Wars of the Roses 01 - Stormbird Read online

  Conn Iggulden

  WARS OF THE ROSES

  Book One: Stormbird

  Watch the exclusive series trailer for Conn Iggulden’s incredible new book Stormbird here

  Contents

  Maps and Family Trees

  List of Characters

  Prologue

  Part One

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Part Two

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Part Three

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Epilogue

  Select Bibliography

  Historical Note

  Acknowledgements

  Follow Penguin

  WARS OF THE ROSES

  Book One: Stormbird

  King Henry V – the great Lion of England – is long dead.

  In 1437, after years of regency, the pious and gentle Henry VI, the Lamb, comes of age and accedes to the English throne. His poor health and frailty of mind render him a weakling king – Henry depends on his closest men, spymaster Derry Brewer and William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, to run his kingdom.

  Yet there are those, such as the Plantagenet Richard, Duke of York, who believe England must be led by a strong king if she is to survive. With England’s territories in France under threat, and rumours of revolt at home, fears grow that Henry and his advisers will see the country slide into ruin. With a secret deal struck for Henry to marry a young French noblewoman, Margaret of Anjou, those fears become all too real.

  As storm clouds gather over England, King Henry and his supporters find themselves besieged abroad and at home. Who, or what, can save the kingdom before it is too late?

  Conn Iggulden is one of the most successful authors of historical fiction writing today. Stormbird is the first book in his superb new series set during the Wars of the Roses, a remarkable period of British history. His previous two series, on Julius Caesar and on the Mongol Khans of Central Asia, describe the founding of the greatest empires of their day and were number one bestsellers. Conn Iggulden lives in Hertfordshire with his wife and children.

  www.conniggulden.com

  Also by Conn Iggulden

  THE EMPEROR SERIES

  The Gates of Rome

  The Death of Kings

  The Field of Swords

  The Gods of War

  The Blood of Gods

  THE CONQUEROR SERIES

  Wolf of the Plains

  Lords of the Bow

  Bones of the Hills

  Empire of Silver

  Conqueror

  Blackwater

  Quantum of Tweed

  BY CONN IGGULDEN AND HAL IGGULDEN

  The Dangerous Book for Boys

  The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys: Things to Do

  The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys: Things to Know

  The Dangerous Book for Boys Yearbook

  BY CONN IGGULDEN AND DAVID IGGULDEN

  The Dangerous Book of Heroes

  BY CONN IGGULDEN AND

  ILLUSTRATED BY LIZZY DUNCAN

  Tollins: Explosive Tales for Children

  Tollins 2: Dynamite Tales

  To Mark Griffith, a descendant of John of Gaunt.

