Scarlet and white roses. War of the Scarlet and White Rose (briefly)

The Lancaster dynasty in England was ruled by a Frenchwoman - Margarita, this caused dissatisfaction with the York dynasty.

The barons of northern England and Ireland sided with the Lancasters. While the Yorks were helped by feudal lords, merchants and townspeople.

The Lancasters have a scarlet rose on their coat of arms, and the Yorks have a white rose. A war broke out between them, distinguished by particular cruelty. The advantage in war was constantly changing.

Richard (of the York dynasty) in 1455 destroyed the supporters of the Lancasters and 5 years later captured Margaret's husband, Henry VI. To which she returned with reinforcements and killed Richard. All prisoners were executed.

The following year, Richard's son, Edward, avenged his father by forcing Margaret and her husband to retreat to Scotland, becoming Edward IV. He also executed those who surrendered.

In 1964 he attacked the Lancasters and captured Henry VI. However, Edward's supporters changed sides, so he fled. Henry VI returned to his post.

Soon Edward IV restored his strength and destroyed the enemy troops. The son of King Henry died, and later he himself. Margarita after some time was redeemed from captivity.

When Edward IV died, his underage son Edward was supposed to take the post, but Richard of Gloucester became a traitor, locking up two sons of Edward IV (soon disappeared) and calling himself Richard III.

He tried with all his might to restore order, but failed.

Henry Tudor united both dynasties and opposed Richard. In 1485, at Bosworth, the latter was betrayed and died. King appointed Henry (VII) Tudor, who ended the Thirty Years' War.

Henry Tudor married the daughter of Edward IV in order to reconcile both sides and connected two roses on the coat of arms. At the same time, he founded his dynasty.

Later, no one was able to find out if the sons of Edward IV were alive. Henry VII ensured that Richard III was remembered as the man who brutally murdered his nephews.

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England 15th century. The country is in the middle of an armed conflict for the throne between kindred two branches of the Plantagenet dynasty. For more than thirty years, the country has changed hands, ...

The war ended with the complete annihilation of the York and Lancaster dynasty. The throne passed to the Tudors. They ruled England for one hundred and seventeen years. In the bloody mess of the civil war, a huge number of the oldest families of England were killed. Children and wives died.

Causes of the war

England lost in the Hundred Years War with France. The defeat brought the country into a state of incomprehensible economic chaos. English feudal lords did not know how to work. They plundered France. And they didn't know what to do next. And on the throne was the half-mad King Henry VI, Lancaster.

In fact, the country was ruled by a queen, Margaret of Anjou, who relied on a group of wealthy Englishmen. This outraged the progressive sections of English society. They knew for sure that England needed free trade and the development of crafts.

Wealthy citizens and the middle class grumbled. The royal treasury is empty, a huge armed army, returning from the continent after the defeat, wanders in a hungry, exhausted country. There is no national idea.

Society is disappointed, the ground for the start of civil strife is ready, the mechanism of civil war is launched. England, as a state, is of no interest to anyone. Everyone wanted only profit. There are two Houses left, contesting the right to the throne.

As a result, England was divided into two camps: the Lancasters became at the head of the northern barons, and the Yorks headed the more economically stable southeast. The scarlet rose entered the warpath with the white rose. In addition, the white rose was actively supported by poor nobles, merchants and townspeople.

Richard, Duke of York, on a May day, 1455, defeated the army of the scarlet rose. But thanks to intrigues within his army, he was removed from power. Another rebellion broke out, in which he again won, capturing the king.

The clever, cunning and cruel wife of the king, Margaret of Anjou, stood up for her insane husband. In battle, the queen was not inferior to men in courage and military skill. She became the symbol of the House of Lancaster instead of her husband.

Rose of York

Rose of Lancaster

Rose Tudor

The War of the Roses brought significant destruction and disaster to the population of England; a large number of representatives of the English feudal aristocracy died during the conflict.

In that battle, the knights of the scarlet rose won, and the leader of the white rose died. His head, decorated with a paper crown, flaunted for some time on the wall of the city of York. The heir, son Edward, led troops and destroyed the Lancasters near Towton.

The royal couple took refuge in Scotland, and the winner was crowned under the name of Edward IV. 40,000 people died in the battle, and the river that flowed nearby was red.

The year was 1464. Edward IV, trying to achieve absolute submission, opposed the Lancasters in the northern provinces. Having won, he captured the king and locked him in the Tower. The indefatigable desire for power, for the subjugation of the nobility, for the restriction of the won freedom, provoked another uprising against the king.

