The Wars of the Roses for A Level:
Books, Videos, Talks, Blogs and Websites
More resources for teaching the Wars of the Roses at A level.
In Our Time
The Radio 4 series has featured programmes on The Wars of the Roses, Margaret of Anjou and the Battle of Bosworth plus topics on the literature and arts of the period.
See the series HERE …
Professor Anne Curry on Agincourt and Bosworth
Professor Curry compares the battles of Agincourt and Bosworth, what we know and what we don’t know. The talk is split into two halves which you can find on You Tube:
Watch Part 1: HERE …
Watch Part 2: HERE …
The Battle of Mortimer’s Cross
A talk by Dr Sean Cunningham, plus other talks on this battle – scroll down the menu of Mortimer History Society talks on-line to find them.
See the menu of online talks HERE …
Armour and Weapons by Dr Tobias Capwell
A set of films featuring Dr Tobias Capwell, one of the leading authorities on late medieval armour, linked to the armour and weapons in the Wallace Collection in London.
Armour and arrows part 1 (14 mins) HERE …
Armour and arrows part 2 (22 mins) HERE …
Helmets etc (30 mins) HERE …
Use of poll-axes (16 mins) HERE …
Plus a talk on plate armour by Dr Capwell HERE …
And 2 minutes of snippets of film showing re-enactors running, jumping and leaping up in full armour HERE …
Medieval Lives: Births, Marriages and Deaths in the later Middle Ages
A DVD containing three one-hour programmes made by Dr Helen Castor for BBC TV.
Available e.g. on Amazon.
History of Parliament Blogs and Website
The research historians at the History of Parliament Trust write regular blogs linked to their work on The Commons in the Wars of the Roses, for example on the battles of Blore Heath, Mortimer’s Cross and Towton, on the 1459 Parliament and many other topics.
The website also contains articles on the history of parliament and on individual MPs.
Visit the website HERE …
The Paston Letters Website
The website of the HLF-funded project on the Paston family, containing transcripts of numerous letters, 3D models of some of the Pastons’ homes and much else.
Visit the website HERE …
You can also find my introduction to the Paston family, the letters and teaching possibilities, including at A level HERE …
The Historical Association
The HA site can be hard to navigate but there’s a lot of useful material lurking there.
A filmed talk by Professor Steven Gunn on Henry VII and English Royal Authority
Podcasts by Professor Michael Hicks on The Wars of the Roses and on Richard III, by Professor Anne Curry on Henry VI and by Dr Sean Cunningham on Henry VII
Articles by Professor Carole Rawcliffe on The Insanity of Henry VI (from The Historian) and by Professor John Watts on The Wars of the Roses (from Teaching History – Polychronicon series)
Visit the website HERE …
Reviews in History Website
This is part of the Institute of Historical Research website. The reviews give the reviewer’s thoughts on the book but also set out in detail the core points that the book has made.
Reviews include:
Helen Maurer, Margaret of Anjou: Queenship and Power in Late Medieval England reviewed by Joanna Laynesmith
Michael Hicks, The Wars of the Roses, reviewed by John Watts
Sean Cunningham, Henry VII, reviewed by John Watts
Steven Gunn, Henry VII’s New Men and the Making of Tudor England, reviewed by Christine Carpenter
Visit the website HERE …
Dictionary of National Biography Online
Detailed biographies of everyone who appears in an A level course, written by research historians.
As examples, the entry on Edward IV by Rosemary Horrox prints out at 17 pages, that on Warwick by Tony Pollard runs to 15 pages so these are substantial articles combining a core narrative of the life with interpretation.
Free access is available through many local authority library cards.
Visit the DNB website HERE …
Richard III Society
Detailed articles on The Wars of the Roses, the politics, battles and rebellions and of Richard III and his family. Contributors include Professor Michael Hicks and Dr Joanna Laynesmith.
The website also provides The Ricardian, the Society’s journal.
Visit the website HERE …
Tudor Chamber Books
The expense and receipt books of the King’s Chamber, covering 1485 to 1521. They reveal the financial decisions made by monarchs, their purchases and the politics and finances of kingship. Resources for A level were created by staff at Farnborough Sixth Form College.
Visit the website HERE …
British History Online
Major collections of sources including the Rolls of Parliament, though much of the material requires a subscription.
Visit the website HERE …