Desmond Seward

The Plantagenets reigned over England longer than any other family—from Henry II, to Richard III. Four kings were murdered, two came close to deposition, and another was killed in a battle by rebels. Shakespeare wrote plays about six of them, further entrenching them in the national myth. Based on major contemporary sources and recent research, acclaimed historian Desmond Seward provides the first readable overview of the whole extraordinary dynasty, in one volume.

The Demon's Brood

A brilliant new interpretation of one of the most dramatic periods of British history.The Wars of the Roses didn't end at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. Despite the death of Richard III and Henry VII's victory, it continued underground into the following century with plots, pretenders and subterfuge by the ousted white rose faction. In a brand new interpretation of this turning point in history, well known historian Desmond Seward reviews the story of the Tudors' seizure of the throne and shows that for many years they were far from secure. He challenges the way we look at the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII, explaining why there were so many Yorkist pretenders and conspiracies, and why the new dynasty had such difficulty establishing itself.King Richard's nephews, the Earl of Warwick and the little known de la Pole brothers, all had the support of dangerous enemies overseas, while England was split when the lowly Perkin Warbeck skilfully impersonated one of the princes in the tower in order to claim the right to the throne. Warwick's surviving sister Margaret also became the desperate focus of hopes that the White Rose would be reborn. The book also offers a new perspective on why Henry VIII, constantly threatened by treachery, real or imagined, and desperate to secure his power with a male heir, became a tyrant.Praise for Desmond Seward_s A Brief History of the War of the Roses:'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 StandardA Brief History of the Hundred Years Wars:'A well-written narrative, beautifully illustrated, and which takes into account most recent scholarship. It is also a good read.' Richard Cobb, New Statesman

The Last White Rose

A Brief History of the Wars of the Roses (Brief History Of...)

[the secret wars of the Tudors]

The last white rose

This is the first modern history for general readers of the entire Jacobite movement in Scotland, England and Ireland, from the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688 that drove James II into exile to the death of his grandson, Cardinal Henry, Duke of York, in 1807. The Battle of Culloden and Bonnie Prince Charlie’s flight through the heather are well known, but not the other risings and plots that involved half of Europe and even revolutionary America. Based on the latest research, The King over the Water weaves together all the strands of this gripping saga into a vivid, sweeping narrative, full of insight, analysis and anecdote. ‘Few causes have aroused a more gallant response from the peoples of these islands than the Honest Cause’, writes Desmond Seward, ‘whether they were fighting for it at Killiecrankie, Prestonpans or Culloden, at the Boyne, Aughrim or Fontenoy, or dying for it on the scaffold’.

A Complete History of the Jacobites

The King Over the Water

Through the Lives of Five Men and Women of the Fifteenth Century

The Wars of the Roses

The Templars, the Hospitallers, the Tuetonic Knights and the Knights of the Spanish and Portuguese orders were ‘noblemen vowed to poverty, chastity and obedience, living a monastic life in convents which were at the same time barracks, waging war on the enemies of the Cross’. These military religious orders emerged during the Crusades as Christendom’s storm troopers in the savage conflict with Islam. Some of them still exist today, now devoted to charitable works. 'The Monks of War' is the first general history of these orders to have appeared since the eighteenth century. Writing in The Times Literary Supplement, Professor David Knowles described it as, ‘Undeniably the work of someone who knows and accepts the standards of critical history, but … who sees the past also as an epic or a colourful spectacle’.

The Military Religious Orders

The Monks of War

The first full, modern history of the Jacobite cause in its entirety as it played out in Scotland, England, Ireland, Europe and even America

The Jacobite Cause, 1689-1807

Eugenie de Montijo was Empress of the French, sharing the Second Empire with her husband Napoleon III. She impressed the Prussian Chancellor Bismarck so much that he called her The only man in Paris.

The Empress and Her Empire

Eugénie

Examines the life of England's Henry V, depicting him as an intolerant religious zealot whose dubious claim to the throne left him neurotic and insecure with a fondness for military strategies that led to the Hundred Years War.

