New, fully revised and edited edition. Jasper Tudor, born in secrecy in 1431, rose to become one of the key supporters of King Henry VI during the difficult period of English history known as the Wars of the Roses. Devoted to the Lancastrian cause and to his nephew Henry Tudor, Jasper's loyalty led him through a life full of adventure. When he was just six years old, Jasper's life was changed dramatically by the death of his mother, the dowager queen Katherine de Valois, and the arrest of his father Owen Tudor soon afterwards. Jasper and his older brother Edmund were called to court and by 1452 they became the first Welshmen to be elevated to the English peerage. Sadly, Edmund died in captivity in 1456, leaving Jasper to protect his brother's child, the future king Henry VII. Jasper's dedication to the Lancastrian cause took him through many of the well-known battles of the Wars of the Roses, including the historic victory at Bosworth. It is clear that Henry VII owed an enormous part of his success in claiming the throne in 1485 to his uncle, who was his closest adviser, confidante and mentor. In this detailed biography, Debra Bayani clearly shows that Jasper Tudor was a key figure in the tumultuous history of England, detailing his life from his birth in 1431 to his death in 1495. He can rightly be called the "Godfather of the Tudor Dynasty". This edition includes a comprehensive appendix with contemporary Welsh poems translated into English for the first time, and many full page illustrations.
