Usurpers: A New Look at Medieval Kings

Description

In the Middle Ages, England had to contend with a string of usurpers who disrupted the British monarchy and ultimately changed the course of European history by deposing England's reigning kings and seizing power for themselves. Some of the most infamous usurper kings to come out of medieval England include William the Conqueror, Stephen of Blois, Henry Bolingbroke, Edward IV, Richard III, and Henry Tudor. Did these kings really deserve the title of usurper or were they unfairly vilified by royal propaganda and biased chroniclers? In this book we examine the lives of these six medieval kings, the circumstances which brought each of them to power, and whether or not they deserve the title of usurper. Along the way readers will hear stories of some of the most fascinating people from medieval Europe, including Empress Matilda, the woman who nearly succeeded at becoming the first ruling Queen of England; Eleanor of Aquitaine, the queen of both France and England who stirred her own sons to rebel against their father, Henry II; the cruel and vengeful reign of Richard II which caused his own family to overthrow him; the epic struggle for power between Henry VI, Margaret of Anjou, Richard of York, and Edward IV during the Wars of the Roses; the notorious Richard III and his monstrous reputation as a child-killer; and Henry VII who rose from relative obscurity to establish the most famous royal family of all time: the Tudors. Book Title Copyright Contents Introduction Part I: William the Conqueror (1066–1087) 1 The Anglo-Saxons 2 William the Bastard 3 The Norman Invasion 4 The Subjugation of England and Normandy 5 Family Betrayal 6 The Domesday Book 7 Was William the Conqueror a Usurper? Part II: King Stephen (1135–1154) 8 The Empress Matilda 9 Stolen Crown 10 Almost Queen of England 11 The Anarchy Continues 12 Changing of the Guard 13 Henry’s Final Invasion 14 Was King Stephen a Usurper? Part III: King Henry IV (1399–1413) 15 Edward III and the Succession Problem 16 Rival Cousins 17 The Lords Appellant 18 Henry’s Invasion 19 Was Henry IV a Usurper? Plate Section Part IV: King Edward IV (1461–1470 & 1471–1483) 20 The Inept King Henry VI 21 The Wars of the Roses 22 The Rose of Rouen 23 The First Reign of Edward IV 24 Warwick’s Rebellion 25 The Second Reign of Edward IV 26 Was Edward IV a Usurper? Part V: Richard III (1483–1485) 27 Loyalty Binds Me 28 The Unravelling of George, Duke of Clarence 29 The Road to the Throne 30 Unsteady Crown 31 Fall of the Last Plantagenet King 32 Was Richard III a Usurper? Part VI: Henry VII (1485–1509) 33 The Tudors and Beauforts 34 Henry’s Childhood and the Wars of the Roses 35 The Rise of Richard III 36 Henry Tudor’s Invasion 37 Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck 38 Henry’s Last Years 39 Was Henry VII a Usurper? Conclusion Acknowledgements Notes Bibliography Index