Tag: Edward IV

Book Review: “Princesses of the Later Middle Ages: Royal Daughters of the Plantagenets” by Sharon Bennett Connolly

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The typical image of a medieval princess often comes from fairy tales. They are seen as damsels in distress, waiting in a tower for their charming prince to whisk them away to create power alliances between their two countries and live happily ever after. Let’s be real, this is nothing but a fantasy. Some princesses did have happy marriages, but they weren’t wasting away in towers. They were learning how to be diplomats and rulers of their own domains, whether countries or counties. The stories of the Plantagenet princesses are especially colorful, and Sharon Bennett Connolly continues to tell their tales in the second book in her duology, “Princesses of the Later Middle Ages: Royal Daughters of the Plantagenets.”

I would like to thank Pen and Sword Books for sending me a copy of this book. I enjoyed the first book in this duology, “Princesses of the Early Middle Ages,” so I wanted to see how she would conclude the duology. I know more about the later Plantagenets, so I was interested to see what new information Connolly would provide to this field of study.

This title traces the daughters of King Henry III to the daughters of King Edward IV. As those who study the Plantagenets already know, two, technically three, kings did not have daughters during this period: King Henry V, King Henry VI, and, if we extend the timeline past the reign of Edward IV, Richard III. We begin with the daughters of Henry III and his wife Eleanor of Provence, who often do not get much attention since Henry III had to deal with Simon de Montfort, rebuilding Westminster Abbey, and the Provisions of Oxford. They had three daughters, Margaret, Beatrice, and Katherine (who died young). Margaret would marry Alexander III of Scotland, and Beatrice married John II, Duke of Brittany. After the death of Henry III, his son Edward I became king, alongside his wife and queen, Eleanor of Castile, whose death would later be immortalized through the Eleanor Crosses. The couple would only have one living male heir, the future Edward II, but they did have five daughters who survived infancy: Eleanor, Joan of Acre, Margaret, Mary of Woodstock, and Elizabeth of Rhuddlan. Mary of Woodstock was the only daughter who did not marry, as she was reluctantly destined to be a nun. Eleanor married twice, to King Alfonso III of Aragon and Count Henry III of Bar; Joan of Acre married Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester, and then married secretly to Ralph de Monthermer. Margaret married John II, Duke of Brabant, a strong alliance marriage. Finally, Elizabeth of Rhuddlan married twice, to John I, Count of Holland, and to Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford.

Edward II would marry Isabella of France, and amidst the conflict with the favorites Piers Gaveston and Hugh le Despenser the Younger, the couple would have an heir, Edward III, John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall, plus their two daughters, Eleanor of Woodstock and Joan of the Tower. Joan of the Tower would marry King David II of Scotland, while Eleanor of Woodstock would marry Reynald II, Count of Guelders. Edward III and his wife Philippa of Hainault would have five daughters, but only one of them reached her forties. Isabella, the eldest and the one who took the longest to get married, finally tied the knot with Enguerrand VIII, Lord of Coucy. Joan of the Tower was betrothed to Pedro, Prince of Castile, but on her way to Spain, she died of the Black Death. Blanche died as an infant, and Margaret of Windsor would be a child bride of John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, before she died at a young age. Finally, Mary of Waltham would marry John IV, Duke of Brittany.

Connolly explores the life of Richard II before his cousin Henry Bolingbroke became Henry IV. Before he was created king, Henry IV and his first wife Mary de Bohun had two daughters, Blanche and Philippa, whose lives would change forever once their father became King of England. Blanche married Louis III, Elector Palatine, and Philippa married Eric Pomerania, King of Denmark and Sweden. Finally, Connolly explores the lives of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville’s daughters. Before their father Edward IV died suddenly in 1482, they each had a different path than the one they actually took. Elizabeth of York, the eldest daughter, would marry Henry VII and help found the Tudor dynasty. Cecily of York married twice, to Ralph Scrope and John, Viscount Welles, while Anne of York married Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey and Duke of Norfolk. Catherine of York married William Courtenay, Earl of Devon, and Bridget of York would become a nun.

