Cover of The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck

The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck

by Mary Shelley

First published
1830
Reading level
Plain English
Price
Free

About the book

"The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck: A Romance" by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley is a historical novel published in 1830. Set after the Battle of Bosworth, it follows the fate of a young man claimed to be Richard, Duke of York, the supposedly murdered son of King Edward IV. Shelley treats him as the genuine prince rather than an impostor, portraying an idealistic figure thrust into dangerous political intrigue. Through Richard and the women who support him, the novel explores loyalty, betrayal, and the human cost of power struggles in Tudor England.

  • Historical fiction
  • Impostors and imposture
  • Great Britain
  • Warbeck, Perkin, 1474-1499
  • Pretenders to the throne

Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #66749. The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck on Wikipedia.

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