His wife is just as bad, historically speaking again. But, in this novel I did come to sympathise with her. A large proportion of it is given over to her story; it’s more her book than any one else’s. She was, undeniably, a strong woman. She had to be for her husband; she was the strength behind the red rose. Her husband goes into a catatonic state and she, his young and foreign queen, is left holding the reins of power. To her mind, she must act fast if her husband’s dynasty is to survive. I only wish she could have seen York for what he was. I think Iggulden has really got into the minds of these historical figures, and tried to explain, in a fictional sense, the reasoning behind their actions.

His queen, Margret is presented as very determined to preserve her and her husband’s position, even when his brings her into conflict with the Duke of York. Her attempts to make her husband act like a king are well done. Now I remember I had watched The King on Netflix (because I like handsome guys as much as anyone else), the movie is about Henry V and he is Henry VI's dad exactly!!! LOL The brilliant retelling of the Wars of the Roses continues with Bloodline, the gripping third novel in the new series from historical fiction master Conn Iggulden.

The emphasis in this book is on Margaret’s journey from obscurity in an empty French castle to her first tentative commands as queen of England. The reader will look forward to the growth of her famously forceful personality and political acumen in the rest of the trilogy. The tale begins with Edward IV, of House York, returning to England after being chased out by forces Loyal to Henry VI, House Lancaster, the current King of England. But Henry VI is old and frail. Edward lands in England, at Ravenspur, to wage war with the full might of his Plantagenet bloodline. The first book in #1 New York Times-bestselling author Conn Iggulden’s brilliant new historical series about two families that plunged England into a devastating, decades-long civil war.

The introduction of the most prominent fictional character, the king’s spymaster, Derihew Brewer, can be forgiven (even if the name cannot), as Brewer is central to all of the events that take place and, as Iggulden points out, someone like Brewer would certainly have existed. I'll admit as an Englishman that I knew nothing whatsoever concrete about the War Of The Roses before reading this book and was a little daunted by how internecine and serpentine the warring & political manoeuvring might prove to be but Iggulden has not only managed to portray it in an enjoyable accessible way but whetted my appetite for looking deeper into the subject matter at heart and teaching me something historical in the process. Edward of March, now duke of York, proclaims himself England’s rightful king. Factions form and tear apart as snow falls. Through blood and treason, through broken men and vengeful women, brother shall confront brother, king shall face king. The Plantagenet line, therefore, is truly said to start with King Henry III. He was born in England and ruled from 1216-1272. His father was King John I. This Plantagenet line ends in 1399 with Henry IV, House Lancaster, forcing Richard II (his cousin) to abdicate. Henry IV is the son of John of Gaunt, First Duke Lancaster-himself the fourth son of Edward III. Dunstan, One Man Will Change the Fate of England by Conn Iggulden". www.penguin.co.uk . Retrieved 25 September 2017.Margaret of Anjou was really an annoying person to me. If she had worked with Richard instead of fighting, so much bloodshed could have been avoided. It makes you wonder what could have been accomplished if they could have put their differences aside and worked together. On the other hand, Margaret came to England from France at 15 years old. She was living in a foreign land, had a husband who was comatose and was trying to protect her son. I thought it was amazing how much control she exercised at such a young age. The tone and narrative style is straight out of standard fantasy, not historical fiction. Just substitute the names and make it some fantasy kingdom and not England/France and fantasy readers would gobble it up.

Henry IV has my sympathies. He was a good man but didn’t have the strength of character or will to be able to rule effectively. That combined with his frequent bursts of illness left him as a completely useless king. He was controlled by whatever political faction had hold of him as they dominated him. I liked the way the author has portrayed him as capable for a time but then his decline came again as the stresses of his burden were felt. Without Derry Brewer and his loyal wife, he would have been usurped many years before he actually was. King Henry VI is still held prisoner. His Lancastrian Queen rides south with an army of victorious northerners, accompanied by painted warriors from the Scottish Highlands. However, this is just the beginning of struggle for Khan. He sends off emissaries who end up dead after immense torture. His trade routes are faced with violent rebellion. Khan: Empire of Silver As storm clouds gather over England, King Henry and his supporters find themselves besieged abroad and at home. Who or what can save the kingdom before it is too late?Margeret of Anjou is portrayed as a fierce queen, a strong woman and being brutal towards her enemies, namely The Duke of York. Moreover, she is convinced her side of the war is justified. It’s unsurprising that the characters/figures never realised that this is a war with no right or wrong side and is just a simple struggle for power. Born in 1971 to an English father (who was an RAF pilot during the Second World War) [1] and an Irish mother, Iggulden went to Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary in Ruislip, Middlesex, then attended St Martins School in Northwood, before moving on to Merchant Taylors' School. [2] He then attended St Dominic's Sixth Form College, before studying English at the University of London, [2] later going on to teach the subject for seven years, becoming head of the English department at Haydon School, where one of his students was Fearne Cotton. [3] Iggulden eventually left teaching to write his first novel, The Gates of Rome. He is married to Ella, who is from the Amalfi Coast in southern Italy, and whose family are craft pasta and ravioli producers in the region. [4] They have four children and live in Hertfordshire, England. [5] El rey es débil, las posesiones en Francia están en peligro, pactos, concesiones, huida de los colonos ingleses en territorio francés, desórdenes civiles, intrigas, una reina francesa para pactar la paz con Francia, que será una reina fuerte y el verdadero soporte que permite mantenerse al rey y a sus partidarios durante muchos años. Find sources: "Conn Iggulden"– news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR ( November 2023) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Este autor constituye mi mejor descubrimiento de Novela Histórica durante 2019. No lo había leído hasta que tropecé con esta Tetralogía sobre la Guerra de las dos Rosas. Este libro es el primero de la serie. A new empire is being raised at the Italian peninsula. During this time, two boys, at the City of Rome are transforming to men whose ambitions are nothing but glory, battles and serving the greatest empire in the world. The author also makes out Richard, Duke of York, to be a fairly decent person. He is uncomfortable with the way this conflict is turning out, but he see's himself with no choice since for him it means the loss of his house and titles. Early on, we are treated to the very graphic and drawn-out torture death of a Jewish merchant. Then no more mention is made of the incident nor character. That poor man's death was just a footnote Iggulden found in a tome and thought interesting. Has NOTHING to do with WoTR. That's not an isolated incident for this novel, but it is pure story fat. In 2017, Iggulden released the first book in the fantasy series Darien: Empire of Salt, under the pen name C.F. Iggulden. [14] The second book, Shiang, was released in 2018 and was followed by The Sword Saint, in 2019.

Publication Order of Wars of the Roses Books

Hacía unos meses que no leía narrativa histórica pura y dura, y este libro ha sido todo un descubrimiento. No hay mucho que pueda contar sin desvelar gran parte de la trama (además de que la saga está basada en un hecho real), así que solo puedo decir algunas cosas en general. Wolf of the Plains (2007, ISBN 978-0-00-720175-4) (titled Genghis: Birth of an Empire 2010, ISBN 978-0-385-34421-0)