  Maps and Family Trees

  Maps

  England at the time of the Wars of the Roses

  France

  London

  Family Trees

  Royal Lines of England

  House of Lancaster

  House of York

  House of Neville

  House of Beaufort

  Royal Lines of England

  House of Lancaster

  House of York

  House of Neville

  House of Beaufort

  List of Characters

  Albert Servant of de Roche family, in France

  Master Allworthy Royal physician to Henry VI

  Baron David Alton Officer in France, with William, Duke of Suffolk

  Margaret of Anjou/Queen Margaret Daughter of René of Anjou, wife of Henry VI

  Yolande of Anjou Margaret of Anjou’s sister

  John, Louis and Nicholas of Anjou Margaret of Anjou’s brothers

  Marie of Anjou Queen of France, aunt of Margaret of Anjou

  René, Duke of Anjou Father of Margaret of Anjou

  Henry Beaufort Cardinal, son of John of Gaunt, great-uncle of Henry VI

  Edwin Bennett Man-at-arms to Baron Strange, France

  Bernard Old friend of Thomas Woodchurch

  Saul Bertleman (Bertle) Mentor of Derihew Brewer

  Derihew (Derry) Brewer Spymaster of Henry VI

  Captain Brown Officer defending the Tower of London against Jack Cade

  Philip, Duke of Burgundy Offered sanctuary to William, Duke of Suffolk

  John Burroughs Informant to Derry Brewer

  Jack Cade Kentish rebel

  Charles VII King of France, uncle of Henry VI

  Lionel, Duke of Clarence Son of Edward III

  Ben Cornish Present at hanging of Jack Cade’s son

  John Sutton, Baron Dudley Present at ‘trial’ of William, Duke of Suffolk

  Dunbar Kentish smith

  Robert Ecclestone Friend of Jack Cade

  Edward III King of England, great-great-grandfather of Henry VI

  Flora Kentish innkeeper

  Count Frederick Betrothed/husband of Yolande of Anjou

  Thomas, Duke of Gloucester Son of Edward III

  Hallerton Servant to Derry Brewer

  Henry VI King of England, son of Henry V

  Sir Hew Knight at Agincourt

  Baron Highbury Vengeful lord, in Maine, France

  Hobbs Sergeant-at-arms, Windsor

  Alexander Iden Appointed sheriff of Kent

  James Younger torturer in the Jewel House

  Jonas Banner boy at Cade’s London Bridge crossing

  Alwyn Judgment Magistrate, Kent

  Edmund Grey, Earl of Kent Present at ‘trial’ of William, Duke of Suffolk

  John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster Son of Edward III

  Baron le Farges Part of French army, Maine, France

  Sieur André de Maintagnes Knight in French army, Maine, France

  Jean Marisse Officer of the court, Nantes

  Paddy/Patrick Moran Friend of Jack Cade

  Reuben Moselle Financier in Anjou

  Sir William Oldhall Speaker of the House of Commons

  John de Vere, Earl of Oxford Present at ‘trial’ of William, Duke of Suffolk

  Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke Half-brother of Henry VI

  Alice Perrers Mistress of Edward III

  Ronald Pincher Kentish innkeeper

  Captain Recine Soldier from Saumur Castle who arrested Reuben Moselle

  Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond Half-brother of Henry VI

  Richard Woodville, Baron Rivers Present in London during Cade assault

  Baron Jean de Roche Part of French army, Maine, France

  Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury Head of Nev
ille family, grandson of John of Gaunt

  James Fiennes, Baron Say Present in London for Cade’s assault

  Thomas de Scales, Baron Scales Present in London for Cade’s assault

  Simone French maid at Saumur Castle

  Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset Friend of William, Duke of Suffolk, supporter of Henry VI

  Baron Strange Neighbour of Thomas Woodchurch in Maine, France

  William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk Soldier and courtier who arranged the marriage of Henry VI and Margaret

  Alice de la Pole, Duchess of Suffolk Wife of William, Duke of Suffolk, granddaughter of Geoffrey Chaucer

  James Tanter Scottish supporter of Jack Cade

  Ted Older torturer in the Jewel House

  Sir William Tresham Speaker of the House of Commons

  Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick Son of Earl of Salisbury, later known as the Kingmaker

  Ralph Neville, Earl of Westmorland Present at Windsor hunt

  Joan Woodchurch Wife of Thomas, mother of Rowan and two daughters

  Rowan Woodchurch Son of Thomas and Joan

  Thomas Woodchurch Farmer, archer, leader of Maine rebellion

  Edmund of Langley, Duke of York Son of Edward III

  Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York Head of House of York, great-grandson of Edward III

  Cecily Neville, Duchess of York Wife of Richard, Duke of York, granddaughter of John of Gaunt

  Prologue

  Anno Domini 1377

  Bowls of dark royal blood lay beneath the bed, forgotten by the physician. Alice Perrers rested on a chair, panting from the effort of wrestling the king of England into his armour. The air in the room was sour with sweat and death and Edward lay like his own effigy, pale and white-bearded.

  There were tears in Alice’s eyes as she looked on him. The blow that had struck Edward down had come from a clear spring sky, unseen and terrible on a warm wind. Gently, she leaned forward and wiped spittle from the side of his drooping mouth. He had been so strong once, a man among men who could fight from dawn till dusk. His armour gleamed, yet it was marked and scarred like the flesh it covered. Underneath it, muscle and bone had wasted away.

  She waited for him to open his eyes, unsure how much he still understood. His awareness came and went, moments of fading life that grew fewer and shorter as the days progressed. At dawn, he’d woken and whispered for his armour to be put on. The doctor had jumped up from his chair, fetching another of his filthy draughts for the king to drink. Weak as a child, Edward had waved away the stinking mixture, beginning to choke when the man continued to press the bowl against his mouth. Alice had felt her resolve firm when she saw that. Over the doctor’s furious protests, she’d shooed him out of the king’s rooms, snapping her apron at him and ignoring his threats until she was able to close the door on his back.

  Edward had watched her lift his chain mail from the armour tree. He’d smiled for a moment, then his blue eyes had closed and he’d sagged back into the pillows. For the next hour, she’d grown pink at the labour, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand as she struggled with leather ties and metal, heaving the old man back and forth without his aid. Yet her brother was a knight and it was not the first time she’d dressed a man for war.

