Like The Plantagenents before it, this book fits this bill.

The challenge is to find a book that presents it in such a way as to build the layers of intrigue and still keep it simple enough to read like a novel. Fine and well as a stepping stone, but no novel can ever compete with the real story. Most people I talk to who know anything about the era have learned from historical fiction. Most history books I've read on this subject either keeps it simplistic (in accordance with the propaganda of the Tudor era) or would have you believe it's so overly complex that only an expert can wade into it with any amount of confidence, and even they might need a score card to keep up. The Wars of the Roses is an era of great turmoil and upheaval, which means the players involved are many, and some of them switch sides as opportunity or desperation strikes. With vivid descriptions of the battles of Towton and Bosworth, where the last Plantagenet king was slain, this is a bold and dramatic narrative history that will delight listeners who like their history with a healthy dose of bedlam, romance, and intrigue.įollowing up on the story and success of The Plantagenets, Dan Jones now offers a book that I consider to be a public service for those just dipping into this subject. It is also a period of headstrong and resilient women - Margaret of Anjou, Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort - who were not afraid to seize power and bend men to their will. Some of the greatest heroes and villains in history were thrown together in these turbulent times - from Joan of Arc and Henry V, whose victory at Agincourt and prudent rule marked the high point of the medieval English monarchy, to Richard III, who stole the throne and murdered his own nephews, the princes in the Tower.

Now, celebrated historian Dan Jones describes how the longest reigning British royal family tore itself apart until it was finally replaced by the Tudors. The crown of England changed hands five times as two branches of the Plantagenet dynasty fought to the death for the right to rule. The 15th century saw the longest and bloodiest series of civil wars in British history. The author of the New York Times best-seller The Plantagenets chronicles the next chapter in British history - the actual historical backdrop for Game of Thrones.

Dan jones the plantagenets review