Conn Iggulden
WARS OF THE ROSES
Book One: Stormbird
Watch the exclusive series trailer for Conn Iggulden’s incredible new book Stormbird here
Contents
Maps and Family Trees
List of Characters
Prologue
Part One
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Part Two
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Part Three
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Epilogue
Select Bibliography
Historical Note
Acknowledgements
Follow Penguin
WARS OF THE ROSES
Book One: Stormbird
In 1437, after years of regency, the pious and gentle Henry VI, the Lamb, comes of age and accedes to the English throne. His poor health and frailty of mind render him a weakling king – Henry depends on his closest men, spymaster Derry Brewer and William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, to run his kingdom.
Yet there are those, such as the Plantagenet Richard, Duke of York, who believe England must be led by a strong king if she is to survive. With England’s territories in France under threat, and rumours of revolt at home, fears grow that Henry and his advisers will see the country slide into ruin. With a secret deal struck for Henry to marry a young French noblewoman, Margaret of Anjou, those fears become all too real.
As storm clouds gather over England, King Henry and his supporters find themselves besieged abroad and at home. Who, or what, can save the kingdom before it is too late?
Conn Iggulden is one of the most successful authors of historical fiction writing today. Stormbird is the first book in his superb new series set during the Wars of the Roses, a remarkable period of British history. His previous two series, on Julius Caesar and on the Mongol Khans of Central Asia, describe the founding of the greatest empires of their day and were number one bestsellers. Conn Iggulden lives in Hertfordshire with his wife and children.
www.conniggulden.com
Also by Conn Iggulden
THE EMPEROR SERIES
The Gates of Rome
The Death of Kings
The Field of Swords
The Gods of War
The Blood of Gods
THE CONQUEROR SERIES
Wolf of the Plains
Lords of the Bow
Bones of the Hills
Empire of Silver
Conqueror
Blackwater
Quantum of Tweed
BY CONN IGGULDEN AND HAL IGGULDEN
The Dangerous Book for Boys
The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys: Things to Do
The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys: Things to Know
The Dangerous Book for Boys Yearbook
BY CONN IGGULDEN AND DAVID IGGULDEN
The Dangerous Book of Heroes
BY CONN IGGULDEN AND
ILLUSTRATED BY LIZZY DUNCAN
Tollins: Explosive Tales for Children
Tollins 2: Dynamite Tales
To Mark Griffith, a descendant of John of Gaunt.
Maps and Family Trees
Maps
England at the time of the Wars of the Roses
France
London
Family Trees
Royal Lines of England
House of Lancaster
House of York
House of Neville
House of Beaufort
Royal Lines of England
House of Lancaster
House of York
House of Neville
House of Beaufort
List of Characters
Albert Servant of de Roche family, in France
Master Allworthy Royal physician to Henry VI
Baron David Alton Officer in France, with William, Duke of Suffolk
Margaret of Anjou/Queen Margaret Daughter of René of Anjou, wife of Henry VI
Yolande of Anjou Margaret of Anjou’s sister
John, Louis and Nicholas of Anjou Margaret of Anjou’s brothers
Marie of Anjou Queen of France, aunt of Margaret of Anjou
René, Duke of Anjou Father of Margaret of Anjou
Henry Beaufort Cardinal, son of John of Gaunt, great-uncle of Henry VI
Edwin Bennett Man-at-arms to Baron Strange, France
Bernard Old friend of Thomas Woodchurch
Saul Bertleman (Bertle) Mentor of Derihew Brewer
Derihew (Derry) Brewer Spymaster of Henry VI
Captain Brown Officer defending the Tower of London against Jack Cade
Philip, Duke of Burgundy Offered sanctuary to William, Duke of Suffolk
John Burroughs Informant to Derry Brewer
Jack Cade Kentish rebel
Charles VII King of France, uncle of Henry VI
Lionel, Duke of Clarence Son of Edward III
Ben Cornish Present at hanging of Jack Cade’s son
John Sutton, Baron Dudley Present at ‘trial’ of William, Duke of Suffolk
Dunbar Kentish smith
Robert Ecclestone Friend of Jack Cade
Edward III King of England, great-great-grandfather of Henry VI
Flora Kentish innkeeper
Count Frederick Betrothed/husband of Yolande of Anjou
Thomas, Duke of Gloucester Son of Edward III
Hallerton Servant to Derry Brewer
Henry VI King of England, son of Henry V
Sir Hew Knight at Agincourt
Baron Highbury Vengeful lord, in Maine, France
Hobbs Sergeant-at-arms, Windsor
Alexander Iden Appointed sheriff of Kent
James Younger torturer in the Jewel House
Jonas Banner boy at Cade’s London Bridge crossing
Alwyn Judgment Magistrate, Kent
Edmund Grey, Earl of Kent Present at ‘trial’ of William, Duke of Suffolk
