DEATH OF A KING
Julian Humphrys’ article on The Wars of the Roses (The Big Story, August 2015) did an excellent job of presenting a complex situation clearly but with enough detail to make it come alive.
However, one or two points might be amplified. Edward IV is described as “unexpectedly dying at the early age of 41”. The average age of death was much lower in the 15th century than it is now, even when violence was not the cause. An attack of plague or an abscessed tooth could bring a kingdom to disaster. Hence the need for an unchallenged heir in waiting – preferably of adult years.