However, her pride soon turns to dismay when she learns Edward may have married Lady Eleanor Talbot in secret and then cast her aside equally as quickly after a quarrel. The Rose at Harvest End continues the story as Cecily’s eldest son is finally crowned as Edward IV and she takes pride of place at his court. As the fighting begins in earnest, Cecily sends her youngest sons to safety in Burgundy but her heart is broken when Richard and their son Edmund are killed at the Battle of Wakefield. Reaching the limits of his patience, Richard finally gathers an army together but is adamant he only intends to free the king from the evil influences around him and has no desire to claim the throne. Richard can only watch in dismay as a marriage between Henry and Margaret of Anjou comes to fruition and the king makes increasingly bad choices. White Rose Dark Summer follows the period of time when Richard was appointed as Lieutenant of Ireland to get him out of England. Richard’s allies urge him to pursue his own claim to the throne but he is reluctant to break his oath. There are rumblings of disquiet as it becomes increasingly evident Henry VI is incapable of ruling and Richard is being pushed away from court by those who want to control the king. Throughout this time, Cecily also encounters some of the main protagonists who will eventually end up being allies or enemies during the War of the Roses. Much of the first book is concerned with Cecily’s life in France as she is left alone for long periods of time and forms an attachment to an English archer which leads to claims her son, Edward, is illegitimate. Richard was eventually made a king’s lieutenant and governor general of France, so he and Cecily moved to Rouen where their son, Edward VI, was born in 1442. Cecily was betrothed to Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, who had a strong claim to the English throne through both of his parents. There is also a split within the Neville ranks which makes things even more complicated.Ĭicely Neville was the youngest child of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland, and his second wife, Joan Beaufort, and she was born in Raby Castle, Durham, which earned her the nickname of the Rose of Raby. It can be quite hard keeping track of everyone and how they fit into the overall scheme of things because the divide between the Houses of Lancaster and York wasn’t a simple one with people changing sides as often as they changed their clothes. The books cover a large period of time and there are many characters who come in and out of Cecily’s life, particularly the extended Neville family who were one of the most important families in England. These four books follow the life of Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, from her betrothal to her last days, and are appropriately titled with the passing of the seasons: The Rose in Spring, White Rose Dark Summer, The Rose at Harvest End and Winter’s Rose. I’ve always been more interested in historical books written from the female point of view as women are largely forgotten about. I have to admit the War of the Roses is not one of my favourite eras in history but I was intrigued enough to read these book when the foreword mentioned how Eleanor Fairburn was one of the first historical writers to write from the female perspective.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |