Richard III has the most controversial reputation of any English king. If he was the murderer of his two nephews and (as many contemporaries thought) the poisoner of his own wife, he has a place among the foremost villains of history. If however his only real crime was to have been on the losing side, then he is the victim of an extraordinary and enduring smear campaign. Which version is correct? Whether true or false, the legend of Richard III's villainy has embedded itself in the nation's consciousness. In this clear, careful narrative, first published in 1983 (the 500th anniversary of a year in which three kings occupied the throne of England) Giles St. Aubyn relates the violent and blood-stained story, his cool, witty style contrasting with the brutality of the period he describes.

Adapted for the STARZ original series, The White Princess. Love to the Death. When Henry Tudor picks up the crown of England from the mud of Bosworth field, he knows he must marry the princess of the enemy house—Elizabeth of York—to unify a country divided by war for more than three decades. But his bride is still in love with his dead enemy, and her mother and half of England remain loyal to her brother, the missing York heir. Henry’s greatest fear is that somewhere a prince is waiting to reclaim the throne. When a young man who would be king invades England, Elizabeth has to choose between the new husband she is coming to love and the boy who claims to be her lost brother: the rose of York come home at last. “A bloody irresistible read.” —People “Bring on the blood, sex, and tears!...You name it, it’s all here.” —USA TODAY

This authoritative A–Z encyclopedia of the Wars of the Roses provides accurate and concise descriptions of the major battles and events and the principal historical figures and issues involved. For centuries, historians agreed about the Wars of the Roses, seeing them as four decades of medieval darkness and chaos, when the royal family and the nobility destroyed themselves fighting for control of the royal government. Even Shakespeare got into the act, dramatizing, popularizing, and darkening this viewpoint in eight plays. Today, based on new research, this has become one of the most hotly controversial periods in English history. Historians disagree on fundamental issues, such as dates and facts, as well as interpretation. Most argue that the effects of the wars were not as widespread as once thought, and some see the traditional view of the era as merely Tudor propaganda. A few even claim that England during the late 15th century was "a society organized for peace." Historian John A. Wagner brings readers up to date on the latest research and thinking about this crucial period of England's history.

Providing the chronological setting for many of Shakespeare's plays, various swashbuckling novels from Sir Walter Scott's to Robert Louis Stevenson's, and such Hollywood films as Braveheart, late Medieval England is superficially well known. Yet its true complexity remains elusive, locked in the covers of specialized monographs and journal articles. In over 300 entries written by 80 scholars, this book makes the factual information and historical interpretations of the era readily available. Covering political, military, religious, and constitutional subjects as well as social and economic topics, the volume is easy to use, comprehensive, and authoritative. It provides a useful resource for undergraduate and graduate students, scholars, and educated laymen. Rightly characterized as an age of crisis, the 14th century saw the Hundred Years War, the Black Death, the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, the Avignon Papacy, and the Great Schism of the Western Church. All placed great stresses on English society, aggravating old problems and creating new ones. In the late Middle Ages, parliament became an important element in English government; Cambridge and Oxford universities attained European-wide reputations; and general literacy increased. The Church remained a paramount religious, political, and social institution, but its independence and intellectual monopoly slipped. The entries in this book synthesize recent scholarship on these and other historical events. While emphasizing political, religious, constitutional and military topics, the book also provides brief introductions to social, economic, cultural, and intellectual topics. It is a valuable guide for those wishing to understand this complex, tumultuous, and until recently, poorly understood era.

"A Timeline of Fifteenth Century England" covers the broad stretch between the Edwards of the fourteenth century, and the Tudors of the sixteenth. It begins with the Lancastrian usurpation,and ends with the death of the first Tudor King. Packed in between, the throne of England was usurpted six times, England was invaded seven times by Englishmen, several times by the French, and some dozen times by the Scots. The fifteenth century saw the last phase of the Hundred Years War -- a heroic and frustrating thirty-five year struggle -- and the entire Wars of the Roses -- another thirty-five years of internecine bloodshed, including the bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil. Three different dynasties ruled England, by seven different kings, including the shortest reign of an English king since the Norman invasion. Meanwhile, English kings began to use English as the preferred written language, and the first book was printed in England. Parliament grew particularly strong, the King became a Constitutional Monarch, and England transformed from late medievalism into a reformation that led to the Renaissance. All this occurred during periods of corruption and chaos, murder and mayhem, treachery and betrayal, and war and rebellion, interspersed with occassional periods of peace and properity. It has been said that no King can rule the English for long without fighting a war, and the fifteenth century proves the point. Within these pages lies a timeline documenting all the key events and contrasting personalities of this turbulent period, from beginning to end.

Let Great Reading Fuel Your Writing Great writers read–voraciously and across many topics and genres. They read to learn, to research, to study the style of others, and to improve their own work. They read because they love the written word. But becoming well read takes time, dedication, and patience. The thought can be daunting–especially when you're eager to get to your own writing. Fred White, author of The Daily Writer, helps you sort through the plethora of reading material available by providing you with 366 engaging excerpts from ancient poetry to modern science, on topics from allegory to food to writer's block. Each thoughtfully chosen excerpt is followed by a brief reflection and a prompt that allows you to integrate elements from each piece into your own writing. The Daily Reader makes broad reading accessible, invigorates your thirst for the written word, and equips you to put the power of the pros behind your writing.

THE COMPELLING NOVEL FROM SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER PHILIPPA GREGORY The second book in Philippa's stunning new series, The Cousins' War, brings to life the story of Margaret Beaufort, a shadowy and mysterious character in the first book of the series - The White Queen - but who now takes centre stage in the bitter struggle of The War of the Roses. The Red Queen tells the story of the child-bride of Edmund Tudor, who, although widowed in her early teens, uses her determination of character and wily plotting to infiltrate the house of York under the guise of loyal friend and servant, undermine the support for Richard III and ultimately ensure that her only son, Henry Tudor, triumphs as King of England. Through collaboration with the dowager Queen Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret agrees a betrothal between Henry and Elizabeth's daughter, thereby uniting the families and resolving the Cousins War once and for all by founding of the Tudor dynasty. Praise for Philippa Gregory: ‘Meticulously researched and deeply entertaining, this story of betrayal and divided loyalties is Gregory on top form’ Good Housekeeping ‘Gregory has popularised Tudor history perhaps more than any other living fiction writer…all of her books feature strong, complex women, doing their best to improve their lives in worlds dominated by men’ Sunday Times ‘Engrossing’ Sunday Express ‘Popular historical fiction at its finest, immaculately researched and superbly told’ The Times