One of the bloodiest periods in English history, the Wars of the Roses is subject that has been extensively covered in numerous excellent publications. This genuinely ground-breaking book is drawn mainly from an enormous amount of material that has been discovered by the author in archives in France, the Netherlands, Italy and Germany. This new information has allowed Paul Dawson to present the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars that were fought for control over the English throne, in its true – European – context.In _Edward IV’s Bloody Battle for the Crown of England_, the roles played by Queen Margaret of Anjou and King Charles VII of France (who offered Margaret an army to conquer England in exchange for the Channel Islands) are revealed as never before. Also examined is Queen Margaret’s promise to support Charles against Burgundy when she won her English crown back.This newly translated material enables Paul to demonstrate that ‘England’s Bloodiest Battle’ at Towton in North Yorkshire has been entirely misrepresented. It was not fought, as often stated, in a snowstorm, and neither was it the bloodiest on English soil. Paul dispels many other myths, as well as examining the virtually forgotten battles at Mortimer’s Cross, fought on 2 February 1461, and St Albans, which, taking place on 22 May 1455, traditionally marks the beginning of the War of the Roses in England. With his new research as a backdrop, the author also explores Edward’s campaigns in Wales and Northumberland.All previous books on the Wars of the Roses must now be reconsidered in light of the new evidence Paul Dawson presents in this absorbing insight into a real-life Game of Thrones. It is a story in which characters such as the Earl of Warwick, Mary of Guelders, Edward Prince of Wales, Henry VI and the Duke of Burgundy all play their parts in a fascinating, if deadly, drama.
