War of the Roses

by wag75

Any book recommendations for the war of the roses? Something that isn't incredibly dense but doesn't necessarily skip details.

Wagrid

The Wars of the Roses, by John Gillingham is a really good option. Gillingham is an incredibly well respected medievalist, and his book on the wars is designed to be accessible to a wider audience. Whilst it is somewhat long in the tooth at this point as a military history (which, in my view, is the appropriate context to view the wars) of the Wars of the Roses it is still excellent; Gillingham's work in general tends to hold up well over time.

What I want to caution against is viewing the 'Wars of the Roses' as synonymous with the later 15th century or even the reign of Edward IV. The Wars, whilst consequential for the political history of England, were not the all encompassing, sole defining feature of the period.

Rhodis

As u/Wagrid has suggested a book to cover the more military side of the Wars, Michael Hicks' The Wars of the Roses (2012) is particularly good for the causes of the Wars and also focuses more on the political aspects of the period. It also has an extended timeframe for the Wars, and looks at their aftermath all the way into Henry VIII's reign, giving it a slightly broader chronological perspective than some accounts.

Another option for the political side is Christine Carpenter's *The Wars of the Roses: Politics and the Constitution in England, c. 1437-1509 (2008), however, this can get quite dense and has a lot of (admittedly relevant) scene-setting before reaching the outbreak of the Wars in the 1450s.

For Henry VI and Edward IV, Charles Ross, Edward IV (1974) is getting quite old but is really very extensive. Hannes Kleineke, Edward IV (2009) is more recent and more accessible. John Watts, Henry VI and the Politics of Kingship (1996) is useful for a really detailed study of Henry and his rule, though Watts is probably a bit too credulous of McFarlane's judgement that "In Henry VI second childhood succeeded the first without the usual interval". Bertram Wolffe's Henry VI (1981), goes very much in the opposite direction and sees Henry VI as much more competent than many historians do.

If you're interested in Richard III, then again I'd recommend a book by Hicks. His Richard III (2003) is less a biography of the king and more a look at his character, addressing the arguments of pro and anti-Ricardians and seeing which is more convincing.

TheHuscarl

I would personally recommend Alison Weir's War of the Roses. It's not dense, doesn't skip details, and does a great job of bringing the various actors in the conflict to life.