Note on roses: One of the symbols of the house of York is a white rose. Richard of York also used a falcon and a boar. Both Henry VI and Margaret used a swan as a symbol.
The red rose was one of many heraldic symbols for the house of Lancaster (from John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster). The concept of a war between the roses is a Tudor invention and there was no sense of white versus red at the time. The actual struggle was between different male lines from Edward III: men of great power, who were all in reach of the throne. Yet it was King Henry VI’s weakness that made his enemies bold and plunged the country into civil war.
Conn Iggulden
London, 2013
Acknowledgements
Thanks are due to Victoria Hobbs, Alex Clarke and Tim Waller, skilful guides for each stage of the book’s development. Any errors that remain are my own. Thanks are also due to Clive Room, who accompanied me to castles and cathedrals, demonstrating a vast knowledge of the period. I just couldn’t stop him.
THE BEGINNING
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First published 2013
Copyright © Conn Iggulden, 2013
The moral right of the author has been asserted
Cover illustration by Vince McIndoe
Series title type by Charles Stewart
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ISBN: 978-0-718-19633-2