A study of the social and political history of England and Wales in one of its most turbulant periods - that of the 15th and early 16th centuries. The book looks at the ancestors of the present Lord Dynevor, who played a central role in the Wars of the Roses in Wales.

Sir Rhys ap Thomas (1449-1525) was a Welsh soldier and landholder who attained prominence during the Wars of the Roses and was instrumental in the victory of Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Here Ralph A. Griffiths recalls Sir Rhys ap Thomas and his family as a way to explore the relationship between Wales and the English crown during this time of political turmoil and civil war.