For thirty years, two branches of the same royal family tore England apart over a single crown. Conn Iggulden’s Wars of the Roses series turns that bloody, tangled family feud into four fast-moving novels, following the rise and fall of kings, queens, earls and spies from the 1440s to the field of Bosworth.
If you have ever wanted to understand how England went from the triumph of Agincourt to the first Tudor king, this is the most readable way in. The Wars of the Roses by Conn Iggulden is a complete series of four books, and this guide covers the right reading order, the confusing UK and US titles, the history behind each novel, and what to read once you reach the end.
Readers come to this series for the battles, which are some of the most visceral Iggulden has written. They stay for the characters: a gentle, fragile king, a fierce young queen who refuses to let his crown go, and a spymaster who is always three moves ahead of everyone else.
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Quick Series Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Author | Conn Iggulden |
| Number of Books | 4 (complete) |
| First Book | Stormbird (2013) |
| Latest Book | Ravenspur (2016) |
| Setting | England and France, 1440s to 1485 |
| Genre | Historical fiction, military and political |
| US Title Differences | Trinity is Margaret of Anjou in the US; Ravenspur is subtitled Rise of the Tudors |
| Series Status | Complete |
Wars of the Roses Books in Publication Order
Publication order is the recommended way to read the Wars of the Roses. The four books tell one continuous story, and each opens more or less where the last one closed. Iggulden builds his fictional characters and his historical figures across all four novels, so reading out of order means walking into the middle of relationships, rivalries and grudges without knowing where they came from.
The good news is that publication order and chronological order are exactly the same here. There are no prequels, no side novels and no short stories to slot in.
1. Stormbird (2013)
Setting: England and English-held France, 1440s to 1450
Summary: King Henry V, the hero of Agincourt, is long dead, and his son Henry VI is a pious, gentle young man who has none of his father’s appetite for war. To buy peace with France, the king’s spymaster Derry Brewer and the Duke of Suffolk arrange a secret bargain: Henry will marry the young French noblewoman Margaret of Anjou, and England will quietly hand back the counties of Maine and Anjou. When the terms leak out, English settlers in France are driven from their homes, anger boils over in Kent and London, and Richard, Duke of York, begins to wonder whether a weak king deserves to keep his throne.
Stormbird is the setup novel, and it moves between the royal court, the English farms in Maine and the rebel bands of Kent. The US edition was published in 2014 under the same title.
2. Trinity (2014)
US title: Margaret of Anjou (2015)
Setting: England, 1454 to 1460
Summary: King Henry VI has fallen into a strange, silent illness and lies unresponsive at Windsor. With the king unable to rule, Richard of York is named Protector of the Realm, and Queen Margaret must fight to protect her husband’s crown and her infant son’s future. The title refers to the alliance at the heart of the book: York and his Neville allies, the Earl of Salisbury and his son the Earl of Warwick, three powerful men who between them command much of England.
When the king unexpectedly recovers, the balance of power shifts overnight, and the quarrel between the two sides turns from politics to open war. This is the novel where the Wars of the Roses properly begin, with the first battles on English soil.
Title note: Trinity and Margaret of Anjou are the same book. Do not buy both.
3. Bloodline (2015)
Setting: England, winter 1461 to 1470
Summary: In the bitter winter of 1461, the Duke of York is dead, and Margaret of Anjou’s northern army is the strongest force in the kingdom. But York’s eldest son, Edward, is a giant of a young man and a natural soldier, and he claims the crown for himself. What follows includes Towton, the largest and bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil, and then the more dangerous business of keeping a throne once it has been won.
As Edward settles in as king, the alliances that carried him to power start to crack. Bloodline is the novel about families, both the royal houses at war and the ties inside them that bind and betray. The US edition kept the title Bloodline and was published in 2016.
4. Ravenspur (2016)
US title: Ravenspur: Rise of the Tudors (2017)
Setting: England and exile, 1470 to 1485
Summary: The year is 1470, and a divided kingdom cannot stand. King Edward has been driven out of England, his queen and children are hiding in sanctuary at Westminster Abbey, and the House of Lancaster holds the crown once more. Edward and his brother Richard gather a small, battered army and land at Ravenspur on the Yorkshire coast, determined to take back the throne.
