My Kingdom for a Horse: The War of the Roses

A Very, Very Short History of England #5

by Ed West

MP3 CD Format From William Shakespeare's series of history dramas, to Sir Walter Scott, and George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire -- not to mention the smash-hit TV show Game of Thrones --the British civil war of 1455 to 1485 has inspired writers for centuries. Ed West's My Kingdom for a Horse illuminates the bloody war fought for thirty long years between the descendants of King Edward III in a battle for the throne. Named after the emblems used by the two leading families, the Houses of York and Lancaster, the title of the conflict gives it a romantic feel that probably wasn't as apparent to those on the battlefield having swords shoved into their eyes. And, for all the lovely heraldry and glamorous costumes of the era, the war saw the complete breakdown of the medieval code of chivalry in which prisoners were spared, which makes it even better drama. In 1460-61 alone, twelve noblemen were killed in the field and six were beheaded off it, removing a third of the English peerage. Written in the spirit of a black comedy, My Kingdom for a Horse is an ideal introduction for anyone interested in one of history's most insane wars. Featuring some of history's most infamous figures--including the insane King Henry VI, whose madness triggered the breakdown, and the wicked Richard III, who murdered his young nephews to take the throne--this fifth entry in West's A Very, Very Short History of England series is a must for fans of British history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, War, Politics

1 pages, Audio CD

First published May 1, 2018

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't want to go back to school.
I have no need to further my formal education at this point in my life, but I'm curious and I'd still like to keep learning stuff. You know, fill in the gaps about things I'm interested in or have always wondered about. Lucky for me, I live in the age of information where pretty much anything you could want to read about is just one download away.
But I'm a lazy person at heart, and I feel like this author really went out of his way to cater to people like me.
Long story short, you don't have to be young or an intellectual giant to learn new things.



My biggest personal takeaway about The War of the Roses was that people in the 1400s weren't very creative when it came to naming their children.
There was seemingly nothing but a vast ocean of Edwards, Richards, and Henrys in the world back then.
It made me wonder: did they not have access to other monikers for infant boys?
Not if this slice of history is any indication, Random Goodreader.
Yeah, I realize that there was a whole lot more to the story than that, but given the shallowness of my personality, it's not all that surprising that the part that stuck to my ribs was the lack of baby names.



This isn't an in-depth exploration of the War of the Roses, but it is a fun overview of that period in European history that ushered in the Tudor dynasty.
So, if you like your history served with a tongue-in-cheek attitude, then this is the book series for you. There's nothing dry or crunchy about the way Ed West tells the tale of what boils down to a bunch of inbred nobles scrabbling for power.
No real surprises there, right?



It was funny, blessedly short, and I learned a few things.
Recommended.

[Melindam · Rating 4 out of 5]

And once again, my review has disappeared without a trace (not that it was a comprehensive or lengthy one), which may or may not have been the result of the horrible GR App being totally out of synch with the website or it may have been sacrificed to the Amazon BOT-cleaning... I'll never know.

Even though I try and preserve my reviews in a document, apparently I did not save this one, a pity. :(

Anyways, I keep on enjoying Ed West's very irreverent and concise social/historical commentaries on all the historical milestones, this time: the War of the Roses.

Also, I am with him on the "Richard 3 did it or knew who did it and did not mind" question. (Occam's razor and what have you.)

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and very readable history of The War of The Roses. The author is engaging and also quite amusing. My only complaint is that everyone is named Henry, Edward, Margaret, Elizabeth or George and that's certainly not his fault. I will definitely check out more of this author's work.

[Joann Pittman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good overview.

[Leyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did not expect this book to be funny, but it is. I loved that, because sometimes history is ridiculous.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very concise, and the author certainly shows an unusual pizzazz in explaining the War of the Roses. It can get rather confusing at times, but, I suppose, so was the war itself.

