Desmond Seward: 8 books

With the recent discovery of Richard III's remains, a newly-revised edition of the celebrated biography of England's most notorious king. With the victory of Henry Tudor, the usurping dynasty made an effort to besmirch the last Plantagenet’s reputation, and some historians claim that Richard’s...

A vivid and colorful history of the most dominant royal dynasty in English history, from Richard the Lionheart and Edward the Black Prince to Henry IV and Richard III The Plantagenets reigned over England longer than any other family—from Henry II to Richard III. Four kings were murdered,...

A brilliant new interpretation of one of the most dramatic periods of British history: the Tudor victory and their dynasty. One of the most dramatic periods of British history, the Wars of the Roses didn't end at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. Despite the death of Richard III and Henry VII's...

From 1337 to 1453 England repeatedly invaded France on the pretext that her kings had a right to the French throne. Though it was a small, poor country, England for most of those "hundred years" won the battles, sacked the towns and castles, and dominated the war. The protagonists of the Hundred Years...

Presenting a radical new look at Henry V—as a brilliant and brutal warmonger—this dynamic historical narrative will change our modern attitudes toward this warrior king. In the course of the Hundred Years War, Henry V was the English figure most responsible for the mutual antipathy that...

The story of an ambitious princess and heiress that captures this legendary medieval queen in all of her beauty and political intrigue. “A monstrous injurer of heaven and earth,” as Shakespeare referred to this powerful medieval matriarch, Eleanor of Aquitaine’s reign as England’s stormiest...

An Armchair Traveller's History of Apulia is the story of the heel of Italy - Puglia - as told by past and present day travellers. It has beautiful landscapes, cave towns and frescoed grotto churches, wonderful old cities with Romanesque cathedrals, Gothic castles and a wealth of Baroque architecture....

Apulia (or Puglia) is the heel of Italy, stretching down from the spur of the Italian boot. Its landscape is often very beautiful and it has wonderful old cities with Romanesque cathedrals, Gothic castles and a great wealth of Baroque architecture, together with 'rupestrian' churches that contain...