The leapfrog on the throne continues. The king is deposed and expelled from England in 1470. Henry VI, and hence Margarita, is back in power. But the year 1471 brought victory to Edward IV over Margaret, supported by France.

The Tower received the deposed king for the last time. He died in captivity. Strengthening power, the king cracks down on the Lancasters and Yorks. Death calmed and reconciled the king with opponents. The throne went to Crown Prince Edward V.

Richard, brother of the late king, seized power under the pretense of regency over the infant king. Bold and ambitious, he sends his nephew and brother to the Tower. Nobody ever saw them again. The boys' uncle declared himself King Richard III.

The missing boys and the usurpation of power angered the warring nobles of England. With difficulty agreeing among themselves, they invited Henry Tudor, from the Lancaster clan, who lived on bitter bread at the royal court of France.

A misrepresentation of the scene in the Temple Garden in Henry VI Part I, where supporters of warring factions choose red and white roses

The adventurer landed on the coast of England with an armed army, and united with the rebels, defeated Richard III at the battle of Bosworth. Henry himself died. The throne went to Henry VII, born Earl of Richmond. On his father's side, he belonged to an ancient Welsh family.

The results of the civil war

Once upon a time, the ancestor of the Earl of Richmond was in a love affair with the French princess Catherine of Valois. He became the ancestor of the Tudor dynasty. Consolidating power and hoping for a peaceful outcome, the new king was legally married to the daughter of the late king. Irreconcilable enemies reconciled.

The civil war on the island, for thirty years accompanied by terrible and cruel executions, murders, slowly subsided. Two ancient royal dynasties perished. The people of the country languished under the yoke of taxes, the treasury was plundered, trade did not bring profit, there was an open robbery of the population.

King of France Louis XI

Duke of Burgundy Charles the Bold

The feudal aristocracy was destroyed, the confiscated lands now belonged to the king. He granted them to the new nobles, merchants, rich townspeople. This population became the backbone of the absolute power of the Tudors.

By the way, during the Civil War, the names "Scarlet Rose" and "White Rose" were not used. The term began to appear actively in the 19th century, with the light hand of Walter Scott, who found a scene (fictional) in Shakespeare in the play Henry VI, where enemies in the church choose different roses.

King Henry Tudor used a red dragon on his banners, and Richard III rode a banner with a white boar. The disgusting system of corrupt, bastard feudalism influenced the beginning of the Thirty Years' War.

Ambitious manners, a desire for wealth, profitable marriages gave good ground for betrayal and betrayal. Practically, each feudal lord had his own private army. England is divided into small counties and duchies.

This was the last rampage of feudal anarchy in England. The Tudor dynasty established the absolutism of its own power. The new dynasty gave the world a great ruler, which is known to the whole world - Elizabeth - the virgin queen. The Tudors were in power for 117 years.

