Customer Reviews
Both detailed and a fascinating read - By: Gary Selikow, 23 Oct 2008 
In this volume, Alison Weir yet again proves her skill & talentin providing a comprehensive history of her subject, while at the same time Engaging the reader with an exciting pleasure to read.
The author proves again & again just how exciting history can be.
Weir sets the scene with a rich social, economic , cultural & political description of 15th century England .
Weir begins the actual account with the events leading up to the War of the Roses, starting with the reign Of Edward III, who livedin great splendourin the royal residences which he enlarged & beautified & his court was a great centre of chivalry.
Edward began the Hundred Years War with France , & captured large swathes of French territory, winning great victories at Sluys, Crecy & Poitiers.
It was between Edward's descendants that the wars of succession known as the Wars of the Roses took place.
Edward's grandson Richard II,s disastrous reign was ended when he was deposed by his cousin Henry Bolingbroke who became Henry IV. Richard was murderedin Pontefract Castlein 1400 & so Weir describes the Wars of the Roses as being caused by a murderin 1400 & ended by a murderin 1471 (that of Henry VI).
The complex family histories of the various royal dynasties can be complicated to follow but the simplified genealogical tables at the back of the book are indispensable to understanding them & makes it much easier to follow.
The Wars actually began during the reign of Henry VI, when the rival houses of York & Lancaster took up armsin a struggle for supremacy. The Lancastrians, the party of Henry VI & his formidable wife, Queen Margaret of Anjou, looked mostly to the north of England for support, while the Yorkists (led by Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York (Henry Vi's cousin) & Richard, Neville the Earl of Warwick
were strongerin Londonin the south.
As the author explains Margaret was particularly hatedin London.
The author details the first two phases of the war, the battles lost & won & the great bloodhsed caused. She focuses on the personalities of the central players & the relationships, tracing the lives of such people as the Duke of York, Margaret of Anjou , the half-mad & extremely pious Henry VI, & Richard, Nevill Eral of Warwick. she also covers the political intrigues most expertly.
The interplay is fascinating. It is a pleasure to read.
We read of accounts by the Croyland chronicler, regadring the terror of the monks of his abbey, & the nearby villages during the Lancastrian advance on London.
The author is of the opinion, which she substantiates well, that Edward IV was not a usurper as Henry IV had been, but a rightful heir to the throne of the Plantaganets, legitimately restored to the throne, 62 years after it had usurped by the House of Lancaster.
"As King, Edward excelled Henry VIin every way, especially as a statesman & general. He was a firm & resolute ruler, shrewd & astute, & has real ability & business acumen, as well as the ability to apply himself...The common touch came naturally to him....on a personal level he enjoyed great popularity".
During Edward's reign the Black Book of the Household was drawn upin which was detailed the rights & duties of all members of the royal household as well as the etiquette & details of ceremonial to be observed at court.
Weir talks about the murder of Henry VI, who was certainly executed on Edward IV's order's, probablyin the presence of the Duke of Gloucester (probably Richard III).
She also tells us of the tragic fate of the once proud & feisty Queen Margaret, who was imprisoned by Edward, & later diedin great povertyin France.
Weir provides both a detailed history & an exciting read.
Focuses on the characters rather than other aspects. - By: Too many books, 18 Aug 2008 
Alison Weir's very readable account of the origin & the first phase of the Wars of the Roses focuses, on her own admission, on the personalities & the characters of the two sides to the conflict. In doing so, she creates an interesting story, with a quite detailed historical narrative. Although some have criticised her strong bias towards the House of York, this never overwhelms the narrative, & it is surely quite permissible for an author to have a biasin a popular work of this kind.
She gives only occasional brief asides that reflect on the social, economic & political issues as stake, as well as the military innovations & tactics. As an introduction to the Wars of the Roses, this is probably a good enough place to start, but there is far more that you might want to go on to read if you are seriousin learning about the period.
A detailed book which deals with a forgotten period of English history. - By: HBH, 09 Apr 2008 This book is a very interesting well-written narrative which provides a lot of information on the Wars of the Roses. Not only does Alison Weir deal conclusively with the causes of the war but also its longer term impacts. However, the book is best when dealing with the actual conflict which to me is where it comes alive. Allin all a very good book dealing with an erain English history which seems to have been forgotten.
One of the best on the subject - By: Mr. D. A. Cure, 03 Jan 2006 This is an incredibly important work, as despite there being a stack of books covering the period of the Wars of the Roses, no other gives a clear & concise background to the conflict (and such information is vitalin understanding why it occurred), & there are few others that are as thoroughin their approach, without descending into academic jargon.
I should point out that this deals primarily with the background from Edward III to Henry VI's reign, & then focuses upon the years 1455 to 1471,in other words, finishing with Henry VI's capture & murder after Tewkesbury. It is true that the conflict was to continue until Bosworthin 1485 (and technically until 1487), but I believe she has had other volumes dealing with these years.
I would thoroughly recommend this to anyone with an interestin late medieval England, & the Wars of the Roses, as it caters for most levels of knowledge, & deals with the characters behind the violence & politics. It is very well written, & as gripping as I have ever found a history text to be.
A gripping and intriguing read - By: Kurt A. Johnson, 27 Jun 2003 From 1455 to 1487, England was torn apartin a conflict that pitted a kaleidoscope of magnates, aristocrats & power-players against one another. Symbolized by the roses that represented the two royal families (York & Lancaster), this war was all about power, vengeance & position. This wonderful book beginsin the 1300s, with the roots of the conflict, showing the roots of the war, & who fought it & why.
I must say that it is one of the most fascinating & informative history books I have readin a while. The era that the book discusses has it all - murder, intrigue, battle, betrayal, vengeance, infidelity, murder, & much more. And, as it should be, the author takes this era, & weaves its history into a gripping & intriguing read. Overall, I found this to be a great book, & I highly recommend it to you.
