The Kingmaker

England, 1461. Edward IV has won the Crown at Towton, but victory has not brought peace.

At the centre of the new Yorkist monarchy stands Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. His estates, military reputation, command of Calais and network of powerful relatives have made him the most influential nobleman in England. Warwick helped place Edward upon the throne, and many assume that the young king will continue to govern through his support.

Edward has other plans.

The king's secret marriage to Elizabeth Woodville introduces a large new family into court politics and destroys Warwick's diplomatic efforts to secure a foreign royal bride. Their disagreement deepens as Edward favours Burgundy while Warwick pursues an alliance with France. Disputes over patronage, marriage and access gradually transform partnership into rivalry.

Warwick responds by joining Edward's ambitious brother George, Duke of Clarence. Rebellion at Edgecote places the king in Warwick's custody, but the earl discovers that capturing a monarch is easier than governing without his cooperation.

A second failed rising drives Warwick and Clarence into exile, where an extraordinary agreement with Margaret of Anjou creates an alliance between former mortal enemies. In 1470 Warwick invades England, forces Edward to flee and restores Henry VI.

The Crown has changed hands, but the restored Lancastrian government remains dependent upon a fragile coalition.

Edward returns the following year. His rapid march from Ravenspur, reconciliation with Clarence and recovery of London lead to the decisive battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury. Warwick, Prince Edward of Lancaster and the remaining hopes of the old Lancastrian dynasty face violent destruction.

The Kingmaker examines the extraordinary decade in which Richard Neville helped make Edward IV king, overthrew him, restored Henry VI and finally faced the monarch he had once placed upon the throne.

This is Book Eight in The Last Plantagenets, a ten-volume narrative history of England from the Peasants' Revolt to the end of the Plantagenet dynasty.