Neither brother sees the threat growing in exile: a young Welsh claimant named Henry Tudor. The novel carries the story all the way to the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, the moment that ended the Plantagenet century and began the Tudor age.
Title note: Some US listings show the full title Ravenspur: Rise of the Tudors. It is the same fourth book.
UK and US Titles at a Glance
Because the US editions came out a year or so after the UK ones, and two of the four had their titles changed, it is easy to end up with a duplicate. Use this table before you buy.
| # | UK Title (Year) | US Title (Year) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stormbird (2013) | Stormbird (2014) |
| 2 | Trinity (2014) | Margaret of Anjou (2015) |
| 3 | Bloodline (2015) | Bloodline (2016) |
| 4 | Ravenspur (2016) | Ravenspur: Rise of the Tudors (2017) |
Some older UK paperbacks also carry the series name as part of the title, as in Wars of the Roses: Stormbird. The text inside is the same.
Upcoming or Announced Books
The Wars of the Roses series is complete. Ravenspur ends at Bosworth, which is the natural end of the conflict, and Iggulden has not announced any further books set in this period.
His more recent work has moved back to the ancient world. After the Wars of the Roses he wrote about classical Greece in the Athenian and Golden Age books, and then returned to Rome with his Nero Trilogy, which concluded in 2026.
Chronological Order vs Publication Order
The two orders are identical. Iggulden wrote the series in a straight line, and every book picks up the story roughly where the previous one left off:
- Stormbird (1440s to 1450)
- Trinity / Margaret of Anjou (1454 to 1460)
- Bloodline (1461 to 1470)
- Ravenspur / Ravenspur: Rise of the Tudors (1470 to 1485)
Our recommendation: Read them in the order above. There is no benefit to jumping ahead, and the payoffs in Ravenspur depend on everything Iggulden plants in the first three books.
Companion Novels and Short Stories
There are no novellas, short stories or spin-offs attached to the Wars of the Roses series. It is four novels and nothing more, which makes it one of the easiest complete series to collect.
If you want more Iggulden in a nearby period, the closest match is his standalone novel Dunstan (2017), which is set centuries earlier in Anglo-Saxon England but shares the same interest in kings, churchmen and the price of power. It is not connected to this series.
The four books are also widely sold as a boxed set, often listed as the Wars of the Roses 4 Book Collection. If you know you will read all four, the set is usually the cheapest way to buy them.
About the Wars of the Roses Series
Series Overview
The series covers roughly forty years of English history, from the court of Henry VI in the 1440s to Henry Tudor’s victory at Bosworth in 1485. That is the whole arc of the Wars of the Roses, from its political origins to its final major battle, in four novels of around 450 to 500 pages each.
Iggulden tells the story from both sides. Lancaster and York each get their heroes, their villains and their tragedies, and the reader is rarely asked to pick a team. Instead, the novels show how ordinary ambition, family loyalty and wounded pride turned a quarrel at court into a generation of civil war.
The Main Characters
The historical cast includes Henry VI, Margaret of Anjou, Richard of York, the Nevilles of Salisbury and Warwick, Edward IV, his brothers George and Richard, and eventually Henry Tudor. Iggulden gives Margaret an especially strong voice. She arrives as a teenage bride in a foreign country and becomes one of the most formidable political players of the century.
Alongside the real figures are two major fictional characters. Derry Brewer is the king’s spymaster, a former soldier with a gift for manipulation and a dry sense of humour, and he is many readers’ favourite character in the series. Thomas Woodchurch is an English archer turned settler in France, whose story shows the cost of royal decisions for ordinary families.
Themes and Appeal
At its heart, this is a series about power and what it does to people. A saintly king who cannot rule, a capable duke who may or may not have the right to, a brilliant queen fighting for her son, and a kingmaker who discovers that making kings is easier than controlling them.
