The Last Plantagenets (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Late Medieval England, Dynastic Rivalry, and the Wars of the Roses from Richard II to Bosworth FieldBy Thomas Bertram Costain
Length19h 19m
About this audiobook
The Last Plantagenets completes Thomas B. Costain's vivid historical sequence on the Plantagenet dynasty, carrying the reader through the turbulent fifteenth century from the reign of Richard II to the catastrophe of Bosworth Field. Blending narrative history with novelistic pacing, Costain reconstructs court intrigue, dynastic rivalry, civil war, and the fraught personalities of Lancaster and York. Written in an accessible yet learned style, the book belongs to the mid-twentieth-century tradition of popular historical scholarship, making complex political transitions intelligible without sacrificing drama or moral nuance. Thomas Bertram Costain, a Canadian-born journalist, editor, and bestselling historical novelist, brought to history the instincts of a storyteller trained in periodical writing and fiction. His long engagement with English medieval history reflects both archival curiosity and a novelist's fascination with character under pressure. Costain's experience in publishing helped him shape historical material into lucid, compelling prose aimed at serious general readers. This book is recommended to readers seeking an engaging entry into late medieval England, the Wars of the Roses, and the decline of a great royal house. It will especially appeal to those who value history that is carefully organized, richly peopled, and animated by narrative force.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreHistory
Length19 hrs 19 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJul 25, 2022
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
26CHAPTER XXI The Death of Good Queen Anne
2Introduction
27CHAPTER XXII The Days of Development
3Synopsis
28CHAPTER XXIII “I Shall Then Be a Great Lady”
4Historical Context
29CHAPTER XXIV The King Strikes
5PART ONE THE KING WHO LOST A SHOE
30CHAPTER XXV “Vengeance Is Mine, I Will Repay”
Show all chaptersShow less
6CHAPTER I A Prince Is Born
31CHAPTER XXVI The Absolute King
7CHAPTER II The Struggle over the Succession
32CHAPTER XXVII Two of the Five
8CHAPTER III The King Who Lost a Shoe
33CHAPTER XXVIII The Great Mistakes
9CHAPTER IV Passed Over, Tolerated, Winked At!
34CHAPTER XXIX The King Had No Horses and No Men
10CHAPTER V The First English Bible
35CHAPTER XXX The Little Queen Fights for the Throne
11CHAPTER VI When the Bell Was Rungen
36CHAPTER XXXI The King Who Lost His Life
12CHAPTER VII The Blaze Spreads
37PART TWO THE RED AND THE WHITE
13CHAPTER VIII The Voice of John Ball
38CHAPTER I A Sick King and a Dull Reign
14CHAPTER IX Not a Blow Struck, Not a Head Broken
39CHAPTER II The Welsh Magician
15CHAPTER X The Boy King Takes Hold
40CHAPTER III The King and Fair Kate
16CHAPTER XI “I Will Be Your Chief and Captain”
41CHAPTER IV The Red and the White
17CHAPTER XII The Days of Retribution
42CHAPTER V The Gentle Henry
18CHAPTER XIII The Gay Court of the Young King
43CHAPTER VI The Fourth Edward
19CHAPTER XIV Good Queen Anne
44CHAPTER VII The Kingmaker
20CHAPTER XV The Bully of Woodstock
45CHAPTER VIII The Queen of Sorrows and Enmities
21CHAPTER XVI The Daring Grocer
46CHAPTER IX The Butt of Malmsey
22CHAPTER XVII The King’s Favorite
47CHAPTER X William Caxton
23CHAPTER XVIII England Faces Invasion
48PART THREE THE GREAT MYSTERY
24CHAPTER XIX The Merciless Parliament
49CHAPTER I The Whipping Boy
25CHAPTER XX The King Raises a Hand
50CHAPTER II How It Began
More from Thomas Bertram Costain
The Redeemer’s ReturnArthur W. Pink13h 18m$20
The Happiest Man on EarthEddie Jaku3h 48m$7 · $0.00
MotherlandJulia Ioffe17h 52m$40 · $0.00
Where Cowards Go to DieBenjamin Sledge8h 42m$20 · $0.00
Frederick Douglass: All 3 Memoirs in One VolumeFrederick Douglass44h 9m$2 · $0.00
The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America (Annotated)Howard Irving Chapelle, Tappan Adney13h 10m$2 · $0.00
I've Been to the MountaintopMartin Luther King48m5.0 (1)$11 · $0.00
RevolutionariesSanjeev Sanyal11h 23m$29 · $0.00
We Crossed a Bridge and It TrembledWendy Pearlman6h$24 · $0.00
Unbroken Bonds of BattleJohnny Joey Jones8h 31m$8 · $0.00
The Daughter of AuschwitzTova Friedman, Malcolm Brabant7h 54m$26 · $0.00
Lily's PromiseLily Ebert, Dov Forman8h 54m$29 · $0.00
Saving My EnemyBob Welch9h 11m$20
On Democracies and Death CultsDouglas Murray10h 38m$29 · $0.00
Across the RiverKent Babb11h 40m$29 · $0.00
Balcony Over Jerusalem: A Middle East Memoir - Israel, Palestine and BeyondJohn Lyons12h 37m$33 · $0.00
The Fire Next TimeJames Baldwin2h 25m$15
EnduranceAlfred Lansing6h 1m$20
LES MISERABLES (Illustrated Edition)Victor Hugo66h 17m$1 · $0.00
BeyondStephen Walker15h 39m$33 · $0.00
You may also like
The History of England (Summarized Edition)David Hume25h 41m$2
Battlefield Church, Salop: an historical and descriptive sketchW. G. D. Fletcher53m$2 · $0.00
The Wars of the Roses; or, Stories of the Struggle of York and LancasterJohn G. Edgar10h 40m$1 · $0.00
Charles IJacob Abbott5h 12m$6 · $0.00
The History of Medieval Monarchy in England (449 to 1485)James Franck Bright17h 39m$2 · $0.00
The Brothers YorkThomas Penn23h 14m$30
The History of Constitutional Monarchy in England (1689 to 1837)James Franck Bright32h 50m$3
TudorsPeter Ackroyd19h 6m$25
The History of England (Complete 6 Volumes) (Annotated)David Hume132h 22m$2 · $0.00
The History of Rome: Rise and Fall of the Empire (Annotated)John Bagnell Bury73h 2m$2 · $0.00
History of the Empire From the Death of Marcus (Annotated)Herodian7h 58m$2 · $0.00
Historic BubblesFrederic Leake4h 51m$1 · $0.00
The Three Edwards (Annotated)Thomas Bertram Costain19h 34m$2 · $0.00
The History of England: From the Reign of William and Mary to the Death of George IIT. Smollett87h 49m$2 · $0.00
History of the Habsburg EmpireJohn S. C. Abbott18h$1 · $0.00
ChinaDemetrius Charles Boulger17h 18m$2 · $0.00
Ireland under the Tudors (Vol. 1-3) (Annotated)Richard Bagwell54h 37m$2 · $0.00
Henry the SecondAlice Stopford Green5h 54m$2 · $0.00
History of Florence and of the Affairs of ItalyNiccolò Machiavelli18h 49m$2 · $0.00
The Last TsarŁarysa Jermiłowa3h$18 · $0.00