Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville had 7 children who survived into adulthood. Anne, Duchess of Exeter, Kings Edward IV (1461–1483) and Richard III (1483–1485),Edmund, Earl of Rutland; Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk; Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy;and George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence.The House of Plantagenet was a royal house which originated in the French County of Anjou.The name Plantagenet is used by modern historians to identify 4 distinct royal houses: the Angevins, who were also Counts of Anjou; the main line of the Plantagenets following the loss of Anjou; and the houses of Lancaster and York, two of the Plantagenets cadet branches.The family held the English throne from 1154, with the accession of Henry II, until Richard III's death in 1485.The Plantagenet kings were often forced to negotiate compromises such as Magna Carta, which constrained royal power in return for financial and military support.The king was no longer just the most powerful man in the nation, controlling judgement, feudal tribute and warfare, but had defined duties to the realm,underpinned by a sophisticated justice system.A distinct national identity was shaped by their conflict with the French, Scots, Welsh and Irish, as well as by the establishment of Middle English as the primary language.In the 15th century, the Plantagenets were defeated in the Hundred Years' War and beset with social, political and economic problems.Revolts were commonplace.English nobles raised private armies, engaged in private feuds and openly defied Henry VI.The rivalry between the House of Plantagenet's 2 cadet branches of York and Lancaster culminated in the Wars of the Roses,a decades-long fight for the English succession,and brought about the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. Henry VII, a Lancastrian, became king of England; five months later he married Elizabeth of York,thus ending the Wars of the Roses and giving rise to the Tudor dynasty.The Daughters of York helped keep the Yorkist cause alive and fought for their family name.Anne,Elizabeth and Margaret were tenacious and had strength of character to forge ahead and pave the way for others.

This book chronicles the Wars of the Roses from the perspective of the daughters of Richard of York and Cecily Neville. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much to say about these women, so instead the book ends up being a cursory overview of the Wars of the Roses, beginning with Edward II (for some reason). The information about Edward II is based almost wholly on the play by Christopher Marlowe, which is fictional. It’s been thoroughly debunked as a biographical document by Kathryn Warner, for instance in her book “Edward II: His Sexuality and Relationships.” Given that Edward II had nothing to do with the Wars of the Roses, he shouldn’t have been included in the book, even if the content had been correct.

And this is the big problem with the book. It includes too much irrelevant information, further adding to the confusion created by all the names and dates and events of the Wars of the Roses. The book should have started with Richard of York and Cecily Neville, and stuck with their family, with the main focus on their daughters. The story of Richard III’s body being uncovered in the car park should not be in this book, for example, because the book isn’t about him. It’s just more information that distracts from the main narrative.

The book is at once too much and not enough: too much about the 150 years leading up to Bosworth Field, and not enough about the York daughters. The names and dates are overwhelming because they’re not meaningfully connected to the story. In fact, I’d go so far as to say there is no story in this book. It’s little more than a timeline of events. It’s well-researched, but it’s not engaging from a reader perspective.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

I would rate this 2.5 out of 5

I would like to thank Pen & Sword Publishing and Netgalley for a copy of this book.

Brief Summary: The lives of Anne, Elizabeth, and Margaret of York sisters to two English Kings, Edward IV and Richard III are discussed. Hodder examines these three women's lives from birth to death within the larger contexts of their prominent family and the Wars of the Roses.

Thoughts: I struggled with my thoughts about this book. Hodder's writing style is incredibly captivating and pleasurable to read. However, the book did not entirely focus on Anne, Elizabeth and Margaret. I would say that about 10% of this book included information relevant to these women directly. By directly I mean that it was a known event in these women's lives and/or first-hand evidence about each in the records.

That being said I enjoyed the discussion of these women within the context of the York family. I do think that by focusing on the women in the family. Hodder brought (some) new and interesting perspectives to the family that ended Plantagenet rule in England. The familial dynamics including the birth order of the York children are very interesting to read throughout the book. I felt that Hodder made an interesting case for why the family was so close and raised interesting questions about why George Duke of Clarence and Richard III turned on other members of the family.

That being said I had two main problems with this book. First, I felt that Hodder tried a little too hard to consider how Anne, Elizabeth, and Margaret must have felt about events. Hodder does say that there is no way to know, but I think that speculation particularly in this period is a bit of a fool's errand. Since there is no first-hand evidence of these women's thoughts coupled with the volatility of the time it is hard to determine any of their motivation.