Confrontation of the Scarlet and White Roses.
In the middle of the 15th century, a difficult time came in the life of Britain. The difficulties of the economic situation were exacerbated by the defeat in the Hundred Years' War. In addition, the number of those dissatisfied with the king in the lower strata of society multiplied. What led to the peasant uprising in 1450 - 1451. These reasons served as a pretext for the start of an internecine bloody war that lasted another 30 years.
Subsequently, this war became known as the War of the Scarlet and White Roses. This name was due to the symbolism of the main opposing forces, originating from one royal dynasty of the Plantagenets. The ruling dynasty of the Lancasters, led by Henry VI, on whose coat of arms there was a scarlet rose, competed with another noble English dynasty, the Yorks. The coat of arms of this dynasty was a white rose. Henry VI and the Lancastrian dynasty were mainly supported by Wales, Ireland and many barons of the northern part of Britain. The York dynasty, on the other hand, enlisted the support of the feudal lords of the richer south-eastern part of England.
During the reign of the Scarlet Rose Dynasty, the Dukes of Suffolk and Somerset had great power. The Duke of York, Richard, who was the brother of King Henry VI, returned from exile in 1450. Seeing the state of affairs, he tries to weaken the influence of these dukes with the help of Parliament. But the king dissolves parliament. Taking advantage of the temporary clouding of the mind of Henry VI, in 1453 Richard becomes the de facto ruler of England, having received the title of protector. After a while, sanity returns to the king. Not wanting to give up power, Duke Richard enlists the support of the earls of Warwick and Salisbury.
Soon the rivalry between scarlet and white roses develops into an open confrontation. In May 1455, the first Battle of St. Albans took place. The king's troops were outnumbered and defeated. In 1459-1460, several more battles took place, in which the initiative passed either to the supporters of the Lancasters, or to the supporters of the Yorks. In the summer of 1460, the Battle of Northampton took place, in which the Yorks again won. As a result of the battle, King Henry VI was captured, and Richard became his heir and protector of the throne. Not wanting to put up with this, the king's wife Margaret of Anjou gathers supporters loyal to the crown and six months later defeats the troops of the white rose in the battle of Wakefield. In this battle, Richard dies and his son Edward takes his place.
After several small battles at Mortimer's Cross, St. Albans, Ferrybridge, the largest battle of the entire War of the Scarlet and White Rose takes place. Near Touton on March 24, 1461, from 30 to 40 thousand people converged on each side. Edward of York inflicted a crushing defeat on the army of the scarlet rose, defeating most of the Lancastrian army. Some time later, he was crowned, proclaiming the king of England by Edward IV. Margaret of Anjou and her husband retreated to Scotland. But after several defeats, Henry VI is again captured.
In 1470, active hostilities resumed. The king's younger brother the Duke of Clarence and his former ally the Earl of Warwick rise in rebellion against Edward. After spending a short time in captivity, Edward IV flees to Burgundy, under the protection of his son-in-law Charles the Bold. The Duke of Clarence and the Earl of Warwick, with the assistance of King Louis XI of France, return the crown to Henry VI, taking an oath of allegiance to him.
Returning a year later with an army hired by Charles the Bold, Edward IV enlists the support of the traitor Clarence and wins the battles of Barnet (March 12) and Tewkesbury (April 14). Warwick dies at Barnet, and Henry's only son Prince Edward at Tewkesbury. After a while, Henry VI himself dies. Thus ends the Lancaster family.
The reign of Edward IV remains calm and the fighting subsides. But after his death in 1483, his brother Richard of Gloucester, having convicted his son Edward of illegitimacy, usurps the throne, taking the name of Richard III. Soon Henry Tudor, who was a distant relative of the Lancaster dynasty, landed in 1485 with an army of French mercenaries on the shores of Britain in the region of Wales. Having suffered a defeat from Henry Tudor, Richard III himself dies in battle. And Henry is proclaimed the ruler of England by Henry VII. Another York attempt to recapture the throne ends in defeat at the Battle of Stoke Field. This event ended the War of the Scarlet and White Roses.

In the second half of the 15th century, Great Britain was shaken by a terrible civil war between supporters of the two branches of the ruling Plantagenet dynasty - the Lancasters and the Yorks. Since, when going into battle, supporters of the Lancasters attached a scarlet rose to their armor, and the symbol of the Yorks was a white flower, the poetic name “War of the Scarlet and White Roses” was attached to the bloody events of 1455-85 with the light hand of Walter Scott.

Background and causes of the conflict

Henry V Lancaster ruled Britain from 1413-22. He was one of the greatest generals of his time and a talented ruler. Like his predecessors, Henry V fought the French in the Hundred Years' War. In this matter, Henry V achieved great success. He not only included part of the French possessions in his state and married the French princess - Catherine of Valois, but also insisted that in the future his son and Catherine become the king of both powers.

However, fate played a cruel joke with the English king. At the age of 35, he died of an illness, and his heir, Henry VI, who received the throne at the age of one, became an adult, not only deprived of his father's talents, but also mentally ill.

Henry VI was rapidly losing control over the French lands, on which the troops under the leadership of Joan of Arc operated. In 1453, the Hundred Years' War ended with the loss of all English possessions on the continent, with the exception of the city of Calais. However, the internal affairs of the mad king were not much better. After the defeat in the Hundred Years' War, the nobles decided that Henry VI, whose mental health had seriously deteriorated in recent years, needed a regent. As such, it was decided to make the king's cousin - Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York. This proposal greatly frightened the queen - Margaret of Anjou, who believed that Richard would push her and Henry's son, Edward, from the throne. During periods of her husband's madness, Margarita herself ruled the country - an educated and powerful woman, however, she did not enjoy great popularity among the British. Therefore, the protests of Margarita did not meet with the support of the nobles (a powerful party of large feudal lords had formed around the Duke of York by that time) and Richard Plantagenet received the title of protector.

