A Guide to the Wars of the Roses

Name: A Guide to the Wars of the Roses
Rating: 4.6 (5 reviews)

by Derek Birks

First published 2025

Amazon

3.6(5)

Derek Birks provides a concise narrative and interpretive guide to the political crises collectively known as the Wars of the Roses. Beginning with the weakness of Henry VI’s government and the rivalry between Richard, Duke of York, and Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, the book follows the breakdown of royal authority, the emergence of rival dynastic claims and the repeated changes of regime between Lancaster and York.

Rather than presenting the conflict as a simple procession of battles and famous personalities, Birks divides it into connected political crises and explains the motives, alliances and institutional problems behind them. The account continues through Edward IV, the upheavals of 1483, Richard III and Bosworth, before considering the settlement under Henry VII and the ways later history has reshaped the reputations of the leading participants.

Historical Periods

Wars of the Roses1455–1487 CE

Genres

Political History

Historical people

Henry VII1457–1509 Edward IV1442–1483 Richard III1452–1485 Margaret Beaufort1443–1509 Edward V1470–1483 Henry VI1421–1471 Margaret of Anjou1430–1482 Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York1411–1460 Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick1428–1471 George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence1449–1478