Ebook: My kingdom for a horse: The War of the Roses
Author: West Ed
- Tags: Kings and rulers--Succession, History, Great Britain -- History -- Wars of the Roses 1455-1485, Great Britain -- History -- Lancaster and York 1399-1485, Great Britain -- History -- Henry VI 1422-1461, Great Britain -- History -- Edward IV 1461-1483, Great Britain -- Kings and rulers -- Succession -- History, Kings and rulers -- Succession, Great Britain
- Series: A very very short history of England
- Year: 2018
- Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
- City: Great Britain
- Language: English
- epub
From William Shakespeare's series of history dramas to Sir Walter Scott and George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, not to mention the smash-hit TV show Game of Thrones, the British civil war of 1455 to 1485 has inspired writers more than any other.
Ed West's My Kingdom for a Horse illuminates the bloody war fought for thirty long years between the descendants of King Edward III in a battle for the throne. Named after the emblems used by the two leading families, the Houses of York and Lancaster, the title of the conflict gives it a romantic feel that probably wasn't as apparent to those on the battlefield having swords shoved into their eyes. And, for all the lovely heraldry and glamorous costumes of the era, the war saw the complete breakdown of the medieval code of chivalry in which prisoners were spared, which makes it even better drama. In 1460-61 alone, twelve noblemen were killed in the field and six were beheaded off it, removing a third of the English...