A Brief History of the Wars of the Roses cover art

A Brief History of the Wars of the Roses

Brief Histories

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

A Brief History of the Wars of the Roses

By: Desmond Seward
Narrated by: Mark Elstob
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

About this listen

A classic account of the bloody rivalry between the dynasties of York and Lancaster for the throne of England. During the 15th century England was split in a bloody conflict between the Houses of York and Lancaster over who should claim the crown. The civil wars consumed the whole nation in a series of battles that eventually saw the Tudor dynasty take power.

In A Brief History of the Wars of the Roses, Desmond Seward tells the story of this complex and dangerous period of history through the lives of five men and women who experienced the conflict firsthand. In a gripping narrative the personal trials of the principal characters interweave with the major events and personalities of one of the most significant turning points in British history.

Desmond Seward was born in Paris and educated at St Catherine's College, Cambridge. He is the author of numerous studies and biographies.

©2007 Desmond Seward (P)2013 Audible Ltd Europe Great Britain Medieval England War Middle Ages Tudor Civil War Royalty

Critic Reviews

"A brilliant study of the period. Rich in historical detail, yet passionately written, the smell of battle seems to linger on the page." ( Yorkshire Post)
"It is hard to imagine a historian more in command of his subject.... The result is history as compelling as any novel." ( Independent)
"This is a splendidly and vividly written book." ( Evening Standard)
All stars
Most relevant  
I really enjoyed this title and the voice of the reader. It is probably true that if you are not already familiar with the Wars of the Roses and its main actors that you may get a little lost. The author does assume that the reader knows the key events of the period and the various rulers and their allies and antagonists, and also Shakespeare’s portrayal of them. If you have that minimum starting point I think you will enjoy this book. Part of its appeal is that it frequently talks back to Shakespeare’s portrayals of the period’s key actors as heroes and villains and the extent to which such portrayals were a product of Shakespeare’s Tudor world. You’ll also get nice overviews of modern scholarly debates about the period, and also asides about revisionist movements like the Ricardians, in addition to the author’s own perspective which is woven out of an account of the lives of some of the period’s key side players, like William Hastings and Margaret Beaufort. Granted, some of the voices the reader uses to portray various actors were not the best, but the reader's own standard voice was excellent. Overall this was entertaining and easy to listen to. Highly recommended.

Highly recommended

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.