John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster Son of Edward III
Baron le Farges Part of French army, Maine, France
Sieur André de Maintagnes Knight in French army, Maine, France
Jean Marisse Officer of the court, Nantes
Paddy/Patrick Moran Friend of Jack Cade
Reuben Moselle Financier in Anjou
Sir William Oldhall Speaker of the House of Commons
John de Vere, Earl of Oxford Present at ‘trial’ of William, Duke of Suffolk
Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke Half-brother of Henry VI
Alice Perrers Mistress of Edward III
Ronald Pincher Kentish innkeeper
Captain Recine Soldier from Saumur Castle who arrested Reuben Moselle
Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond Half-brother of Henry VI
Richard Woodville, Baron Rivers Present in London during Cade assault
Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury Head of Nev
ille family, grandson of John of Gaunt
James Fiennes, Baron Say Present in London for Cade’s assault
Thomas de Scales, Baron Scales Present in London for Cade’s assault
Simone French maid at Saumur Castle
Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset Friend of William, Duke of Suffolk, supporter of Henry VI
Baron Strange Neighbour of Thomas Woodchurch in Maine, France
William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk Soldier and courtier who arranged the marriage of Henry VI and Margaret
Alice de la Pole, Duchess of Suffolk Wife of William, Duke of Suffolk, granddaughter of Geoffrey Chaucer
James Tanter Scottish supporter of Jack Cade
Ted Older torturer in the Jewel House
Sir William Tresham Speaker of the House of Commons
Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick Son of Earl of Salisbury, later known as the Kingmaker
Ralph Neville, Earl of Westmorland Present at Windsor hunt
Joan Woodchurch Wife of Thomas, mother of Rowan and two daughters
Rowan Woodchurch Son of Thomas and Joan
Thomas Woodchurch Farmer, archer, leader of Maine rebellion
Edmund of Langley, Duke of York Son of Edward III
Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York Head of House of York, great-grandson of Edward III
Cecily Neville, Duchess of York Wife of Richard, Duke of York, granddaughter of John of Gaunt
Prologue
Anno Domini 1377
Bowls of dark royal blood lay beneath the bed, forgotten by the physician. Alice Perrers rested on a chair, panting from the effort of wrestling the king of England into his armour. The air in the room was sour with sweat and death and Edward lay like his own effigy, pale and white-bearded.
There were tears in Alice’s eyes as she looked on him. The blow that had struck Edward down had come from a clear spring sky, unseen and terrible on a warm wind. Gently, she leaned forward and wiped spittle from the side of his drooping mouth. He had been so strong once, a man among men who could fight from dawn till dusk. His armour gleamed, yet it was marked and scarred like the flesh it covered. Underneath it, muscle and bone had wasted away.
She waited for him to open his eyes, unsure how much he still understood. His awareness came and went, moments of fading life that grew fewer and shorter as the days progressed. At dawn, he’d woken and whispered for his armour to be put on. The doctor had jumped up from his chair, fetching another of his filthy draughts for the king to drink. Weak as a child, Edward had waved away the stinking mixture, beginning to choke when the man continued to press the bowl against his mouth. Alice had felt her resolve firm when she saw that. Over the doctor’s furious protests, she’d shooed him out of the king’s rooms, snapping her apron at him and ignoring his threats until she was able to close the door on his back.
Edward had watched her lift his chain mail from the armour tree. He’d smiled for a moment, then his blue eyes had closed and he’d sagged back into the pillows. For the next hour, she’d grown pink at the labour, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand as she struggled with leather ties and metal, heaving the old man back and forth without his aid. Yet her brother was a knight and it was not the first time she’d dressed a man for war.
By the time she pulled the metal gauntlets over his hands and sat back, he was barely aware, groaning softly as he drifted. His fingers twitched on the crumpled blankets until she gasped and stood, realizing what he wanted. Alice reached out to the great sword standing against the wall of the room, having to use both arms to place it where his hand could take the hilt. There had been a time when Edward had wielded that blade as if it had no weight at all. She wiped hot tears as his hand closed on it in a spasm, the gauntlet creaking in the silence.