It is also a series about brothers and families. The same family ties that give each side its strength become the weak points that its enemies can exploit, and by the final book the question is not just which house will win, but who will be left standing.
Iggulden’s Approach
Iggulden writes in short, punchy scenes that cut between characters and locations. His battles are brutal and physical, with a clear sense of the ground, the weather and the weapons. Readers who know his Emperor and Conqueror books will recognise the style.
Each novel ends with a historical note explaining where the story follows the record and where Iggulden has invented, compressed or reordered events. These notes are worth reading, because they turn the novels into a genuine introduction to the period.
What Makes the Wars of the Roses Series Special
- Both sides get a fair hearing: Neither Lancaster nor York is painted as simply good or evil. You will find yourself sympathising with people on opposite sides of the same battlefield.
- Battle scenes on a grand scale: St Albans, Northampton, Towton, Barnet, Tewkesbury and Bosworth are all brought to life with Iggulden’s trademark physical detail.
- A fictional spymaster at the centre: Derry Brewer threads through the whole series and gives the political plotting an espionage thriller edge.
- A complete, finished story: Four books, one clear arc, and a definite ending. No waiting for the next instalment.
- An easy route into a confusing period: Endless Edwards, Henrys and Richards become distinct people you can actually follow.
- The origins of the Tudors: By the end of Ravenspur, you understand exactly where Henry VIII’s dynasty came from.
Who’s Who in the Wars of the Roses Series
The biggest hurdle for new readers is the cast. Here is a quick, spoiler-free guide to the main figures you will meet, grouped by side. Historical outcomes such as who wore the crown are matters of record, but we have kept the details of each character’s story out.
The House of Lancaster
- Henry VI: King of England from infancy. Devout, kind and hopelessly unsuited to ruling a quarrelsome nobility in wartime.
- Margaret of Anjou: Henry’s French queen, married to him as part of a peace deal. Clever, proud and utterly determined to protect her husband and son.
- William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk: The king’s chief minister in Stormbird, and the man who negotiates the royal marriage.
- Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset: A royal cousin, close to the queen and bitterly opposed to York.
- The Percy family: The great northern lords whose rivalry with the Nevilles adds a local feud to the national one.
The House of York and Its Allies
- Richard, Duke of York: The richest nobleman in England, with his own claim to the throne and a growing belief that he could govern better than the king.
- Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury: York’s brother-in-law and one of the “trinity” of the second book.
- Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick: Salisbury’s son, remembered by history as “the Kingmaker.” Ambitious, charismatic and dangerous to anyone who crosses him.
- Edward, Earl of March: York’s eldest son, later King Edward IV. Tall, handsome and brilliant on a battlefield.
- George, Duke of Clarence, and Richard, Duke of Gloucester: Edward’s younger brothers, whose loyalties become central to the final two books.
- Elizabeth Woodville: The widow Edward IV marries, to the fury of much of his court.
The Tudors
- Margaret Beaufort: A Lancastrian heiress whose only son carries a thin but real claim to the throne.
- Henry Tudor: Margaret’s son, raised largely in exile in Brittany, who enters the story in Ravenspur.
The Fictional Characters
- Derry Brewer: Henry VI’s spymaster and fixer, a former soldier who runs a network of informants from the shadows.
- Thomas Woodchurch: An English archer settled in Maine, whose family is caught up in the fallout of the royal marriage deal.
Where to Start with the Wars of the Roses
New to the Series?
Start here: Stormbird
Stormbird introduces every major character and explains the political crisis that started the war. It is the slowest of the four in terms of battles, because it spends time on diplomacy, court politics and a popular rebellion, but that groundwork is what makes the later books hit so hard.
If you find the first hundred pages a little heavy on names and titles, keep going. Once Margaret of Anjou arrives in England and the rebellion in Kent begins, the pace picks up and rarely slows again.
Can You Start Elsewhere?
We strongly recommend starting with Stormbird. The four books are one continuous story rather than a set of standalone adventures, and Derry Brewer’s plotting in particular only makes sense if you have seen it develop from the beginning.