By 1455, Henry VI's fortunes had improved significantly and he decided to return to independent rule. Marguerite insisted that the York party be expelled from the Grand Royal Council. The Duke of York was not ready to give up his high title, therefore, with the support of the powerful Earls of Salisbury and Warwick, he gathered an army in order to regain the throne by force.

Thus, the causes of the war of the Scarlet and White Roses were:

the results of the Hundred Years' War, which not only led to economic collapse, but also hit the authority of the royal power hard;
peasant uprisings of 1450-51;
the attitude of the British towards the Frenchwoman Margaret of Anjou;
political instability associated with the health of the English king;
the crisis of patrimonial landownership caused by outdated feudal orders;
the presence of different branches of the Plantagenet dynasty that fought for power.

In a broad sense, the War of the Scarlet and White Roses was not just a clash between different members of the royal family, but rather between two lifestyles and economic systems. The ruling king and his wife were supported by the northern barons - staunch conservatives, whose possessions were located in the most economically backward region of the country, and the residents of the economically developed south-east of England - merchants, artisans and the most progressive nobles - supported the Yorks.

Course of events

The first military clash between the Yorks and the Lancasters took place in May 1455 at St. Albans. The army of Henry VI turned out to be smaller and weaker, so the victory remained with the White Rose. Many high-ranking Lancastrian supporters fell in this battle. The victory allowed the head of the White Rose to declare himself Lord High Constable of England and heir to Henry VI. Small skirmishes between the two parties continued until 1460, when the Yorks inflicted a crushing defeat on the Lancasters at Northampton. The king was captured by the Yorks, so Richard York was able to enter London unhindered. However, the struggle was continued by Margarita Anzhuyskaya, who escaped captivity. Through her efforts, the Lancastrian supporters managed to defeat the Yorks at Wakefield that same year. In this battle, Richard York died without receiving the coveted English crown.

After the death of the Duke of York, his eldest son, Edward, became the head of the White Rose. In 1461, the new king inflicted several defeats on the Lancasters. The largest was the Battle of Towton, as a result of which Henry VI was imprisoned in the Tower, and Margaret of Anjou and her son were forced to flee the country. After the victory, Edward York was crowned in London under the name of Edward IV, bypassing the legitimate heir to the throne. By decree of the new king, the Lancasters themselves and their supporters were declared traitors.

However, Edward IV could not find a common language about his subjects. The king was distinguished by a tough temper, which led many of his supporters to prefer to go to the Lancastrian camp. Among the defectors were the younger brother of the king - the Duke of Clarence - and an experienced intriguer Earl of Warwick, who was given the nickname "kingmaker" by his contemporaries.

In 1470, the Lancasters, with the support of new allies, opposed Edward IV. The young king was forced into Burgundy. Meanwhile, Warwick managed to free and return Henry VI to his former place. The Lancastrian king, whose mental state was completely shaken by that time, did not participate in public affairs in any way, the powerful Earl of Warwick had real power at court. The "Kingmaker" planned in the future to replace the mad king from the Lancaster family with his younger brother, George. To do this, the Earl of Warwick implemented another intrigue: having provoked the opponents of the Lancasters to another performance, he convinced Henry VI to move on a deliberately failed punitive campaign. The king fell into a trap and the cunning count took him to one of his castles, ostensibly for protection. In fact, to capture. Henry VI realized too late that the former ally had betrayed him, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Meanwhile, Edward IV raised a new army, made peace with the Duke of Clarence and resumed the fight for the throne. In 1471, he managed to inflict several serious defeats on the Lancasters. In one of them, the Earl of Warwick was killed. But the real disaster awaited the Lancasters at Tewkesbury. After the battle, this place was called the "bloody meadow". In this battle, not only almost all the supporters of the Lancasters were destroyed, but also the only heir to Henry VI - Prince Edward. Margaret of Anjou and the young widow of the prince who died on the battlefield were captured by Edward IV. Henry VI survived his son by only a few days. Shortly after the victory of the Yorks in the "bloody meadow", it was announced that Henry VI Lancaster had died of grief upon learning of the death of his son. Both historians and contemporaries of those events had every reason not to believe in the version that explained the death of the former king by natural causes. It is likely that Edward IV decided to get rid of the last legitimate claimant to the English crown.

