The Rise of the Tudors

Chris Skidmore's "The Rise of the Tudors: The Family That Changed English History" offers a detailed and engaging account of the events leading up to and including the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, the clash that brought Henry Tudor to the English throne and ended the reign of Richard III. Rather than treating Bosworth as an isolated moment, Skidmore situates it within the broader, tangled context of the Wars of the Roses, tracing the fortunes of the Tudor and Plantagenet lines through decades of shifting alliances, betrayals, and battlefield reversals.

One of the book's strengths lies in its narrative pacing. Skidmore, a historian with a background in both academic research and political life, writes with the kind of momentum more often associated with popular fiction than scholarly history. He builds tension steadily, moving from the fractured aftermath of the Wars of the Roses to the tense years of exile that Henry Tudor spent in Brittany and France, before culminating in the decisive confrontation at Bosworth Field. The result is a book that reads briskly while still respecting the complexity of the period.

Skidmore draws on a wide range of primary sources, including chronicles, letters, and financial records, to reconstruct the political maneuvering that shaped the era. He pays particular attention to the roles played by lesser-known figures whose decisions had outsized consequences, such as the shifting loyalties of the Stanley family, whose intervention at Bosworth proved decisive. This attention to secondary players adds texture to a story that could easily be reduced to a simple contest between two men vying for a crown.

The portrayal of Richard III is handled with a degree of nuance that avoids the caricature sometimes found in popular accounts. Skidmore does not shy away from documenting the controversial aspects of Richard's rise to power, including the fate of the Princes in the Tower, but he also acknowledges the uncertainties that surround these events. This balanced approach extends to his treatment of Henry Tudor, whose claim to the throne was, by any objective measure, tenuous. Skidmore is careful to present Henry not as a predestined hero but as a calculating and often fortunate participant in a chaotic political landscape.

The book also benefits from Skidmore's attention to the broader social and military context of fifteenth-century England. Descriptions of the logistics of raising an army, the diplomatic negotiations with foreign powers, and the day-to-day realities of noble life help ground the political drama in a tangible historical setting. Readers unfamiliar with the intricacies of the Wars of the Roses will find enough background provided to follow the narrative without feeling lost, while those with more knowledge of the period will appreciate the depth of research on display.

If there is a criticism to be made, it is that the sheer number of names, titles, and shifting alliances can, at times, become difficult to track. This is perhaps an unavoidable consequence of the period itself, which was marked by rapid changes in fortune and frequent changes of allegiance among the nobility. A reader new to the subject may benefit from keeping notes or referring back to earlier chapters to keep track of the various families and their competing claims.

Despite this minor challenge, the book succeeds in its central aim: to illuminate how a relatively obscure Welsh noble family managed to seize the English throne and establish a dynasty that would shape the course of English history for over a century. Skidmore's account makes clear that the Tudor rise to power was neither inevitable nor straightforward, but rather the product of specific decisions, alliances, and a fair measure of luck.

Overall, "The Rise of the Tudors" stands as a well-researched and accessible entry point into one of the most consequential periods in English history. It is likely to appeal both to readers new to the Wars of the Roses and to those already familiar with the period who are looking for a focused account of the events surrounding Bosworth and the founding of the Tudor dynasty.