The second problem I had with this book is that the last 15% of the book feels a bit more like a Ricardian examination of the period. There was a lot of supposition about why Richard made decisions that he did, that perhaps the Princes in the Tower did not die, and what the wider York family may or may not have known about both of these topics. I honestly lost interest in the book after a point because it just felt like a completely different book trying to determine exactly what happened to the Princes.

I did however finish the book. I do wish that there had been a little more information about Margaret of York and her relationship with the family she married into. I had not realized that she played such a pivotal role in the life of Philip of Burgandy and Margaret of Austria. I wish that there had been a little more exploration of that in the book, but the source evidence concerning Margaret may be simply not there.

Overall I think that this is an interesting book for anyone less familiar with the last Plantagenet dynasty. It introduces all of the key players and events while also highlighting a lot of the less prominent characters, such as Anne and Elizabeth along with their marital families.

Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death of a parent, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Murder, War, Toxic relationship, Miscarriage, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Adult/minor relationship

The story of the three Yorkists sisters - Anne, Elizabeth and Margaret - as told against the backdrop of the Wars of the Roses. And the story of the sisters is one full of persistence in keeping both the Yorkist cause and that of their family name, alive. With their mother Cecily, these three women were the great survivors of this tumultuous period in history.

Hodder provides the reader with a well-researched tome that covers off the events of the Wars of the Roses, whilst linking the lives of these women to both their family and the events.

That there may have been a perception that they had gone unremarked is only due to the fact that two of their brothers - Edward IV and Richard III - outshone them. However, they did not go completely unobserved - a careful historian or student of history will find all three women, scattered across the pages of numerous tomes. What Hodder does is bring this all under one book cover and puts their lives into context with events as their not only occurred but also how they impacted this particular family.

The keen reader of the Wars of the Roses history will enjoy this as will someone who is coming new into this period. There were many extraordinary women at this point in history - this is the story of three of them (four if you also count in their mother, Cecily).

Women in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance tend to get short shrift in historical sources. The sisters of English Kings Edward IV and Richard III are perfect examples of this. We know a decent amount about the youngest sister, Margaret of York, because she married one of Europe's wealthiest and most powerful princes, Charles, Duke of Burgundy. But her sisters, Anne and Elizabeth of York, are much less well known.

As members of the House of York, the sisters were all involved in the Wars of the Roses. Margaret was still unmarried when her brother Edward became king, and she became a marital prize. Her marriage to the Duke of Burgundy doesn't appear to have been happy, but it gave her the influence and power to be able to help her family when the war drove them from the throne.

Anne was married at age 6 to another child, who turned out to be an enemy of her family. Elizabeth seems to have had a happier marriage, but her family was deeply affected by the ongoing wars.

If you're not familiar with the Wars of the Roses, the author provides an excellent first chapter that gives an excellent introduction to the later Plantagenet kings and the wars between the houses of Lancaster and York. This is a complex story, and Sarah Hodder does a great job of setting the scene for the sisters' stories. This book is a fascinating look at some lesser known people from English royal history.

Princess Fuzzypants here: The three York sisters probably were on the cusp of some of the most momentous events of the 15th Century in England. They were at the heart of the War of the Roses as well as the transition from Plantagenet to Tudor Reigns. Not only sisters of Richard III, they were also sisters of Edward IV and aunts to the two lost princes. I say cusp because that was all women were allowed at that time but to varying degrees, they were able to make their own marks in history.

Obviously, a large part of the book covers the macro story of the jousting for power, the intrigues and the alliances and the marriages that were never for love but always for gain. When deep affection followed it was more luck than intent. The book covers a number of theories that have popped up and unlike some books, rather than state unequivocally such and such was a fact, unless there is documented proof that has survived, it is treated as conjecture. That may come off as a bit wishy washy for some or fair game for others. There is no doubt, the three women lived rich and privileged lives and were first hand witnesses to a turbulent time in English history.

Four purrs and two paws up.

I honestly and never heard about these Lady's, but boy was I glad to have found this book! The facts and story's of these fascinating women where very entertaining and engaging!!

*Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

History knows well Edward IV and Richard III, they have bold lives that make for interesting stories. We never hear about their sisters. When I saw there was a book about the lives of these women, I knew I had to read it. I was not disappointed. Hodder dives into all aspects of the three sisters lives giving background information and sources for so many different things that happened throughout their lives. I highly recommend this read!

Requested and received an eARC of <b>Sisters of Richard III: The Plantagenet Daughters of York</b> by Sarah J. Hodder via NetGalley. I’ve read plenty of material on the War of the Roses, including some great works that recount events in relation to the women associated with the time (Cecily Neville, Elizabeth Woodville & Elizabeth of York, Margaret Beaufort, etc) but nothing about the Edward IV/Richard III’s sisters so I was quite excited to explore this work. Anne, Elizabeth and Margaret (especially Margaret) made for very interesting subjects.

Hodder does a commendable job of setting the stage for the primary focus of her book. She offers a quick perusal of the Plantagents leading up to the War of the Roses, and details the importance of the Yorks/Nevilles so that anyone picking up this volume without prior knowledge of the history will be up to speed. Anne, although she had a successful second marriage, was faced with complicated men who would make some fairly poor decisions, but I was interested in her relationship with her brother, George. Elizabeth married John de la Pole, giving birth to an entire flock of children, some of whom would become quite burdensome for the Tudors. Most interestingly and most influential was Margaret, who would become Duchess of Burgundy.

There were a few moments of conjecture, but I think that’s to be expected. Tackling women in this era is certainly ambitious, particularly when their stories have been so completely erased (or not recorded) from history. Despite limited resouces, Hodder is still able to paint a compelling picture of her subjects. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this volume and it definitely helped to reinforce my knowledge of this particular period. Also, this fell sort of perfectly as my next nonfiction selection (whenever I get to it) is Lauren Johnson’s <b>The Shadow King<b/>, a biography of Henry VI , and will then be moving onto the Plantagent Brothers of York, Edward IV and Richard III.

The first point I should make is this is one of the few books I have read involving the women of history where they do feature. Yes, the author gives background, and that does have heavy involvement of the men involved during that time. I do believe that this is necessary, because the background of what was happening in the lives of the women is needed. And there is more information of what the men were doing, then the women.

Dates of when the women were born, where they were during various stages of their life, etc. are listed. And from this, there are speculations made. But not ones that are highly improbably. The author doesn't take liberties. It's more 'this is what occurring in the lives of the women, how would they feel?'. It isn't 'this is how they must have felt', but more empathy of what was affecting them, and how there are various ways they may have reacted to this.

It's very refreshing to read this. I don't feel as though 'the author's thoughts' are being stated as facts. These are possibilities of what the women might be feeling.

I have read multiple books on the House of York, before and during the Reign of Richard III. None of those have touch on the women, as they aren't viewed as interesting. But I have been curious of the lives of these women. It's why I'm glad that this author has written the book, as it's one that gives me a good overview of the time, but also gives possible further insight on the women of that time.

I would highly recommend this book, to be read along any other books of this time period. It's a great follow-up to this point in history, and further expands on it.

I would recommend that a physical copy of this book would be purchased, rather than the Kindle version. I found myself needing to return to the first couple of pages (for the Family Tree) in order to keep the various family members on track. It's a bit difficult with a kindle, and would be easier with a physical book.

"The daughters of York may have been outshone by their more famous brothers in the pages of our history books, but brought up alongside them, they more than matched them as representatives of their name, their lineage and as champions of the White Rose of York. This book is dedicated to them."

Hodder did a brilliant job bringing light to the lives of 3 women who usually get brushed aside for their famous brothers (Richard III, Edward IV, George, Duke of Clarence). Many women during this period have been lost to time, their stories not being worth recording, in the eyes of men around them. This lack of recorded history resulted in a lot of speculating that Anne, Margaret and Elizabeth "must have felt this way" or "its unknown of what they thought", etc. However this is of course no fault of Hodder's; it was an ambitious task to tell the stories of these women and Hodder did a terrific job working with the resources she had. She brought Anne, Margaret and Elizabeth to life on the pages, making the reader want to know more about these women, whose stories are seemingly lost to time. Margaret was a figure I had some previous knowledge on but not much, and I felt sadden by Anne's death, which occurred so much earlier in life than her other two sisters'.

