War of Roses

Henry Tudor declared himself King Henry VII. In the first few years of his reign, he eliminated all his rivals.

http://ehistory.osu.edu/middleages/warsoftheroses/overview.cfm

This war included more than sixty weeks of battles varying in there importance. The many battles encompassed both skirmishes fought by small numbers and large-scale engagements involving heavy casualties.

http://ehistory.osu.edu/middleages/warsoftheroses/overview.cfm

BBF cont..-Richard moves to meet Henry's army south of the village of Market Bosworth. After the armies engage, Lord Thomas Stanley and his brother Sir William switch sides and fight for Henry. Henry defeats the Yorkist forces, Richard is killed, and Henry ushers in the rule of the house of Tudor effectively ending the Wars of the Roses.

http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/war_of_roses.html

Henry IV's descendants and their supporters were the Lancastrian faction. The other branch, descended from Edward IV, were associated with families in the North of England, particularly the House of York and Richard of York. They are called the Yorkist faction.

http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/war_of_roses.html

On Edward IV's death in 1483, his son Edward V was the next Yorkist ruler slated to ascend to the throne. However, though Edward was unusually precocious and capable, he was still a child. His uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester (the guy who later becomes King Richard III) set himself up as regent (temporary ruler) until the boy Edward reached adulthood. After doing this, Richard declared martial law under his "protectorate government."

http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/war_of_roses.html

One of the most important battle was (1485) Battle of Bosworth Field: Henry Tudor (soon to be King Henry VII), Earl of Richmond, lands in Wales on August 7, 1485 to challenge Richard III for the crown.

http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/war_of_roses.html

Richard of Gloucester sent young Edward and Edward's younger brother into the Tower of London There, the two child-princes mysteriously vanished, presumably murdered. Richard then declared himself King Richard III as the next Yorkist in line for the throne. After all, he was brother to Edward IV, and all the male offspring of Edward were now out of the way.

http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/war_of_roses.html

The First Battle of St. Albans: This is the opening battle in the Wars of the Roses. Richard of York leads a force of about 3,000 on a march toward London. Henry VI moves from London to intercept the Yorkist army. Henry halts his march in the town of Saint Albans and waits. Richard attacks and defeats Henry inflicting about 300 casualties. The Queen and her young son Edward flee into exile. The Yorkist faction also kills the Lancastrian ally Somerset, the primary supporter of Henry VI.

http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/war_of_roses.html

The War of Roses was a struggle to claim the throne between the families descended from Edward III and the families descended from Henry IV.

http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/war_of_roses.html

The king at the time was the Lancastrian Henry VI. Richard, Duke of York, argued that Henry IV's descendants have no right to the throne because Henry IV usurped the position unlawfully. Richard's son Edward becomes King Edward IV in 1461 and Henry VI flees the country for nine years.

http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/war_of_roses.html

The last Angevin ruler, King Richard II died without an heir. He had been overthrown and murdered by Henry IV (Henry Bolingbroke, who was of the House of Lancaster through his father John of Gaunt).

http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/war_of_roses.html

The struggle ended abruptly at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 when the Lancastrian faction won a decisive victory. Henry Tudor, an obscure Welsh prince, raised an army to fight Richard III. The Tudors had blood-ties to the House of Lancaster, and Henry Tudor had a strong claim to the throne since most of the major Lancastrian and Yorkist candidates had killed each other during the thirty years of warfare.

http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/war_of_roses.html

The war began in 1455 when Richard, Duke of York challenged the current king's right to the throne. Richard, Duke of York, descended ultimately from the same family as King Richard II, whom Henry Bolingbroke (Henry IV) deposed. cont.. info on 13

http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/war_of_roses.html

The social and economic impact of war was reduced by the shortness of campaigns (counted in weeks) and by the general concern of leaders to keep or win the support of civilians.

http://www.history.com/topics/british-history/wars-of-the-roses

Popular Battles: 1455: The First Battle of St Albans 1460: Battle of Northampton 1460: The Battle of Wakefield 1471: Battle of Barnet 1471: Battle of Tewkesbury 1485: Battle of Bosworth Field

http://www.lordsandladies.org/wars-of-the-roses.htm

The Lancastrians were: Henry IV ("Bolingbroke," son of the Duke of Lancaster), 1399-1413 Henry V (son of Henry IV), 1413-1422 Henry VI (son of Henry V, deposed), 1422-1471

http://www.lordsandladies.org/wars-of-the-roses.htm

The Wars of the Roses ended with King Henry VII who started the Tudor dynasty and symbolically united the White and Red Roses to create the Tudor Rose.

http://www.lordsandladies.org/wars-of-the-roses.htm

The White Rose was the symbol of Yorkist supporters who opposed the rival House of Lancaster, whose symbol was the Red Rose of Lancaster. The opposition of the two parties, symbolised by the red and white roses gave the wars their name - the Wars of the Roses.

http://www.lordsandladies.org/wars-of-the-roses.htm

The Yorkists were: Edward IV (son of duke of York), 1461-1483 Edward V (son of Edward IV), 1483 Richard III ("Crookback," brother of Edward IV) 1483-1485

http://www.lordsandladies.org/wars-of-the-roses.htm

The War of the Roses was a civil war in England that lasted from 1455-1487. These thirty years of warfare were even more destructive to England than the Hundred Years War had been in the previous century.

the Extraordinary Works of William Shakespeare pg.168