15 February 2019
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Back to the time of the War of the Roses here with the story of the Earl of Worcester.
Author: PETER SPRING
Reviewed by: Duncan Evans
Back to the time of the War of the Roses here with the story of the Earl of Worcester. Sir John studied at Oxford, collected books and was a Renaissance scholar yet thanks to his military endeavours earned the sobriquet, ‘Butcher of England’. The aim of the author of this hefty work is give balance to the achievements and character of the Earl, showing that he was educated, political and also a military man, operating in a merciless time.
Although the book looks at Sir John’s family life, his schooling and scholarship, it’s his political and military activities that are both most interesting and also shine a light on just how fraught the times were in which he lived. Even lords and ladies, if they found themselves out of favour or supporting the wrong cause, could end up on the sharp end of an axe. In many respects then, this is also a look at the political history of England in the middle ages.
The text though, doesn’t thrill, so you’re really going to have to be a keen subscriber to the age to get through it. There is a nice mono, glossy plate section in the middle to show some of the locations being discussed and the appendices and bibliography will be useful for students.
• Pen & Sword
• 386 pages • Hardback • £25
As reviewed in The Armourer February 2019
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