First book to deal with de Vere's life and extraordinary career, during the Wars of the Roses and beyond. Earl of Oxford for fifty years, and subject of six kings of England during the political strife of the Wars of the Roses, John de Vere's career included more changes of fortune than almost any other. He recovered his earldom afterthe execution of his father and brother for treason, but his resistance to Edward IV led to a decade in prison. He escaped in time to lead Henry Tudor's vanguard at Bosworth in 1485 and subsequently enjoyed twenty-five years as perhaps "the foremost man of the kingdom", virtually ruling East Anglia for the king. This is the first full-length study of de Vere's life and career. Through this lens it also tackles a number of broader themes. It reconsiders the role of the nobility under Henry VII, challenging the common perception of Henry as an anti-aristocratic king. It also explores East Anglian political society in the second half of the fifteenth century, how the earl came to dominate it, how successfully he exercised his power, and the personnel, including the Paston family, he used to run the region. JAMES ROSS is Senior Lecturer in Late Medieval History at the University of Winchester.

Offers a rounded and nuanced picture of a man whom Ross rightly calls 'the last great medieval nobleman', and is a valuable contribution to the scholarship of the end of the middle ages and of the late medieval nobility. ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW A well-written, well-researched and extremely engaging look at an influential player during a pivotal time in British history. * H-WAR *
Drawing on a multiplicity of sources and presented in an attractive volume by the Boydell Press, [the book] adds much to our understanding of the period and the dilemmas confronting noblemen at a time of civil war. * HISTORY *
[A] notable work. * THE RICARDIAN *
A fine book that gives us a keenly nuanced appraisal of the workings of high politics during Henry VII's pivotal reign. * RENAISSANCE QUARTERLY *
This study of a nobleman who has not been seriously treated before is a welcome addition to the shelf. * THE MEDIEVAL REVIEW *

JAMES ROSS is Reader in Late Medieval History at the University of Winchester, UK. He has published extensively on the late medieval nobility, kingship and political society.