The Wars of the Roses in 100 Facts

Matthew Lewis

• Publisher: Amberley Publishing
• Year: 2017
• eBook ISBN: 9781445647470
• Edition: 0
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: British History
• Index: History

The Wars of the Roses were a series of brutal conflicts between rival branches of the Plantagenet family – the Lancastrians and the Yorkists. The wars were fought between the descendants of Edward III and are believed to stem from the deposition of the unpopular Richard II by his cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, who became Henry IV. The wars were thought to have been fought between 1455 and 1487, and they saw many kings rise and fall as their supporters fought for their right to rule. The Wars of the Roses in 100 Facts covers this dangerous and exciting period of political change, guiding us through the key events, such as the individual battles, and the key personalities, such as Richard, Duke of York, and the Earl of Warwick, known as 'the Kingmaker'. Matthew Lewis takes us on a tour through the Wars of the Roses, fact by fact, in easy-to-read, bite-size chunks. He examines some of the most important aspects of this period, from the outbreak of the conflict at the First Battle of St Albans, to Henry VI's insanity, and the character of Richard III and his final defeat at the hands of Henry Tudor.

Table of contents

• Cover
• 1 - The Seeds of the Wars of the Roses Were Sown in 1399
• 2 - The Death of Henry V Increased the Likelihood of Civil War
• 3 - The Joining of York and Mortimer Created a Viable Alternative
• 4 - King Henry VI’s Wife Did Not Inspire Fear and Hatred at the Outset
• 5 - The Start of the Wars of the Roses Can Be Dated as Early as 1447
• 6 - William de la Pole’s Murder Brought Civil Unrest Closer
• 7 - Jack Cade’s Rebellion Offered a Warning of Trouble
• 8 - Henry VI Was Not Entirely Meek and Mild
• 9 - Thomas Young Paid the Price for Asking About the Succession
• 10 - Blackheath Presented Henry VI with the Opportunity to Avoid Trouble
• 11 - The Most Expensive Medieval Jewel in England Was the Price of Failure
• 12 - Lancaster Versus York Wasn’t the Only Feud in England
• 13 - Henry VI Suffered Bouts of Mental Illness
• 14 - The Paston Letters Reveal Medieval Misogyny in Government
• 15 - The Duke of York’s First Protectorate Was an Inclusive Government
• 16 - The First Battle of St Albans Was Not a Dynastic Dispute
• 17 - The Daring Earl of Warwick Broke the Deadlock at the First Battle of St Albans
• 18 - James Butler, Earl of Wiltshire, Was Too Handsome to Fight
• 19 - The Percy/Neville Feud Was Escalated at the First Battle of St Albans
• 20 - King Henry Could Have Died at the First Battle of St Albans
• 21 - A Fortune Teller Had Warned the Duke of Somerset of How He Would Die
• 22 - It Is Not Clear That Henry VI Was Ill During the Second Protectorate
• 23 - Henry VI Summoned a Great Council to Resolve the Disputes in England
• 24 - Henry VI Paraded His Peace on a Love Day
• 25 - The Peace Was Broken at Blore Heath With the Help of a Friar and a Cannon
• 26 - The First Recorded Gathering of the Sons of York Was at Ludlow In 1459
• 27 - There Was No Battle at the Battle of Ludford Bridge
• 28 - The Parliament of Devils Made the Civil War a Dynastic Struggle
• 29 - Thomas, Lord Stanley, Had a Lucky Escape in 1459
• 30 - A Raid on Sandwich Led to an Awkward First Meeting of Future Family
• 31 - Lord Scales Used Wildfire Against the People of London
• 32 - The Battle of Northampton Was the Last of the Wars of the Roses Preceded by Negotiations
• 33 - A Defection Cost the King the Battle of Northampton
• 34 - A Papal Legate Played a Key Role in the Yorkist Victories
• 35 - The Duke of York Claimed the Throne to Stunned Silence
• 36 - An Argument for the Crown Saw the First Recorded Use of the Plantagenet Name
• 37 - The Act of Settlement Was Doomed to Fail
• 38 - Scottish Support Demonstrated Queen Margaret’s Failure to Understand England
• 39 - The Duke of York’s Head Was Displayed on Micklegate Bar in York
• 40 - A Weather Phenomenon Helped Decide the Battle of Mortimer’s Cross
