Tag: Bosworth

Book Review: “Son of Prophecy: The Rise of Henry Tudor” by Nathen Amin

On By hmalagisiIn Book ReviewsLeave a comment

The date is August 22, 1485, and a young man stands in the middle of a battlefield. He has done what seemed nigh impossible, he defeated the last Plantagenet king Richard III to become the new King of England. His heritage makes this man unique and qualified to start a new dynasty. His mother’s family the Beauforts have been explored quite heavily by historians and authors alike. They see this victory as a change in English history whereas his father’s family sees it as a sign of something deeper. To the Tudors and Henry’s fellow Welshmen, it is the fulfillment of a centuries-old prophecy. So who were Henry Tudor’s ancestors and what did it mean for Henry to be the titular Son of Prophecy? Nathen Amin tells the remarkable story of the Tudors and how their struggles and triumphs led to Henry Tudor taking the throne in his latest book, “ Son of Prophecy: The Rise of Henry Tudor.”

I want to thank Amberley Publishing for sending me a copy of this book. I have enjoyed Amin’s previous books, “The House of Beaufort: The Bastard Line that Captured the Crown” and “Henry VII and the Tudor Pretenders: Simnel, Warbeck, and Warwick,” When I heard that he was writing a book about the origins of the Tudors from the Welsh perspective, I knew I had to read it. I don’t know much about Welsh history, so I was looking forward to learning more. 

Amin begins by explaining that while those who study the life of Henry Tudor know that he was Welsh, they don’t highlight his Welshness as a unique aspect of his life. However, as Amin argues, it is the king’s Welsh heritage that makes his story so fascinating as the Tudor story in Wales spans eight generations and it is the story of warriors and diplomats. We begin with the warrior Ednyfed Fychan, who served Llwelyn ab Iorwerth Prince of Ewynedd during the Welsh War of Independence. Now, for those who are paying attention, you will notice that his surname is not Tudor, but Amin takes the time to explain the origins of the Tudor name as well as how English and Welsh relationships changed over time, starting at the time of the Saxons to the start of the Tudor dynasty. 

What I found fascinating is how the family that would later be known as the Tudors in English history were not afraid to get their hands dirty and be at the forefront of change for Wales. They fought tooth and nail for their Welsh rights and those who considered themselves the Prince of Wales, even if it meant putting their lives at risk. It was the stories of these men who created the foundation for Owen ap Maredudd ap Tudur (Owen Tudor) to leave his native Wales for England, work under Walter Hungerford, fall in love and marry the Dowager Queen Katherine of Valois, and have his sons Edmund and Jasper Tudor. This is the point that most people know as the “origins of the Tudors,” but by going back, Amin is showing his audience the depth of Henry’s Welsh roots and it would be on that battlefield on that August day where that Welsh loyalty would become a defining factor between victory or defeat. 

I was enthralled by this book and the copious amounts of notes that I took while reading. It was so much fun learning about historical events and figures that were unfamiliar to me in the context of the Tudor story. This book will revolutionize how you view the Tudors and how Henry Tudor gained the throne. If you are a Tudor nerd who wants to learn more about the Welsh connections to this dynasty, “Son of Prophecy: The Rise of Henry Tudor” by Nathen Amin is an absolute must-read.

Guest Post: “Cecily Neville, Duchess of York: Inspiration for The Queen’s Rival” by Anne O’ Brien

On By hmalagisiIn guest postLeave a comment

The Queen's RivalToday, I am pleased to welcome Anne O’Brien to my blog to discuss the inspiration for her latest novel, The Queen’s Rival. I would like to thank Anne O’Brien and The Coffee Pot Book Club for allowing me to be part of this blog tour. 

In past years I have written about a variety of medieval women, either royal or attached to the Court.  I enjoy investigating how these women played a role in the political manoeuvrings of their day.  Although we so rarely hear the voices of these women, since they lived in a man’s world and the history was invariably written by men, their involvement was often considerable and they deserve our interest.

Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, is one of the most appealing women of English medieval history, worthy of celebration.  Most medieval women verge towards the invisible, a two-dimensional entity without character or apparent influence; Cecily Neville is an exception.  The Wars of the Roses were both vast in scope and complex in the range of family connections.  So was Cecily’s own Neville family with its royal blood inherited through their mother Joan, Countess of Westmoreland, daughter of John of Gaunt. Cecily demanded in a regal fashion that she be allowed to speak for herself.  It was a challenge that lured me to become involved; I accepted the challenge and wrote about her. 

Without a doubt, Cecily was a remarkable woman, living for eighty years through five reigns, interacting with a vast dramatis personae of famous, infamous, and influential characters in these tumultuous years.  She was the mother of two kings, Edward IV and Richard III, and  grandmother to a Queen Consort, Elizabeth of York, who stepped across the divide between York and Lancaster and married King Henry VII.

On the surface, this would seem to be a life bringing Cecily immense satisfaction and personal achievement, but it was also a life of tragedy.  Cecily outlived all but two of her twelve children, both daughters, some dying in infancy, others meeting terrible ends.  George, Duke of Clarence, was executed for treason, on the orders of his brother King Edward, in the Tower of London.  Richard III died on the battlefield at Bosworth; Edmund of Rutland met his end in an act of revenge after the Battle of Wakefield.  What heartbreak this must have inflicted on her, added to the death of her husband, Richard, Duke of York, at Wakefield.

