The Wars of the Roses : military activity and English society, 1452 – 97

First published in 1990. The second half of the fifteenth century was one of the most turbulent periods of English history. Present popular knowledge of the bitter struggle for the throne between the rival houses of York and Lancaster derives largely from Shakespeare’s history plays, which in their turn were coloured by Tudor propaganda, and most books on the Wars of the Roses have concentrated on politics and personalities. Discussion of military matters has hitherto been chiefly confined to colourful and sometimes fanciful accounts of the major battles, on which accurate information is scanty. The present work is a military history of the Wars of the Roses. In the first part is presented an overall view of the campaigns, from the first skirmishes of 1452 to the last campaign in 1497 and examines the general ship of the commanders in both camps. In the second covering military organisation- how armies were recruited, paid, fed, billeted, armed and deployed- the author shows that in a period of rapid change in European methods of warfare the English were not so old-fashioned as has sometimes been supposed. In conclusion he assesses the effects of the wars on society in general. The book makes extensive use of fifteenth century sources, both English and Continental, including chronicles, civic records and letters, and presents a vivid picture of the wars as they were seen and described by contemporaries.