Edward IV: Glorious Son of York

by Jeffrey James

Few English monarchs had to fight harder for the right to rule than King Edward IV - Shakespeare's glorious son of York. Cast in the true Plantagenet mould, over six feet tall, he was a naturally charismatic leader. Edward had the knack of seizing the initiative and winning battles and is free from the unflattering characterisations that plagued his brother, Richard III, having been portrayed as a good-looking and formidable military tactician. Described sometimes as reckless and profligate, all sources remark on his personal bravery. In the eleven years between 1460 and 1471 he fought five major battles in the Wars of the Roses. Three of them - Towton, Barnet and Tewkesbury - rank among the most decisive of the medieval period. This book covers Edward's family background, the Yorkist takeover and the drift to war. It charts the tensions created by the controversial Woodville marriage and Edward's deposition by the Earl of Warwick and subsequent exile. The return of the king brought with it battles anew and Edward's decisive campaigns against Warwick and Margaret of Anjou. Finally, Edward's sudden death heralded the demise of the House of York and the triumph of the Tudors against Richard III. This is a history of Edward IV's struggle to gain and retain the kingship of England during a period of sustained dynastic turmoil during the Wars of the Roses.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Medieval, Medieval History, British Literature

338 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 8, 2015

About the author

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Reviews

[Alan Tomkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action packed, top notch narrative history. Exciting and fascinating, it reads like a blood drenched soap opera of political intrigue and civil war. This book reveals the story of the Wars of the Roses through the lens of Edward IV's life and reign. Having previously read a biography of the hapless Henry VI that was very pro Lancaster, I had regarded Edward IV as a villainous usurper. This book comes at events through a focus on the House of York, which gave me a more balanced perspective and greater understanding of the drama. And I found myself admiring and rooting for Edward while still sympathizing with poor Henry. The author does a great job detailing all the scheming and warring without losing or confounding the reader...no easy job with all the shifting alliances and back stabbing going on among all the nobles and royals in England, France, and the duchies of Burgundy, Normandy, and Brittany. Really fun to read, I found it hard to put down. I definitely recommend this one.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review can be found on my blog: https://wheretheresinktherespaper.wor...

[Ana Rodrigues · Rating 2 out of 5]

A warning: if you're looking for a biography of Edward IV, as I was, this book isn't it, despite the deceptive title. It's just another retelling of the Wars of the Roses, with less emphasis on the Lancastrian side. It's not even a compelling narrative of this complex period in history, just a lazy and often boring exercise of factual history.

There's very little insight into the man's personality. The author made zero effort to research Edward's birth in Rouen, his childhood, his life as a monarch. All in all, a disappointment.