A. J. Pollard Boeken

In 1461 Edward earl of March, an able, handsome, and charming eighteen-year old, usurped the English throne from his feeble Lancastrian predecessor Henry VI. Ten years on, following outbreaks of civil conflict that culminated in him losing, then regaining the crown, he had finally secured his kingdom. The years that followed witnessed a period of rule that has been described as a golden age: a time of peace and economic and industrial expansion, which saw the establishment of a style of monarchy that the Tudors would later develop. Yet, argues A. J. Pollard, Edward, who was drawn to a life of sexual and epicurean excess, was a man of limited vision, his reign remaining to the very end the narrow rule of a victorious faction in civil war. Ultimately, his failure was dynastic: barely two months after his death in April 1483, the throne was usurped by Edward's youngest brother, Richard III.

John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury was the last of the celebrated English commanders of the Hundred Years' War. His defeat and death at the Battle of Castillon on 17 July 1453 marked the end of the wars. This account reconstructs the long career of this extraordinary soldier and offers an insight into warfare in the late medieval period.

Why is Henry V a POCKET GIANT?Because, at Agincourt, he won a famous victory against the odds.Because, in less than a decade, he all but united the thrones of England and France.Because he towered over his contemporaries. Because he put the fear of God into everyone.

A look at the original sources and depictions that have informed our view of Richard III through history

In 1461 Edward earl of March, a handsome eighteen-year old of massive charisma and ability, usurped the English throne from his vacant Lancastrian predecessor Henry VI. Ten years on, following outbreaks of civil conflict that culminated in him losing, then regaining the crown, he had finally secured his kingdom. The years that followed witnessed a period of rule that has been described as a golden age: a time of peace and economic and industrial expansion, which saw the establishment of a style of strong monarchy that the Tudors would make their own. Yet, argues A. J. Pollard, Edward, who squandered his undoubted talents in a frenzy of sexual and epicurean excess, was a man of limited vision, his reign remaining to the very end the narrow rule of a victorious faction in civil war. Ultimately, his failure was dynastic: barely two months after his death in April 1483, his young son and heir was usurped by Edward's youngest brother, Richard III.

This collection of essays by some of today's leading scholars seeks to stimulate further thought on what the Wars of the Roses were really about.