BATTLES OF THE WARS OF THE ROSES

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Starting with an overview of the Wars of the Roses' politics and events that culminated in the war between the houses of Lancaster and York. This new history focuses on the 17 battles that took place around the country between 1455 and 1487. It considers the causes, course and result of each battle, beginning with the first battle of St Albans on 22 May 1455, which was won by the Yorkist faction lead by Richard, Duke of York.

The battle of Towton on 29 March 1461 was the bloodiest ever known on English soil and the victory there of the first Yorkist King Edward IV is described here in vivid detail. The battle of Tewkesbury on 4 May 1471 saw the death of Edward Prince of Wales, the last male heir of the Lancastrians, and the subsequent murder of King Henry VI at the Tower of London. The defeat and death of King Richard III at the battle of Bosworth on 22 August 1485 marked the end of the Plantagenet dynasty. The last battle of the Wars of the Roses was at East Stoke on 16 June 1487 where the first Tudor King Henry VII crushed the Yorkist revolt.

The final chapter of the book is devoted to the mystery of the Princes in the Tower, who disappeared at the Tower of London during the reign of King Richard III in 1483, and the suspects to their likely murders. Written with the most up-to-date archaeological and documentary research, and including many images of the main protagonists, battle sites, maps and genealogical charts.