Gripping account of the Wars of the Roses battle of Towton - the most brutal day in English history.

A gripping account of the Wars of the Roses battle of Towton - the most brutal day in English history.

'Vivid, humane and superbly researched' David Starkey
'The story has never been told so well or so excitingly' Desmond Seward

The Battle of Towton in 1461 was unique in its ferocity and brutality, as the armies of two kings of England engaged with murderous weaponry and in appalling conditions to conclude the first War of the Roses. Variously described as the largest, longest and bloodiest battle on English soil, Towton was fought with little chance of escape and none of surrender.

Fatal Colours includes a cast of strong and compelling characters: a warrior queen, a ruthless king-making earl, even a papal legate who excommunicates an entire army.

Combining medieval sources and modern scholarship, George Goodwin colourfully recreates the atmosphere of 15th century England and chronicles the vicious in-fighting as the increasingly embittered royal factions struggle for supremacy.

"A fantastic historical account of how one man's incompetence put so many at risk" - BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH

"A sobering, revealing account of a dreadful day and a dreadful war." - THE PRESS

"The Wars of the Roses have attracted many historians: some deal in the technicalities of military strategy; some chronicle the lives of the chief protagonists. Much rarer is the ability to combine all three - but Goodwin has pulled it off in this page-turning read." - SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

"The story has never been told so well or so excitingly...George Goodwin rightly argues that while Towton can claim to be the biggest, longest and bloodiest English battle, what really marks it out is its brutality, its final casual indifference to the rules of war and humanity." - BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE

"Goodwin... charts his way through the off-putting complexities of the family tree very nicely, enlivening the minor characters while giving the major characters their proper weight in the story.... eloquent and easily digestible account, told with an eye for the salient detail, and I hope this is the first in a series of histories of this fascinating but poorly served period....you close Goodwin's wanting to read more" - DAILY TELEGRAPH

"Goodwin evokes the poignant details of that calamitous day with remarkable force." - The Daily Telegraph

"The author has used careful research and written an interesting account of this period. It is well recommended." - THE HISTORIAN