This just scratches the surface of the amount of information Connolly includes in this book. She also includes illegitimate daughters, which adds even more depth to the past. I loved learning about the daughters of the later Plantagenet kings, and now I want to learn even more. If you enjoyed reading the first book in this duology or if you just want to learn more about Plantagenet princesses, I highly recommend you read “ Princesses of the Later Middle Ages: Royal Daughters of the Plantagenets” by Sharon Bennett Connolly.

Book Review: “The King’s Mother” by Annie Garthwaite

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The year is 1461, and a new king sits on England’s throne. Edward IV has earned his right to sit on the throne by winning the crown at the Battle of Towton. Now, he must fight for his throne against the Lancastrians and his own family. However, there is one woman who stands firmly by his side: his mother Cecily, Dowager Duchess of York. She earned another title the day he was crowned, that of the King’s Mother. As Edward fights his own battles, so too does Cecily to protect her family. Annie Garthwaite concludes Cecily’s story in her novel, “The King’s Mother.”

I remember reading “Cecily” five years ago and thoroughly enjoying myself. Cecily was such an amazing debut novel, and I was so excited to see how Garthwaite would conclude her story. 

We begin with the aftermath of Towton, the battle that secured the crown for the Yorkist cause for a while. Cecily finally believes that her family is safe, for now. But as the King’s mother, she knows that the position is fragile, as war can begin again at any moment, especially with Marguerite of Anjou still at large. Edward is arranging his court and is looking for a wife- well, a legal wife, because he was already technically married to one, Eleanor Talbot, but that surely would not become an issue later on, right? While there were plans for Edward to marry a French princess so they could create an alliance, Edward chose an English widow named Elizabeth Woodville to be his wife and queen. To say Cecily and Elizabeth got along like oil and water would be an understatement. 

This marriage caused a rift between Edward and his cousin/top advisor, Warwick, and in the end, Edward had to face off against Warwick, Marguerite, and his brother George. While Edward is able to fight back against Warwick and Marguerite, ending the Lancastrian cause for a while, it is his feud with his brother George that would have deadly consequences and tear the family that Cecily fought so hard to protect apart. With Edward’s sudden death, her only remaining son, Richard, goes from protector of Edward’s sons to the King of England, until he is defeated by the usurper Henry Tudor. 

To tell this story of the short-lived Yorkist dynasty and the rise of the Tudors through Cecily’s eyes was engrossing, heartbreaking, and a tremendous read. Cecily was not some wallflower, but a fierce protector of her family who earned the right to be considered the first King’s Mother. If you loved “Cecily” as much as I did, I wholeheartedly encourage you to read “The King’s Mother” by Annie Garthwaite.

Book Review: “Queens at War: England’s Medieval Queens” by Alison Weir

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The fifteenth century in England was a time of war. Between a usurper king, fighting with France, and fighting amongst themselves, an English king must be prepared to go into battle at any moment, and his queen must be ready to support him in any way. During this period, there were five kings and queens, and while the kings get a lot of attention, it is the queens who should get their flowers for what they did in times of distress. Alison Weir explores the lives of the final five Plantagenet queens in her final book in the England’s Medieval Queens series, entitled “Queens at War.”

I would like to thank Ballantine Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. I am a big fan of Weir’s books, and I have thoroughly enjoyed her England’s Medieval Queens series. I wanted to see which queens Weir would focus on in this book and how she would approach their lives.

The years covered in this last book are 1399-1485, covering the reigns of Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, Edward IV, and Richard III. The queens featured in this book are Joan of Navarre, Katherine of Valois, Margaret of Anjou, Elizabeth Woodville (spelled Widville in this book), and Anne Neville. While I am familiar with the stories of Katherine, Margaret, Elizabeth, and Anne, Joan is a less well-known figure to me. Weir gives her readers a bit of background information about how Joan of Navarre was Henry IV’s second wife after his first wife, Mary de Bohun, died. Joan was married previously as well, to John IV de Montfort, Duke of Brittany. While she did have children with John, she never had royal children with Henry IV. Weir shows how Joan was treated as the stepmother to King Henry V after he married Katherine of Valois.

