The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses and the Rise of the Tudors
Sep 2014 · Faber & Faber
4.6star
25 reviewsreport
Ebook
480
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About this ebook
'The Hollow Crown is exhilarating, epic, blood-and-roses history . . . Jones's material is thrilling . . . There is fine scholarly intuition on display here and a mastery of the grand narrative; it is a supremely skilful piece of storytelling.' Sunday Telegraph
The fifteenth century saw the crown of England change hands seven times as the great families of England fought to the death for power, majesty and the right to rule. The Hollow Crown completes Dan Jones' epic history of medieval England, and describes how the Plantagenets tore themselves apart to be finally replaced by the Tudors.
Some of the greatest heroes and villains in British history were thrown together in these turbulent times: Henry V, whose victory at Agincourt and prudent rule at home marked the high point of the medieval monarchy; Edward IV, who was handed his crown by the scheming soldier Warwick the Kingmaker, before their alliance collapsed into a fight to the death; and the last Plantagenet, Richard III, who stole the throne and murdered his own nephews, the Princes in the Tower. Finally, the Tudors arrived - but even their rule was only made certain in the 1520s, when Henry VIII ruthlessly hunted down his family's last remaining enemies.
In the midst this tumult, chivalry was reborn, the printing press arrived and the Renaissance began to flourish. With vivid descriptions of the battle of Towton, where 28,000 men died in a single morning, and the Battle of Bosworth Field, at which Richard III was hacked down, this is the real story behind Shakespeare's famous history plays.
The fifteenth century saw the crown of England change hands seven times as the great families of England fought to the death for power, majesty and the right to rule. The Hollow Crown completes Dan Jones' epic history of medieval England, and describes how the Plantagenets tore themselves apart to be finally replaced by the Tudors.
Some of the greatest heroes and villains in British history were thrown together in these turbulent times: Henry V, whose victory at Agincourt and prudent rule at home marked the high point of the medieval monarchy; Edward IV, who was handed his crown by the scheming soldier Warwick the Kingmaker, before their alliance collapsed into a fight to the death; and the last Plantagenet, Richard III, who stole the throne and murdered his own nephews, the Princes in the Tower. Finally, the Tudors arrived - but even their rule was only made certain in the 1520s, when Henry VIII ruthlessly hunted down his family's last remaining enemies.
In the midst this tumult, chivalry was reborn, the printing press arrived and the Renaissance began to flourish. With vivid descriptions of the battle of Towton, where 28,000 men died in a single morning, and the Battle of Bosworth Field, at which Richard III was hacked down, this is the real story behind Shakespeare's famous history plays.
Ratings and reviews
4.6
25 reviews
Brian Woodhouse
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September 11, 2023
Really good but couldn't keep up with the names, too many Richards, Edwards and Henry's. And Earls, dukes or prince's! A family tree at the end would have beneficial.
Andrew Shakespeare
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December 27, 2014
Well written, thoroughly readable, and covering a much longer period than most histories of the wars of the roses. Toward the end, however, there were three places where the online version was missing several pages, including the final 8 pages of the book. This was irritating
2 people found this review helpful
Andy Hicks
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May 17, 2015
Riveting held my attention completely
1 person found this review helpful
About the author
Dan Jones is an acclaimed historian and award-winning journalist. His first book, Summer of Blood: The Peasants' Revolt of 1381, was an Independent Book of the year. He is a columnist for the London Evening Standard, and writes, as well, for The Times, Daily Telegraph, Spectator and Literary Review. He has presented documentaries for the BBC. He lives in London with his wife and two daughters.
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