History City traces the story of York - possibly the second most important place in England - from the end of the last Ice Age to the present day.

Episode 13: York and the Wars of the Roses, a delicate balancing act

In this episode, we look at how Yorkshire – and in particular the City of York – became a crucial player in what the Victorians called The Wars of the Roses (thank you Walter Scott).

We chart events from the field of the bloodiest battle fought on English soil (possibly),through the musical chairs/game of thrones of the 1470s to the city’s popular nobleman and king who ended up under a car park.

Thanks to our guests, Doctor Eliza Hartrich, lecturer in Late Medieval History at the University of York and James Wright of The Yorkshire Museum https://www.yorkshiremuseum.org.uk/

Thanks also to Towton Battlefield Society, whose pocket-sized Visitor Information Centre at the Crooked Billet pub clearly explains how the battle unfolded: https://www.towton.org.uk/

Of course we have to include the Richard III Society, who have a positive view of his life and reign. https://richardiii.net/ They also give a detailed account of his time in the North and particularly the City of York. https://richardiii.net/richard-iii-his-world/his-life-and-death/the-north/

You can learn more from History Hit’s Gone Medieval podcasts, https://podfollow.com/gone-medieval/view from the origins of the Tudors, to the Battle of Towton and of course, Richard III.

The BBC’s In Our Time also has a podcast on the Wars of The Roses https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00546sp

The Spirit of York is Alison Willis.

This episode of History City was made with the help of the Institute for the Public Understanding of the Past at the University of York. So my thanks to Dr Victoria Hoyle and to researcher Katie Vernon. We’re also grateful for the assistance of Brittany Scowcroft at the University of York’s Centre for Medieval Studies.

The episode was recorded and produced by Guy Morgan of Soundstagenorth.

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