The Wars of the Roses: The Key Players in the Struggle for Supremacy

by Matthew Lewis

In the second half of the fifteenth century, for over thirty years, civil war tore England apart. However, its roots were deeper and its thorns were felt for longer than this time frame suggests. The Wars of the Roses were not a coherent period of continual warfare. There were distinct episodes of conflict, interspersed with long periods of peace. But the struggles never really ceased. Motives changed, fortunes waxed and waned, the nature of kingship was weighed and measured and the mettle of some of England’s greatest families was put to the test. Matthew Lewis examines the people behind these events, exploring the personalities of the main players, their motives, successes and failures. He uncovers some of the lesser-known tales and personal stories often lost in the broad sweep of the Wars of the Roses, in a period of famously complex loyalties and shifting fortunes.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, British Literature, Medieval History

304 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 2015

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

[Starless One · Rating 3 out of 5]

Speculative and blatantly Ricardian but nevertheless concise and entertaining overview of the Wars of the Roses. Could be a good entry into the world of the fifteenth century if one is able to overlook some shoddy editing and utterly ridiculous theories.

2.5/5

[Astrid TH · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading the book expecting it to be difficult to understand, but I was pleasantly surprised by its readability and engaging narration. Absolutely worth reading!

[Éowyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll admit that this book does look pretty text-dense, but I was pleasantly surprised to find how readable it was. There are some colour plates in the middle of the book, but otherwise it's all text. My only thought here would be that a few simplified family trees (perhaps as an appendix?) and possibly some battle diagrams might improve this further?

From the title, it does sound a bit as if this is an A-Z of personalities involved in the conflict; it is not. The first few chapters do seem to concentrate mainly on the actions of one particular player (e.g. the first chapter is predominantly about Suffolk), but it is more of a chronological account.

Lewis uses primary and secondary sources to good effect and also applies a bit of logic! The die-heard traditionalists might find this hard to deal with. For example, Lewis points out more that one point where Richard, Duke of York could have disposed of Henry VI (such as when he was injured after First St Albans) and had this written off as an unfortunate accident, but on more than one occasion he didn't do this at all, which rather belies the claim that he was aiming for the crown all along.

For a good overview written in a readable style and trying to keep a sensible balance, this is a worthwhile read.

[Michal Paszkiewicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, particularly the author's practice of presenting multiple interpretations of historical fact to show how we don't and can't know certain specifics. The Wars of the Roses were fairly complex, so it can be hard to follow the individuals, especially when a number of persons may be referred to by the same title instead of more accurate name throughout the book. I was happy I've read Shakespeare which helped me remember who the various persons were. The book would have got 5 stars if it included some maps and diagrams to help understand what was happening.

[Rich Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another solid work on the Wars of the Roses. It did a nice job of covering people and events leading up to the conflict and the 32 years normally attributed to the Wars. As is usually the case sections on the "Princes in the Tower" and events after 1487 are bit more speculative.

There's a section in the back with various sources for additional research.

[Paul Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Phew; this narrative takes some following with its cast of thousands but with so few names and so many titles. All that can be said for certain was that the period of history that included the War of the Roses was complex, convoluted, confusing and cannot be unravelled without a great deal of supposition (and even then without certainty).

[Martins Prusis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear and entertaining layout of the events of the Wars of the Roses. Important events with unknown actual happenings (like the fate of the two princes of the Edward IV), analyzed from a variety of possible angles. Great reading if you are a fan of the Medieval History.

[Joanne Tognarelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting & bloody part of history - lots of fighting & nobility not behaving that noble

[Jason Huether · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is certainly entertaining and concise - perhaps to a fault of not making some connections. But this should not be touted as a great contribution to the subject.

[Annika Hipple · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good but not exceptional overview of the Wars of the Roses. For the most part, Lewis writes in an engaging style, but there are occasional ungrammatical sentences and misspellings (taught instead of taut, born instead of borne, etc.) Though I get the feeling that Lewis sympathizes more with the house of York, his account is pretty evenhanded, which I liked. I particularly appreciated his fair treatment of Richard III, whom Lewis presents as neither a villain nor a saint, but as a man of his time with strengths and flaws just like anyone else. The final chapter of the book examines the mystery of the Princes in the Tower, exposing the flaws in "traditional" accounts and presenting several alternative theories. At several earlier points in the book Lewis also presents various possible explanations for decisions or events. I appreciated being offered several interpretations where the truth cannot be known, but found there was a bit too much "may have" and "perhaps" at some points in the book.

The book lacks both notes and a bibliography, which I found frustrating. Instead there is a "Find Out More" section at the end that lists websites, a few modern books on the Wars of the Roses, and several historical novels, including two by Lewis himself, which made this section feel like an excuse to promote his own work. There is also a list of places to visit. Instead of all this, I would have preferred a traditional list of sources with endnotes, or at least a bibliographical essay discussing the primary sources Lewis consulted.

The photo plates includes several photos of modern reenactments of the major battles of Tewksbury and Bosworth. These did nothing for me, and I would have greatly preferred more portraits of key figures or actual locations. There were some of these, but they focused heavily on Ludlow and Tewksbury; more variety would have been nice.

Overall, I rate this book a somewhat weak 3 stars.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging accessible account of the War of the Roses. Seemed well researched and a good book to read as a start to getting to know the period. I would have liked to see a family tree & perhaps a list of historical figures as it got a bit difficult keeping track of the many people called George or Edward!

[Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite book on the Wars of the Roses.