Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Society launches this month
This month sees the launch of a new society promoting interest in the Battle of Bosworth, the last major battle of the Wars of the Roses.
Murder, Alchemy and the Wars of the Roses
What follows is a kind of murder mystery, but not a whodunit. The identity of the man who carried out the crime, while indeed a mystery, is probably unknowable and actually unimportant.
The history of foxglove poisoning, was Edward IV a victim?
The history of foxglove poisoning, was Edward IV a victim? Peter Stride (University of Queensland School of Medicine, Australia) Fiona Winston-Brown (Librarian, Redcliffe…
To be a King: changing concepts of kingship during the reign of Henry VI, 1422-1461
The questions we must ask ourselves at this early juncture, considering the nature of the debate, is why this king was able to persevere for so long on the throne despite his infirmities?
Fighting to preserve two Wars of the Roses Battlefields
The battlefields of Towton and Tewkesbury, which were critical moments during England’s Wars of the Roses, are both facing threats that could limit access to them by the public
Great Medieval Fiction 2013!
For those of you who enjoy some fantasy or a historical novel – this list is for you!
Two dozen and more Silkwomen of Fifteenth-Century London
This article attempts to record systematically all the silkwomen of London who were daughters or wives of London mercers between 1400 and 1499.
New book pinpoints the site of the Battle of Bosworth
Bosworth 1485: A Battlefield Rediscovered, co-authored by Dr Foard and the historian Anne Curry, they describe the background to the battle and the archaeological project to find out where it was actually fought.
Interview with author Isolde Martyn
Isolde Martyn is best-selling author of historical fiction, much of it centred on the Wars of the Roses.
Welsh Poetry and the War of the Roses
This is a brief summary of a paper on Welsh poetry, patronage and politics. It was given at the Celtic Studies Association of North America Annual Conference at the University of Toronto April 18 – 21, 2013.
Solem a Tergo Reliquit: The Troublesome Battle of Bosworth Field
The first major point upon which we disagree concerns the nature of existing evidence about the Battle. Richardson points to a number of sources, but the central problem here is that, with one ex- ception, they are not contemporary with the Battle itself.
The Princess and the Gene Pool: The Plantagenet rebel who held the secret to Richard III’s DNA
Richard III is perhaps the most controversial figure in British history and historians will long be discussing what new light the finds cast on his story. But the long-forgotten Anne was herself a creature of scandal – a woman who openly took a lover; divorced her husband; and kept his family lands anyway.
The Use of Gunpowder Weapons in the Wars of the Roses
During the fourteenth century, while continental gunpowder holdings were largely in local control England’s gunpowder weaponry never fell under a similar local control, but was always exclusively a royal possession.
Women’s Experiences During the Wars of the Roses
This paper will discuss the lived experiences of women of the English nobility and gentry during the period between 1450 and 1485, which covers the end of the Hundred Year’s War to the end of the Wars of the Roses.
Missionaries and Crusaders in Thomas Malory’s Morte d’Arthur
The War of Roses might have been the most prominent event on the English political stage at the time when the Morte d’Arthur was written, and there is evidence that Malory’s writing was in part informed by he civil discord he was witnessing.
Interview with Sarah Gristwood, author of Blood Sisters: The Hidden Lives of the Women Behind the Wars of the Roses
It was really Margaret of Anjou, Henry VI’s wife, with her ambition and determination – her refusal to let the Duke of York assume control, after her husband had fallen into a catatonic stupor – that kickstarted the civil war.
Reflection of the Wars of the Roses in Thomas Malory`s Le Morte D`Arthur: Literary-cultural analysis
The book is one the most famous fiction stories about legendary King Arthur, whose life and death predominantly compose the spine of Malory’s tale
The Wars of the Roses: A Bloody Crown
Scene from the documentary include the Battle of Towton, Towton Graves, The Pole Axe and The Falchion.
The Queen’s Blood: A Study of Family Ties during the Wars of the Roses
Although Elizabeth of York was much less politically active than her mother, she was always a theoretically more politically powerful woman. While Elizabeth Woodville came from the lowest ranks of the English nobility, Elizabeth of York was the daughter of Edward IV and a princess in her own right.
Search begins for lost grave of King Richard III
On Saturday 25 August 2012 – five hundred years after King Richard III was buried in Leicester – the historic archaeological project will begin with the aim of discovering whether Britain’s last Plantagenet King lies buried in Leicester City Centre.
John Hardyng’s Chronicle: a study of the two versions and a critical edition of both for the period 1327-1464
Part II of the thesis is an edition of the two versions for the years 1327-1464, selected for their relevance to the public and political affairs of late medieval England, and because it is in this section that Hardyng draws together his conclusions about the reigns of previous monarchs in relation to the present governance of England; the edition is supported by full critical apparatus and a commentary for each version, containing background contextual and historical information, and comparative allusions to other contemporary historical and literary texts. The thesis concludes with six appendices, a selective glossary and a bibliography.
Fatal Colours: Towton 1461 – England’s Most Brutal Battle
The battle of Towton in 1461 was unique in its ferocity and brutality, as the armies of two kings of England engaged with murderous weaponry and in appalling conditions to conclude the first War of the Roses
Dynasty and Division: The Depiction of King and Kingdom in John Hardyng’s Chronicle
Throughout his life, John Hardyng (1378-c.1465), had many guises: soldier, esquire, spy, forger, chronicler, cartographer.
‘He contents the people wherever he goes’ Richard III: His Parliament and Government
In recent years new biographies of great figures such as Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy have shed great light on key issues of English-European relations, while studies of Margaret Beaufort have redefined the political role of the women of this era.
Neville, Percy, and York, 1461-1485 : a study in the subordination of the North
It is my intention, therefore, to re-examine the standard interpretation of northern history by focusing on the important achievement of the Yorkists in the North.