That said, readers who already know the period well sometimes start with Trinity / Margaret of Anjou, because that is where the fighting begins. It is possible, but you will miss the setup for several relationships that matter later. If you are going to read all four anyway, there is no reason not to start at the start.
Reading Tips
- Keep a family tree handy. The Wars of the Roses has more Edwards, Henrys and Richards than almost any other period, and a quick look at a Plantagenet family tree saves a lot of confusion.
- Do not skip the historical notes. They explain what really happened and where Iggulden chose to adapt events for the story.
- Watch the titles if you buy in the US. Check the table above so you do not end up with Trinity and Margaret of Anjou on the same shelf.
About the Author: Conn Iggulden
Conn Iggulden was born in London in 1971 and taught English for seven years before becoming a full-time writer. His debut, The Gates of Rome (2003), launched the Emperor series about Julius Caesar, and he followed it with the Conqueror series about Genghis Khan and his descendants. He is also the co-author, with his brother Hal, of the bestselling The Dangerous Book for Boys (2006).
He wrote the Wars of the Roses series between 2013 and 2016, publishing one book a year. It was his first long series set in English history, and it moved him from the vast canvases of Rome and the Mongol steppe to a much more intimate, family-scale conflict.
Since finishing the series, he has written about ancient Greece in The Gates of Athens, Protector, Lion and Empire, returned to England with the standalone Dunstan, and written the three-book Nero Trilogy about Rome’s most notorious emperor.
More by Conn Iggulden:
Historical Context: England in the Fifteenth Century
What Was Happening
The Wars of the Roses were a series of civil wars fought between 1455 and 1487 by two branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: Lancaster and York. Both descended from King Edward III, and both could make a claim to the crown. What turned that claim into war was the reign of Henry VI, who became king in 1422 when he was only nine months old, grew up into a peaceable and deeply religious man, and suffered a complete mental collapse in 1453.
The loss of England’s lands in France, including the surrender of Maine that runs through Stormbird, made the crown unpopular and left a class of angry, armed veterans at home. Jack Cade’s rebellion in 1450 showed how fragile royal authority had become. Richard of York, the most powerful nobleman in the kingdom, positioned himself as the man who could fix the government, and the court party around Queen Margaret saw him as a threat to the king and to her son.
The Major Battles
Open fighting began at the First Battle of St Albans in 1455. Over the next thirty years the crown changed hands several times, and the battles grew larger and bloodier. Towton, fought in a snowstorm on Palm Sunday 1461, is traditionally described as the largest and deadliest battle ever fought on English soil.
After a period of Yorkist rule under Edward IV, the Earl of Warwick switched sides and briefly restored Henry VI in 1470. Edward returned in 1471, landing at Ravenspurn on the Humber, and won decisive victories at Barnet and Tewkesbury. The final act came after Edward’s death in 1483, when his brother took the throne as Richard III and was defeated and killed at Bosworth in 1485 by Henry Tudor, who became Henry VII.
Key Dates Covered by the Series
| Year | Event | Book |
|---|---|---|
| 1445 | Henry VI marries Margaret of Anjou | Stormbird |
| 1448 | England surrenders Maine to France | Stormbird |
| 1450 | Jack Cade’s rebellion in Kent and London | Stormbird |
| 1454 | York named Protector during Henry VI’s illness | Trinity |
| 1455 | First Battle of St Albans | Trinity |
| 1460 | Battles of Northampton and Wakefield | Trinity |
| 1461 | Battle of Towton; Edward IV takes the crown | Bloodline |
| 1464 | Edward IV marries Elizabeth Woodville | Bloodline |
| 1470 | Edward IV in exile; Lancaster holds the crown | Ravenspur (opening) |
| 1471 | Edward lands at Ravenspurn; Barnet and Tewkesbury | Ravenspur |
| 1483 | Death of Edward IV; Richard III crowned | Ravenspur |
| 1485 | Battle of Bosworth; Henry VII becomes king | Ravenspur |
Why the Period Makes Great Fiction
The Wars of the Roses have everything a novelist could ask for: shifting loyalties, secret marriages, disputed claims, mysterious disappearances and battles that decided the fate of the kingdom in a single afternoon. The period also inspired Shakespeare’s history plays and, much later, the dynastic politics of A Song of Ice and Fire, the books behind Game of Thrones.
