This is the story of two very different men, Richard III, the last Plantagenet King of England, and Henry Tudor and how they met in battle on 22 August 1485 at Bosworth Field.The Battle of Bosworth, along with Hastings and Naseby, is one of the most important battles in English history and, on the death of Richard, ushered in the age of the Tudors. This book, using contemporary sources, examines their early lives, the many plots against Richard, and the involvement of Henry’s mothe...

Three battles that shook the British Isles and changed the course of world history. Three renowned experts each take up one crucial day when the future of the throne, or Europe itself, hung in the balance.Hastings 1066In 1066, a foreign invader won the throne of England in a single battle and changed not only the history of the British Isles, but that of Christendom, forever. Harold Godwinson’s army, exhausted from their victory against an invading...

Bosworth marked the end of the reign of Richard III and the rise of the Tudor dynasty.Bosworth Field saw the two great dynasties of the day clash on the battlefield: the reigning House of York, led by Richard III, against the rising House of Tudor, led by Henry Tudor, soon to become Henry VII.On August 22, 1485, this penultimate battle in the War of the Roses was fought with the might of the Yorkists ranged against Henry Tudor’s small army. This book descri...

This is the definitive military history of the Civil Wars which swept the British Isles from 1642 to 1649.The martial aspects of the wars are covered in detail along with a comprehensive overview of the religious and political dimensions which shaped the armies involved in the conflict. This excellent single volume history is the perfect introduction to the military history of this turbulent decade which shaped the destiny of the British Isles.This book is part of the Military History From...

The bestselling complete history of the British Navy - our national story through a different prism.The story of our navy is nothing less than the story of Britain, our culture and our empire. Much more than a parade of admirals and their battles, this is the story of how an insignificant island nation conquered the world's oceans to become its greatest trading empire. Yet, as Ben Wilson shows, there was nothing inevitable about this rise to maritime domination, no...

Most people know that Britain was invaded by the Romans, by the Vikings and by the Normans. Many will know about the Spanish Armada, launched by Philip II in 1588 to bring Protestant England to submission. But fewer people know that Philip launched a second armada in 1596 or that invasion plans were drawn up by the French in 1692, 1708, 1743, 1756, 1759, 1796 and 1801, and by the French together with the Spanish in 1779. In 1719, Spanish troops even landed in Scotland. Charles XII and Pete...

In this compelling book, Richard Holmes tells the exhilarating story of the Duke of Wellington, Britain's greatest ever soldier.Seeing Wellington as a remarkable figure, Holmes follows his career from the ruins of his family seat in Ireland to the plains of India where Wellesley first gained his reputation as a brilliant commander, to the horrors of the Peninsular War and Waterloo.Combining his astute historical analysis with semi-biographical examination, Holmes artfully i...

Perched atop a tall promontory and surrounded on three sides by the treacherous St. Lawrence River, Quebec City forms an almost impregnable natural fortress. But in 1759, with the Seven Years War raging around the globe, the capital city of New France came under attack. With the irascible British general James Wolfe in command, a force of more than 100 ships carrying nearly 9,000 men navigated the river, scaled the cliffs, and laid siege to the town in an audacious attempt to expel the Fre...

Bestselling military historian Richard Holmes delivers an expertly written and exhilarating biography of John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough and Britain's finest soldier.Charting Churchill’s rise to favour to lead his country to glory, cementing its position as a major player on the European stage and saviour of the Holy Roman Empire, Holmes paints a portrait of a man who combined passion, avarice and duplicity in his personal life with tenacity and utter brilliance on the batt...

John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, is one of the great commanders of history.Using his great charm and diplomatic skills he was able to bind troops from various European states into a cohesive army that won a string of victories over the French armies of King Louis XIV, the first of which was perhaps his most spectacular triumph – the battle of Blenheim. Other great victories followed, but political and social turmoil proved harder opponents to defeat.

Five hundred million years of Scottish history from the author of Arthur and the Lost Kingdoms: "Deserves a prominent place in the history canon" ( Scots Magazine).Covering the Ice Age to the recent Scottish Referendum, the acclaimed historian and author explores the history of the Scottish nation. Focusing on key moments such as the Battle of Bannockburn and the Jacobite risings, Moffat also features other episodes in history that are perhaps les...

A historian of the English Civil Wars shares a fascinating study of the seventeenth century New Model Army, examining its formation, tactics, and significance.The New Model Army was one of the best-known and most effective armies ever raised in England. Oliver Cromwell was both its greatest battlefield commander and the political leader whose position depended on its support. In this meticulously researched and accessible new study, Keith Roberts describes how Cromw...