The Wars of the Roses raged from 1455 to 1485 - the longest period of civil war in English history. They barely affected the daily routine of the civilian population, yet for the leaders of the opposing houses of York and Lancaster, the wars were devastating. First hand accounts reveal how the lives of their women and children were blighted during three decades of war, as many of their male relatives met with violent deaths. This book examines in detail the causes, course and results of each of the main wars and concludes with a fascinating insight into why the wars ended so abruptly.

When Corporal Ray Charlton sets out to avenge the killing of his Platoon Commander by an IRA gunman in trouble torn Belfast, he unwittingly becomes a mere prawn swimming in the much deeper and murkier waters inhabited by MI5 agents; Double dealing informers, and a cabal of senior intelligence chiefs intent on a kill by any means policy, triggering a series of brutal events which Ray tries bury in his past, only to have them resurface three decades later with equally dramatic consequences.

This book illuminates Warwick's character and motivation, showing that he was an emotional, charming, and popular man with a strong sense of family loyalty. It is the first full study of this compelling figure within the context of political life in late medieval England.

The Inquisitions Post Mortem (IPMs) at the National Archives have been described as the single most important source for the study of landed society in later medieval England. Inquisitions were local enquiries into the lands held by people of some status, in order to discover whatever income and rights were due to the crown on their death, and provide details both of the lands themselves and whoever held them. This book explores in detail for the first time the potential of IPMs as sources for economic, social and political history over the long fifteenth century, the period covered by this...