Weir explores Katherine of Valois’ relationships with both Henry V, the warrior king, and Owen Tudor, the man she fell in love with after the death of Henry V. We get to see how Katherine’s son, Henry VI, and his wife, Margaret of Anjou, dealt with the rising Yorkist faction. With her husband taking ill, it was Margaret of Anjou who was the figurehead for the Lancastrian cause in a conflict that would be known as the Wars of the Roses. Eventually, a young man named Edward IV would become King of England, and he shook the English court by marrying an English woman, Elizabeth Widville (Woodville). Finally, Weir explores the downfall of the Plantagenet dynasty and the end of the young Yorkist regime with Richard III and his wife Anne Neville.

Overall, I found this an informative and easy-to-follow book. It was a bit of a review for me as I am familiar with this period, but I found myself learning new information in this book, which was exciting. I think if you want to learn about 15th-century queens or if you are a fan of England’s Medieval Queens series, I recommend you read “Queens at War” by Alison Weir.

Book Review: “Edward IV & Elizabeth Woodville: A True Romance” by Amy Licence

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When we think of a fairy tale romance, we think about stories like Cinderella. A girl of lower status captures the heart of the handsome prince. They overcome the odds and live happily ever after. But that kind of romance only exists in books. The closest story we have to that in medieval English history might be the story of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. A widow who begged the handsome and younger King of England for help, but ended up becoming his wife. It’s a story that any romance-loving history lover will swoon over, but how accurate is that story? What is the real story of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville? Amy Licence explores the nature of their relationship in her book, “Edward IV & Elizabeth Woodville: A True Romance.”

I have been reading books by Amy Licence for a few years now, so when I saw this title, I knew I wanted to read it. The Wars of the Roses is one of my favorite areas of history to study, but I have not read a joint biography of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. When I saw this title, I knew that this was a must-read for me.

We begin in 1431 in Rouen, France, where the Maid of Orleans, who we know as Joan of Arc, is about to die on the pyre. In the same town, eleven years later, the future King Edward IV would be born to Cecily Neville and Richard, Duke of York. Edward’s future bride, Elizabeth Woodville, was born around six years after the death of Joan of Arc. Her mother, Jacquetta of Luxembourg, had married below her station after the death of her first husband, John Duke of Bedford passed away; Jacquetta would marry a knight, Sir Richard Woodville, Elizabeth’s father. Jacquetta was close to King Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou, the Lancastrian rulers of England, and Edward IV’s father, Richard, Duke of York, would fight against the Lancastrians for the right to rule England during the conflict that we know today as the Wars of the Roses. To top it all off, Elizabeth was married to Sir John Grey of Groby Old Hall, a man who fought and died for King Henry VI.

In other words, Edward and Elizabeth were on different sides of the Wars of the Roses, but somehow these two found each other after Edward IV became king. The obvious choice for Edward’s bride should have been a foreign princess to create an alliance, but there was something about Elizabeth that convinced Edward to forgo the wisdom of Warwick and marry her. Their court was based on the Burgundian court. They had a large family, but the fight for the crown with the Lancastrian cause and Edward’s own family continued. Just when the throne is secure, Edward passes away. Elizabeth had to fight for her children, fight against her brother-in-law, and join forces with her enemy Margaret Beaufort to help usher in the Tudor dynasty.

Licence was able to present the information not only about this period, but also about Edward and Elizabeth in such a comprehensive way that both novices and experts can understand. She can present theories that she either agrees with or disagrees with respectfully. I thoroughly enjoyed this joint biography as it gave me a better appreciation for the reign of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. If you want to learn more about the Wars of the Roses, the first Yorkist king, and his wife, I highly recommend you read “Edward & Elizabeth Woodville: A True Romance” by Amy Licence.

