On this Day in the Wars of the Roses (On this day in history)

This book is full of relatively short, highly readable and very interesting entries on a very wide range of different aspects of the period, not just the sporadic fighting of the second half of the fifteenth century. There are details on all the battles, also on important births, deaths, appointments, coronations, commissions, council meetings, court cases, hearings, marriages, papal dispensations, petitions, arrests, attainders, imprisonments, executions, pardons, resignations, reconciliations, raids, royal proclamations, tourneys, treaties, defeats and surrenders.The book includes pertinent observations such as (for 21 January 1479) how unlikely it would have been for Edward IV to appoint Bishop Robert Stillington to represent him on an embassy to his sworn enemy France while knowing that the Bishop was personally aware of damning information relating to Edward's paternity. Other fascinating revelations include the entry for 25 January 1451, on which date Henry VI advised his council that he had decided to take back control of certain aspects of government, clearly not the actions of a man out of his wits! Also of note are the number of cruel executions of rebels presided over by the supposedly mild, pacifistic and saintly Henry VI. In fact in spite of my extensive reading on the Wars of the Roses, this book managed to include some events, such as the 'Battle of Fleet Street' described under 13 April 1459, that I'd never read about before.There are only a few entries where I would question the information presented as facts. Regarding the text for 5 January 1461, there's actually no contemporary evidence from Scottish or French sources that Margaret of Anjou agreed to cede Berwick to the Scots in return for military aid, neither is there any mention of Scottish lords or soldiers in English accounts of the 2nd Battle of St Albans, nor in Edward IV's list of attainder after the Battle of Towton. It's quite possible that the reference to Scottish, Welsh and other foreign troops in the Brief Notes written at Ely Cathedral was based on gossip, rumour, and - above all - Yorkist propaganda.The entry for 24 January 1483 mentions "Sir William Catesby", but there's no contemporary record that this important councillor of Richard III's was actually knighted. The text on the Battle of Hedgeley Moor (25 April 1464) mentions that the "Earl of Northumberland" was killed, but as far as I can tell, Northumberland was not present at this battle. The paragraph on the death of Cecily Neville (on 31 May 1495) notes that she was "treated handsomely by her sons in their reigns", which neatly sidesteps the issue of Richard Duke of Gloucester publicly accusing her of adultery before he became king. The entry for 27 November 1469 states that Richard Neville Earl of Warwick was powerful but unpopular. According to his biographer A J Pollard, however, the earl "enjoyed great popularity in all layers of society" (Wikipedia).These few minor observations aside, the information presented in this book was accurate, detailed, interesting and highly informative. I'd strongly recommend this text to anyone with even a passing interest in the Wars of the Roses or in English events, society and international relations of the second half of the 15th century.

This is a nice little book, something to read if you've been reading a lot around the history of the Wars of the Roses and need something less taxing but that still lets you 'dabble'. It's also very useful for bits of details and information that you mightn't see mentioned elsewhere because it deals with lots of small mundane events too that get glossed over in the bigger accounts.It is - as the title suggests - an 'on this day' book, so not really an account of the Wars of the Roses, but you can turn to any day of the year of the calendar and see if some event connected to the Wars of the Roses happened on that day. So it is not a chronological account, because you may find that the 7th February tells us Henry Stafford was appointed as High Steward in 1478, and on 8th February is an event from 1452, while the 9th February jumps back to 1450. This can be a bit confusing and disorientating at first. But once you get used to it, it's a nice book to flick through and fill some of the gaps in details of that period.Obviously a lot of research went into it, hence the 5 stars, but once again, some readers may find the jumps in chronology 'discombobulating' but then the book does what it says on the tin - gives you an event for each day of the calendar, just not necessarily in consecutive years!

I was a little hesitant to buy this book unseen as many books about the Wars of the Roses disappoint. Perhaps I should say that I am 'into' the topic and have been for many years. However I am very pleased I obtained it as I thoroughly enjoy glancing at the entry for each day. I have not discovered anything yet that I would say was inaccurate - like all history there will always be differing interpretations - but it is a useful treasure trove of events from what I believe is a very fascinating topic. I recommend it to anyone who shares my interest in WoR!

I love this book. It's very informative and easy to read in bite size sections. Astound your friends with your practical knowledge of of the wars of the roses. It's great!

In depth but the daily format keeps it light.

Cracking read. The author has really covered every angle. Very insightful & interesting read.

Fascinating facts about the Wars of the Roses.

I recently received the amazing book, On This Day in the Wars of the Roses by Dan Moorhouse - WOW! This book is a treasure trove! I love it! It’s an impressive size, packed with great detail! Me and my family have already begun reading the entry for each day, which is great fun and very educational. I’ve read more books than I can count on this time in history, and this book is one I know I’ll be enjoying for many years! I highly recommend it!