The Rise of the Tudors: The Family That Changed English History

British historian Skidmore retells the story of how the Tudor dynasty ascended from obscurity to the throne in late medieval England. It’s an incredible tale, made all the more remarkable by the fact that Henry VII became king of England in 1485 as much by accident as by design. The narrative begins 60 years earlier, with the affair between Henry V’s young widow, Catherine of Valois, and her servant, Owen Tudor, that produced Edmund Tudor, later the father of Henry VII. While Skidmore examines in depth the elites whose feuds and constantly shifting alliances shaped the course of history, his main emphasis is on Richard III, the last of the Plantagenet kings, whose remains were found beneath a Leicester car park in 2012. The day the Battle of Bosworth was waged is recounted in thorough detail, and Richard emerges as a man of courage, albeit a schemer who had usurped the throne and may have murdered his young nephews, only to be himself betrayed by those he trusted. Skidmore’s discussion of the archaeology of Bosworth and his postscript about the forensic evidence leading to the possibility that Richard was executed on the battlefield were particularly illuminating. (Jan.)