The Nevills of Middleham: England's Most Powerful Family in the Wars of the Roses

by K.L. Clark

At a time when family name was everything, the Nevills were the most influential people in England. They saw the Wars of the Roses from both sides—Yorkist and Lancastrian—but mainly from their own. Their men lived and died violently, and the Nevill women married leading players on both sides. Their bitter and violent rivalry with the Percy family tumbled into the wider political unrest that resulted in the Wars of the Roses, the ongoing feud between York and Lancaster that deposed two kings. This is the first definitive history of a fascinating family, and is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the Wars of the Roses.

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

426 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 7, 2016

Reviews

[Therese · Rating 3 out of 5]

$1.99

The Nevill family played a prominent role in the Wars of the Roses and they were a huge family. There are so many people involved in the Wars at this time, and so I picked up this book because I needed to understand who was who a little bit more since they recycle names and titles like yesterday's garbage. I.e. Cecily Nevill was married to Richard, had a brother named Richard, a son named Richard, and a nephew named Richard. I'm sure there are other examples and that this is not unique, but this book while not exciting, helped me to understand a little bit more about this family, especially the Earl of Salisbury and his son, the Earl of Warwick. The author did a tremendous amount of research. Who knew that this much was written about this family, including countless letters that have somehow survived.

[Pam Shelton-Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Nevills were obviously a very important family in the conflict between York and Lancaster. I will have to say that I was a bit disappointed in the coverage of the earlier Nevills prior to Ralph, Earl of Westmoreland. While there is a decent pedigree at the start, the text gives a cursory look at these ancestors of Ralph. There is a lot more info on them that could have been included from the rolls and other sources which would have better illustrated how this family had the chance to gain such power. Once the Earl of Warwick is on the scene, he naturally dominates the tale of this family, though the author does keep an eye on the other Nevills as well. The narrative of Warwick, Edward IV etc has been done in other works in more detail than found here, though this history was written in an easy-to-read fashion. While it did not satisfy my interest in the early Nevills, it was nonetheless a pleasant trip through this era.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I abandoned this book because once it got to be just a recounting of the Wars of the Roses I'd been there, done that better. The first part of the book was the most interesting because it described where the Nevilles originally came from and how their family became so prominent. The chronology could have been clearer, as it sort of started in the middle and then went back and forth more than I think was necessary. Not as tightly put together as the book about the Percy family that I read right before I started this. I've been away from it for awhile reading library books and don't feel motivated to go back, but it's on my Kindle if I ever change my mind...

[Poppy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent and refreshing look at one of history's most fascinating families - not only was it detailed and convincing, but Clark does not only evaluate the lives of the most famous Nevills, but thoroughly considers the impact of the lesser known characters, particuarly the women. This means the books gives new and interesting incites into the period, written in an engaging, thorough and accessible way.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book, but it wasn't an easy read and was essentially a rehash of the Wars of the Roses albeit from the viewpoint of the Nevills.

[Jan Leonard · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love historical fiction. However, this is not and should not be advertised as such. This is a pure history book outlining dates, time frames, battles,etc. While I do enjoy Tudor history, this was simply too much. There were as many footnotes as a normal history studies book. If history is what you are looking for, this is excellent. Not what I wanted in a story.