The Wars of the Roses in All Things Medieval

Dec 29, 2008 Amy Bruno rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2009, historical-non-fiction

If I was given the choice of writing a novel on a certain historic event, you can bet the event at the bottom of my list would be The War of the Roses. I don't think I could deal with such a convoluted, tangled story, with an ungodly amount of characters to keep track of...it would likely drive me mad. But, thankfully Alison Weir was of a different mindset and took the monster head on. And what a supurb job she did! Weir merged enjoyment and learning expertly and I can see how it would take a lo If I was given the choice of writing a novel on a certain historic event, you can bet the event at the bottom of my list would be The War of the Roses. I don't think I could deal with such a convoluted, tangled story, with an ungodly amount of characters to keep track of...it would likely drive me mad. But, thankfully Alison Weir was of a different mindset and took the monster head on. And what a supurb job she did! Weir merged enjoyment and learning expertly and I can see how it would take a lot of work to not have it read as a text book. It was by no means a fast read, as it's all fact and no dialogue, but boring it was not. Nor was it one of those books that feels like a chore to read.

Weir starts the novel with the early origins of events that would eventually lead to the thirty-year battle for the throne of England, which dates back to King Edward III. The War of the Roses ends after the Battle of Tewkesbury. The Battle of Tewkesbury, fought on what is now known as Bloody Meadow would be the last meeting between York and Lancaster. The future of Lancaster, Prince Edward, was slain, his father King Henry VI had long been in prison (and shortly after this battle, the grave) and Queen Margaret was in hiding, then imprisoned in the Tower of London and finally ransomed by the King of France. For a woman that spent her a majority of her life surrounded by court and it's many minion and was quite comfortable in the role as a ruler, she lived her last days dependent on the meager funds she received from the King of France and died alone.. TWOTR is a sad note in England's history; sons fought fathers, brothers fought brothers, there was rampant betrayal and lies, lawlessness and violence ruled and havoc was wreaked upon towns, such as Towton.

I would recommend this to any history nut! Weir has a great writing style and it was very readable non-fiction. I admit I don't really care for her fiction novels; I thought Innocent Traitor was so-so and I couldn't finish The Lady Elizabeth, but now that I've read this one I'm excited to read the rest of her collection!

What I found most interesting (just shows it was more scheming and waiting to see what the other side will do next than actual fighting):

"There were, at most, thirteen weeks of fighting in the thirty-two years covered by both of the War of the Roses, while the total time spent campaigning amounted to approximately one year. Some of the battles were short, and non lasted longer than a day." ...more

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Mar 18, 2009 Jamie Collins rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: history-and-biography, medieval, plantagenet, anglophilia

Very nicely written overview of the Wars of the Roses. It's not for beginners to English history; I was reasonably familiar with all the players and still had trouble keeping track of everyone. There are lots of Richards, Edwards and Henrys, and multiple people are referred to as "York" or "Somerset" as titles pass between generations. The genealogical charts are not as helpful as they should be: they're cramped and printed in tiny, handwritten scrip, and the generations are not clearly lined up ...more

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Jul 18, 2008 Rachel rated it it was amazing

Shelves: plantagenet, medieval-studies, weee, non-fiction, books-i-own, favorites, henry-vi, henry-iv, henry-v, edward-iv

Exceptional account of this most confusing period of history. Comprehensive but lively, a true page turner. Weir provides us with a broad scope of events that begin during the reign of Edward III and stretch all the way to Edward IV. (For those who are interested she continues the story with The Princes in the Tower although I have heard that some of her theories or whatnot are groundless and biased. Not recommended for those who remain Pro-Richard).

Sooo much fun. I might even read this one agai ...more

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