; Jacquetta, mother to the queen and accused witch; Elizabeth, the commoner whose royal destiny would cost her three of her sons; Anthony, the scholar and jouster who was one of Richard III's first victims; and Edward, whose military exploits would win him the admiration of Ferdinand and Isabella.

About the Author: Susan Higginbotham is a novelist with a particular interest in medieval and Tudor history. Her novels include "Her Highness, the Traitor"; "The Stolen Crown"; "The Traitor's Wife"; and "The Queen of Last Hopes."

[Maja - BibliophiliaDK ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Popsugar 2015 Reading Challenge*
**A Nonfiction Book**

I was fortunate, that I already had some knowledge about the war of the roses, else this book would have made me so confused, that I'd have given up on it pretty much before I had really started it. Higginbotham has a tendency of getting ahead of herself, completely forgetten the chronology. She wadles around the subjects and often seem to forget what her primary goal was before finally regaining it. In truth it could have worked, if only she had started the book off with a general introduction to the topic and a timeline. That would have given a great starting point from which to work off of. But no, that wasn't how it was done, and that, quite frankly, killed the book.

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very intense look into both the assorted recorded perceptions and documented research for the Woodville influence upon the English monarchy.

IMHO, it is rather biased but interesting. Regardless, the numbers of infusion to the upper nobility and hubris of influence! It's not at all beyond understanding that as a group they were both differential and obnoxious to the prevailing class system and alliances toward international power.

Present era affinity for Richard III's role or motives or not; dysfunction of intent is so obnoxious that it is amazing that the Woodville blood did in part trail to the Tudor era. The Princes in the tower? No real evidence prevails to the proof of their demise.

[Suzannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I absolutely love reading Tudor history and really was looking forward to a non-fiction book about the Woodvilles. However, on the first two pages, there were FOUR errors with dates (stating things happened in the 1500s that were in the 1400s) and then on the next page a "Jacqueline" that should have been "Jacquetta." Sadly, the author thanked her proofreader, who obviously needs to find another line of work. This was awful! I quit by the fifth page.

[Caryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clearly did copious research. However, as much as I've liked Ms. Higginbotham's fiction, the writing on this is too disjointed to be enjoyable. The other quibble I have is the bias she shows against Richard III throughout the book.

[Julie Fulkerson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started but soon dropped this book. I have read a lot about this era, both fiction and nonfiction, and was looking forward to an in-depth look at a remarkable family. But for me, the author's writing style wasn't interesting, compelling or clear enough to continue wading through.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

They need a proofreader on this one!

[W.J. Small · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Woodvilles” was an excellent, thorough biography of the family which changed England’s history. Factual yet engagingly written, the book takes the reader from patriarch Richard Woodville and his aristocratic (love match?) wife Jacquetta through daughter Elizabeth (of “White Queen” fame), her siblings and children. Higginbotham sets the record straight on several fronts, including the alleged charges of witchcraft leveled against Jacquetta and Elizabeth which were exploited in Philippa Gregory’s “White Queen” series. Admittedly I have an interest in this family due to direct genealogical ties, but even as a Woodville neophyte I would have found this book riveting. 5 stars.

[Hannah Trower · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. It was about time that someone wrote a defense of the Woodvilles, who have been much maligned by history. (For one thing, while her marriage to Edward IV was scandalous and contrary to hierarchy, Elizabeth Woodville was no commoner.) This is quite dry, though, and doesn't do the best job of mitigating bias. It has convinced me to like Anthony Woodville, Lord Rivers, at least, though I don't find the arguments and explanations of Richard III's actions compelling. Its points of bias make sense, given the focus---anti Warwick, anti Richard, anti Clarence, etc---but the substance, in my opinion, does not quite make up for that. A better book in theory than in practice, but a solid choice to learn more about the Woodvilles anyway.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's nice to read a book on Ricardian history written by someone without an axe to grind.

[Sara G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good historical overview of the Woodville family, one of the most interesting English families of the 15th century. I already knew a lot about Elizabeth Woodville, Edward IV's queen, but it was interesting to read about her warrior/crusader brother Edward and her scholar/warrior brother Anthony. Those were interesting times in England and these people were absolutely in the middle of it. The author's writing style is not too dry and she comes across like a fun professor who likes her subject.

