An interesting book recommendation on the War of the Roses?

by Historyenthusiast77

I've been wanting to read something on the war of the roses and I'm only a beginner. I would generally like an overall coverage of the war, but something preferably military and political would be okay too.

Thanks!

missn00bkat

I'm currently a Masters Student at a UK university, studying Medieval history. I don't currently do the War of the Roses but I did last year in my undergraduate degree. Here are some books I used & hopefully will be helpful. Most of these are easy to find (either in libraries / Amazon). I did add some TV documentaries in case. Books on just military & politics during this period are hard to find so most of these are general books, on the wars themselves / the kings of the time. Hopefully this is enough & others contribute with some other cool reads! Happy reading!

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Beginner Books:

Dan Jones' books are great for beginners. I would recommend: The Hollow Crown, The wars of the Roses & The Rise of the Tudors and the War of the Roses, the Fall of the Plantagenets and the rise of the Tudors

Note: Dan Jones; although recognised as a Historian & recieved a history degree, many UK universities do not class these books as academic. A Fun read for beginners, just not for university students to credit in their research papers.

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Chronological overview

David Grummitt has a great book on the overview of the WoTR, and it's named A Short History on the War of the Roses . This gives an in-depth but brief overview of this period, and it's pretty easy to follow along. He also has other books on Henry VI.

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On the Wars itself (Either the cause & effect, or books on the wars from the Lancastrian/Yorkist POV)

For the Cause and Effect of the Wars itself, I would recommend A.J. Pollards The wars of the roses. I would also recommend The End of the House of Lancaster by R.L Storey, it delves into the mistakes & Victories of the Lancastrians during the WoTR. Theres also the Calais Garrison: War and Military Service in England 1436-1558 by David Grummitt. You may enjoy the Calais Garrison one, since its mainly on military affairs since it was the most important stronghold in this period. He also has another book called the English Experience in France c.1450-1558: war, diplomacy & cultural exchange.

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Edward IV

I have some books on Edward since I studied him the most at University. Some good books on his reign are:

  1. Edward IV,Hannes Kleineke
  2. Edward IV, Charles Ross
  3. Edward IV and the Wars of the Roses, David Santiuste

His reign is super interesting & these books go into detail about his reign, the battles he was in & the politics that transpired. Look below for Warwick books, he is a very interesting Military Character.

TV documentaries

I know you didn't ask for TV stuff, but I thought this is also a nice way to get a brief overview & is fun too. If you live in the UK, you may find these on UKTV Play or on BBC, but these are (at the time of posting) on youtube for all to find.

  1. David Starkey's Monarchy Episode 4 to 6 - These are on the Reigns from Henry VI to Edward IV
  2. Dan Jones' Britain's bloody crown - 4 Episodes total on the WoTR
  3. British History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsely, Ep.1, War of the Roses - A fun documentary about the lies of the period that have continued to the modern era. Not on the overview but interesting nonetheless.

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Other Books for in-depth reading (if you enjoy WoTR a lot!):

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Hope this Helps! Any more Questions do not hesitate to ask!