A. J. Pollard is a British medieval historian whose work concentrates on fifteenth-century England, particularly the Wars of the Roses and the political society of northern England. Formerly Professor of History at the University of Teesside, he examines the period through regional power networks, aristocratic allegiance and the relationship between warfare and government. His study North-Eastern England during the Wars of the Roses places national political conflict within the social and institutional life of the region, while The Wars of the Roses provides a broader account of the causes, character and consequences of the dynastic struggles between 1459 and 1487.
Pollard has also written studies of prominent medieval rulers, nobles and legendary figures. Warwick the Kingmaker: Politics, Power and Fame reassesses Richard Neville’s political career and later reputation, while Richard III and the Princes in the Tower examines one of the most disputed episodes of the Yorkist period. His other works include John Talbot and the War in France, 1427–1453, Henry V, Edward IV and Imagining Robin Hood: The Late Medieval Stories in Historical Context. Although Pollard writes history rather than historical fiction, his books provide valuable historical background for novels set during the Hundred Years’ War, the Wars of the Roses and the reigns of the later Plantagenet kings.
