European Wars 1455-1721

War of the Roses

Dates: 1455-1487

Location: England

Involved Factions: House of York (represented by a White Rose) vs. House of Lancaster (represented by a Red rose)

Long Term Causes: Edward III died and left heir to grandson Richard II. Henry Lancaster, his cousin, muscled his way in, but was then challenged by Richard, Duke of York, who was a descendant of Edward III, so there was a conflict over who should have been king.

Short Term Causes: The throne passed to Henry of Lancaster’s grandson, Henry VI. Henry VI was mentally unstable and his advisors took advantage of him to hand more and more land to the Lancasters. After one of his breakdowns, Richard was declared Protector of the Land and placed his corrupt advisors in jail. However, in 1455 Henry recovered and his wife, Margeret of Anjou, basically took over and removed Richard from his position. Richard then raised an army and attacked.

Important People: Edward III, Richard III, Warwick, Henry VI, Margaret of Anjou, Edward IV, Edward V, Henry Tudor

Important Battles: The Battle of Bosworth Field (1485) – Henry Tudor defeats Richard.

Summary:

• Richard defeated the Lancasters and took control of England, but not as king

• The House of Lancaster then completely took over England while Richard was out of the country

• Richard then re-invaded England and he was named Protector of the Land by Parliament

• Margaret then left London and formed a large army in the north

• She advanced into southern England, and was attacked by Richard, and he and 2 of his sons were killed. His son, Edward IV, was now the heir.

• Edward then raised an army, joined forces with Warwick, and entered London, which was largely Yorkist

• Parliament crowned him king and he defeated Margaret’s army in 1461

• In 1469, Warwick, a traditional ally of the Yorkists, turned against Edward and allied with the exiled Margaret and took over England

• Edward fled overseas to Burgundy, but when Warwick attempted to follow him there, were he was defeated, and the ruler of Burgundy gave Edwards funds to raise an army

• Edward then reinvaded England and took defeated Margaret and Warwick’s armies

• After a period of peace, Edward died

• Richard III then locked Edward’s 12 year old son in the Tower of London, and took control as King

• Henry Tudor, a Lancastrian, also had a claim to the throne, and Richard’s and Henry’s armies fought each other

• Henry won and was crowned Henry VII in 1485

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