Book Review: “Henry VIII’s Controversial Aunt, Honor Lisle: Her Life, Letters, and Influence on the Tudor Court” by Amy Licence

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Marrying into the royal family is not all sunshine and rainbows. Of course, we tend to think about those who marry the king, the queen, the prince, or the princess. But we also need to consider the aunts and the uncles of the royals as part of the family. Take, for example, Arthur Plantagenet, the illegitimate son of Edward IV and the uncle of Henry VIII. His second wife, Honor Lisle, would help him rule Calais; however, she is best known for her letters and her devout Catholic faith during the Reformation in England. So why is Honor Lisle considered a controversial figure, and what was the cause of the fall of Honor and Arthur from the royal good graces? Amy Licence explores the life of Henry VIII’s step-aunt in the first full biography dedicated to Honor Lisle, which is entitled “Henry VIII’s Controversial Aunt, Honor Lisle: Her Life, Letters, and Influence on the Tudor Court.”

I would like to thank Pen & Sword Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. I have heard of Honor Lisle and her letters, but I did not know much about her life before this book. I did know that she was married to Arthur Plantagenet, but I had assumed that he was her first husband, so I didn’t know about her life before Arthur. When I saw that Amy Licence was writing a biography about Honor Lisle, I knew I wanted to read it.

Licence begins with the birth of Honor Grenville, Lady Basset, Lady Lisle Plantagenet. She was born in 1493 to Thomas and Isabel Grenville in the small town of Bideford, Devon. Her father served the first Tudor king, Henry VII, as Esquire of the Body, so Honor’s family did have some connection before Honor’s marriage to Arthur. Honor’s mother died a year after she was born, but her father did not die until 1513. In 1515, Honor would marry her first husband, Sir John Basset, and they would have between 7 and 8 children before his death in January 1528. 

A year later was a monumental year for England as it was the start of the divorce between Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, which would be known as the Great Matter. It was also the year that Honor married Arthur Plantagenet. The couple would move to Calais, where Arthur would rule for his nephew. This is where we get to see the Lisle letters, Honor’s dictated correspondence to prominent figures in Tudor England. Honor and Arthur would go into debt, dealing with the constant threat of war, balance their faith and be loyal to the King, and handle a plot by Reginald Pole that would try to remove Henry VIII from the throne. 

I found it so interesting to see Honor’s perspective on the big issues of the Tudor court while staying in France, as well as how life in Calais was different from it was in London during this time. Honor Lisle’s life and letters give us great insight into the reign of Henry VIII from the perspective of someone who was outside of England during the major events of his reign. Licence’s research, combined with an easy-to-follow writing style, makes this a very well-written biography. If you want a biography about a lesser-known Tudor woman and her famous letters, I highly recommend you read “Henry VIII’s Controversial Aunt, Honor Lisle: Her Life, Letters and Influence on the Tudor Court” by Amy Licence.

Book Review: “The Queen and the Countess” by Anne O’Brien

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Medieval wars were not just fought on the battlefield. They also fought in court through marriage alliances and politics. While we often think about wars and men, we should also consider the women who played their parts either in exile or glistening palaces. We often think about medieval queens like Margaret of Anjou as these strong women who fought in their ways, but we have to consider the wife of Richard Neville Earl of Warwick, known as the Kingmaker; her name was Anne Beauchamp Countess of Warwick. The relationship between Margaret of Anjou and Anne Beauchamp has not been discussed much until now. Anne O’Brien tells the stories of these two women and the wars that bound them together in her latest novel, “The Queen and the Countess.”

I want to thank Orion Publishing and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. What attracted me to this novel was the cover at first and then the description. I love reading novels about the Wars of the Roses, so when I saw it was a novel featuring both Margaret of Anjou and Anne Beauchamp Countess of Warwick, it was a must read for me.

We begin in the year 1480 as both Margaret and Anne reflect on their lives while they are in exile. Then, we get a flashback to the famous Love Day “celebration” of 1458, when members of the Lancaster and York families joined hands as a way to try to mend the rift that was bound to tear the country apart. It is the idea of King Henry VI that his wife, Margaret of Anjou, joins hands with the Duke of York. It is a complete and utter failure as the Wars of the Roses kick off in full force. Since the King is very weak, it is Margaret who must take the reigns of government to protect the Lancaster family and the throne for not only her husband but also for their only son, Prince Edward.

