IST 605: The Ruling Class of Britain

Edward IV was King of England and the first Yorkist King of England. The first half of his rule was marred by the violence associated with the Wars of the Roses, but he overcame the Lancastrian challenge to the throne at Tewkesbury in 1471 to reign in peace until his sudden death. The main strength of this book is its depiction of the War of the Roses and what this meant for the House of York. The main limitation of the book is that there are some points that Clive shows her biases towards, such as the assumption that “Edward was a frivolous young man”.

Memorable not for his life but his death, Edward V is probably better known as one of the Princes in the Tower, the supposed victim of his uncle, Richard III. Though he was never crowned, Edward reigned for 77 days until Richard made himself his nephew's Lord Protector before imprisoning him and his younger brother Richard in the Tower of London. Its strength is that the author clearly shows what Edward V represented to the monarchy and those with aspirations towards the crown, despite the young prince being so young and having such a short reign. The biggest limitation of this book is that it is so short, showing how little Edward V got to do in his lifetime.

Rather than looking at all the killings Richard III did not commit, this book focuses on the one judicial murder for which we know that he was responsible. On Friday, June 13, 1483, Lord Hastings was hustled from a meeting of the Royal Council and summarily executed on Tower Green within the confines of the Tower of London. This book’s biggest strength is that it discusses the one murder Richard III actually did, and how this set the precedent for his reputation and relationship with the rest of his family. It’s limitation is that it doesn’t discuss thing he actually did well, such as any laws he may have enacted or military contributions to the crown.