The Last White Rose by Desmond Seward (PDF)

Description

One of the most dramatic periods of British history, the Wars of the Roses didn’t end at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. Despite the death of Richard III and Henry VII’s victory, it continued underground into the following century with plots, pretenders and subterfuge by the ousted white rose faction. In a brand new interpretation of this turning point in history, well known historian Desmond Seward reviews the story of the Tudors’ seizure of the throne and shows that for many years they were far from secure. He challenges the way we look at the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII, explaining why there were so many Yorkist pretenders and conspiracies, and why the new dynasty had such difficulty establishing itself. King Richard’s nephews, the Earl of Warwick and the little known de la Pole brothers, all had support of enemies overseas, while England was split when the lowly Perkin Warbeck skilfully impersonated one of the princes in the tower in order to claim the right to the throne. Warwick’s surviving sister Margaret also became the focus of hopes that the White Rose would be reborn. The book also offers a new perspective on why Henry VIII, constantly threatened by treachery, real or imagined, and desperate to secure his power with a male heir, became a tyrant.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “Gripping and enthralling. No writer of fiction, however imaginative, could dream up more spell binding plots than what actually happened, so skilfully recounted here.” – Robert Hutchinson, author of The Last Days of Henry VIII“The Last White Rose is history as it should be written: without hindsight or embellishment, but with erudition and a sense of immediacy that makes it a gripping and original read.” – Jessie Childs, author of Henry VIII s Last Victim“An entertaining and valuable exploration of the early Tudor period.” – The Literary Review About the Author Desmond Seward was born in Paris and educated at Cambridge. He is the author of many books, including The Hundred Years War; The Wars of the Roses; Eleanor of Aquitaine; Caravagio; and The Plantagenets. He lives in England.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐This book is definitely not for the casual reader. The reader must be very familiar with the political background of the Wars of the Roses, the people and relationships involved, and the events leading up to the ascension of Henry VI in 1485. The author assumes that the reader is familiar with the people, places, and events, and does not give any backstory or go into detail about relationships or prior political involvement. That said, this is an excellent overview of Yorkist sympathies, in various manifestations, from Bosworth to the death of Henry VIII, almost 70 years later. An epilogue briefly touches on events in the reigns of Mary and Edward VI.While much research has been done and ink spilled in discussing the Yorkist sentiment in England in the immediate aftermath of Bosworth (up to and including the Battle of Stoke and the Warbeck consipiracy) this book looks much further afield. It discusses the ‘usual suspects’ (Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck) but also looks at other surviving members of the Plantagenet family – primarily the de la Poles and the Poles – who were, in most cases, descended through the female line. The author does not restrict himself to England, either, but discusses the international implications of the White Rose claimants to the throne.This book shows considerable reasearch and great diligence in tying up the various threads of the complex story of how there was strong Yorkist sympathy throughout England for many, many years after Bosworth. It presents a sobering picture of the discontent the first two Tudor kings had to deal with, and how the constant threat of a Yorkist uprising affected them and cast a shadow over their reigns.This could easily be a 5-star book except for the editing and formatting issues noted below. Highly recommended for those who have a solid background in the history of the Wars of the Roses – 4 1/2 stars.Note on Kindle formatting: Good, but not great. As far as issues with strict formatting, there were many instances of two words run together. They were infrequent enough to not impact readability, but I personally feel that a nonfiction book should be held to somewhat higher standards in this respect. There were also some issues that seem to be more editing lapses than strictly formatting errors. The most egregious example is the spelling of proper names. There are times when the author switches – within a paragraph or a couple of sentences – between (for example ) “Katharine”, “Katherine”, and “Catherine”. While medieval spelling of proper names is notoriously fluid, the people mentioned in this book are well-known enough that their names have been standardized, and the author is a prominent enough historian to know the proper spellings. Fortuntely, there are only a few instances of this – but as I said – a nonfiction book should be held to higher standards, and a history book, speaking of real people, should be scrupulous about correct spelling. Like most nonfiction Kindle books, this one ends at about 65% with the remainder as notes, bibliography, and an index.

