The Last White Rose: The
Secret Wars of the Tudors by Desmond Seward
Though
a history buff, this book about the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII was an
eye-opener for me. I had assumed that after Henry Tudor had defeated and killed
Richard II at Bosworth Field (through treachery), he went mostly unchallenged
(excerpt for Perkin Warbeck’s rebellion which was more serious than I thought).
In fact there were endless plots against both Henries, some which only failed
due to chance. There were also ginned up phony plots, mostly to strengthen the
position of advisors to the paranoid Henry VII an VIII. Still people were
killed on the scaffold in gruesome ways. We think politics is rough today. In
those days, losers lost their heads! I recommend this book about a little-known
period of history. I look forward to reading the author’s account of the Wars
of The Roses, since two of my ancestors were killed at Blore Heath fighting for
Lancaster.
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