In The Pink

For some time now I have been trying to get the whole Lancaster vs York thing straight in my mind with regard to The War of the Roses. As most of the magnates involved are descended from Edward III (all credit to Phillipa of Hainault!) it is a family affair but I feel as though I want to choose sides. I just want to know who was right and who was wrong! Up until this point I have felt distinctly Lancastrian however through my recent readings I have discovered that while more knowledge makes some things clearer, it can also make things more complicated. I now understand the family tree for this period, and if I squint and really concentrate I can see it in my mind and follow the blood lines through. But both sides have done some really bad things, and not always for good reasons. Both sides have killed a King and it seems that almost everyone has plotted to kill one, except one poor soul who has been executed for plotting to kill one despite being innocent. It...

I am coming to a crucial bit in my Henry V book and am troubled. I have read about many English Kings now, some I like, some I don't, but I have tried to understand them all so that I may make my own opinion on their cause and justifications. I like Henry V, well at least I want to, but I do not believe in his cause. (Image Credit: Silva Animation ) I have always liked my warrior/ battle stories, and reading about a battle can be incredibly exciting when you believe in the perpetrator; when you don't it is a sad tale of events that wreak havoc on thousands of peoples lives, like a wave of suffering and destruction; and if there was one thing they knew how to do in medieval times it was make people suffer!  I think Henry's cause is misguided and believe him intelligent enough to have been able to change the course of events if he had considered the bigger picture and believed in himself.  Perhaps I am wrong; perhaps given his Father's unorthodox...

My current book and precious possession - History of the Kings of Britain, Geoffrey of Monmouth