The Wars of the Roses covers the period that begins with the accession of Henry IV, the first Lancastrian king, in 1399, and ends with the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. While the principle of hereditary monarchy had been established in the Middle Ages, Henry's claim to the crown was to bedevil the rule of England for nearly 100 years. Anthony Cheetham not only brings to life the politics of succession and the ensuing war, he also creates a strong sense of the strengths, weaknesses and convictions of the monarchs: from the guilt-ridden Henry IV, whose reign was beset by enormous troubles, yet who nonetheless passed his kingdom intact to Edward IV, to Richard III, most argued-over of English kings and the last to die in battle. Their striking biographies are interwoven with the significant political and religious events of the period to create a succinct, thorough and entertaining volume.