The Rise of York: 3

Before the House of York could seize the crown, one man had to make it a credible alternative to Lancaster.Richard, Duke of York, was born with royal blood, immense estates and a hereditary claim that reached back through the Mortimers to Edward III. Yet for most of his life he served the Lancastrian monarchy rather than challenge it.The Rise of York follows the remarkable transformation of England's greatest magnate from royal servant to claimant for the crown.From an orphaned childhood beneath the shadow of treason, Richard inherited the dukedom of York, the vast Mortimer estates and a place near the centre of English politics. His marriage to Cecily Neville connected him to a powerful family network, while service in France and Ireland gave him military experience, political authority and growing frustration with the government of Henry VI.As England lost its French empire and royal government weakened, York's rivalry with Somerset intensified. His demands for reform led to confrontation at Dartford, two protectorates, the First Battle of St Albans and an increasingly powerful alliance with Salisbury and Warwick.Defeat at Ludford forced York into exile. His return in 1460 changed everything.At Westminster, Richard finally made the claim that had shadowed his career for decades.The Act of Accord recognised him as heir to Henry VI.Weeks later, at Wakefield, he was dead.Richard of York never became king. His son would.The Rise of York is Book Three of The Wars of the Roses, a ten-volume narrative history of the dynastic conflict that transformed fifteenth-century England.