Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
The Sweetbriar’s Thorns: Wars Of The Roses Part II
History / January 14, 2012

History ReFreshed Exploring what’s “new” on the historical shelves The previous column focused on the personages who began the Wars of the Roses, from Henry VI‘s claim for the throne being challenged by his cousin Richard of York until the death of Edward IV.  Now the stage is set for the final decisive struggle between the Plantagenet heirs, represented by Edward IV’s brother Richard, and the Tudors, who trace their claim to the throne to the marriage of the widow of Lancastrian Henry V to Welsh bard Owen Tudor. As a special treat, this month also features an interview with New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory, who wrote several of the novels described in last month’s column, WARS OF THE ROSES PART I. Philippa’s upcoming novel features one of the heroines involved in Richard III’s story, his wife Anne Neville, daughter of the Earl of Warwick, “the Kingmaker.” (more about her later.) Edward IV‘s premature death set about a struggle for the throne between the widowed queen’s Woodville relations, the Tudor claimants and the Neville-York side.  Concerned for the safety of his nephews, Edward’s brother Richard, whom the late king had named Lord Protector, moved the boys to the…