[Henry Egler · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those who have followed Ed West's chronicles of England from the Saxons versus Vikings to My Kingdom for a Horse, this is the weakest entry in what has been a thoroughly enjoyable historic chronicle. I say this with the caveate that ALL of West's books are thoroughly engrossing and entertaining reads. A weak entry from West is still better than most authors of history.

My Kingdom for a Horse picks up where England in the Age of Chivalry and Awful Diseases leaves off -- namely, starting with Henry the IV taking over the throne from Richard II and the series of disasters that followed his reign. This book focuses on the War of the Roses and the events leading up to it. My Kingdom for a Horse encompasses a vibrant and conflict-filled time in English history from 1455 to 1485. However, West is never content with a dry retelling of historical events. The author makes it his business to dig up little-known fact and proclivities of past rulers -- some of them entertaining, others frankly disturbing. After Henry IV dies a long painful death of leprosy, it falls upon his descendants, namely the ruthless, yet effective, Henry V and the ineffectual and possibly insane Henry VI to rule Britannia. It was due to Henry VI's mismanagement and favortism that spurred the War of the Roses.

West writes with dark humor while conveying the chronicles of one of history's greatest empires. He has an eye for the amusing and downright weird that will keep you turning page after page. This is West's trademark -- a wry eye cast upon history that delights historians and novices alike. However, there is a common weakness in West's books which is manifest here. He tends to get bogged down in details and names to the point of utter confusion for readers. However, those who are fans of West's series will not discard this book. The danger lies for those who are not familiar with West's style. Those readers may find themselves spinning in confusion from all the names, dates, and details. If you are new to this series, this is not the book to start with.

My Kingdom for a Horse is the weakest entry in a series of books regarding English history by Ed West. Fans of this author should not be discouraged from reading this book. However, on its own it can be confusing and frankly, an incomplete or partial view of historical events. It should be mentioned that Ed West is not writing for fellow scholars of history but rather those with a casual knowledge and a ferevent interest. People who love knews of the strange or unusual find a home in this series. There are many books by this author to enjoy. This one is for hardcore fans only, I'm afraid.

[Susan in NC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fitting end to West’s informative, breezy and brief history of England series. I will consult his bibliographies for further reading.

I was baffled first time I read Josephine Tey’s The Daughter of Time because I knew nothing about Richard III and The War of the Roses. After reading The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman, I was firmly in the “Richard was maligned by Shakespeare and all the rest” camp, and a reread of Daughter of Time reinforced the feeling that he wouldn’t have killed the nephews in the Tower. This draws on more recent scholarship, so now, like so many others, I’m unsure…

Nevertheless, as West points out in his introduction, the history of the aristocratic slaughter between the Yorks and Lancastrians is convoluted and confusing, because many of the men are named Henry, Richard or Edward, and they are often called by their titles, which are also place names, and titles even changed during the conflict, plus “to make things even more confusing, sometimes the battles would take place near the town after which one of the players is named (York was killed near York, alongside Salisbury and Rutland, while his son was in Salisbury).” So, I don’t beat myself up for being confused! I think West’s concise approach works well in this situation - a reader who wants to read more about any of the battles or individuals can dig into to the bibliography.

As always with my nonfiction reads, I try and copy and paste interesting bits into my reading progress so my GR friends can get a taste of the writing to see if they’d be interested in reading the book.

I will miss these books, having read his whole series now - time for a reread of Barbara Tuchman’s A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century, I think, to brush up on my 100 Years War, while the period is still fresh in my mind. As for Richard III, and whether he is a monster or much-maligned, I’ll have to keep reading…

[Frode · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Kingdom for a Horse; the War of Roses is by Ed West, part of a series called a very, very short history of England. Mr. West’s humorous style and his side remarks make for more entertaining reading, but this volume is tough to follow. The Yorks and Lancasters and their various and sometimes shifting alliances make things difficult to follow. Add to that the fact that many of the characters are called Henry, Edward or Richard. And then there is the British custom to also call a man his title, so Richard III is also called Gloucester, and Richard Neville is known as Warwick but is also the Earl of Salisbury.

