Stoke Field: The Last Battle of the Wars of the Roses

by David Baldwin

The Battle of Stoke, the last and most neglected armed clash of the Wars of the Roses, is one of history's great might-have-beens. The forces of the first Tudor king Henry VII confronted the rebel army of the pretender Lambert Simnel and his commander the Earl of Lincoln. Henry's victory over the Yorkists was decisive - it confirmed the crown to the House of Tudor for more than a century. David Baldwin's fascinating and meticulously researched study of the battle gives a keen insight into the opposing armies, their commanders, and the bloody dynastic politics of the period.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, European History

224 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2006

About the author

David Baldwin was a historian that specialised in late medieval history, particularly the Wars of the Roses, and was a lecturer at both the University of Leicester and the University of Nottingham. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 2012.

Reviews

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Overview Spoilt By Poor Editing

This is an excellent update on the earlier work by the late David Baldwin on Stoke Field, the conspiracy behind it and the Battle itself. However, it was spoilt by poor editing. Throughout Elizabeth Woodville or to use the old spelling Wydevile was called Woodpile. This was at every mention of the ex Queen and is obviously sloppy editing. The book is well researched, but this glaring error really put me off.

[Phil Syphe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good read, though it includes a lot of padding, owing to a scant amount of evidence on the actual battle. This disappointed me, as I assumed Stoke would occupy the bulk of the narrative, whereas it’s only the ‘main feature’.

I liked the focus on Francis, Viscount Lovell, as he’s a historical personage that I’ve long been interested in. His disappearance from history does make him an enigmatic character. I enjoyed reading the author’s various theories of what might’ve happened to the viscount.

Some parts, such as the focus on certain matters during Henry VIII’s reign, was too far off-topic for me, as were a couple of other parts. This comes across as blatant ‘page-filler material’.

Some may argue that the chapter devoted on Lovell’s disappearance is too off-topic, but I would disagree. Lovell was among the rebel leaders at Stoke. As the only leader who didn’t die on the field, I therefore feel that discussing his fate is strongly connected to this book’s main theme.