Book details

Book description

The story of Perkin Warbeck is one of the most compelling mysteries of English history. A young man suddenly emerged claiming to be Richard of York, the younger of the Princes in the Tower. As such, he tormented Henry VII for eight years. He tried three times to invade England and behaved like a prince. Officially, however, he was proclaimed to be Perkin Warbeck, the son of a Flemish boatman. A diplomatic pawn, he was used by the greatest European rulers of the age for their own purposes. All who dealt with him gave him the identity they wished him to have: either the Duke of York or a jumped-up lad from Flanders. It is possible that he was neither. It is also possible that, by the end, even he did not really know who he was. In Perkin Ann Wroe tells again a marvellous tale that is on the brink of being forgotten. She also dissects the official cover story. In doing so she delves into the secret corners of European history and produces a portrait of the late fifteenth century that is breathtaking in its detail. Ann Wroe is the Briefings and Obituaries Editor of the Economist . After taking a degree in History and a doctorate in medieval history (Oxford, 1975) she worked at the BBC World Service, covering French and Italian politics. She joined the Economist in 1976 to cover American politics, and has held the posts of Books and Arts editor (1988-1992) and American editor (1992-2000). She has written six books: Lives, Lies and the Iran-Contra Affair ; A Fool and His Money: Life in a Partitioned Medieval Town ; Pilate: The Biography of an Invented Man ; Perkin: A Story of Deception and Being Shelley: The Poet's Search for Himself . She is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Royal Society of Literature. She is married with three sons and lives in London.