West admits to the complexity of this period and attempts to keep things clear. Shakespeare wrote of some of this in his history plays, and he popularized the history, but his plays reflect his interpretation and are biased. After all, he is writing to please the king of his day, so certain folks on the other side are portrayed as bad guys. The winners write the history books.

The red rose and the white rose were the symbols of the two factions. The whole mess began in 1399 with the dispute between two cousins, both grandsons of King Edward III; these two were called, Richard and Henry. Edward III had five sons, and all the major participants in the strife that followed were related, sometimes twice over. It was a family affair but created lots of turmoil in the general population at the time. The culmination was the battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 when Henry Tudor defeated Richard III and established the unbroken Tudor line down to this day. Some other conflicts took place in the next few years, but Henry Tudor held on.

So the War of Roses was primarily aristocrats killing aristocrats, many of whom were relatives. It was a bloody time for the gentry while their supporting men at arms were drug into the mix at times. Most of the battles were relatively small affairs, some involving only a few hundred men. Some battles were larger and involved foreign mercenaries from the continent.

Unless you are an Anglophile who is really interested in English history and the royal lines, I would advise you to skip this book. I liked it, and West writes well, but all the various people involved made it complicated reading.

[Karen Blackburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be read by every schoolboy with a passion for the middle ages and their many wars. It is absolutely brilliant and my only regret is that I didn't read it sooner.
The writer has a fantastic way with words and manages to convey what happened as though painted on a canvas while adding an invaluable humourous tone to leaven the bloodthirsty destruction of the times. It also provides information not usually to be found in most history books read by those at school - or not when I was at school in any case - and includes some rather interesting information on the French ''saviour'' St. Joan of Arc which you won't easily find in a school text book or on many social media sites (I never realised she was that unpopular with so many in France for example and this certainly wasn't mentioned in the biography I read years ago).
I really enjoyed reading this book and it is almost guaranteed to appeal to the schoolchild in so many of us while if you have any interest at all in this period of time you will find it a fascinating read. It is also interesting to compare the facts to the commonly accepted facts courtesy of the plays written by Shakespeare, they really were some brilliant feats of propaganda that are still effective today.
I can't recommend this book enough, it really should be everyones' reading list if you have even the faintest of interests in the histories of mediaeval England and France. Truly. truly fabulous.

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading Shakespeare’s plays about the War of the Roses and thought it might be good to know the actual history. And no surprise the plays were not at all like the real history. But that’s fine with me because the real story was legitimately entertaining. 3/4 of the way through this book it was a four star book, but the last three chapters were so good, in fact, they were hilarious. The author used his dry English humor to help make these last chapters awesome! I need to go back and review because I am sure I missed some of his subtle English humor! So good! I am ready for Shakespeare now. Also this explanation of English Royal politics from the past makes me glad I didn’t live then, even thought our politics suck….it was not as bad as the War of the Roses! So there is that!

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not know that history could be so much fun or that us brits could be so pugnacious. All that fighting, killing, beheading and the rest of the evil doings can’t all be blamed on the period of time. After all the brits can claim heritage from the warlike Vikings, the wild irish and welsh and a myriad of other fighters from Europe. It’s in their blood and the fervent brits who every year invade the the world for that covetous football cup are just doing what they have done for hundreds of years. Fight.

This was an entertaining read filled with witty insights using modern day expressions. I loved it.

[Kk · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Giggling Stars 😄😄😄😄

If you like history, or more specifically English history, this short read should be among the toilet library.

The fun chapter names like 'Let's Kill All The Lawyers' and 'Thy Father Slew My Father' are great at topping of each section of a long & needless war that led into the Wars of the Roses. I remember from college a prof going on about naming conflicts saying that the Hundred Years War really lasted 116 years. It just didn't have the same ring.

