Armies of the Wars of the Roses: Organization, Weapons and Equipment

An examination of medieval English civil conflicts reveals the diverse forces, armor, and weaponry that shaped warfare across Europe during the Wars of the Roses.

Gabriele Esposito offers a clear, concise overview of the Wars of the Roses, the complex series of civil wars that ravaged the Kingdom of England for three decades, from 1455 to 1487. Stemming from a rivalry between two cadet branches of the Plantagenet dynasty, the houses of York and Lancaster, which went back at least to 1377 (when Edward III's death brought the 10 year old Richard II to the throne), open war began in 1455 with the First Battle of St Albans, a Yorkist victory over the forces of King Henry VI. The following decades were bloody and turbulent with recurrent fighting, culminating in Henry Tudor's decisive victories at Bosworth in 1485 and (by then as Henry VII) at Stoke Field in 1487.

The author traces the convoluted course of this large-scale conflict, which involved not only England and Wales but also several other countries of Europe. Scotland and Ireland were directly affected by them, as well as the Kingdom of France (which played a prominent role in the final victory of Henry Tudor) and the Duchy of Burgundy (which supported the House of York). He describes and analyses in detail the organization and equipment of the various military contingents that took part in these wars, from the heavily-armoured men-at-arms to the celebrated longbowmen and not forgetting the various foreign mercenaries and allied contingents. As usual for the Armies of the Past series, there are dozens of full colour photographs of replica weapons, armour and costumes in use to illustrate the various types of troops.