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Home / Historical Periods / Wars of the Roses / Yorkist England

Phase

Yorkist England

1461–1485 CE

Yorkist England began after Edward IV defeated Lancastrian forces and claimed the throne in 1461. His reign was marked by military victory, noble rivalry, marriage politics, exile, restoration, and the later crisis over his sons. Richard III’s seizure of power and defeat at Bosworth brought the Yorkist regime to an end.

This phase matters because it contains the most famous personal dramas of the Wars of the Roses. The Woodville marriage, Warwick’s rebellion, the Princes in the Tower, and Richard III’s reputation all belong here. It is a period where family loyalty and state power are almost impossible to separate.

Sharon Kay Penman’s The Sunne in Splendour, Philippa Gregory’s The White Queen and The Kingmaker’s Daughter, and Conn Iggulden’s later Wars of the Roses books are central for Yorkist fiction. The setting suits novels about contested memory, royal brothers, ambitious queens, vanished heirs, and the argument over Richard III.

Related people for Yorkist England

Anne Neville1456–1485 Arthur, Prince of Wales1486–1502 Edward IV1442–1483 Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales1453–1471 Edward V1470–1483 Elizabeth of York1466–1503 Elizabeth Woodville1437–1492 George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence1449–1478 Henry VI1421–1471 Henry VII1457–1509 Henry VIII1491–1547 James IV1473–1513 Joan of Arc1412–1431 John XXIII1370–1419 Lady Catherine Gordon1474–1537 Margaret Beaufort1443–1509 Margaret of Anjou1430–1482 Margaret of York1446–1503 Margaret Paston1422–1484 Perkin Warbeck1474–1499 Richard III1452–1485 Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick1428–1471 Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York1473–1483 Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York1411–1460 William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke1423–1469

Series

Series about Yorkist England (4 series)

Kathryn Swinbrooke Mysteries in Order

by Paul Doherty 7 books 4.4

The Kathryn Swinbrooke Mysteries follow a physician and apothecary working in Canterbury during the unsettled Yorkist years after the Wars of the Roses. Kathryn’s medical knowledge allows her to distinguish natural death from poisoning, injury and deliberate deception, while her independence brings her into investigations involving civic officials,…

Margaret Beaufort Mysteries in Order

by Paul Doherty 4 books 4.5

The Margaret Beaufort Mysteries begin in the aftermath of the Yorkist victories of 1471, when Edward IV controls the English crown and Margaret Beaufort’s son, Henry Tudor, survives in exile. Margaret cannot challenge the regime openly, so her household becomes a centre of guarded correspondence, covert alliances and…

The Tarnished Crown in Order

by C. F. Dunn 4 books 4.4

The Tarnished Crown follows Isobel Fenton, later Isobel Langton, and Robert Langton through the political reversals of Edward IV’s reign. Beginning with Warwick’s rebellion in 1469, the series places their struggle for Beaumoncote Manor, marriage and family security inside the conflicts that divide the Yorkist court and repeatedly…

Books

30 Best Novels About Yorkist England

Bestselling authors first, then star rating.

Non Fiction

1 Non-Fiction Book About Yorkist England

Histories, biographies and reference works are listed separately from the historical novels above.