Michael Hicks is Professor of Medieval History at King Alfred's College, Winchester, and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He has published extensively on late medieval England and local history. His recent books include Bastard Feudalism (1995); Richard III (2000) and English Political Culture in the Fifteenth Century (2002).

"Thoroughly recommended to anyone wanting to make sense of the bloodbath in late medieval English history known as the Wars of the Roses." BBC History Magazine "Hicks' book will be the standard work on Warwick." History "A rewarding essay ... founded on comprehensive research and a profound knowledge of the era which none today can match." History Today "There is a great deal to admire in this book. It is shrewd and knowledgeable in its judgments, based on a tremendous amount of research, and has a lot of new and interesting things to say about the politics of mid-fifteenth century England." The Medieval Review "Hicks has made another considerable contribution to our understanding of fifteenth-century England, and this book is sure to be widely read and vigorously discussed." American Historical Review

• Plates viiGenealogical Tables ixPreface xAbbreviations xiii1 The Legend of Warwick the Kingmaker 12 The Formative Years 72.1 Pedigree and Patrimony 72.2 Northern Roots 172.3 Shaping the Future 223 Earl of Warwick 313.1 Warwick Inheritance Update 313.2 Gathering the Spoils 363.3 Effectively Earl 483.4 The Warwick Traditions 534 The Polarization of Politics 1449–54 644.1 The Ascendancy of the Opposition 644.2 The Royalist Reaction 1451–3 754.3 Time for Decision 855 Partisan Politics 1454–6 945.1 York’s First Protectorate 1454–5 945.2 The First Battle of St Albans 1455 1125.3 York’s Second Protectorate 1455–6 1196 Countdown to Civil War 1456–9 1266.1 Towards Reconciliation 1266.2 Captain of Calais and Keeper of the Seas 1386.3 The Opportunity Missed 1486.4 Rout 1597 Fortune’s First Wheel 1459–61 1687.1 Reculer pour mieux sauter 1687.2 Warwick’s Triumph 1777.3 The Ideology of Reform 1917.4 From Abyss to Victory 2108 The Rule of the Nevilles 1461–7 2208.1 The First Family 2208.2 The Pacification of the North 2348.3 Changing Priorities 2489 Dropping the Pilot 1467–9 2559.1 Growing Apart 2559.2 Rising Tensions 1467–9 2639.3 Warwick’s First Coup 1469 27110 Fortune’s Second Wheel 1470–1 27910.1 Warwick’s Second Coup 1470 27910.2 Warwick as Kingmaker 28610.3 From Triumph to Disaster 1470–1 29611 Terminus 311Select Bibliography 314Index 326