Stephen David – författare

Between 1483 and 1485 Viscount Francis Lovell was one of the most important and influential men in the government of his childhood friend Richard III, becoming the King’s Chamberlain and a Knight of the Garter. Lovell continued to support a Ricardian claim to the throne long after Richard III’s death at Bosworth, and his elusive presence cast a dark shadow over the early years of Henry VII’s reign. He became Henry VII’s most persistent and dangerous enemy, orchestrating an assassination attempt on the new king. He was also architect of an international conspiracy that sought to replace Henry with a Ricardian pretender known as ‘Lambert Simnel’, which culminated in the battle of Stoke in 1487, the last true battle in the Wars of the Roses. Following Stoke, Lovell disappears from historical record and his fate is a mystery to this day. The eighteenth-century discovery at Minster Lovell of the skeletal remains of a medieval man in a sealed vault possibly reveals the final resting place of Francis Lovell – the last champion of York.

The importance of Wales in the Wars of the Roses has never been given the prominence it deserves. From the landing of Richard Duke of York at Denbigh in September 1450 to the death of his youngest son and namesake, Richard III, at Bosworth in 1485, Wales and its resources were central to the conflict. Wales and the Marches provided the strength for Richard Duke of York, calling upon the old Mortimer affinity, to challenge the rule of Henry VI, not only in 1450 but again in 1452 and 1455. In opposition to York’s presumption, both Edmund and Jasper Tudor were sent to their homeland in Wales in 1456, initiating 30 years of blood-feud. Welshmen fought at Mortimer’s Cross and the Marchmen made Edward IV king and provided the army who fought for him at Towton in 1461. Welshmen also supported Jasper as Earl of Pembroke and through the years that led to the triumph at Bosworth. Henry VII was born at Pembroke, where he was welcomed back in 1485.The book examines the intense rivalry between the Houses of Lancaster and York as they battled for the loyalties of the men of Wales and the Marches. The familial rivalry, generational blood feuds and hatred bred the fratricidal violence that led to the Tudor triumph and paved the way for Henry VIII’s Acts of Union.

In this revealing book, medieval historian Stephen David examines the extraordinary tale of the complex and often tragic lives of the children of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester. After their father was defeated and killed by Edward I at the Battle of Evesham in 1265, de Montfort’s children fled abroad to seek their fortunes as best they could. Simon de Montfort the Younger and Guy de Montfort entered the service of Charles, Duke of Anjou, newly appointed King of Naples.While at Viterbo, in central Italy, Simon de Montfort the Younger and his brother Guy murdered Edward I’s nephew Henry of Almain as he returned from the crusades. The two de Montforts were reviled for breaking the laws of chivalry and they were excommunicated by the Pope. The book reveals their fate.Meanwhile, their sister Eleanor and other brother Amaury took a ship to Wales where Eleanor would marry Llewellyn, Prince of Gwynedd. This provoked another clash with the English king, who first imprisoned Eleanor and later faced another bid for Welsh independence.This is a tale of exile, revenge, blood feuds and tragic consequences against the rich backdrop of medieval Europe.