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The Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors | Dan Jones
The author of the New York Times bestseller The Plantagenets chronicles the next chapter in British historythe historical backdrop for Game of ThronesThe crown of England changed hands five times over the course of the fifteenth century, as two branches of the Plantagenet dynasty fought to the death for the right to rule. In this riveting follow-up toThe Plantagenets, celebrated historian Dan Jones describes how the longest-reigning British royal family tore itself apart until it was finally replaced by the Tudors.Some of the greatest heroes and villains of history were thrown together in these turbulent times, from Joan of Arc to Henry V, whose victory at Agincourt marked the high point of the medieval monarchy, and Richard III, who murdered his own nephews in a desperate bid to secure his stolen crown. This was a period when headstrong queens and consorts seized power and bent men to their will. With vivid descriptions of the battles of Towton and Bosworth, where the last Plantagenet king was slain, this dramatic narrative history revels in bedlam and intrigue. It also offers a long-overdue corrective to Tudor propaganda, dismantling their self-serving account of what they called the Wars of the Roses.
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ravenlee
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Pickpick

A dense, informative look at the fumbles of passing the crown of England from the 1420s to the turn of the century. I knew nothing about any of it so it was all interesting to me, but I found it odd at the end to have read 300 pages of fascinating analysis only to have Jones sum it all up as James VI was worthless and doomed the Plantagenet line and the English people to decades of bloody unrest.
#DannyBoy is tired of my coughing disturbing him.

RaeLovesToRead Danny! 🤗🤗 2y
dabbe Dat Darling DannyBoy! 💙🐾💙 2y
42 likes3 comments
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ravenlee
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As I read this book, I‘m learning a lot. Like, for instance, Henry VI was an…ineffective king, shall we say.

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GingerAntics
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3/3

TheBookHippie I‘m still saying an anxiety induced psychosis ... just wow though. 4y
Lcsmcat Thanks for sharing these. 4y
GingerAntics @TheBookHippie I‘d never considered that, but seeing that his cousins were all gunning to reclaim the thrown, it makes sense. 4y
GingerAntics @Lcsmcat you‘re welcome. It certainly gives a different view of H6 than Shakespeare does. 4y
Graywacke @GingerAntics Thanks for this! 4y
13 likes5 comments
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GingerAntics
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2/3

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GingerAntics
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This is from the tagged book. Really, this whole chapter goes on about it, along with Edward‘s pivotal role in keeping Henry‘s reign legitimate, but this is the most important part. 1/3

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TheEllieMo
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Ok, so technically not a #CrownOnTheCover, but it has the word “Crown” on the cover, so close enough 😂 And it‘s a good book about the Tudors.

#MagnificentMarch
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620

OriginalCyn620 👍🏻📚👑 5y
30 likes1 comment
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GingerAntics
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Pickpick

A good look at a tumultuous, bloody, dramatic period of English history. The book is mostly chronological, but within each chronological section, the chapters bounce around a bit making it complicated to follow along at times. Never mentioned the original name of this period or the history behind why it became known as the Wars of the Roses.
#DanJones #TheWarsoftheRoses #history #britishhistory #medievalhistory

GingerAntics @Gezemice still greatly interested in how Alison Weir covered the topic. Clearly she mentioned some things (like the Cousins Wars) that Dan Jones didn‘t. I‘m looking forward to a little break from the family feuding of this period for a bit, but I think when we read the next history play I‘m going to accompany it with Weir‘s take on this period. I‘m very excited for her book on the Princes in the Tower, though. That‘s always intrigued me. 6y
batsy Need a break from this period as well but hoping to squeeze either this or The Hollow Crown in before our next history play 6y
GingerAntics @batsy I‘ve looked at that one, too. It looks good. I may have to read them all, eventually. Apparently this period is covered through the tetralogy we‘re on now and the next one, so there is definitely time to get them in. 6y
20 likes3 comments
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GingerAntics
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GingerAntics
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GingerAntics
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Love when what I‘m reading links up!!! This isn‘t from the tagged book, but actually from the history channel (better known as “history” now 🤷🏼‍♀️). Interesting little tidbit.
#DanJones #TheWarsoftheRoses #history #britishhistory #medievalhistory #shakespearereadalong #Shakespeare #henryIVpart2 #HenryIV #shakespeareskings #historychannel
https://www.history.com/news/9-things-you-should-know-about-the-wars-of-the-rose...