He looked like a king once more. It was done. She nodded to herself, pleased that when the time came, he would be seen as he had lived. Reaching for a comb from her pocket, she began to smooth out the white beard and hair, where they had become matted and tangled. It would not be long. His face drooped on one side as if warm wax had melted and his breath came in crackling gasps.
At twenty-eight, she was almost forty years younger than the king, but until his illness, Edward had been vigorous and strong, as if he might live for ever. He had ruled all her life and no one she knew could remember his father, nor the great Hammer of the Scots who had ruled before him. The Plantagenet family had left a mark on England and torn France apart in battles no one thought they could win.
Her comb snagged in his beard. Blue eyes opened at her touch and, from that ravaged body, her king looked up at her. Alice shuddered under the fierce gaze that had brought its own form of weakness in her for so long.
‘I am here, Edward,’ she said, almost in a whisper. ‘I am here. You are not alone.’
Part of his face pulled into a grimace and he raised his good left arm to grip her hand and lower it, with its comb held tight. Each breath was drawn roughly in and his skin flushed with the effort of trying to speak. Alice leaned close to hear the mush of words.
‘Where are my sons?’ he said, raising his head so that it left the pillow, then falling back. His right hand trembled on the sword hilt, taking comfort from it.
‘They are coming, Edward. I’ve sent runners for John, to bring him back from the hunt. Edmund and Thomas are in the far wing. They are all coming.’
As she spoke, she could hear a clatter of footsteps and the rumble of men’s voices. She knew his sons well and she prepared herself, knowing her moments of intimacy were at an end.
‘They will send me away, my love, but I will not go far.’
She reached down and kissed him on the lips, feeling the unnatural heat on his bitter breath.
As she sat back, she could make out the braying voice of Edmund, telling the other two of some wager he had made. She only wished the oldest brother could have been among them, but the Black Prince had died just a year before, never to inherit his father’s kingdom. She thought the loss of the heir to the throne had been the first blow that led to all the rest. A father should not lose sons before him, she thought. It was a cruel thing to bear, for man or king.
The door came open with a crash that made Alice start. The three men who entered all resembled their father in different ways. With the blood of old Longshanks running in them, they were some of the tallest men she had ever seen, filling the room and crowding her even before they spoke.
Edmund of York was slim and black-haired, glowering as he saw the woman sitting with his father. He had never approved of his father’s mistresses and, as Alice rose and stood meekly, his brows came down in a sour expression. At his side, John of Gaunt wore the same beard as his father, though it was still rich and black and cut to a sharp point that hid his throat from sight. The brothers loomed over their father, looking down on him as his eyes drifted closed once more.
Alice trembled. The king had been her protector while she amassed a fortune. She had grown wealthy from her association, but she was well aware that any one of the men in the room could order her taken on a whim, her possessions and lands forfeit on nothing more than their word. The title of Duke was still so new that no one had tested their authority. They stood over earls and barons almost as kings in their own right, finding their peers and equals only in that room, on that day.
Two heads of the five great houses were absent. Lionel, Duke of Clarence, had died eight years before, leaving only a baby daughter. The son of the Black Prince was a ten-year-old boy. Richard had inherited his father’s Duchy of Cornwall, just as he would inherit the kingdom itself. Alice had met both children and she only hoped Richard would survive his powerful uncles long enough to become king. In her private thoughts, she wouldn’t have wagered a penny on his chances.
The youngest of the three was Thomas, Duke of Gloucester. Perhaps because he was closest to her in age, he had always treated Alice kindly. He was the only one to acknowledge her as she stood and trembled.
‘I know you have been a
comfort to my father, Lady Perrers,’ Thomas said. ‘But this is a time for his family.’
Alice blinked through tears, grateful for the kindness. Edmund of York spoke before she could respond.
‘He means you should get out, girl,’ he said. He didn’t look at her, his gaze held by the figure of his father lying in his armour on the pale sheets. ‘Off with you.’
Alice left quickly at that, dabbing at her eyes. The door stood open and she looked back at the three sons standing over the dying king. She closed the door gently and sobbed as she walked away into the Palace of Sheen.
Alone, the brothers were silent for a long time. Their father had been the anchor on their lives, the one constant in a turbulent world. He had ruled for fifty years and the country had grown strong and rich under his hand. None of them could imagine a future without him.