War of The Roses

The War of the Roses is the name given to a series of dynastic struggles between two rival houses for the English throne. From 1455 to 1487, these conflicts marked the end of the Middle Ages in Europe and ended with the ascension of Henry Tudor (Henry VII) to the throne. The "roses" refer to the white rose of the House of York and the red rose of the House of Lancaster on their respective heraldic badges. War of the Roses research papers have been written by our history experts. We can produce a custom written paper following your guidelines.

War of the Roses and Henry VI

Following the death of Henry V in 1422, the throne was occupied by his infant son, Henry VI. Richard, Duke of York, challenged this claim and open fighting broke out at the First Battle of St. Albans in 1455. York eventually became protector of the realm, but was killed at the Battle of Wakefield in 1460. His eldest surviving son became King Edward IV after victory at the Battle of Towton in 1461.

Conflict marked the reign of Edward IV, eventually resulting in the execution of the last Lancastrian heir, Edward, Prince of Wales following the Battle of Tewksbury in 1471. However, Edward IV died unexpectedly in 1483 and was quickly succeeded by his younger brother, Richard III, who seized the throne from the underage Edward V.

Henry Tudor, a distant relative of the Lancaster family, soon staked his own claim to the throne, defeating Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. He married the daughter of Edward IV and was crowned Henry VII, initiating the Tudor Dynasty that would rule England until the death of Elizabeth I.