Henry V, Agincourt, and the Campaign That Shaped Medieval England

The Warrior King and the Invasion of France

Offers a social and military history covering the time between 1337 and 1453, the years of plunder, looting, and kidnapping that characterized the war and made fortunes for English soldiers

The English in France, 1337-1453

The Hundred Years War

This volume is a biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine (ca.1122-1204) one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. First, she became First Lady of France as the wife of Louis VII, and then First Lady of England when she next married Henry II. Many saw her as a ruthless hellcat, governed by a lust for power, who schemed against her husband and dominated the lives of her sons, Richard the Lionheart and King John. Shakespeare portrayed her as a "monstrous injurer of heaven and earth." Yet there was another side to this powerful queen consort. Worshipped by men and idealized in the songs of the troubadours, she was the sex symbol of her age. She also became renowned as a generous and strong ruler, throwing off the constraints that shackled twelfth-century women. Among her achievements was her patronage of the abbey at Fontevrault, a refuge for battered wives.

The Mother Queen

Eleanor of Aquitaine

"From 1337 to 1453 England repeatedly invaded France on the pretext that her kings had a right to the French throne. Though it was a small, poor country, England for most of those "hundred years" won the battles, sacked the towns and castles, and dominated the war. The protagonists of the Hundred Years War are among the most colorful in European history: Edward III, the Black Prince; Henry V, who was later immortalized by Shakespeare; the splendid but inept John II, who died a prisoner in London; Charles V, who very nearly overcame England; and the enigmatic Charles VII, who at last drove the English out. Desmond Seward's critically-acclaimed account of the Hundred Years War brings to life all of the intrigue, beauty, and royal to-the-death-fighting of that legendary century-long conflict."--Amazon.com (1999 ed.).

A Brief History of the Hundred Years War

From 1337 to 1453 England repeatedly invaded France on the pretext that her kings had a right to the French throne. Though it was a small, poor country, England for most of those "hundred years" won the battles, sacked the towns and castles, and dominated the war. The protagonists of the Hundred Years War are among the most colorful in European history: Edward III, the Black Prince; Henry V, who was later immortalized by Shakespeare; the splendid but inept John II, who died a prisoner in London; Charles V, who very nearly overcame England; and the enigmatic Charles VII, who at last drove the English out. Desmond Seward's critically-acclaimed account of the Hundred Years War brings to life all of the intrigue, beauty, and royal to-the-death-fighting of that legendary century-long conflict.

The English in France 1337-1453

Marie Antoinette

From 1853 to 1870, Eugenie de Montijo was Empress of the French, sharing the Second Empire with her husband Napoleon III. This work shows that she influenced the policy of her husband for over 17 years, and at times, when he was at war, standing in for him as Regent.

Eugenie

Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler were two of history's greatest dictators. In this ground-breaking study, Desmond Seward finds striking parallels between their careers and their roles in shaping the destiny of modern Europe. He also shows how Carl von Clausewitz's classic treatise On War - a penetrating analysis of the Napoleonic campaigns read and re-read by Hitler- provides a crucial link between the two men. Napoleon and Hitler demonstrates in an entirely new way how history can repeat itself - and gives new and unexpected insights into these two terrible giants of modern times. "A careful study, clearly written, easy to read. He takes us through the careers of both men in turn, side by side, noting the similarities as he goes along. I am reminded of Plutarch's 'parallel lives' of the great Greeks and Romans... His interesting book deserves to be read both by those who would 'demonise' Hitler and those who are dazzled by Napoleon." Hugh Trevor-Roper - Sunday Telegraph 'Desmond Seward is right to draw attention to their similarities, and to their differences. We should study both: both are among the possibilities inherent in our civilisation.' Independent 'Solid historical biography with a compelling historical slant.' Booklist 'A clever and cohesive look at megalomania in action.' Kirkus Review

Napoleon and Hitler

"(A) well-written and colorful account of an intriguing period in English history" -- The New York Times Book Review Richard III (1452-1485) was the only North-countryman ever to reign over England and the only king since 1066 to be killed in battle -- but was he anything like the scheming monster portrayed by Shakespeare and Sir Thomas More? Desmond Seward, with the aid of modern scholarship, pieces together the facts from the accounts of Richard's contemporaries. Richard III relates the murders of Henry VI, his brother Clarence, the "Princes in the Tower", and the "nightmarish insecurity" that prevailed over his reign. Sweeping aside sentimental fantasy, this superb biography offers a definitive picture of both the man and his age.

Desmond Seward

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