The name itself is a later invention. The white rose of York and the red rose of Lancaster were real badges, but the phrase “Wars of the Roses” only became popular in the nineteenth century, and the red rose owes much of its fame to Tudor propaganda after 1485.
How Accurate Is the Series?
Iggulden follows the broad course of events closely: the major battles, deaths, marriages and changes of power are where the historical record puts them. Where he takes liberties, it is usually by compressing time, moving an event slightly or giving a real person motives and conversations that no source records.
The biggest invention is Derry Brewer, who is entirely fictional, as is Thomas Woodchurch and his family. Iggulden uses them to connect scenes that the real historical figures could not have witnessed together. His historical notes at the end of each book flag the main changes, so readers can see clearly where fact ends and fiction begins.
Learn more: Best Medieval Historical Fiction and Medieval Europe Historical Fiction
Similar Series You’ll Love
If you enjoyed the Wars of the Roses, these books cover the same period, the same families or the same kind of storytelling.
1. The Cousins’ War by Philippa Gregory
Philippa Gregory’s six Cousins’ War novels, beginning with The White Queen (2009), tell the same conflict almost entirely through the women at its centre: Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort, Jacquetta of Luxembourg, Anne Neville and Elizabeth of York. Where Iggulden gives you the battlefield, Gregory gives you the court, the marriage bed and the sanctuary. Reading both gives you the full picture.
2. The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman
Sharon Kay Penman’s 1982 masterpiece is a single, huge novel about Richard III, from his childhood during the Wars of the Roses to Bosworth. It is slower and more detailed than Iggulden, and far more sympathetic to Richard than Shakespeare was. If Ravenspur left you wanting more of the York brothers, this is the next book to read.
3. The Kingmaker Series by Toby Clements
Toby Clements’ four novels, starting with Winter Pilgrims (2015), follow two ordinary people, a young novice monk and a nun, swept up in the Wars of the Roses. Clements takes the view from the ranks rather than the throne, and his battle scenes are as brutal and grounded as Iggulden’s. It is the closest match for readers who loved the Woodchurch chapters.
4. Azincourt by Bernard Cornwell
Set a generation before Stormbird, Azincourt (2008) follows an English archer through Henry V’s great victory in 1415. It is effectively a prequel to the world of Iggulden’s series: the glory of Agincourt is exactly what Henry VI can never live up to. Cornwell’s archers and Iggulden’s make a natural pairing.
5. Kingsbridge by Ken Follett
The Kingsbridge series is not about the Wars of the Roses, but it shares the same appeal: big, sweeping English history seen through politics, ambition and ordinary lives. A Column of Fire, set in the Elizabethan age, also shows the Tudor dynasty that Bosworth created at the height of its power.
6. More Conn Iggulden
If what you love is Iggulden’s style, go back to where it started. The Emperor series follows Julius Caesar and the Conqueror series follows Genghis Khan, both with the same mix of battles, politics and larger-than-life characters. His newer Nero Trilogy is the most recent place to pick him up. The full list is on our Conn Iggulden page.
More recommendations: Best Historical Fiction Series
Adaptations
Conn Iggulden’s Wars of the Roses series has not been adapted for television or film, and no adaptation has been announced as of 2026.
If you want to watch the period while you read, three adaptations cover the same ground from other angles:
- The White Queen (BBC One and Starz, 2013): a ten-episode drama based on Philippa Gregory’s Cousins’ War novels, covering Edward IV’s reign to Bosworth.
- The White Princess (Starz, 2017): the sequel series, following Elizabeth of York and Henry VII after 1485.