[Paul McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, the author is very blunt when she disagrees with other historians views.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the end, Higginbotham states that in popular imagination the Woodvilles have become one mass entity, all melting into one another. We're all guilty of it; how 'the Woodvilles' were everywhere, how 'they' would almost certainly have dominated the government of Edward V. What Higginbotham does is give them a sense of individuality. Personally I'm fascinated by the marriage of Katherine Woodville and Buckingham (and I didn't know that after 1485 she went on to marry Jasper Tudor!).

Higginbotham does sort of skim over the major events of the period to focus fairly exclusively on the family themselves (I mean, the book is called The Woodvilles after all) so it would perhaps be easy to get lost for someone completely new to the period. Whilst she also does well at defending the Woodvilles, who have for so long been vilified, I felt that some issues were glossed over. She says that the Woodvilles were no threat to Richard III, but I have to disagree. Edward V was a Woodville boy that had barely known his uncle Richard. When his minority was over, and Richard's protectorate with it, I think I would be feeling anxious about my future in government if I were Richard. Whilst again I'm lumping all the Woodvilles into one mass, it remains that there were a bloody lot of them - their sheer number and dominance had, after all, driven Warwick to rebellion thirteen years earlier. It's entirely conceivable that Richard's position would have been endangered with a Woodville king on the throne, with no shortage of Woodville relatives that would be needing positions.

The whole work is obviously very meticulously researched, and the inclusion of the wills at the end was a very nice touch. She also has an excellent point that their individuality must not be forgotten. Too often it seems that authors find they must either be pro-Richard and so anti-Woodville, or vice versa, and as Higginbotham has shown, it is far, far more complicated than that.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't let the slimness of this volume fool you, it's packed full of information of the most infamous family in the history of England. On closer inspection however, we find that in truth, the Woodvilles were no more ambitious than any other family of the day. Perhaps they just set their sights higher, which made for a harder fall wished upon them by their enemies.

The author does a fantastic job of countering claims put forth by so-called Ricardians, attempting to rehabilitate the much-maligned (and rightfully deserved) Richard III. She does not state her counters as fact, much like these Ricardians do, but simply offers different options and ideas for the myriad of myths and rumors that have run rampant in the last 500 years.

I'd certainly call this a must-read for anyone interested in this time period. Highly recommended, well-researched, well-written.

This final paragraph sums up the Woodville family quite perfectly:

"As their blood became diluted over the years, so too did the sense of the Woodvilles as individuals. They became an amorphous mass, and an unsympathetic one at that as political propoganda, unsubstantiated legend, and myth collected about them. Yet although the Woodvilles, like our own families, shared collective triumphs and tragedies, they were as individual as we are. Even with the blurring effect of time, we can still pick out distinct personalities amid the whole of the Woodvilles: the knight who dared marry a duchess, the widow who captivated a king, the jouster who went to his death wearing a hairshirt, the young knight who charmed Ferdinand and Isabella and who died fighting for a cause not his own, the men and women who quietly went about their daily duties. We should not do them the disservice of forgetting them."

Indeed we should not.

[Heidi Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although obviously written with a Woodville bias, this is a meticulously researched, well-written account of one of the most fascinating families ever to marry into the English royal family. The author manages to dispell myths and shatter our preconceptions about the family that allegedly tried to destroy 'the old royal blood of this realm' and who polarize opinion to this day. The perfect antidote to the White Queen. This Ricardian loved it!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good. I liked the part where it talked about how long a mother in the Middle Ages had to stay in her chamber after she had her baby and the details of her churching.

[Susan Abernethy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Link to my review of this book:

https://flhwnotesandreviews.com/2017/...

[Charlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I rated this a 2 because if you really want to read an interesting book about the Woodvilles and/or the War of the Roses, find another one. This particularl book is scholarly and would be of great interest to other scholars, particularly those with a keen about what appears to be an argument among about historians about who did what to whom and why; taking sides, as it were. It is not in chronological order. In fact, one of my problems was that Higginbotham continually bounces around the decades of the time period. I am not a historian. I think if I wasn't already familiar with the figures and events, I would have been quite confused. As it was, I found it a very tedious read.

If you are not a historian of this particular period, but you'd like to know more about it, pick up the historical novels of that era by Phillipa Gregory. Higginbotham slams them in this book, but Gregory does her research so the characters, their actions, and the events are about as close as anyone can know. As Higginbotham points out repeatedly, there is very little supporting documentation for this period, so although historians have some idea of what happened, when and why, the "facts" are a little foggy. Plus, the exact details haven't been terribly relevent for several centuries. You might as well enjoy a story about the events.