On the other side of the conflict is Anne Beauchamp Countess of Warwick, the wife of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, also known as the King Maker. She is the mother of two daughters, Isabel and Anne, but she desires a son. Being on the rebellious Yorkist side means that Anne is directly an enemy of Margaret of Anjou, but something remarkable happens: the two women form a thorny friendship. For over twenty years, the relationship between Anne and Margaret ebbs and flows as the crown passes from Henry VI to Edward IV like a ping-pong ball. Both Anne and Margaret understand what it means to lose their husbands and children whom they love; they know the glory of victory, the terror of defeat, and the uncertainty of being in exile.

I enjoyed this novel very much. It gave more depth and heart to the conflict as a whole, as well as a better understanding of both women. Anne O’Brien was able to create such dynamic characters and a thrilling novel that any fan of medieval novels will enjoy. If you are a fan of novels set during the Wars of the Roses featuring strong women, I highly suggest you read, “The Queen and the Countess” by Anne O’Brien.

Book Review: “Elizabeth of York and the Birth of the Tudor Dynasty: Uniting the Roses” by Beverley Adams

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Throughout English history, some of the most famous queens have been associated with the Tudor dynasty. We have the six wives of Henry VIII (Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr), Queen Mary I, and Queen Elizabeth I. However, one Tudor queen is often overlooked for her daughters-in-law and granddaughters, the first Tudor queen, Elizabeth of York. So who was Elizabeth of York and what role did she play in the transition between the Plantagenet dynasty and the Tudor dynasty? Beverley Adams hopes to enlighten readers about this remarkable queen in her latest book, “Elizabeth of York and the Birth of the Tudor Dynasty: Uniting the Roses.”

I want to thank Pen and Sword Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. While I know quite a bit about Elizabeth of York, the Wars of the Roses, and the origins of the Tudor dynasty, I wanted to see how Adams would portray these topics for beginners. 

To begin with, Adams lays out the origins of the conflict that we know today as the Wars of the Roses with Edward III and his sons, John of Gaunt 1st Duke of Lancaster, and Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York. This led to a clash between King Henry VI and Richard Duke of York. Elizabeth of York’s father, the future King Edward IV, was the son of Richard Duke of York and he had to fight for his throne. Adams explores Elizabeth’s childhood as the eldest child of Edward IV and his wife Elizabeth Woodville during this tumultuous period of English history, which would form the foundation of what kind of queen she would be in the future.

Everything changed when Edward IV died suddenly, which meant that Elizabeth’s younger brother became Edward V and left Richard Duke of Gloucester as Lord Protector. For some reason, Richard Duke of Gloucester decided to take matters into his own hands, took control of the country, declared the children of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville illegitimate (including Elizabeth of York), and was crowned King Richard III in a matter of months. Some resisted the new king including the son of Margaret Beaufort and Edmund Tudor, Henry Tudor. Margaret Beaufort and Elizabeth Woodville arranged a marriage between Henry and Elizabeth that would occur if Henry was able to defeat Richard III and become King of England, which he did at the Battle of Bosworth Field. The rest of this book is dedicated to showing how Elizabeth of York was as a wife, queen, and mother as she dealt with death, treachery from Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck, and triumphs as she was able to see the start of the Tudor dynasty.

I think Adams does a decent job with a book that is an introduction to Elizabeth of York, the Wars of the Roses, and the beginning of the Tudor dynasty. There are some myths that she repeats to debunk, but I feel like, in some places, Elizabeth of York was not the main focus, which was a bit disappointing. Overall, if you want a solid introductory book to the life and times of the first Tudor queen, I would recommend you read, “Elizabeth of York and the Birth of the Tudor Dynasty: Uniting the Roses” by Beverley Adams.

