Table Of ContentUsurpers, A New Look
at Medieval Kings
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Usurpers, A New Look
at Medieval Kings
Michele Morrical
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First published in Great Britain in 2021 by
Pen & Sword History
An imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
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Copyright © Michele Morrical 2021
ISBN 978 1 52677 950 2
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Contents
Introduction vii
Part I: William the Conqueror (1066–1087) 1
1 The Anglo-Saxons 3
2 William the Bastard 7
3 The Norman Invasion 16
4 The Subjugation of England and Normandy 23
5 Family Betrayal 27
6 The Domesday Book 29
7 Was William the Conqueror a Usurper? 31
Part II: King Stephen (1135–1154) 33
8 The Empress Matilda 35
9 Stolen Crown 42
10 Almost Queen of England 48
11 The Anarchy Continues 52
12 Changing of the Guard 57
13 Henry’s Final Invasion 60
14 Was King Stephen a Usurper? 62
Part III: King Henry IV (1399–1413) 65
15 Edward III and the Succession Problem 67
16 Rival Cousins 72
17 The Lords Appellant 77
18 Henry’s Invasion 82
19 Was Henry IV a Usurper? 88
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vi Usurpers, A New Look at Medieval Kings
Part IV: King Edward IV (1461–1470 & 1471–1483) 91
20 The Inept King Henry VI 93
21 The Wars of the Roses 98
22 The Rose of Rouen 107
23 The First Reign of Edward IV 115
24 Warwick’s Rebellion 121
25 The Second Reign of Edward IV 128
26 Was Edward IV a Usurper? 131
Part V: Richard III (1483–1485) 133
27 Loyalty Binds Me 135
28 The Unravelling of George, Duke of Clarence 141
29 The Road to the Throne 146
30 Unsteady Crown 151
31 Fall of the Last Plantagenet King 158
32 Was Richard III a Usurper? 162
Part VI: Henry VII (1485–1509) 165
33 The Tudors and Beauforts 167
34 Henry’s Childhood and the Wars of the Roses 177
35 The Rise of Richard III 185
36 Henry Tudor’s Invasion 193
37 Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck 199
38 Henry’s Last Years 208
39 Was Henry VII a Usurper? 212
Conclusion 214
Acknowledgements 217
Notes 218
Bibliography 234
Index 238
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Introduction
n the Middle Ages, England had to contend with a string of usurpers
Iwho deposed reigning kings and seized power for their own houses,
thereby disrupting the British monarchy and ultimately changing the
course of English history. There have been many infamous usurpers to come
out of medieval England including William the Conqueror, King Stephen,
Henry Bolingbroke, Edward IV, Richard III, and Henry Tudor. But did
they really deserve the title of usurper or were they unfairly vilified by biased
chroniclers and royal propaganda?
In this book we will examine the lives of six medieval kings, the
circumstances that brought each man to power, and whether or not they
really usurped their thrones. Along the way readers will hear stories of some
of the most fascinating and daring people from medieval Europe, including
Empress Matilda, the first woman who nearly succeeded at becoming queen
of England; Eleanor of Aquitaine, the queen of both France and England;
the cruel reign of Richard II which caused his own family to revolt against
him; the struggle between Henry VI, Margaret of Anjou, Richard of York,
and Edward IV during the Wars of the Roses; Richard III and his monstrous
reputation as a child-killer; and Henry VII, who came out of obscurity and
established arguably the most famous royal family of all: the Tudors.
The reader might be surprised to know that not all these kings were really
usurpers, at least not in this author’s opinion. The purpose of this book is to
correct popular misconceptions and long-held beliefs about these six kings
who have been traditionally labeled as usurpers. One of the most difficult
aspects of doing historical research during this time period is the lack of
trustworthy sources, or sometimes the lack of any sources at all. Notably,
you have the chroniclers who are clearly biased, perhaps even hired by a
king to write the official history of their reign, so it’s important to take
those accounts with a grain of salt. To unravel the truth, I have relied on a
variety of sources, including medieval chroniclers, vintage biographies from
the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, and the newest research
by modern-day historians for the most accurate, up-to-date information we
have on the lives of these infamous medieval kings of England.
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Part I
William the Conqueror (1066–1087)
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