Desmond Seward was educated at Ampleforth and St Catharine’s College, Cambridge. One of the most highly regarded popular historians of his generation, he was the author of numerous books, ranging from studies of medieval kings to biographies of Napoleon and Hitler, to a history of the Jacobite era. His books The Hundred Years’ War and The Wars of the Roses are regarded as standard works on their subjects. He died in April 2022.