Cecily’s life also witnessed its share of scandal.  The rumour of her liaison with the common archer Blaybourne, thus prompting the blot of illegitimacy against King  Edward IV, was too valuable a rumour to ignore for those such as the Earl of Warwick and Duke of Clarence who would willingly depose King Edward.  Was the scandal true?  Unlikely, but the widespread gossip must be faced.  How difficult for a woman of Cecily’s pride to accept that her own family would dishonour her reputation.

Would such tragedy obliterate the strength of Cecily’s character?  Cecily worked tirelessly for the House of York. She stood by her children as far as it was possible, even George of Clarence, trying to bring him back into the Yorkist fold.  In Ludlow, abandoned by her husband, Cecily faced a leaderless Lancastrian army and howling mob intent on plundering the town. She proved to be a woman of great courage.  As old age approached, she devoted herself to a life of duty and formidable piety almost worthy of the life of a nun, a life of loyalty to the family she had always supported.

Cecily, Duchess of York, was the doyenne of late medieval history, the Queen who was never crowned.  It would have been unforgivable of me to leave her out of my pantheon of medieval ‘heroines’. 

The Queen's Rival final version(Blurb)

England, 1459. 

One family united by blood. Torn apart by war…

The Wars of the Roses storm through the country, and Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, plots to topple the weak-minded King Henry VI from the throne.

But when the Yorkists are defeated at the Battle of Ludford Bridge, Cecily’s family flee and abandons her to face a marauding Lancastrian army on her own.

Stripped of her lands and imprisoned in Tonbridge Castle, the Duchess begins to spin a web of deceit. One that will eventually lead to treason, to the fall of King Henry VI, and to her eldest son being crowned King Edward IV.

Buy Links

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Queens-Rival-Anne-OBrien/dp/0008225532

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Anne O'Brien promo picAuthor Bio

Anne O’Brien

Sunday Times Bestselling author Anne O’Brien was born in West Yorkshire. After gaining a BA Honours degree in History at Manchester University and a Master’s in Education at Hull, she lived in East Yorkshire for many years as a teacher of history.

Today she has sold over 700,000 copies of her books medieval history novels in the UK and internationally. She lives with her husband in an eighteenth-century timber-framed cottage in the depths of the Welsh Marches in Herefordshire. The area provides endless inspiration for her novels which breathe life into the forgotten women of medieval history.

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Book Review: “Following in the Footsteps of Henry Tudor: A Historical Journey From Pembroke to Bosworth” by Phil Carradice

On By hmalagisiIn Book ReviewsLeave a comment

43972620In the study of history, we tend to look at the beginning and the end of a battle and why they were fought. We rarely pay attention to the march that led to the battle, but when we do, there is a distinct reason why. One particular case is of Henry Tudor’s march to the Battle of Bosworth Field. It is a tale that started from his birth at Pembroke Castle to being an exile and then from an exile to being King of England. The story of how an exile became a king and founded the infamous Tudor dynasty deserves attention. Phil Carradice believed that it was time for the story of the first Tudor king and his march to destiny to be told in his latest book, “Following in the Footsteps of Henry Tudor: A Historical Journey From Pembroke to Bosworth”.

I would like to thank Pen and Sword Books for sending me a copy of this book. This is the second book in the “Following in the Footsteps” series that I have read, so I was cautiously optimistic. I wanted to learn more about Henry Tudor’s march to Bosworth and I certainly did in this book.

Carradice begins his book with a novel-like description of Henry, or “Harri”, and his uncle Jasper Tudor landing in Wales. As a reader, I was a bit confused about the direction that Carradice was taking by using this approach since this is a historical non-fiction book instead of historical fiction, but Carradice was able to tie it in nicely. He then explains, rather briefly, the conflict known as the Wars of the Roses and how England got to the point where it was Henry Tudor versus King Richard III for the throne. It is this information that is crucial for readers to understand Henry’s motive for claiming the throne and how it was an arduous task to achieve. It was in these early chapters that we see how Henry went from a regular boy to an exile who became a thorn in the side of the Yorkist Kings Edward IV and Richard III.

The bulk of Carradice’s book deals with what happens after Henry Tudor and his men land in Wales. He deals with issues of exactly where Henry landed and why the traditional place for the landing does not make a whole lot of sense. Carradice also takes on the legends that surrounded the different locations during the march and compared them to the facts that we do know about the march, primarily from Polydore Vergil. The one problem that I had with this book was that Carradice did not include a map of the march. I was not familiar with the locations, particularly the Welsh locations, so it was difficult to visualize the distances. What I did appreciate was the fact that as the battle approached, Carradice showed how both Henry and Richard III must have been feeling and how their decisions on that fateful day made all the difference.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It may be small, but it is rather mighty with all the information that it contains. Carradice’s writing style makes this book feel like a historical fiction novel with a plethora of information one expects from a historical nonfiction book. If you want a great introduction book to Henry Tudor’s march to Bosworth Field and the beginning of the Tudor dynasty, I highly recommend you read, “Following in the Footsteps of Henry Tudor: A Historical Journey From Pembroke to Bosworth” by Phil Carradice.