Fatal colours: the battle of Towton, 1461

by George Goodwin

Taking its title from Henry VI's lament at the Battle of Towton in Shakespeare's play, this book examines Henry's disastrous reign and the personal failings of the king, then describes the events leading up to Towton and the battle itself – the first savage clash of arms between Lancastrians and Yorkists in the Wars of the Roses. In his introduction, David Starkey sketches the evolution of English kingship, providing the background to 1461.

Genres: History

Paperback

Published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Steven Batty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book with new insights into the Battle of Towton. It goes into detail of the events that led up to the battle as well as the battle itself.

[giveusaclue · Rating 5 out of 5]

It only gets 3* overall from readers here but I gave it 5 which is rare for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it very informative. The actual description of the battle comes right at the very end and only takes up a small part of the book. The description of events, over 50 years, leading up eventually to the battle are really well done and give a much better insight into the savagery of the various battles and effectively the end of chivalry (which only ever encompassed the nobility who would be ransomed, and not the plebs who would be chopped). Not just that, but also the factional sides of the struggle and the overweening self-interest that had such a bearing on matters, never mind the good of the country - no change there then!

Mind you I did go online and printed off a map of the battlefield - one of the disadvantages of an ereader.

https://www.britishbattles.com/wars-o...