⭐In “The Last White Rose” Desmond Seward tells the story of how the first two Tudor monarchs struggled to maintain their secure hold on the throne of England after Henry VII won the battle of Bosworth Field, facing pretenders and those with as good or better claims to succeeding Richard III.One thing that Seward does very well here is tell his story without too many digressions–he tells enough of what is going on outside of these rebellions and pretenders for necessary context–but not so much that he writes another book about Henry VIII, his six wives and four children, the English Reformation, the Dissolution of the Monasteries, or the Pilgrimage of Grace. In “The Last White Rose: The Secret Wars of the Tudors”, he depicts both Henry VII and Henry VIII as most uneasy monarchs, fearful of and vindictive toward anyone who had a claim upon the crown the Tudors plucked from the House of York.Any noble family, like the Howards, the de la Poles, the York/Poles (Margaret of York and her grown children), the Courtenays, the Staffords, etc., had much to fear from the Tudors, whether or not they really were plotting to supplant or succeed their monarch. Seward notes that the White Rose faction missed their one great chance when they did not get behind–or rather, take leadership of–the Pilgrimage of Grace. With an army of 30 to 40 thousand behind them, the House of York could have taken England back from the Tudors, stopped the English Reformation and the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

⭐The Last White Rose is a book devoted to the ongoing struggle for Henry VII and Henry VIII to hold the crown for their line. Most people think that once the battle at Bosworth ended, the crown was plunked on Henry’s head, he married Elizabeth of York and they united the red and white roses for everlasting peace. Henry VII was plagued with pretenders and plots. Never secure, he felt the bite of his many cousins who thought they had better entitlement to the throne.The constant threat of overthrow colored almost his entire reign. Henry VIII feared both his Buckingham and de Pole relatives to the degree that fueled his paranoia over a male offspring to continue the line. His mania for a son and the infamous results has immortalized his love life. The wholesale extermination of anyone with a drop of Plantagenet blood, or even suggested the Tudor line would die out was born from the insecure foundation of Henry’s line. Even the simple act of vanity by putting the coat of arms of his Saxon forebearers earned Henry Howard, the Earl of Surrey his execution. Desmond Seward has written a comprehensive backdrop to the Tudor succession, giving voices to the many players who were silenced by Henry Tudor and his son, merely for their proximity to them by blood.

⭐We usually hear about Henry VIII’s Great Matter (divorce). The destruction of abbeys and churches. The starving of monks. The murder of anyone who did not agree with him.This was a new look at Tudor reigns for me. The fear of anyone with a better claim to the throne than they had. Total destruction of anyone even remotely in line for the throne. Every Plantagenet in England (and even outside it).It was a tough read. I actually had to stop half way through and read something frivolous – and then go back.Didn’t like his take of Richard III – but other than that it was well written and worth reading.

⭐Interesting book and premise as it traces the heirs of York after the death of Richard III and what happen to them. Poor Pole family and Margaret of Salisbury. Seems if the nobility had wanted to, there were enough pretenders to give the Tudors a run for their money, but I think England was tired of war and conflict as pointed out. In the end, though I think the book makes the point that it is this notion of providing a secure succession with a male heir that drove Henry VIII to leave Rome, and all that went with it. I recommend the book

⭐This is a very informative and interesting book and probably a must read for those interested in early Tudor history and the aftermath of the WOTR. I deducted a star each for:1. The poor ormatting and numerous typos in the Kindle version make it a less satisfying book to read.2. The author’s well known anti Richard Iii bias permeates the early chapters. E.g he describes Richard as “the murderer of his nephews”. No qualification such as possible, likely, potential etc. Yes he may be guilty but to present this as a statement of fact when we simply don’t know, is not helpful from a professional historian.Those aside it is a good book.

⭐This book is well-written and and it brings to life the Tudor dynasty and the white rose and the victims of Henry the eighth it would interest anyone who likes English history

⭐Desmond Seward’s book delves into the rarely examined decades long conflict between the Tudor regime and Yorkist challengers right up to the end of HVIII’s reign.In a highly readable account he shows how weak Englishmen of the time found the Tudors claim to the throne and thus why there was such long simmering support for the Yorkist cause and various Yorkist pretenders such as Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck.To read about the story of Richard De La Pole “the Last White Rose” is worth the price of the book alone.This is history at it’s best; compelling and easily read; but highly researched and full of detail.

⭐Brilliant book, well researched, very informative.

⭐Very good read and extremely interesting. I feel like I understand more about this period now.

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