TheBookHippie How cool is that?!?!?! 6y
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Graywacke Fun trivia. ! 6y
GingerAntics @Graywacke @TheBookHippie not to mention it‘s just faster to says “Cousins‘ War.” Good thing I started reading the Dan Jones book. 6y
Gezemice Alison Weir mentions this, too. Henry VII adopted the red rose as a Lancaster symbol. 6y
GingerAntics @Gezemice this is an interesting little tidbit 6y
GingerAntics @Gezemice oddly, Jones hasn't mentioned this as of yet. Perhaps he will yet. I'm only about half way through this one. 6y
TheBookHippie What is our next read???? 6y
GingerAntics @thebookhippie I think that decision will be made in the next few days. I‘m going to go out in a limb and say there will almost 100% be a week between plays at this point. I think it‘s down to two plays, but I don‘t want to get anyone confused. I think @merelybookish is leading this time, but don‘t quote me on that. Maybe that‘s the time after this and it‘s @readinginthedark this time. I‘m sure they‘ll jump into this shortly and clear things up. 6y
TheBookHippie @GingerAntics 🤣🤣🤣 no worries I keep buying the same edition of the plays we read was going to order!!! Hahaha. 6y
GingerAntics @TheBookHippie I‘m going to have to buy my copy come Monday when I get paid for the month. I think it‘s a debate between finishing off the few comedies we have left or reading another tragedy because we all seem to like those better. I think. 🤣 6y
TheBookHippie @GingerAntics right???!?! How funny!!! 6y
GingerAntics @TheBookHippie I totally lied. We have a ton of comedies left, but some of the plays listed as comedies I honestly thought were tragedies, so maybe we‘ve just read weird ones so far. 🤷🏼‍♀️ 6y
GingerAntics @TheBookHippie I totally lied. We have a ton of comedies left, but some of the plays listed as comedies I honestly thought were tragedies, so maybe we‘ve just read weird ones so far. 🤷🏼‍♀️ 6y
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GingerAntics
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Dunno why, but I rather like these two (Edmund and Jasper). Maybe it‘s because Edmund reminds me of the bad boy of Narnia and Jasper reminds me of my teddy bear. 🤷🏼‍♀️
#DanJones #TheWarsoftheRoses #history #britishhistory #medievalhistory #jasperthebear #jasperearlofpembroke #edmondpevencie #edmondearlofrichmond

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GingerAntics
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This amuses me to no end. No idea why. It just does.
#DanJones #TheWarsoftheRoses #history #britishhistory #medievalhistory #henryvi

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GingerAntics
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Apparently Henry VI was the most advanced 17 month old on the planet, dictating such a formal letter to his “most beloved uncle.”
🤣😂🤣
#DanJones #TheWarsoftheRoses #history #britishhistory #medievalhistory #henryvi

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GingerAntics
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Our dear Hal may seem like a man-child getting into mischief with his friends, but he was a well read, well educated humanist. He received the best education of his day.
#DanJones #TheWarsoftheRoses #history #britishhistory #medievalhistory #shakespearereadalong #Shakespeare #henryIVpart2 #henryIVpart1 #Hal #shakespeareskings

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GingerAntics
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Getting started on this, as we explore the Plantagenet kings from the perspective of William #Shakespeare in the #shakespearereadalong. #shakespeareskings #thewarsoftheroses #danjones #history #englishhistory #plantagenets #medievalhistory

