Book description
A brilliant new interpretation of one of the most dramatic periods
of British history. The Wars of the Roses didn't end at the Battle of
Bosworth in 1485. Despite the death of Richard III and Henry VII's
victory, it continued underground into the following century with
plots, pretenders and subterfuge by the ousted white rose faction. In
a brand new interpretation of this turning point in history, well
known historian Desmond Seward reviews the story of the Tudors'
seizure of the throne and shows that for many years they were far from
secure. He challenges the way we look at the reigns of Henry VII and
Henry VIII, explaining why there were so many Yorkist pretenders and
conspiracies, and why the new dynasty had such difficulty establishing
itself. King Richard's nephews, the Earl of Warwick and the little
known de la Pole brothers, all had the support of dangerous enemies
overseas, while England was split when the lowly Perkin Warbeck
skilfully impersonated one of the princes in the tower in order to
claim the right to the throne. Warwick's surviving sister Margaret
also became the desperate focus of hopes that the White Rose would be
reborn. The book also offers a new perspective on why Henry VIII,
constantly threatened by treachery, real or imagined, and desperate to
secure his power with a male heir, became a tyrant.