Book Review: “A Good Deliverance” by Toby Clements

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A Good DeliveranceThe world of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table is filled with stories of adventures and romance. Many authors have tried to tell these tales in a way that will allow their books to live for centuries, but none were more successful than Sir Thomas Malory and his book Le Morte Darthur. King Arthur, Lady Guinevere, Sir Lancelot, Merlin, and Sir Gawain embark on numerous adventures including the Lady of the Lake, Camelot, the sword Excalibur, and the Quest for the Holy Grail. These tales were the epitome of chivalry and valiant knights in shining armor, but the author behind them was anything but perfect. Sir Thomas Malory has had his fair share of time in a prison cell. Who was Sir Thomas Malory and why did his book about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table still resonate with readers centuries after it was written? In his latest novel, “A Good Deliverance,” Toby Clements hopes to reveal the truth of this famous author whose story has been overshadowed by the myths he wrote down in his legendary tome.

I would like to thank Faber Books for sending me a copy of this novel. I have heard about the book Morte Darthur, as it is considered one of the most prominent texts about King Arthur, but when it comes to the author himself, I know nothing about his life. When I heard about this novel, the premise intrigued me enough to read it.

Clements begins his novel with Malory’s surprise arrest at a very old age. Malory is unsure why he has returned to prison as he has tried to live an honest life after he spent some time in the same cell over 20 years ago. He is at the mercy of King Edward IV. While imprisoned, waiting for word from his lawyer, Malory befriends a boy who is the son of one of the jailers named Brunt and he tells the young man his tale. Malory was the son of a knight who fought under King Henry IV in the search for the Welsh miscreant Owen Glendower. We get to see Malory become a knight and his fascination for King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table that would become his magnum opus Morte Darthur. We see Malory’s moments of glory and utter defeat, his rivals, and the women that he admired from afar. Through Malory, we get to see how England changed, starting with Henry IV to his son Henry V, the young King Henry VI, and finally the first Yorkist King Edward IV. We also get to witness events such as the year of the 3 popes, the coronation of Henry V, Agincourt, the death of Jeanne d’Arc, the coronations of King Henry VI, and the beginning of the conflict known as the Wars of the Roses.

In a way, Clements created his Arthurian legend for Sir Thomas Malory with the way he chose to write this novel. However, it was the structure of this novel that bothered me when I was reading it, specifically the bullet points that Clements chose to include. When I am reading a novel, I want to read a cohesive piece, but the bullet points made it feel messy, which was probably used to simulate Malory as a storyteller figuring out what he wants to say to his young audience and what he wants to omit, however, it was just irritating for me to read. I don’t mind bullet points in nonfiction books, but it just doesn’t work for me in historical fiction. As for the main character, Sir Thomas Malory is okay, but there were moments where he rubbed me the wrong way. I did, however, enjoy his relationship with the boy.

Overall, it was a decent book. I think there were elements that I didn’t enjoy entirely, but the way Clements was able to incorporate the changes of the 15th century with the Arthurian legends to tell the story of this author was very unique. I think if you are a fan of Sir Thomas Mallory, the Arthurian legends, or the events of the 15th century, you might enjoy, “A Good Deliverance” by Toby Clements.

Book Review: “Blood Sisters: The Women Behind the Wars of the Roses” by Sarah Gristwood

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Blood SistersWhen it comes to studying wars from the past, we often focus on the men who fought during the battles the strategies that were implemented to win and the plans that backfired spectacularly. So frequently in the study of wars, we forget about the women left behind, but in fact, they had bigger roles to play than sitting on the sidelines. For example, the royal women who lived in England during the conflict known as the Wars of the Roses played an essential role in how the wars concluded. These women are slowly coming into the spotlight in biographies and historical fiction novels, but it is rare to read a book about the Wars of the Roses where the central figures are the women, until now. Sarah Gristwood has taken seven women from this age and weaved their stories into her book, “Blood Sisters: The Women Behind the Wars of the Roses.”

I have been interested in the Wars of the Roses and the women who lived during that period for years. I heard about this book when I started studying this period, but I have never had a chance to read it, until now.

