England, 1461. Edward of York has just won a crushing victory at the Battle of Towton and it seems that the cause of Henry VI and his Lancastrian allies is lost. Edward will be crowned King and, whatever their allegiance, all hope that the realm will finally have peace. (Spoiler: no, it won't)
Elizabeth Woodville is the daughter of a Lancastrian lord, but she is determined to be the new king's wife. Anne Neville is the daughter of Lord Warwick, the man whose support made Edward the king, and who might well be able to make another. Margaret Beaufort is an implacable foe of the House of York and the mother of Henry Tudor, who has a remote but plausible Lancastrian claim to the throne. Though none of these women can rule in her own right, they are all determined to shape the future of the realm.
Like Richard III a few weeks ago, this show is based on the War of the Roses, and covers many of the same events. It's got a very different explanation for why and how those events unfolded, however. Not surprising, given that (as I mentioned in my review) Shakespeare's play was always intended as Tudor propaganda.
Now this is not to say that The White Queen is necessarily "more accurate" to real history: my perception of the author on whose work this is based is that she's more interested in telling a story than being all that meticulous about accuracy. It is however probably a more balanced account, without unequivocal heroes or villains.
Most interesting to me, however, is the way that this series foregrounds women in history, showing the desires they had and the ways that they might have influenced and directed events even in the absence of formal power. I really enjoyed this factor of the show, which makes it feel quite different to the typical male-centred account of history. If that sounds at all interesting to you, you should check it out.
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