Red Roses

The Wars of the Roses were not just fought by men on the battlefield. There were daughters, wives, mistresses, mothers, and queens who helped shape the most dramatic of English conflicts. This book traces the story of women on the Lancastrian side, from the children borne by Blanche, wife of John of Gaunt, through the turbulent 15th century to Margaret Beaufort’s son in 1485 and the establishment of the Tudor dynasty. From the secret liaisons of Katherine Swynford and Catherine of Valois to the love lives of Mary de Bohun and Jacquetta of Luxembourg, to the queenship of Joan of Navarre and Margaret of Anjou, this book explores their experiences as women. Faced with the dangers of treason and capture, defamation and childbirth, these extraordinary women survived in extraordinary times.