For some time, relative calm reigned in England. But in 1483 Edward IV of York died. By law, his young son succeeded to the throne under the name of Edward V of York. However, this decision was opposed by the boy's uncle, Richard of Gloucester, one of the younger brothers of the deceased king. He declared his brother's sons illegitimate and ordered that the boys be sent to the Tower. Historians know nothing more about their further fate. Obviously, the princes were killed and secretly buried on the orders of their uncle. So Richard III of Gloucester became the new English king. The new king began to restore internal order, however, he had to face strong opposition from the Yorks and the seemingly completely broken Lancasters.

The power of resistance returned to the Scarlet Rose camp after it was led by Henry Tudor, the grandson of Catherine of Valois and the nephew of Henry VI. After the death of Henry V, Catherine of Valois was still a young woman, so she soon began a secret affair with a Welsh nobleman, Owen Tudor. From this relationship, the couple had six children, including the father of Henry Tudor.

In August 1485, Henry Tudor, who had lived almost all his life in France, traveled across the English Channel with his army and landed on the English coast. Richard III met him at Bosworth Field. During the battle, many nobles left the camp of Richard III, running to his opponent. The king himself was killed and Henry VII Tudor was proclaimed the new ruler of England. In 1487, one of the nephews of Richard of Gloucester tried to overthrow Henry VII from the throne, but this attempt failed. Thus, the civil war in England ended with the nominal victory of the Scarlet Rose, but in fact with the suppression of the Plantagenet dynasty.

The results of the War of the Scarlet and White Roses in England

Henry VII managed to establish peace in the country. He married the daughter of Edward IV, as if combining the Scarlet and White Roses together. However, the war ended, rather, due to the fact that the country was completely drained of blood, and only their most insignificant representatives remained from the huge noble clans, incapable of a serious struggle for power. Thirty years of conflict has led to a variety of consequences:

establishing Tudor power;
complete eradication of the oldest and noblest English noble families. Although the Scarlet and White Roses were represented by compatriots, many of whom were related, the clashes between the two sides were marked by great bloodshed. Noble clans were massacred completely, including women, the elderly and children. No one was taken prisoner, the enemy was destroyed in the bud;
the complete renunciation of England's claims to French lands;
the strengthening of the merchant class, which took the place of the nobility and became the main social pillar of the Tudors.

The tragic events of the 15th century, replete with almost detective plot twists, became a source of inspiration for many authors: William Shakespeare with his plays "Henry VI" and "Richard III", Walter Scott and George Martin.

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A long and bloody feud between the two most noble English families, which went down in history under the name “War of the Scarlet and White Roses”, brought a new royal dynasty, the Tudors, to the throne. The war owes its romantic name to the fact that not the coat of arms of one of the rival parties - the Yorks - was depicted with a white rose, but on the coat of arms of their opponents - the Lancasters - scarlet.

In the middle of the XV century. England has gone through hard times. Having been defeated in the Hundred Years War, the English nobility, having lost the opportunity to periodically plunder the French lands, plunged into a showdown of internal relations. King Henry VI Lancaster could not stop the strife of the aristocracy. Sickly (Henry suffered bouts of insanity) and weak-willed, he almost completely gave the reins of government to the Dukes of Somerset and Suffolk. The signal foreshadowing the approach of serious turmoil was the uprising of Jack Cad, which broke out in Kent in 1451. The royal troops, however, managed to defeat the rebels, but anarchy in the country was growing.

White starts but does not win.

Richard, Duke of York, decided to take advantage of the situation. In 1451, he tried to increase his influence by opposing the all-powerful favorite of the king, the Duke of Somerset. The MPs who supported Richard York even dared to proclaim him heir to the throne. However, Henry VI unexpectedly showed firmness and dissolved the rebellious Parliament.

In 1453, Henry VI lost his mind as a result of a severe shock. This case is an opportunity for Richard to achieve the most important position - the protector of the state. But the Sickness receded, and the king again pressed the ambitious brother. Not wanting to part with his dreams of the throne, Richard began to gather supporters for a decisive battle. Having entered into an alliance with the Earl of Salisbury and Warwick, who had strong armies, in the spring of 1455 he marched against the king. The War of the Roses has begun.

The first battle took place in the small town of St. Albans. The Earl of Warwick with his detachment went through the gardens from the rear and hit the royal troops. This decided the outcome of the battle. Many supporters of the king, including Sommerset, died, Henry VI himself was captured.

