Richard, Duke of York: King by Right

Lewis, Matthew

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1445647443 ISBN 13: 9781445647449

Publisher: Amberley Publishing, 2016

Richard, 3rd Duke of York is frequently used to recall the colours of the rainbow with the mnemonic Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain , wrongly believed to be the Grand Old Duke of York who had 10,000 men, or mistaken for his youngest son, Richard III.

The son of a traitor, he inherited a dukedom aged four, became the wealthiest man in England at thirteen and later rebelled against his king, and if he is remembered, it is as a man who ignited the Wars of the Roses. Further eclipsed by two of his sons, who would become the mighty warrior Edward IV and the recently rediscovered Richard III, he is an ancestor of the Tudor monarchs and fifteenth great-grandfather to Queen Elizabeth II, yet the man himself is obscured from view.

Matthew Lewis pushes aside the veils of myth and legend to challenge the image of Richard as a man whose insatiable ambition dragged a nation into civil war, revealing a complex family man with unparalleled power and responsibilities. The first person ever recorded to use the Plantagenet name, he pushed the political establishment to its limits, dared to fight back and was forced to do the unimaginable.

Review:

'Richard, Duke of York is one of the most important but least-known figures of the fifteenth century: the man who lit the fuse that ignited the Wars of the Roses. His life and career are long overdue a reassessment, which Matthew Lewis provides in this much-needed biography.' (Dan Jones, bestselling author of The Hollow Crown) --Dan Jones

About the Author:

Matthew Lewis is the author of two histories and two historical fiction novels about Richard III and the Wars of the Roses. The medieval period is a particular passion of his, which he hopes to spread through his blog. He is dedicated to teaching and discussing this period, operating two history podcasts and providing bite-sized facts to his Twitter and Facebook following.