  By the time she pulled the metal gauntlets over his hands and sat back, he was barely aware, groaning softly as he drifted. His fingers twitched on the crumpled blankets until she gasped and stood, realizing what he wanted. Alice reached out to the great sword standing against the wall of the room, having to use both arms to place it where his hand could take the hilt. There had been a time when Edward had wielded that blade as if it had no weight at all. She wiped hot tears as his hand closed on it in a spasm, the gauntlet creaking in the silence.

  He looked like a king once more. It was done. She nodded to herself, pleased that when the time came, he would be seen as he had lived. Reaching for a comb from her pocket, she began to smooth out the white beard and hair, where they had become matted and tangled. It would not be long. His face drooped on one side as if warm wax had melted and his breath came in crackling gasps.

  At twenty-eight, she was almost forty years younger than the king, but until his illness, Edward had been vigorous and strong, as if he might live for ever. He had ruled all her life and no one she knew could remember his father, nor the great Hammer of the Scots who had ruled before him. The Plantagenet family had left a mark on England and torn France apart in battles no one thought they could win.

  Her comb snagged in his beard. Blue eyes opened at her touch and, from that ravaged body, her king looked up at her. Alice shuddered under the fierce gaze that had brought its own form of weakness in her for so long.

  ‘I am here, Edward,’ she said, almost in a whisper. ‘I am here. You are not alone.’

  Part of his face pulled into a grimace and he raised his good left arm to grip her hand and lower it, with its comb held tight. Each breath was drawn roughly in and his skin flushed with the effort of trying to speak. Alice leaned close to hear the mush of words.

  ‘Where are my sons?’ he said, raising his head so that it left the pillow, then falling back. His right hand trembled on the sword hilt, taking comfort from it.

  ‘They are coming, Edward. I’ve sent runners for John, to bring him back from the hunt. Edmund and Thomas are in the far wing. They are all coming.’

  As she spoke, she could hear a clatter of footsteps and the rumble of men’s voices. She knew his sons well and she prepared herself, knowing her moments of intimacy were at an end.

  ‘They will send me away, my love, but I will not go far.’

  She reached down and kissed him on the lips, feeling the unnatural heat on his bitter breath.

  As she sat back, she could make out the braying voice of Edmund, telling the other two of some wager he had made. She only wished the oldest brother could have been among them, but the Black Prince had died just a year before, never to inherit his father’s kingdom. She thought the loss of the heir to the throne had been the first blow that led to all the rest. A father should not lose sons before him, she thought. It was a cruel thing to bear, for man or king.

  The door came open with a crash that made Alice start. The three men who entered all resembled their father in different ways. With the blood of old Longshanks running in them, they were some of the tallest men she had ever seen, filling the room and crowding her even before they spoke.

  Edmund of York was slim and black-haired, glowering as he saw the woman sitting with his father. He had never approved of his father’s mistresses and, as Alice rose and stood meekly, his brows came down in a sour expression. At his side, John of Gaunt wore the same beard as his father, though it was still rich and black and cut to a sharp point that hid his throat from sight. The brothers loomed over their father, looking down on him as his eyes drifted closed once more.

  Alice trembled. The king had been her protector while she amassed a fortune. She had grown wealthy from her association, but she was well aware that any one of the men in the room could order her taken on a whim, her possessions and lands forfeit on nothing more than their word. The title of Duke was still so new that no one had tested their authority. They stood over earls and barons almost as kings in their own right, finding their peers and equals only in that room, on that day.

  Two heads of the five great houses were absent. Lionel, Duke of Clarence, had died eight years before, leaving only a baby daughter. The son of the Black Prince was a ten-year-old boy. Richard had inherited his father’s Duchy of Cornwall, just as he would inherit the kingdom itself. Alice had met both children and she only hoped Richard would survive his powerful uncles long enough to become king. In her private thoughts, she wouldn’t have wagered a penny on his chances.

  The youngest of the three was Thomas, Duke of Gloucester. Perhaps because he was closest to her in age, he had always treated Alice kindly. He was the only one to acknowledge her as she stood and trembled.

  ‘I know you have been a
comfort to my father, Lady Perrers,’ Thomas said. ‘But this is a time for his family.’

  Alice blinked through tears, grateful for the kindness. Edmund of York spoke before she could respond.

  ‘He means you should get out, girl,’ he said. He didn’t look at her, his gaze held by the figure of his father lying in his armour on the pale sheets. ‘Off with you.’

  Alice left quickly at that, dabbing at her eyes. The door stood open and she looked back at the three sons standing over the dying king. She closed the door gently and sobbed as she walked away into the Palace of Sheen.

  Alone, the brothers were silent for a long time. Their father had been the anchor on their lives, the one constant in a turbulent world. He had ruled for fifty years and the country had grown strong and rich under his hand. None of them could imagine a future without him.