The century spanning the wars of the roses and the reigns of the Tudor kings was a volatile time of battle and bloodshed, execution and unexpected illness. Life could be nasty, brutish and short. Some met their end in battle, others were dragged to the block, losing everything for daring to aspire to the throne. Some were lost in mysterious circumstances, like Edward V, the elder of the Princes in the Tower. But the majority of these young men died in their teens, on the brink of manhood. They represent the lost paths of history, the fascinating "what-ifs" of the houses of York and Tudor. AUTHOR: Amy Licence is an award-winning author and historian with eight books to her name. She has written for the Guardian, the TLS, Huffington Post and BBC History.

She also appeared in Philippa Gregory's BBC2 documentary The Real Women of the Wars of the Roses in 2013. Her first book for the History Press, Red Roses, was published in March 2016. She lives in Canterbury, Kent, and writes a blog http://authorherstorianparent.blogspot.co.uk/. SELLING POINTS: * Looks at the implications for the line of succession of the early deaths of ten prominent Yorkist and Tudor men * Covers the family background and death of Edmund Duke of Rutland, brother of Richard III, whose survival would have had huge implications for the line of succession * Other 'lost' heirs include Edward of Middleham, Richard III's son, Edward V, the eldest prince in the Tower, and Arthur Tudor, whose brother became Henry VIII 16 b&w illustrations.