The wars of the roses

by Gwen Herat

I bet very few Britons would know exactly what took place that led to the War of the Roses as much as we do though even their greatest playwright William Shakespeare in one of his plays, reveals the history behind it in dialogue. The complex story behind this period in England's history which Shakespeare investigated along with the mysteries connecting the sudden marriage of Edward IV and the seizing of Edward's throne by his brother Richard of Glocester that tied up one of the most heart-rending killing of the innocent, Richard's nephews in the Tower of London. This gruesome act turned history in another direction which otherwise would have prevented the Wars of the Roses.

I read somewhere that a contemporary of Shakespeare saying that he dashed off these plays without blotting a line until history was genuine. They had come spontaneously from a fully-charged mind. We can take it for granted that his habit of historical research to please himself and perhaps some part of this intense reality, can make us understand the full impact of the Wars of the Roses, though so much years apart.

To understand the vicious wars between the English noble houses of York and Lancashire and their royalty involved, the best guide is William Shakespeare's plays. The Bard may not be very familiar with English history, which marked the end of medieval English and the birth of the Renaissance. This was the end of its 30-year period of strife and bloodshed, the shame of England which the succeeding generations have called the Wars of the Roses.

Tudors

This saw the collapse of the great Plantagene dynasty who were the rulers of all England and much of France for over 300 years. It also saw the rise of the Tudors who were destined to dominate the English political era during the next century followed by the triumph of Henry Tudor over Richard III at Bosworth Field. Many would agree that Richard is the villain of the piece and responsible for the wars in which he met his own death.

Henry VI who is yet a child struggles among the lords who ruled England, and the French led by Joan of Arc, wins back the lands held by England. As a part of an agreement for peace, the boy Henry is married off to Princess Margarat of Anjou. This is followed by the Wars of the Roses again when England is torn by civil war. For the battles to be won, Lancaster chooses red roses and white roses for Yorkshire. The disgarced son of Duke of York, Richard Plantagenet leads the Yorkists while the Duke of Gloucester leads Lancaster. They both engage in open battle and kill all those who oppose them, especially behind the scenes.

Henry grows up to be a religious man often occupied with the church to protect himself while Margaret takes over his duties and leads the troops into battle but Henry is captured and disposed. Though Edward is crowned king, the Lancastrians fight back and are finished off while Henry is a prisoner in the Tower of London. Because he is still a threat to the Yorkists, Richard and Edward kill him which sets the stage for Richard to become king.

Infamous King

The most infamous king in British history, king Richard III was born in 1452 and died at Bosworth Field in 1485. He reigned only for two years during which time he committed the bloodiest murders of his kith and kin including his two innocent young nephews at the London's Tower.

Like most historians, Robin Neillands was motivated by the subjects that he majored in; modern history at Oxford and Reading Universities. There is considerable scope for debate as to what acts led to which consequences. The run-up to the Wars of the Roses and the aftermath has dazzled the imagination of scholars as they unravel its hidden consequences and one such person is Robin Neillands who in this book, has handles the confusing period of English history.

He is so minutely accurate to the dot, the book is enough even to do a theory by it self without any supportive subjects. That's how good he is. The beginning is uncertain. He questions:

Did trouble start when Henry Bolingbroke usurps the throne of Richard II?

When Henry V died in 1422 with his conquests incomplete

The power struggle between Cardinal Beaufort and Humphrey, Duke to Gloucester.

When Henry VI concluded decades of his incompetent rule with bouts of insanity.

And many more who had their parts to play in the Wars of Roses.

Neillands kick starts this book with there the hundred years of war ended, with the English defeat at Castillion which was the final bout of relations between Dukes of York and Someset which triggered the 30-year period.

He traces the compexity of this period through to 1455 and continues to Battle of Bosworth Field where the formation adopted by King Richard's army to the foul deeds planned and committed by him; the medieval mysteries, the death of Edward, Prince of Wales, and the subsequent deaths of Richard, Duke of York, and the innocent young Princes at the Tower.

Colourful past

And finally, Neillands rounds off the colourful past of England's past with the death of Princes in the Tower and the final extirpation of the dynasty of Plantagenet.

For scholars past and present, students of English history and the general public in search of enlightenment on the Wars of the Roses, there can never be a book better than this. It will find a permanent place in any library.