However, Richard's triumph did not last long. Queen Margaret of Anjou, wife of Henry VI, who became the head of the supporters of the Scarlet Rose, managed to remove York from power. Richard again mutinied and defeated the Lancasters at the battles of Blore Heath (September 23, 1459) and Northampton (July 10, 1460), and King Henry was again captured in the last battle. But Margaret of Anjou, who remained at large, unexpectedly attacked Richard and defeated his troops at the Battle of Wakefill (December 30, 1460). Richard himself fell on the battlefield, and his head in a paper crown was put on public display on the wall of York.

White wins, but not for long.

However, the war was still far from over. Upon learning of the death of his father, Richard's son Edward, Earl of March, forms a new army in the Welsh possessions of the Yorks. Forces are gathering in the Wigmore area and the ice loe. On February 3, 1461, the two armies met in a decisive battle at Mortimer's Cross (Herefordshire). The supporters of the White Rose won an undeniable victory. The Lancasters left the battlefield with 3,000 casualties.

Meanwhile, Queen Margaret of Anjou, with the only heir of Henry VI, Prince Edward and a huge army, hurried to the rescue of her husband. Having unexpectedly attacked the enemy, in February of the same year she defeated the supporter of the White Rose Earl of Warwick in St. Albans and freed her husband.

Inspired by victory, Margarita decides to unite with Jasper Tudor's army and march on London. And the Earl of March and Warwick are on their way to the Allied camp in the Cotswolds. Only by a miracle did the Scarlet and the Whites manage to avoid a meeting, which would be extremely undesirable, first of all, for the Yorks. Entering London, the queen's army began to loot and terrorize the townspeople. In the end, riots broke out in the city, and when March and Warwick approached the capital, the Londoners joyfully threw open the gates for them. On March 4, 1461, Edward March is proclaimed King Edward IV, and on March 29 he delivers a crushing blow to the Lancasters at the Battle of Towton. The deposed king and his wife are forced to flee to Scotland.

Supported by France, Henry VI still had supporters in the north of England, but they were defeated in 1464, and the king was again imprisoned.

White WINS.

At this point, feuds begin in the White Rose camp. The Earl of Warwick, head of the Neville clan, teams up with Edward's brother the Duke of Clarence and raises a rebellion against the newly ascended king. They defeat the troops of Edward IV, and he himself is captured. But, seduced by tempting promises, Warwick releases the king. Edward does not keep his promises, and the enmity between former like-minded people flares up with renewed vigor. On July 26, 1469, at Edgecoat, Warwick defeats the royal army commanded by the Earl of Pembroke and executes the latter along with his brother Sir Richard Herbert. Now Warwick, through the mediation of King Louis XI of France, goes over to the side of the Lancasters, but only a year later is defeated and dies in the Battle of Barnet.

Margaret of Anjou, just on the day of the defeat, returns to her homeland from France. The news from London shocked the queen, but her resolve did not leave her. Having gathered an army, Marguerite leads her to the Welsh border to join up with Jasper Tudor's army. But Edward IV overtakes the Scarlet and defeats him in the battle of Tewkesbury. Margarita is taken prisoner; the only heir, Henry VI, fell on the battlefield; the latter in the same year died (or was killed) in captivity. Edward IV RETURNS TO LONDON, AND UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 1483 THE COUNTRY IS RELATIVELY QUIET.

White and scarlet roses on the same coat of arms

A new drama unfolds with the death of the king. Edward's brother, Richard of Gloucester, joins the struggle for power. By law, the throne was to pass to the son of the deceased monarch, the young Edward V. Lord Rivers, the Queen's brother, was eager to get the coronation done quickly. However, Richard managed to intercept Rivers with the young heir and his younger brother on the way to London. Rivers was beheaded, and the princes were taken to the Tower. Later, the uncle apparently ordered the death of his nephews. He himself takes possession of the crown under the name of Richard III. This act makes him so unpopular that the Lancasters regain hope. Together with the offended Yorks, they unite around Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, a distant relative of the Lancasters who lived in France.

In August 1485, Henry Tudor landed at Milford Haven, passed unhindered through Wales and joined with his supporters. From their combined army, Richard III was defeated at the battle of Bosworth on August 22, 1485. The usurper king was killed in this battle. Henry VII, the founder of the Tudor dynasty, ascended the English throne. Having married the daughter of Edward IV, Elizabeth, heiress of the Yorks, he combined scarlet and white roses in his coat of arms.

Source - Big Illustrated Encyclopedia

War of the Roses - "War of the Scarlet and White Roses" - The Tudors updated: September 11, 2017 by: website

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