• 41 - An Old Lady Reportedly Cared for Owen Tudor’s Decapitated Head
• 42 - A Butcher Hanged Himself in the Face of Attacks by Scottish Soldiers
• 43 - Andrew Trollope Helped Defeat the Earl of Warwick Despite Being Incapacitated
• 44 - The Prince of Wales Ordered the Execution of Two Old Knights
• 45 - London Closed Its Gates to the King and Queen of England
• 46 - The Flower of Craven Were Destroyed at the Battle of Ferrybridge
• 47 - The Battle of Towton Was the Largest Ever Seen On English Soil
• 48 - Edward IV Ruined a Chance to End the Wars of the Roses
• 49 - Elizabeth Woodville Was Not Really a Commoner of No Standing
• 50 - Two Small Battles Interrupted Almost a Decade of Peace
• 51 - Anthony Woodville Took Part in the Most Famous Tournament of the Age
• 52 - Warwick Had His Daughter Married to the King’s Brother Against Edward’s Will
• 53 - Edward Sealed Neville Opposition by Dispossessing John Neville
• 54 - Robin Hood Inspired Northern Uprisings That Marked a New Beginning of Trouble in England
• 55 - The Earl of Warwick Took Edward IV Prisoner
• 56 - A Squabble Over Billeting Helped Lose the Battle of Edgecote Moor
• 57 - Sir Robert Welles Watched His Father Executed Before the Battle of Losecote Field
• 58 - John Tiptoft Earned the Nickname the Butcher of England for His Cruelty
• 59 - The Earl of Warwick Lost His First Grandchild at Sea
• 60 - Louis XI of France Engineered a Powerful Alliance Against Edward IV
• 61 - The Neville Family Drove Edward IV Out of England
• 62 - A Word Had to Be Invented to Describe Henry VI’s Return to the Throne
• 63 - The Battle of Nibley Green Was the Last Between Private Armies in English History
• 64 - Edward IV’s First Son Was Born in Sanctuary at Westminster Abbey
• 65 - Edward IV Tried To Return to England as Duke of York
• 66 - King Edward Reportedly Witnessed a Miracle at Daventry
• 67 - Warwick’s Brother Welcomed King Edward into London
• 68 - Fog Caused Chaos at the Battle of Barnet
• 69 - The Real Wars of the Roses Ended at the Battle of Tewkesbury
• 70 - The Bastard of Fauconberg Sought Revenge for the Nevilles
• 71 - Edward Tricked George Neville to Finally Crush the Neville Family
• 72 - The Earl of Oxford Seized St Michael’s Mount
• 73 - Edward IV’s Invasion of France Marked His Brother for Special Attention
• 74 - Henry Holland Drowned on the Return Voyage from France
• 75 - The Method of George, Duke of Clarence’s Execution Is Not Known
• 76 - Richard, Duke of Gloucester’s Attack on Scotland Was Hailed as a Success and a Failure
• 77 - When Edward IV Died, Peace Was Still Fragile
• 78 - Edward V Arrived in London on the Date Set for His Coronation
• 79 - The Lord Protector Was Not the Head of Government
• 80 - Richard, Duke of Gloucester, Lost His Security Just When He Needed It
• 81 - Lord Hastings’ Execution Was Not Illegal
• 82 - Edward V Was Declared Illegitimate
• 83 - The Coronation of Richard III and Queen Anne Was the First Joint Coronation in 175 Years
• 84 - A Poorly Recorded Attempt to Free the Princes in the Tower Might Have Forced Richard to Act
• 85 - Buckingham’s Rebellion Was Undone by the Weather
• 86 - Margaret Beaufort Got Away With Treason
• 87 - Queen Anne Died On the Day of a Solar Eclipse
• 88 - Henry Tudor Narrowly Avoided Being Sent To Richard III in 1485
• 89 - John de Vere Broke Out of Prison to Join Henry Tudor
• 90 - Henry Tudor Landed at Mill Bay and Recited Psalm 43
• 91 - Richard III Was the Last King of England to Die in Battle
• 92 - Hornby Castle Might Have Cost Richard III the Battle of Bosworth
• 93 - Only One Side in the Wars of the Roses Used a Rose Badge
• 94 - The Fate of the Princes in the Tower Remains Unknown
• 95 - Henry VII Married Elizabeth of York to Heal the Wounds of Civil War
• 96 - The Battle of Stoke Field Was the Last Pitched Battle of the Wars of the Roses
• 97 - Perkin Warbeck’s Success Shows That the Wars of the Roses Had Not Ended
• 98 - Edmund de la Pole Was Known as the White Rose
• 99 - Cardinal Reginald Pole Was the Last Yorkist Threat to the Tudor Crown
• 100 - The Wars of the Roses Was Not a Thirty-Year War for the Crown