Richard, Duke of York: King by Right

I really enjoyed this book it was well written and the author clearly knows his stuff. The book leads you through the life of Richard Duke of York who is often remembered as the man who wanted his cousins throne and died trying. After reading it I felt you could understand why he did the things he did as at many times he appeared to have no other options available to him other than the choices he made. This fascinating man was ignored on many occasions but the man who everyone turned to in a crisis and he appears to have been the leader the country needed when Henry VI fell ill. His protectorate was inclusive to both sides. He seemed honourable and paid the wages of the calais garrison when the crown didn't come up with the cash but left his army, together with his wife and youngest children at Ludlow, when Henry in one of his rare outings at the head of his force turned up offering pardon to all but the Earl of Salisbury. That seems quite out of character for the man but I almost understand why. Quite frankly by the end the book I'd have quite happily given Henry a good slap myself as each sorry debacle played out. This book is really thought provoking and engaging it put the meat on the bones of Richard Duke of York and for me, I really wished he hadn't made the mistake of making that last trip out of Sandal Castle. Brilliant book.

Really excellent read. Lovely flowing, easy to understand, writing style and comprehensive account of Richard Duke of York's life and his attempts at freeing the monarchy from the controlling interests of the nobility, intent on feathering their own nests, under the inadequate Henry VI. Far from desiring the throne for himself, as historians have portrayed his motives (despite a better claim to it), Richard Duke of York simply wished to establish a stable, wise and just leadership for the good of the country as a whole - something his youngest son of the same name tried to emulate many years later, before his tragic and untimely demise at Bosworth field. A valuable resource for Ricardians and a treasured addition to my Yorkist library.

This was a gift.When it was presented to me, I flicked through the pages and tried to look impressedbut I immediately noticed that it had no appendices, no footnotes or endnotes, and the index was justover two pages in length (with less than eighty inclusions, total).I then checked the publisher - I felt my fears confirmed when I read 'Amberley Publishing'.Amberley. The publishing house that does for history books what puppy mills do for breeds of pedigree dogs.Previously I've read other Amberley titles. They seem to take an author and, in the space of two or three years,put out three, four, or even more titles under their name.This author, Matthew Lewis, put out 'Medieval Britain in 100 Facts' in October 2015,'Richard, Duke of York. King by Right' in April 2016,'The Wars of the Roses: The Key Players in the Struggle for Supremacy' in August 2016,'Henry III: The Son of Magna Carta' in October 2016, and'The Wars of the Roses in 100 Facts' is released in August 2017.Five books in 22 months.If we forget about the '..100 Facts' fluff,there's still three titles.And they are devoted to periods of history separated by two centuries.So it's not surprisingly that this book contains no new researchor exciting new revisionist interpretations(the only time Amberley publish revisionist history is in their Richard III titles -which, I imagine, is the only time there's a profitable market waiting to lap it up).This is a beginners biography of Richard, Duke of York.Basically a select collection of the findings of other historiansand, when differing theories exist, the most widely accepted version is used,with no mention of the alternative, or justification for using the version decided upon.It's vanilla and basic, but perfect as an introduction to the man, and to the eventswhich made his life into an adventurous and significant one, for the novice.I'd like to know what kind of deal Amberley offers its writers.Josephine Wilkinson, David Loades and Amy Licence seem to squeeze out two orthree titles per year, each. Many are reworked biographies of the wives and mistressesof Henry VIII or of women with historically famous names, but far too little of a footprintleft to provide nearly enough of the detailed information necessary to create a biography.All too often such 'biographies' end up being generalised histories concerning the role ofwomen, in that particular time and place, and the 'personal detail' is nothing but supposition.Just read biographies of Mary Boleyn, Katherine Swynford, Ann Neville or even CatherineHoward to see how a tiny amount of actual information is spun out to fill an entire biography.Last year I read a complaint about the lack of biographies of Henry III.This year three different biographies are being released.Not surprisingly Amberley commissioned one.Amberley looks for gaps in the market. Titles that would attract a market.Then they have a book created to fill that title.Sometimes they're terrible,this one is quite good, by Amberley standards.

A well-researched and persuasively written biography of Richard, 3rd Duke of York. Matt Lewis is a brilliant historian keen to shed a different light on this fascinating and maligned personality in the 15th Century. His biography is balanced and well studied combining a great number of Primary sources to analyse the motivations behind one of the most complex individuals in English history. Were Richard's actions motivated by greed for the Crown? or do primary sources actually suggest that he was a man of great Duty and responsibility, who ruled competently and fairly only to be pushed to extreme measures by his enemies?I really enjoyed this revisionist biography, I have been aware of Matt's history blog for a long time and its great to read one of his books. He is certainly one of the upcoming greats in the field of 15th Century political history. I am looking forward to reading his biography of Richard III and his other work on the Princes in the Tower. Will Matt Lewis publish about Edward IV, Warwick or other famous characters or even minor figures of the time? I really hope so! This was a great read!

There aren’t too many popular histories about Richard, Duke of York, mostly, his life is a prelude to his sons’ biographies (Richard III and Edward IV). This book is an interesting history, but maybe an unintentional study for the aspiring manager, also.Henry VI is a study in bad management. This is the guy who will hire a replacement to sit in the cubicle next to yours and take over your responsibilities. But he won’t tell you that, because he hates conflict. But he won’t fire you, either.Henry will promote his friends and family members, regardless of how they screw up. Poor performance will be ignored, and even rewarded. He does nothing to resolve the animosity between York and Somerset, but allows it to fester.Henry will do whatever it is the last person he talked to tells him to do- you will think he agrees with your ideas. Until someone else comes along.Richard is a good administrator. He is fair and even handed. He is inclusive in his decision making. He knows how to delegate (He leaves warfare up to Talbot and Warwick, and others who excel).His downfall is his lack of political savvy- nobody wants to get rid of Henry.

I've just put the book aside and I'm still deeply caught up in the story. It is a highly recommended and well-written book for anyone interested in this story and who would like to know more about the prelude to the War of the Roses. Really really good!

Often overshadowed by his son's Edward 1V and Richard 111 this biography presents Richard Duke of York as an interesting and important man in his own right. The author sheds light on the privileged but troubled childhood of Richard. His mother died soon after he was born and his Father was executed for treason five years later. He was the heir presumptive to the King, Henry V1 an ineffectual, weak and indecisive monarch who was totally unappreciative of Richard's efforts to stabilize England .The author addresses the issue of the legitimacy of Edward, the Dukes eldest son and the strength of York's ambition to usurp the crown . Matthew Lewis has written an informative, engaging and imminently readable biography ,of an central character, indeed the instigator of the War of the Roses

Richard 3rd Duke of York is brought to life spectacularly in this book! Whatever you think you may know about him,, most likely you will learn much more. He is remembered, if at all, as the man who started the War Of the Roses, or as the shadowy father of two Kings, Edward IV and Richard III. That does him a great disservice as he was so much more than that! He had arguably a better claim to the throne than the actual King Henry VI, yet he didn't try to take it, until after he was used and cast aside repeatedly, and had nothing to lose! He was a husband, a father, a fighter! Matthew Lewis is an excellent author who absolutely knows his stuff when it comes to the Yorks and the War of The Roses! His novels are not stuffy boring history texts, he uses facts to bring to life this man, Richard 3rd Duke of York. I highly recommend this to anyone, like me, who wants to know more and attempt to understand the man at the head of family York!

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