Hello:

A few years ago I bought an excellent book titled "Blood Red Roses." It's about remains and artifacts found from the Battle of Towton during the War of the Roses, and a brief history of that battle. The forensic analyses are very interesting and educational. They show how brutal medieval warfare really was. This book left the impression that more was to be found at Towton. I am wondering if a book titled " Blood Red Roses II " has been written to discuss more remains and items found at Towton.

Are there any other similar books? Is there a book about Bosworth? I recall an episode of a TV series where recovered skulls were shown with puncture wounds at the Altes Zeughaus in Switzerland. What is their story? My inquiry is not restricted to medieval battles though. I recall hearing archeologists in Germany found the site of the battle of the Tuteborg (?) Forest where a Roman Legion was ambushed. Is there a book about that? There are also the remains of Napoleonic soldiers retreating from Russia found in Estonia or Latvia. Have remains been found from battle sites in China or Japan?

I am not a morbid individual. I simply find forensics to be very interesting and I seem to have a mind for such things. I wish I could change professions and help work at the sites of battles, but I have no idea how to do that. So I must settle for what I can find in books. Are there anymore?

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Dustin Faulkner

Hello Dustin,

Maybe you can have a look at "Armour from the Battle of Wisby, 1361" by Bengt Thordeman - if you haven't done that already. It's more about the armour, though.

I was looking at "Blood Red Roses" myself and considered buying it as a casual read, but a few of the reveiws state that some chapters were quite dry and not exactly easy to read, so I still haven't made up my mind about it. I'd be curious to know what's your take on that.
Good luck with your search and let us know if you have found anything interesting.

Hello Encho:

I think "Blood Red Roses" is an excellent and unique book. I can only say other's previous comments are perhaps due to them expecting more history than science. It is, after all, a book about an archeological site that happens to have historic importance.

The book's strength lies in the forensic examination of several skeletons of people who died in the Battle of Towton - a huge battle. Through the forensics, the authors convey the brutal nature of medieval warfare (and life) and the state of health people had then. Several skeletons are identified as archers due to the condition of their arms and shoulder sockets. The deadly effectiveness of medieval weapons is obvious. Ages of the individuals are discussed too. The book is meant as a way to let these people speak to us from the past.

This book successfully uses science to bring history to life. It is very educational. It is not meant to be a history about the War of the Roses. Some history is included, however, to add context to the deaths of these men. Medieval weapons are discussed too to help understand the damage these men sustained.

I highly recommend this book. It does not glorify medieval knights. It simply shows the harsh, brutal reality of a medieval battle fought with extreme prejudice.

Thanks for the review, Dustin. I visited Towton a while back and after reading The Military Campaigns of the Wars of the Roses (by Philip A. Haigh, I found it to be an excellent book!), I thought of finding another book on the subject. So maybe I should take this one out of my wish list and add it to my basket...

Search for "Towton" at Amazon.com and you'll find a number of important recent contributions to that history.