Throne Rivalry and British Royal Secrets with THE WARS OF THE ROSES Author Dan Jones

Award-winning author and historian Dan Jones sits down to discuss his latest book, The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors, as well as to provide insights into his research of this exciting period, which is somewhat neglected in the media.

“I guess I just loved all these stories from the Middle Ages, right from when I started studying them, 15 years ago,” Dan says about his reasons for writing.

“Everybody’s kind of obsessed with the Tudors, we’ve all heard about the Henry VIII and Elizabeth I and all of that. But I’ve always felt there’s this mine of stories, from a few centuries before, just sitting there waiting to be told.”

He said the material he writes deals with lesser-known figures people might have heard of, but probably don’t know “just how thrilling” the stories really are. “The opportunity to sit and write these two great books covering that whole period is great.”

Dan’s latest book starts with Henry V, the first king to actually dictate letters, so a record exists to draw from and aids with his research. “You kind of hear the voice, for the first time… with Henry V you really hear his voice. And it is – Shakespeare made him that kind of strident, rhetorical, military leader. And when you read the letters he dictated, you kind of get that.”

He says as medieval kings go, Henry V has to rank right at the top of the list. “If you’re measured on two things, three things, as a medieval king – protecting the church, keeping order at home and dispensing justice. But really, in this period, as a military leader – masculinity is about fighting.”

Dan said Henry V’s leadership shines in the military arena, and he effectively conquers the French Crown.

“Henry V, the King of England, is the heir to the French throne. He’s heir to two crowns, and his son will be after him and the two crowns will be joined together - that’s crazy,” he said. “For 30 years, there’s an English Kingdom of France, and that’s quite astonishing.”

Dan also recounts how Henry VI was crowned at a young age and explains the most important part of the crowning ceremony. “The essential part of coronation isn’t the crown going on your head, as you would think of, it’s the anointing (with holy oil), because that’s the thing that really can’t be undone.

On the role of Joan of Arc in the period, Dan said she comes on the scene in the late 1420s, claims to have visions sent to her by god, voices that are telling her she was sent to save France and kick out the English.

“The English kind of abuse and laugh at Joan when she turns up, and successfully through her short career, she’s abused and laughed at for wearing men’s clothing. But of course the joke doesn’t last very long because she is very successful.”

He speaks about his approach to preparing his books and notes that the process involves exhaustive research not unlike journalism.

“History is journalism of the past – history is source analysis, it’s rigorous examination of your sources, it’s building a narrative out of a lot of information,” he said. “That’s why I think it’s more and more important to teach history to kids in school, because you’re teaching them really critical skills for today’s world.”

He also debunks some of the common misconceptions and depictions surrounding the events during the Wars of the Roses. “Not all of the Wars of the Roses is what we’ve been told by the Tudors – which is red rose vs. white rose. It’s not all like that, it’s been political, but in 1460 it becomes dynastic.”

He then explains how a series of battles back and forth culminates in “the bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil,” the Battle of Towton in 1461, in which 28,000 men are said to have been killed in a single day.

Watch the full interview for more intriguing facts about historical figures from this fascinating period.