The Rose, the Bastard and the Saint King The Murder of Henry VI

by Boardman, Andrew; Lewis, Matthew

• ISBN13: 9781803997094
• ISBN10: 1803997095
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2025-06-17
• Publisher: The History Press

Summary

The siege of London on 12-14 May 1471 is a largely forgotten episode in the Wars of the Roses, but its implications were far-reaching in that it sealed the fate of the Lancastrian dynasty.

Edward IV’s gamble to reclaim the throne for the House of York was a triumph against the odds, but even after winning two important battles against the Lancastrians his position was far from secure. He might have been confident of total victory but for Thomas Neville, the Bastard of Fauconberg, who along with thousands of ordinary people stormed London in a desperate gamble to free Henry VI from the Tower of London.

In this first ever full-length study of the siege of London and its aftermath Andrew Boardman uses contemporary evidence to uncover the truth behind the rebellion of 1471 and the death of the last Lancastrian King of England. Where did the battles for London take place? Who were the heroes and villains of the siege? Why did Henry VI continue to be revered as a saint long after his death? And was the Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III) really responsible for Henry’s murder.

Author Biography

Andrew Boardman is a medieval military historian who has specialized in the Wars of the Roses. He appeared in the documentary 'Blood Red Roses' on the Battle of Towton and contributed to the archaeological report of the Towton excavations. He has also written 'Towton 1461' and 'The Medieval Soldier'.

Matthew Lewis is the author of The Wars of the Roses (Amberley Publishing, 2015) , Richard, Duke of York: King by Right (Amberley Publishing, 2016) and The Survival of the Princes in the Tower (The History Press, 2017). He writes a history blog and runs two podcasts on history.