The House of Beaufort: The Bastard Line that Captured the Crown

The Wars of the Roses were a tumultuous period in English history, with family fighting family over the greatest prize in the kingdom - the throne of England. But what gave the eventual victor of these brutal and complex wars, Henry Tudor, the right to claim the crown? What made his Beaufort mother the great heiress of medieval England, and how exactly did an illegitimate line come to challenge the English monarchy? While the Houses of York and Lancaster fought brutally for the crown, other noble families of the kingdom also played integral roles in the wars; grand and prestigious names like the Howards, Mowbrays, Nevilles and Percys were intimately involved in the conflict, but none symbolised the volatile nature of the period quite like the House of Beaufort. Their rise, fall, and rise again is the story of England during the fifteenth century, a dramatic century of war, intrigue and scandal both at home and abroad. Many books have been written about individual members of the dynasty, but never has the whole family been explored as one. This book uncovers the rise of the Beauforts from bastard stock of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, to esteemed companions of their cousin Henry V, celebrated victor of Agincourt, and tracks their chastening fall with the House of Lancaster during the 1460s and 1470s. The hopes and fortunes of the family gradually came to rest upon the shoulders of a teenage widow named Margaret Beaufort and her young son Henry. From Margaret would rise the House of Tudor, the most famous of all England's royal houses and a dynasty that owed its crown to the blood of its forebears, the House of Beaufort. From bastards to princes, the Beauforts are medieval England's most captivating family

About the Author :
Nathen Amin is an author from Carmarthenshire, West Wales, who focuses on the fifteenth century and the reign of Henry VII. He is the author of Tudor Wales (2016), The House of Beaufort (2017), and Henry VII and the Tudor Pretenders: Simnel, Warbeck and Warwick (2021). His most recent work is The Son of Prophecy: The Origins of the Tudor Dynasty (2024). As of 2020, Nathen is a trustee and founding member of the Henry Tudor Trust, and in 2022 was elected a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Review :
‘The Beauforts were key players in the dramatic history of late medieval England, taking their place centre stage long before Margaret Beaufort’s son Henry Tudor won the crown at Bosworth in 1485. Here, Nathen Amin puts them in the spotlight, telling their remarkable story with insight, passion and verve’ 'Puts the Beauforts in the spotlight, telling their remarkable story with insight, passion and verve.' 'This book is a must for any student of English history in the fifteenth century.' 'A compelling, captivating and fascinating book'