Historical fiction book · Curated
The Sunne in Splendour
Sharon Kay Penman · historical fiction
Richard, youngest son of York, grows from a loyal brother into the last Plantagenet king: Towton, Barnet, Tewkesbury, the princes in the Tower, and the charge at Bosworth that ends the Wars of the Roses. Sharon Kay Penman’s 1982 novel is medieval historical saga that restores Richard III as soldier, husband, and contested king—England’s most argued-over reign, told at full length.
Why read it: A widely searched Wars of the Roses historical novel—the Penman landmark readers look up by title, and a Richard III counterpart to The White Queen already on the shelf (not a Cousins’ War sequel).
About this historical novel
The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman is historical fiction set around 1459–1485 in the Medieval period with key settings including England, Middleham, York, London. Richard, youngest son of York, grows from a loyal brother into the last Plantagenet king: Towton, Barnet, Tewkesbury, the princes in the Tower, and the charge at Bosworth that ends the Wars of the Roses. Sharon Kay Penman’s 1982 novel is medieval historical saga that restores Richard III as soldier, husband, and contested king—England’s most argued-over reign, told at full length.
On HisFic we tag it under 7. Family saga and 4. Biographical fiction so you can pair it with similar story types. Recurring themes include kingship, loyalty, war, family, and reputation. A widely searched Wars of the Roses historical novel—the Penman landmark readers look up by title, and a Richard III counterpart to The White Queen already on the shelf (not a Cousins’ War sequel).
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Plot summary
Richard, youngest son of York, grows from a loyal brother into the last Plantagenet king: Towton, Barnet, Tewkesbury, the princes in the Tower, and the charge at Bosworth that ends the Wars of the Roses. Sharon Kay Penman’s 1982 novel is medieval historical saga that restores Richard III as soldier, husband, and contested king—England’s most argued-over reign, told at full length. A widely searched Wars of the Roses historical novel—the Penman landmark readers look up by title, and a Richard III counterpart to The White Queen already on the shelf (not a Cousins’ War sequel).
Subgenres
Eras
Browse this mix
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Curated titles that share era, story type, or themes.
- The White Queen · Philippa Gregory
In 1464, widowed Lancastrian Elizabeth Woodville marries Yorkist King Edward IV in secret and steps into the Wars of the Roses as queen, mother, and survivor. Gregory’s opening Cousins’ War novel is late-medieval biographical historical fiction of a commoner queen, the Woodville rise, and the mystery of the princes in the Tower.
- The Pillars of the Earth · Ken Follett
Cathedral-building, civil war, and intertwined lives in twelfth-century England.
- The Last Kingdom · Bernard Cornwell
Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a Saxon earl’s son raised by Danes, is pulled between a pagan war-band and Alfred’s Wessex as ninth-century England is carved up. Cornwell’s opening Saxon novel is medieval military historical fiction: shield walls, divided loyalty, and the making of England.
- The Crystal Cave · Mary Stewart
Born the bastard son of a Welsh princess, Myrddin Emrys—Merlin—grows from a watched child of visions to the prophet who faces High King Vortigern, crowns Uther Pendragon, and engineers the night that will conceive Arthur. Mary Stewart’s novel is medieval biographical historical adventure: a fifth-century Britain after Rome, told as Merlin’s own youth.
- Katherine · Anya Seton
In fourteenth-century England, convent-raised Katherine de Roet is married to a harsh knight, then drawn into a decades-long love with John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster—through plague, the Peasants’ Revolt, and a Plantagenet court rotting with intrigue. Anya Seton’s novel is medieval biographical historical fiction of the woman whose Beaufort children would shape the English royal line.
- Kristin Lavransdatter · Sigrid Undset
In fourteenth-century Norway, headstrong Kristin Lavransdatter defies her father for the charming, reckless Erlend Nikulaussøn, then lives out a marriage, seven sons, and a faith tested by politics, guilt, and the coming of the Black Death. Sigrid Undset’s Nobel-winning trilogy is medieval historical fiction of one woman’s whole life against church, kin, and a frozen northern kingdom.
Regions & places
Britain & Ireland
England · Middleham · York · London · Bosworth Field
Themes
- kingship
- loyalty
- war
- family
- reputation
Tags
epic · biographical · classic