I didn't really learn any new facts but the side commentary. Not as funny as funny as Eleanor Herman or as dry as Alison Weir, its worth the read time

[Calyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ed West's humor and punchlines given to actual events is ~impeccable~, but I spotted a few small errors of either title or timeline or relationships between the people that tweaked my overall enjoyment, and West did succumb to the low fruit of accusing Richard III of murdering the Princes in the Tower repeatedly, without ever explaining the possible reasons why or exploring theories that the other bloodthirsty, exploitative figures of the time may have done it. The frequent foreshadowing in the first half of the book of Richard's murderous tendencies and nephew-murdering was a bit of a loop; no one else got that royal treatment, although everybody in the nobility at the time was the killer of various extended family members.

I understand West's book was written for conciseness and to condense the HUGE amount of history within a 30-year span of time, so he couldn't veer off into too much detail, and for all the figures involved, West did present their characters for better and worse and was not too biased to any particular person.

[Richard Capogrosso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent book in Ed West's Very, Very Short History of England Series. I have read all five, which begin with the Saxons and Vikings invading England and take the reader through the Dark Ages and Middle Ages, ending with the War of the Roses and the beginning of the Renaissance. They are all witty, insightful, information-packed, and fun to read. This book was no exception. I hope he writes more.

[JW · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief history of the turmoil in 15th century England. It really was “one bloody thing after another”. West provides a good background to the war, beginning his account with Edward III and his war in France, which was followed by the troubled reign of Richard II. The aristocracy, a group of around sixty families, were constantly jockeying for position and possession. So what else was new? That these contests were decided by open combat.
A lively account, told with humorous asides.

[Heli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fortunately I've read Conn Iggulden's War of the Roses series, otherwise I would have been quite lost with this book. This was a humorous and informative book. I learned a lot about origins of words, sayings and place names in a fun way. As others have pointed out the English were not very versatile when naming their children. When it was told someone named their son Alexander I was like: wait, what just happened? Unfortunately Alexander was not a signigicant figure in history. Sigh.

[Maureen D. Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative

I found this book full of facts about a fascinating period of English history. I feel it lacked much of the wit and humor of previous books I have read by Ed West. I was also confused by the statement that Henry and Elizabeth's descendants still rule England today. Didn't the Tudor dynasty end with Elizabeth the 1st????

[Therese Catalano · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick review

This is a quick run through of England's War of the Roses or the cousins war between the houses of York & Lancaster. Increadibly brutal it finally ended because they pretty much killed each other! The author is able to bring some dark humor into the whole mess which is somewhat of a relief in the middle of all the violence.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting and humorous take on the War of The Roses. The author has a great way of poking fun at history that makes the book enjoyable. However, his humor occasionally falls flat. Unlike other books I've read by this author there are a lot of places where common misconceptions and inaccurate information is given. Overall, a good read but shouldn't be used as a source of knowledge.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Find it hard to keep up with the Edwards and Richards and Henrys during this period but Ed West did a good job. Also his ”asides” and flippant comments were at times very amusing and enjoyable. History with a difference. Good stuff.

Peter Olsen

[Rick Farr · Rating 1 out of 5]

I knew it was a brief history but the author tried to do too much and made for a confusing book. The thing that I grew tired of the most were the constant attempts at humor throughout the book. It is a history book not a book of jokes.

[ruth gaustad · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good read

Well researched, written with tongue sort of in cheek, best for someone with a passing knowledge of the War of the Roses.

[Sallie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but funny and informative. Still hard to keep all the people straight since they all have the same 3-4 names!

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is fun and informative

A fun and informative way to learn English history. The War of the Roses is a lot more clear after reading.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

[Ivlia Blackburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent, informative, interesting

[Mike Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good finish (?) to the series. All the pros and cons of the previous books in the series, humor. Maybe I've suffered an Ed West overdose.

[wally walter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very entertaining historical novel

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-