- The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses (BBC, 2016): Shakespeare’s Henry VI and Richard III, with Benedict Cumberbatch as Richard. It covers much of the same story as Iggulden’s four books, from Shakespeare’s very different point of view.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books are in Conn Iggulden’s Wars of the Roses series?
There are four books: Stormbird (2013), Trinity (2014), Bloodline (2015) and Ravenspur (2016). The series is complete, and there are no novellas or short stories to add.
What is the correct reading order for the Wars of the Roses series?
Read them in publication order: Stormbird, Trinity (called Margaret of Anjou in the US), Bloodline and Ravenspur (called Ravenspur: Rise of the Tudors in the US). Publication order and chronological order are the same.
Is Trinity the same book as Margaret of Anjou?
Yes. Trinity is the UK title and Margaret of Anjou is the US title of the second book. The text is the same, so you only need one of them.
Do I need to read the Wars of the Roses books in order?
Yes. The four novels form one continuous story, and each one builds on the characters, alliances and rivalries from the book before. Starting in the middle would spoil earlier events and leave you missing important context.
What is the Wars of the Roses series about?
It is a fictional retelling of the civil wars between the houses of Lancaster and York, from the court of Henry VI in the 1440s to the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. It follows real figures such as Margaret of Anjou, Richard of York, the Earl of Warwick and Edward IV, alongside a fictional royal spymaster, Derry Brewer.
Is Conn Iggulden’s Wars of the Roses historically accurate?
The main events, battles and changes of power follow the historical record closely. Iggulden compresses time, invents dialogue and adds fictional characters such as Derry Brewer, and he explains his main changes in a historical note at the end of each book.
Who is Derry Brewer, and was he a real person?
Derry Brewer is the fictional spymaster to King Henry VI, a former soldier who works in the shadows to protect the Lancastrian crown. He is not a real historical figure, but he is one of the most popular characters in the series and appears across all four books.
How long does it take to read the Wars of the Roses series?
Each book runs to roughly 450 to 500 pages, so the full series is around 1,900 pages. At an average pace of an hour a night, most readers finish one book in one to two weeks and the whole series in six to eight weeks.
Is the Wars of the Roses series suitable for young adults?
It is written for adults. There is graphic battlefield violence, executions and some sexual content, though nothing unusually explicit for the genre. Confident older teenagers who enjoy military history will be fine, but it is not a young adult series.
Will there be more Wars of the Roses books?
No new books have been announced. Ravenspur ends with the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, which closes the story, and Iggulden has since moved on to ancient Greece and Rome, including his Nero Trilogy.
Can I read the Wars of the Roses series on Kindle or as an audiobook?
Yes. All four books are available in paperback, hardback, ebook and unabridged audiobook editions. Check the UK and US title differences before buying digital editions, as they are often listed separately.
Has the Wars of the Roses series been adapted for TV?
Not yet. Iggulden’s series has no TV or film adaptation. For a screen version of the same history, try The White Queen (2013), based on Philippa Gregory’s novels, or The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses (2016), based on Shakespeare.
What should I read after the Wars of the Roses series?
Philippa Gregory’s Cousins’ War novels cover the same conflict from the women’s side, and Sharon Kay Penman’s The Sunne in Splendour gives a full-length portrait of Richard III. For more Iggulden, try his Emperor, Conqueror or Nero series.
Conclusion: Your Wars of the Roses Reading Journey
Conn Iggulden’s Wars of the Roses series takes one of the most confusing periods in English history and turns it into four gripping, character-driven novels. It gives both sides a fair hearing, puts you in the middle of every major battle and makes a crowded cast of kings, queens and earls feel like real people with real reasons for what they do.
Best of all, it is a finished story. Four books take you from a quiet royal wedding to the birth of the Tudor dynasty, with no cliffhanger left hanging and no years of waiting for the next instalment.
Ready to begin? Start with Stormbird and meet the young king, the French bride and the spymaster whose choices set England on the road to civil war. With four books of battles, betrayals and royal intrigue, you have a long and satisfying read ahead.
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