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The Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses was a
civil war fought in England. It lasted for just over 30 years from 1455 to 1487.
Nor were these really wars, but rather a series of small, albeit decisive,
skirmishes between various magnates.
The war
was fought between supporters of several descendants of Edward III, the King of
England from 1327 to 1377. The "Wars of the Roses" is the name refers
to the symbols used to represent the two major factions—the Yorks represented
themselves with the symbol of the white rose and the Lancaster represented
themselves with a red rose. It wasn't until the end of the struggle, however,
that the Lancaster adopted the red rose to distinguish themselves from the
Yorks.
The
issue, of course, owed its origins to Henry Bolingbroke's usurpation of the
crown. There were several nobles and families who had better claims to the
throne and Henry had introduced the dangerous precedent that the crown belonged
to whoever could seize it.
Henry VI & The Wars of Roses
Henry VI was a key
player in the Wars of the Roses. In fact, the roots of the war began a
century earlier with Henry VI’s grandfather, Henry IV. Henry IV overthrew his
cousin, Richard II, from the throne. They both shared a grandfather in King
Edward III, each being a son of a different child of Edward. The root of the
conflict of the war was which branch of the family had a better claim to the
throne. While the line of succession passed peacefully from Henry IV to his
son, Henry V, and to his son, Henry VI, it was during Henry VI’s reign that the
rival branch of Edward III’s descendants came forward and stated they had the
better claim to the throne. This was the beginning of the war.
A War in Three Phases
The Wars of the Roses was not a constant fight but a series of battles that can the divided into three distinct phases.
The first phase saw the crown seized from Henry VI by Edward IV following victory at the Battle of Towton in 1461.
A second phase was fought from 1469-71 as Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, switched allegiances. That phase of the war saw the end of Lancastrian power. Warwick was killed at the Battle of Barnet. Prince Edward was killed at Tewkesbury. King Henry VI died in captivity.
The final phase saw a challenge to Richard III from Henry Tudor. Tudor became King Henry VII following his defeat of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth. The Wars of the Roses ended with the defeat of a Yorkist army at the Battle of Stoke Field in 1487.
Background to the Wars of the Roses
Although there were no battles fought until 1455, the cause of the wars dates back to the reign of Edward III and the power struggle between his sons after his death.
The four eldest sons of Edward III (1312 – 1377) were Edward the Black Prince (heir to the throne), Lionel of Antwerp (Duke of Clarence) John of Gaunt (Duke of Lancaster) and Edmund of Langley (Duke of York)
Edward III died in 1377. His eldest son, Edward, the Black Prince had died of the plague in 1376 and so his grandson, Richard, aged ten and son of the Black Prince, became king. Because Richard II was only ten years old, his uncle, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, ruled the country. As Richard grew older he rebelled against his uncle and made decisions that were not popular with the most powerful men in the country.
In 1399 John of Gaunt died and Richard II confiscated the land he had owned. John of Gaunt’s son, Henry, raised an army and when Richard surrendered took the throne as Henry IV. Richard was imprisoned in Pontefract castle and mysteriously died in February 1400.
Henry IV faced a number of challenges to his place on the throne because he was not the natural successor to Richard II. With the death of Richard II, the crown should have passed to Edmund Earl of March, great grandson of Lionel Duke of Clarence. However, Henry managed to keep his place on the throne and when he died in 1413, the country was at peace and his son, Henry V, succeeded without problem.
Henry V was a strong leader and after ordering the execution of Richard, Earl of Cambridge for plotting to put the Yorkists on the throne, invaded France. He won many battles, including the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 and conquered Normandy and Rouen for England. In 1420, Henry married the daughter of the king of France and it was agreed that their children would be the heirs of both England and France. When Henry V died in 1422 from dysentery, his son, Henry VI became the only king to be crowned king of England and France.
Henry VI was four months old when he became king and his father’s brothers ruled England and France in his place. France was soon lost when Joan of Arc raised an army against the English and restored the French monarchy. As Henry grew older it became apparent that he was a weak king, totally dominated by his French wife Margaret of Anjou. He was also prone to bouts of insanity and the Yorkists began plotting to take his place on the throne.
The first battle of the Wars of the Roses took place at St Albans on 22nd May 1455. The Yorkists led by Richard Duke of York easily defeated the King’s army. Henry VI was injured and taken prisoner. In 1455, Henry suffered another bout of insanity and Richard Duke of York was made protector of England. In 1456, Henry recovered and retook the throne. There were further battles and in 1459 Richard was killed at the Battle of Wakefield.
In 1461, Richard’s son Edward, Earl of March, defeated the King’s army, took the King prisoner and made himself King Edward IV. Queen Margaret took her son and fled to Wales where they were taken in by the king’s half-brother Jaspar Tudor. In 1470, Henry regained the throne but in 1471 was defeated by Edward’s army at the Battle of Tewkesbury and taken prisoner. Henry’s son, Edward, Prince of Wales was killed during the battle. With no other Lancastrian heir to challenge him, Edward IV remained king until his sudden death in 1483.
Edward
IV had two sons, Edward and Richard, both of whom were too young to rule and so
their uncle Richard Duke of Gloucester ruled England. The two princes were
taken to the Tower of London and in the summer of 1483 mysteriously
disappeared. It is believed that their uncle murdered them. Richard was crowned
Richard III. He was not a popular king and faced many challenges to his place
on the throne, notably from Henry Tudor, grandson of Owen Tudor who had been
second husband to Henry V’s wife Katherine of Valois.
Henry Tudor raised a Lancastrian army against Richard III and at the Battle of Bosworth Field on August 22, 1485, Richard was killed and the Yorkists defeated. It is told that Henry found Richard’s crown on the battlefield and placed it on his head. Henry VII was crowned king and married Edward IV’s daughter, Elizabeth of York, uniting the two warring family branches and ending the Wars of the Roses.
Tudor dynasty was founded by Henry VII. The Tudor Rose includes both red and white roses to symbolise the uniting of the Houses of York and Lancaster.
Timeline for the War of Roses
1455-
The Wars of the Roses begins with the Battle of First St. Albans on May 22,
1455. At this battle Richard of York defeated the army of Henry VI. Richard put
Henry VI in prison and became the "Lord Protector" of England.
1460-
The Lancastrians win a major victory at the Battle of Wakefield on December 30,
1460. Richard of York is killed.
1461-
Richard of York's son, Edward IV, defeats the Lancastrians at the Battle of
Towton. Edward IV is declared king of England. Queen Margaret flees to France.
1470-
The Earl of Warwick and Queen Margaret forge an alliance. They return to
England and restore Henry VI to the throne.
1471-
Edward IV gathers a new army and once again defeats the Lancastrians at the
Battles of Tewksbury and Barnet. He sends Henry VI to the Tower of London where
Henry VI dies in April of 1471.
1483-
Edward IV dies and his twelve-year-old son, Edward V, becomes king. However,
his uncle, Richard III, has him sent to the Tower of London where he disappears
from public view. Richard III becomes king of England.
1485-
Henry Tudor defeats Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth on August 22, 1485.
Richard III is killed and Henry is declared king.
1487-
The House of Tudor, Led by Henry VII, defeats the House of York at the Battle
of Stoke Field. This brings the Wars of the Roses to an end.
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