There were so many strong women from this period, but Gristwood narrowed her choices down to seven remarkable women to focus on; Margaret of Anjou, Margaret Beaufort, Elizabeth Woodville, Elizabeth of York, Cecily Neville, Anne Neville, and Margaret of Burgundy. By choosing these women, Gristwood is presenting a story of a conflict that spanned multiple generations, both York and Lancaster, and showing how both the English and Burgundian nobility dealt with the changes that were happening when the Tudors took control.

Gristwood begins with the marriage of Margaret of Anjou and Henry VI. Though she was French by birth, her loyalty was always going to be with her husband’s Lancasterian family. That meant she would eventually become enemies with the proud Cecily Neville, the wife of Richard Duke of York and mother of King Edward IV and King Richard III, but Margaret was allied with Margaret Beaufort, the tenacious mother of King Henry VII, the founder of the Tudor dynasty. The conflict passed onto the daughters of these women, like Anne Neville and Margaret Burgundy, as well as the daughter of Jacquetta of Luxembourg, Elizabeth Woodville. These women would continue the conflict and help seal the fate of the Lancastrians, see the rise and fall of the Yorkists, and the beginning of the Tudor dynasty through the marriage of Elizabeth of York, the daughter of Elizabeth Woodville, and Henry Tudor. This book spans decades and includes events like the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower, well into the Tudor dynasty such as the pretenders, the marriage of Prince Arthur and Catherine of Aragon, the death of Prince Arthur, and the rise of Henry VIII.

This was a delightful look into the Wars of the Roses through the eyes of the women who lived through this period. They were mothers, daughters, wives, queens, fighters, and survivors. They showed that without their tenacity and determination to fight for what they believed was right and for their families. If you are a fan of the women who defined the Wars of the Roses, I highly suggest you read, “Blood Sisters: The Women Behind the Wars of the Roses” by Sarah Gristwood.

Book Review: “Anthony Woodville: Sophisticate or Schemer?” by Danielle Burton

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Anthony WoodvilleThe Woodvilles were a family synonymous with the Wars of the Roses and the rise of King Edward IV. Some of the more notable names from this family include Jacquetta Woodville, the family’s matriarch, and Elizabeth Woodville, the controversial choice for King Edward IV’s wife. However, it was not just the women of the Woodville family who made a name for themselves. Anthony Woodville, the son of Jacquetta and brother of Elizabeth Woodville, would become famous for his unexpected execution at Pontefract Castle. Still, there was so much more to his story than his death. Who was Anthony Woodville and what is his legacy? Danielle Burton hopes to answer these questions and more in her debut biography, “Anthony Woodville: Sophisticate or Schemer?”

I would like to thank Amberley Publishing for sending me a copy of this book. I have had an eye for new takes on the Wars of the Roses and so when I heard about a biography about Anthony Woodville, I jumped at the chance to read it as I knew very little about the man and I wanted to know more.

Burton begins by exploring how Anthony Woodville’s legacy has been overshadowed by other figures in the fifteenth century, like Richard III and Anthony’s sister Elizabeth Woodville. Anthony’s connections with William Caxton, who helped bring the printing press to England, and the education of Edward Prince of Wales, made Anthony a formidable figure all on his own. In fact, unlike the common misconception about the Woodville family, Anthony earned every title on his merits alone. He was not only a scholar and a bibliophile, but also a warrior who fought alongside his brother-in-law King Edward IV.

Anthony Woodville would marry twice in his short life. His first wife was Elizabeth Scales, the daughter and heiress of Thomas Lord Scales and his second bride was Mary FitzLewis. Unfortunately, Anthony had no legitimate children, but he did have an illegitimate daughter named Margaret who would marry Robert Poyntz. It was his connection to the young Prince of Wales that led to his ultimate downfall and rather unjust execution after the meeting with Richard Duke of Gloucester at Stony Stratford.

Burton does have a passion for sharing Anthony Woodville’s story and clearing the air about his legacy. It is a very well-researched biography and Burton does show potential, but there were points where it felt a bit muddled for me. I am interested in seeing who she will write about next. If you want a solid biography about the brother of Elizabeth Woodville and how he impacted the 15th century, I would suggest you read, “Anthony Woodville: Sophisticate or Schemer?” by Danielle Burton.