GingerAntics @Gezemice it took my much longer than I was anticipating to finish that massive chunk of nonfiction I just finished. I‘m happily on to this. Hopefully I can finish it by the time we finish Henry IV. (edited) 6y
batsy I loved the documentary he hosted and added this to my TBR. 6y
GingerAntics @batsy apparently “The Plantagenets” goes with this one. This one was also originally called “The Hallow Crown” too, so now I‘m wondering if the show of that name is based off of this book. 6y
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batsy @GingerAntics Yes, I was thinking the same 👑 6y
Gezemice @GingerAntics Awesome! Such fascinating history. Especially if you watch Game of Thrones. ;) 6y
GingerAntics @Gezemice I‘m not sure how this history relates to GoT other than what I‘ve just been able to google, but that gets into historical fiction which I just have too many problems with, so I‘m thinking it‘s a good thing I never quite got the appeal of that one. Sorry. 6y
GingerAntics @batsy oh my god this is the Great British Castles guy!!! As if I didn‘t already love him. Loving this book even more now!!! Top that off with The Hollow Crown with Benedict Cumberbatch as Richard III and I might be in heaven. (edited) 6y
batsy @GingerAntics Haha, yes! Great British Castles guy is pretty damn easy to watch 😂 I need to watch The Hollow Crown again properly. I remember enjoying it but I hadn't read the plays yet then and it'll be fun to revisit it now. 6y
GingerAntics @batsy we still have Henry V (Hal‘s play) and Richard III to read...although it looks like that might be season 2. 6y
GingerAntics @batsy do you own the Hollow Crown or do you stream it from somewhere. I‘m having a hard timing finding someplace to actually watch it. 6y
batsy When it first aired I streamed it on some random site. It's hard over here to get access to dvds, no libraries, and because of licensing issues, we can't purchase online and watch. So it's not right, but illegal streaming is unfortunately what we have to rely on for the shows that aren't on Netflix or available via local service providers. 6y
GingerAntics @batsy where are you? I‘m in the states and we can‘t get iplayer anymore and BBC hasn‘t seen fit to put that on BritBox for us, so I‘m going to have to go that rout as well. AcornTV (English TV shows and TV movies from everywhere but the US) doesn‘t have it either. 6y
batsy I'm in Malaysia. How about libraries, do they have some of this stuff on DVDs to borrow for you guys? Or typically a long wait? 6y
GingerAntics @batsy the public library doesn‘t have it, but I could check the library at the college I work at. It‘s a long shot, but worth a try. They really frown upon anything that isn‘t American history, but they just might since it‘s Shakespeare. 6y
Gezemice @GingerAntics GoT just got the inspiration from it - you know, murderous relatives, kings and queens, bastards, battles, intrigues, changing alliances, many kings claiming the throne, etc. Plus Lancaster and York - Lannister and Stark. Otherwise there is no connection - GoT is fantasy, not historical fiction. 6y
GingerAntics @Gezemice I have seen an ad for an app that has a giant dragon, so I figured as much. 6y
31 likes16 comments
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HOTPock3tt
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Pickpick

Well!!! 😁 So this was quite impressive 😼and Margaret Beaufort was a badass!! 😎 just sayin lol. She could‘ve run the country on her own! This book was very detailed with all the information I was missing. I‘ve been interested in Tudor history since I was in college, but I didn‘t know much about the Plantagenets. This tied it all in together perfectly. ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

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rabbitprincess
Pickpick

Another excellent book by Dan Jones. I especially enjoyed reading about this period because I know so little about it. And now I want to watch season 2 of The Hollow Crown again...kept picturing Benedict Cumberbatch as Richard III 😂

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rabbitprincess
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Henry the IMPOTENT? Talk about awful nicknames... 😳

Lindy If I got to choose my own cognomen, it would be that of Kálmán of Hungary: the Bookish. 6y
Melissa_J LOL! 6y
rabbitprincess @Lindy That would be a much better name! @Melissa_J I know right? 😆 6y
Swe_Eva 😂😂😂 6y
rabbitprincess @Swe_Eva 😂😂😂 6y
30 likes5 comments
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rabbitprincess
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Christmas cookies, tea, and a book. The tea set belonged to my great-great-aunt. The cups hold a good amount of tea!

rubyslippersreads I really want to read this one. And I ❤️ your china. 6y
rabbitprincess @rubyslippersreads It's very good so far! And thanks 😊 6y
LeahBergen How pretty! And I‘d like to read this, too @rubyslippersreads 6y
rabbitprincess @LeahBergen I'm definitely stealing this tea set when I get a house 😂 6y
33 likes1 stack add4 comments
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rabbitprincess
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My parents are hosting Christmas dinner, so in between dinner-related tasks, I am starting my fourth book of Christmas vacation. This Dan Jones book was actually on my list of books to read *next* year, but it spoke to me now 😉

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Librarybelle
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The Plantagenets and the Tudors wanted to reign over England. Naturally, only one family line would succeed, which would then result in assassinations and supposed plots to overthrow the monarchy from tangentially related persons. The Wars of the Roses paved the way for the Tudor dynasty. #AllThatIWanted #SeptemberDanes

Kalalalatja Good pick! 👏👏 6y
TrishB Great post 👍🏻 6y
See All 6 Comments
CoverToCoverGirl Beautiful cover, complicated subject matter but oh so interesting! 6y
Librarybelle @CoverToCoverGirl Definitely interesting! 6y
82 likes6 comments
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EmG
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I LOVE everything by #DanJones and this one is a great read.

