The Castle in the Wars of the Roses

by Dan Spencer

Overview

The first major study of the role of the castle in the Wars of the Roses.

The Wars of the Roses is one of the most dramatic and fascinating periods in medieval history. Much has been written about the leading personalities, bitter dynastic rivalries, political intrigues, and the rapid change of fortune on the battlefields of England and Wales. However, there is one aspect that has been often overlooked, the role of castles in the conflict.

Dan Spencer’s original study traces their use from the outbreak of civil war in the reign of Henry VI in the 1450s to the triumph of Henry VII some thirty years later. Using a wide range of narrative, architectural, financial and administrative sources, he sheds new light on the place of castles within the conflict, demonstrating their importance as strategic and logistical centers, bases for marshaling troops, and as fortresses

Dan Spencer’s book provides a fascinating contribution to the literature on the Wars of the Roses and to the study of siege warfare in the Middle Ages.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526718693
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	12/30/2020
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	796,810
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

List of Plans viii

List of Plates ix

Acknowledgements x

Notes on the Text xi

Maps xii

Introduction 1

1 The History of the Castle 7

2 Lancaster and York 23

3 Civil War 40

4 Securing the Realm 66

5 The Wheel of Fortune 98

6 The Yorkist Supremacy 126

7 The Final Struggle 138

Conclusion 149

Appendix A Brief Biographies of Key Figures 155

Appendix B Recorded and Possible Sieges, 1455-87 169

Appendix C Recorded Garrisons, 1455-87 176

List of Abbreviations 187

Notes 189

Bibliography 223

Index 235