English Summary/英文概要： Gabriele Esposito offers a clear, concise overview of the Wars of the Roses, the complex series of civil wars that ravaged the Kingdom of England for three decades, from 1455 to 1487. Stemming from a rivalry between two cadet branches of the Plantagenet dynasty, the houses of York and Lancaster, which went back at least to 1377 (when Edward III’s death brought the 10 year old Richard II to the throne), open war began in 1455 with the First Battle of St Albans, a Yorkist victory over the forces of King Henry VI. The following decades were bloody and turbulent with recurrent fighting, culminating in Henry Tudor’s decisive victories at Bosworth in 1485 and (by then as Henry VII) at Stoke Field in 1487.

The author traces the convoluted course of this large-scale conflict, which involved not only England and Wales but also several other countries of Europe. Scotland and Ireland were directly affected by them, as well as the Kingdom of France (which played a prominent role in the final victory of Henry Tudor) and the Duchy of Burgundy (which supported the House of York). He describes and analyses in detail the organization and equipment of the various military contingents that took part in these wars, from the heavily-armoured men-at-arms to the celebrated longbowmen and not forgetting the various foreign mercenaries and allied contingents. As usual for the Armies of the Past series, there are dozens of full colour photographs of replica weapons, armour and costumes in use to illustrate the various types of troops.

Gabriele Esposito is an Italian researcher and a long-time student of military history, whose interests and expertise range widely over various periods. Most of his recent studies have been dedicated to the reconstruction of the organization, functioning and tactics of the armies across history; in each of his publications there is always some relevant space dedicated to the ’material culture’of the various armies taken into account and - more in particular - to the empirical science known as ’uniformology’. Gabriele is the author of numerous books on armies and uniforms and is a regular contributor to many specialized magazines in Italy, France, Netherlands and UK. His many previous works include Armies of Early Colonial North America 1607-1713; Armies of the Late Roman Empire 284-476; Armies of the Hellenistic States 323 BC to AD30; Armies of Celtic Europe 700 BC-AD 106; Armies of Ancient Greece, circa 500 BC to 338 BC; and The Macedonian Army of Philip II and Alexander the Great 359-323 BC, all published by Pen & Sword since 2018. He lives in southern Italy, near the ancient battlefield of Beneventum.