Lancaster and York
Alison Weir
Random House
<p>The war between the houses of Lancaster and York for the throne of  England was characterised by treachery, deceit and at St Albans, Blore  Hill and Towton, some of the bloodiest and most dramatic battles on  England's soil. Between 1455 and 1487 the royal coffers were bankrupted  and the conflict resulted in the downfall of the houses of Lancaster and  York and the emergence of the illustrious Tudor dynasty. Alison Weir's  lucid and gripping account focuses on the human side of history, on the  people and personalities involved in the conflict. At the centre of the  book stands Henry VI, the pious king whose mental instability led to  political chaos, Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York and Henry`s rival,  and most important of all, Margaretof Anjou, Henry's wife who took up  her arms in her husband`s cause and battled for many years ina violent  man's world. � � �</p>