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Jillsmith
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Pickpick

I really like reading books about this time period! This was a fairly quick read and a good overview of the origins of the conflict.

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Ke633
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#readingresolutions #FavoriteAuthor @Jess7
#AuthorYouLove #AprilBookishMadness @Maich
He‘s definitely my favorite author of this genre! 💙

TrishB Great reads 👍🏻 7y
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rabbitprincess

My mum: don't buy books for yourself in December because you might buy the ones we get you for Christmas!
Also my mum: buys herself a Dan Jones book in December even though it's something we might have thought of getting for her 😂😂😂

Fortunately I have bought her different books 😁 And she found it in the bargain books section at Chapters so well done!

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catiewithac
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Pickpick

I finally finished Dan Jones' history of the Wars of the Roses! I've been listening to this tale for months. I highly recommend this book to fans of Game of Thrones. Truth is stranger than fiction when it comes to medieval England. ⚔️🛡🗡👑

geodynamical_nonfiction Oh, I forgot about Alan Watts. 😮 *Searches library Overdrive app for his audiobooks and outs two on hold* 7y
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Jamesfahyauthor
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Mehso-so

I've gone a bit historical this month and how could I resist the Hollow Crown? 'Battles, beheadings, clandestine marriages and flashes of chivalry'. Lovely.
If you could choose one era from British History to visit for a week, when and where would you go?

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wonga
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i loved the BBC Hollow Crown series and this book has been languishing on my #TBR shelf ever since 😬#LyricalApril #Royals

Cinfhen Ooooh, looks good! Read it and let me know!!! 8y
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Jediash1
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Pickpick

Although no one seems to jump with excitement when I try to tell them about my current interest in the history of the British monarchy in the 15th century, I promise this really is an interesting topic! ;) Dan Jones' nonfiction book about the Wars of the Roses covers a fascinating and tumultuous period in British history, filled with political intrigue, conflict, scandal, and betrayal. It's real life Game of Thrones.

TrishB Have read all his books on the topic! Fascinating, love this period of history. 8y
Jediash1 @TrishB I'm glad to find another fan! I'm hoping to read more of his books. I really liked his writing style. 8y
TrishB @Jediash1 I think you will enjoy the others. If you want fiction I loved The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon K Penman if you haven't read it! 8y
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Jediash1 @TrishB Thanks! That book actually showed up during my library search for books on this time period. I'll have to add it to my "need to read" list! ? 8y
TrishB @Jediash1 She's my favourite historical fiction author 😄 8y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa I'm pretty sure some Game of Thrones inspiration came from England around this time. I'll have to try this book in the future, I've enjoyed the Tudor, Elizabethan, and Victorian histories that I've been exposed too. 8y
Jediash1 @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I would highly recommend this book, along with The Hollow Crown TV mini series. Good stuff! 8y
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Jediash1
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I don't read a lot of nonfiction but the BBC "Hollow Crown" adaptation of Shakespeare's historical plays has started me on a 15th century British history kick. ? There was a lot of conflict over the the throne of England during this time period. I'm curious to learn how accurate the Shakespeare adaptations are. I do love medieval history, and this book is well written and intriguing so far!

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Alayna_schlemmer
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MrBook Nice pic! 😊👍🏻 8y
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Brinx
Pickpick

For history fanatics and fans of "Game of Thrones" who want to check out GRRM's inspiration, I highly recommended this book.

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Shay
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Pickpick

There are an awful lot of Edwards and Henrys and Richards running around, but from it all a picture does emerge of a civil conflict that goes well beyond the usual story of warring houses reunited by marriage. Full review: https://goo.gl/id43ld

shawnmooney It's of interest to me now that I've read, and loved, Mantel's 'Wolf Hall'! 8y
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Shay
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Fascinating and twisty, provided you can keep all the Edwards and Henrys straight.

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Shay
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"The family spawned by the unusual coupling of a widowed French princess and her Welsh servant during the late 1420s ought never to have found themselves anywhere near a crown."

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