A scholarly history of fifteenth-century England covering the turbulent period from the deposition of Richard II in 1399 to the accession of Henry VII in 1485, including the Wars of the Roses, the Lancastrian and Yorkist dynasties, and the end of the medieval era.
The Fifteenth Century 1399–1485 is a definitive work of British medieval history written by the distinguished historian E. F. Jacob (Ernest Fraser Jacob). First published in 1961 by the Clarendon Press (Oxford), it serves as Volume VI of the acclaimed Oxford History of England series. The book delivers a thorough, narrative analysis of the turbulent transition from the dethronement of Richard II to the fall of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Jacob challenges traditional assumptions by demonstrating that the Wars of the Roses were less about strictly defined, warring political parties and more about noble houses weaponising local patronage to maintain societal influence during a rapid era of economic and administrative shift.