The opening years of the fifteenth century saw one of the most bitterly contested political & military convulsions in the history of the British Isles a conflict that is too-often overlooked by military historians. Henry IV who had overthrown & probably murdered his predecessor Richard II fought a protracted & bloody campaign against the most powerful nobles in the l&. This war is the subject of John Barratts gripping study. The Percy family the Kings of the North & their most famous leader Sir Henry Percy
- Hotspur whose fiery nature & military prowess were immortalized by Shakespeare
- stood out against Henrys rule. & the beleagured king also had to contend with a range of other unrelenting opponents among them Owain Glyn Dwr who led the Welsh revolt against English supremacy. In this graphic account of the first deeply troubled years of Henry IVs reign John Barratt concentrates on the warfare in particular on the setpiece pitched battles fought at Homildon Hill Pilleth & Shrewsbury. His story brings to life the embittered politics & the personal & family enmities that gave rise to armed conflict. & he describes in vivid detail the tactics & fighting methods of the day which were dominated by the devastating power of the English longbow.