I definitely recommend this to any history lovers, especially those fans of the Wars of the Roses and Tudor eras. It's a very readable nonfiction work, making it accessible to all, regardless of how much previous knowledge they may have on the subject. I look forward to reading more of this author's works.

Thanks to NetGalley, Sarah J Hodder, and Pen & Sword for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Sisters of Richard III in the return of an honest review. I received an advanced reader copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I have been attempting to learn more about the notorious Richard III. Did he kill the princes in the tower? That is a question that will most likely always remain a mystery. I enjoyed reading this book because it examines the lives of his three sisters Anne, Elizabeth, and Margaret. It is very short making it quick to read. What knowledge is known about them was put together well in this book.

An interesting look at the three sisters of Richard III, and how they were affected and also how they influenced history. At times though, the story did drag a bit, as the background was needed, but broke up the flow. Not sure how else it could have been done, as it is needed for those with limited background besides the Shakespeare plays. Still though, worth the read and one I highly recommend.

My first ARC copy of a book from #NetGalley and I finished it. Not long ago, I put a story up saying I was halfway through... Next thing I knew I had finished it. I was totally engrossed.

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

My thoughts:
*when I fished started it, I did get a little confused as they all have the same names to other people who I knew more about. So did do a bit of my own research to get things straight in my head.
*I didn't know much about the sisters before this so have learnt alot.
*part of me thinks Richard III did kill the princes in the tower, but then I also like the idea that one was still alive and came back... A bit of a conundrum there.
*I do find it amusing that Richard III's bones were found under a car park. Amusing might not be the right word.
*I liked the family tree at the end and would like to see a physical copy as my kindle one was a little small.

All in all, a good read for someone who enjoys the Tudors and War of the Roses.

@underthemedievaloaktree I will be looking out for more of your work. Also thankyou for the heart and the follow!

#SistersofRichardIII

If a book is advertising that it is about the Sisters of Richard III, it should not begin with information about a man. It lost me as soon as I started. I understand that people in history need to include the historical context around them, but there has to be a better way.

I really enjoyed this, I really didn't know anything about Richard III's time in history. This had everything that I was hoping for and thought the history elements had a great overall feel to this book. I thought Sarah J Hodder wrote this perfectly and was well-researched. It felt like the sisters were brought to life.

History was written by the men, but women played their own roles, if not more than the men.

Sisters of Richard III Plantagenet Daughters of York by Sarah Hodder is a non-fiction book that focus on three women who were players in the War of the Roses. Anne of York, Elizabeth of York (not to be confused with Princess Elizabeth of York, who became the Tudor Queen), and Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy were the sisters of two kings, aunts to (possibly) two kings, and great Aunt to a third.

Margaret of Burgundy is the more well known sister of the three, having been married by her brother Edward IV to the Duke of Burgundy, despite (or in spite depending on how you look at it) the wishes of the Earl of Warwick, known as the Kingmaker. She advocated for the rights of York from afar, and when her brother Richard III was toppled at the battle of Bosworth, she took the charge against Henry VII, sending multiple (maybe even real) “nephews” against the king to restore York to the throne. She had a hand in the marriage of her step daughter, helped rule the duchy for many years, and held her own against the male rulers of the day. Both Anne and Elizabeth of York married nobles who were loyal to their brother Edward IV, and lived out their lives as players in his court and then that of Richard III, and then tried to survive the reign of the first Tudor king.

While this is not the fault of the author in anyway, it is hard to write a book on women on who there is not full documentation on their lives from start to finish. All three women were born in a time where woman were lucky to even have their death date recorded, and certainly not their birth. Many women have been lost to time, finding themselves recorded in history on a slat of stone with the date of death and their relationship to a man as the only proof they lived. And so, in writing a novel about these three women, it is inevitable that a majority of their stories focus on the men who their lives focused on. Hodder did a wonderful job with the material she had available, and the book does not read like some stiff history text book. She gives life to these women, and makes me want to know more about them.

Thank you so much to Pen & Sword Publishing and NetGalley for the E-ARC.

I love this period of time and loved reading more about the sisters of Richard III, the king who seemed to be cursed due to the lost Princes in the Tour. I enjoyed the well written and told story of his sisters as they went onto become well known women in history, powerful women especially Maggie who became Queen of Scotland - someone I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of.

A fanastic journey into the past with Sarah's storytelling of a period after The War of the Roses or the Hundred Years War before the Tudors came along.