Sutton History Paperbacks
3 total works
The final volume in a trilogy of historical source books covering 1450-1485, this work focuses on the reign of Henry VI, whose manifest shortcomings provided a pretext for the start of the Wars of the Roses in the 1450s. The Wars have been viewed as a dynastic struggle, but more recently such interpretation has been rejected. A vigorous debate has flourished concerning the origins and nature of the Wars and this volume offers a framework for interpretation and a selection of passages from contemporary sources. The aim is for readers to appreciate just why the rule of Henry VI brought about the outbreak of the Wars of the Roses, what the struggles were like and how they culminated in the end of the House of Lancaster.
A study of Richard III that looks behind the myths to present a accurate picture of the man. This also looks at why he has remained an enigma for so long.
Edward IV (king from 1461-83), so often overshadowed by his younger brother and eventual successor Richard III is a controversial figure in his own right. Was he a lazy and licentious lightweight who much preferred his mistresses to his minsters and had little taste for the arduous day-to-day business of government? Or was he, rather, a wise and successful monarch who laid the foundations for over a century of Tudor rule? This documentary study by the co-author of Richard III in the same series, presents contemporary and near-contemporary sources for Edward IV and his reign, enabling the reader to appreciate why the king's reputation has fluctuated so markedly, and provides and indispensable compendium for all who wish to enter the political world of Yorkist England.