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

In the middle of the 15th century. England has gone through hard times. After being defeated in the Hundred Years War, the English nobility, having lost the opportunity to periodically plunder French lands, plunged into a showdown of internal relations. King Henry VI of Lancaster was unable to end the feuds of the aristocracy. Sick (Henry suffered from fits of insanity) and weak-willed, he almost completely surrendered the reins of government to the Dukes of Somerset and Suffolk. The signal that foreshadowed 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 the anarchy in the country was growing.

White starts but doesn't win.

Richard, Duke of York decided to take advantage of the situation. In 1451 he tried to increase his influence by opposing the king's almighty favorite, the Duke of Somerset. The MPs who supported Richard of 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 business is an opportunity for Richard to achieve the most important position - protector of the state. But the Disease receded, and the king again pressed the ambitious brother. Not wanting to part with 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 opposed the king. The war of the two 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 vegetable gardens from the rear and struck at the royal troops. This decided the outcome of the battle. Many of the king's supporters, including Sommerset, died, and Henry VI himself was captured.

However, Richard's triumph did not last long. Queen Margaret of Anjou, wife of Henry VI, who stood at the head of the Red Rose supporters, managed to remove York from power. Richard rebelled again and defeated the Lancaster at the Battle of Blore Heath (September 23, 1459) and Northampton (July 10, 1460), and in the last battle, King Henry was again captured. 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 displayed on the wall of York.

White wins, but not for long.

However, the war was far from over. Upon learning of the death of his father, Richard's son Edward, Earl of March, in the Welsh possessions of York forms a new army. The forces are gathering in the area of ​​Wigmore and Ice. On February 3, 1461, the two armies met in a decisive skirmish at Mortimer Cross (Herefordshire). Supporters of the White Rose have won an undeniable victory. Lancaster left the battlefield, losing 3,000 men.

Meanwhile, Queen Margaret of Anjou, with the only heir of Henry VI, Prince Edward, and a huge army was in a hurry to rescue her husband. Suddenly attacking the enemy, she defeats the White Rose supporter Earl of Warwick in St. Albans in February of the same year and frees her husband.

Inspired by victory, Margarita decides to unite with the army of Jasper Tudor and march on London. Earl March and Warwick are heading for the Allied camp in the Cotswolds. It was only by a miracle that the Scarlet and White managed to avoid a meeting, which would have been extremely undesirable, first of all, for Yorks. Entering London, the Queen's army began to loot and terrorize the townspeople. Eventually riots broke out in the city, and when March and Wovrik approached the capital, the Londoners happily threw open the gates for them. On March 4, 1461, Edward March was proclaimed king Edward IV, and on March 29, he dealt a crushing blow to the Lancaster 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 are defeated in 1464, and the king is again imprisoned.

White Wins.

At this point, feuds begin in the White Rose camp. The Earl of Warwick, who leads the Neville clan, joins forces with Edward's brother, the Duke of Clarence, and revolts against the newly-ascended king. They defeat the troops of Edward IV, and he himself is captured. But, flattered by tempting promises, Warwick lets the king go. Edward does not keep promises, and enmity between former like-minded people breaks out with new strength... On July 26, 1469, at Edgecote, 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 Lancaster side, but only a year later he is defeated and dies in the Battle of Barnet.

Margarita of Anjou just on the day of defeat returns to her homeland from France. The Queen was shocked by the news from London, but her resolve did not leave her. Gathering an army, Margaret leads her to the Welsh border to join the army of Jasper Tudor. But Edward IV overtakes the Scarlet and defeats in the battle at Tewkesbury. Margarita is taken prisoner; the only heir to Henry VI fell on the battlefield; the latter died (or was killed) in captivity in the same year. Edward IV RETURNS TO LONDON AND BEFORE HIS DEATH IN 1483 RELATIVE QUIET RANKS IN THE COUNTRY.

White and scarlet roses on one coat of arms

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

In August 1485, Henry Tudor landed at Milford Haven, passed unhindered through Waels, and united 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 Edward IV's daughter Elizabeth, the heiress of York, he combined scarlet and white roses in his coat of arms.

Source - Great Illustrated Encyclopedia

The War of the Scarlet and White Roses was an internecine feudal conflict for the English crown in the second half of the 15th century. (1455-1487) between two representatives of the English royal plantagenet dynasty - Lancaster (the image of a red rose on the coat of arms) and York (the image of a white rose on the coat of arms), which eventually brought to power a new royal dynasty of Tudors in England.

Preconditions for the war. Lancaster Board.

The English king Richard II Plantagenet in 1399 was overthrown by his cousin the Duke Henry of Lancaster, who declared himself King Henry IV, and imprisoned in the castle of Pontefract, where he was soon killed. Lancaster brutally persecuted their political opponents and the Lollards (followers of the church reformer John Wycliffe), executing and burning them at the stake as heretics. After the death of Henry IV of Lancaster, his son Henry V ascended the throne, who renewed the Hundred Years War in France. Henry V's actions were the most successful in the entire history of the Hundred Years War with France. After the crushing defeat of the French army by the British at the Battle of Agincourt (1415), Henry V's ally, Duke of Burgundy John the Fearless, captured Paris. The mentally ill French king Charles VI made an alliance with the British in Troyes in 1420 and married his daughter to Henry V, whom he declared his heir. Present heir to the French throne (son of King Charles VI), Dauphin Charles (later King of France Charles VII), was deprived of the right to the throne. However, in 1422 Henry V dies unexpectedly. King Charles VI of France survived the death of the English king and, thus, the treaty of 1420, signed at Troyes, was annulled, because legally had no force and did not give the right to the French throne to the new English king Henry VI.

In France, a liberation movement began under the leadership of Jeanne D'Arc, as a result of which the Hundred Years War was lost by the British, in whose hands the only port of Calais on the French coast remained.

The hopes of the feudal nobility of England after the defeat and expulsion from France to obtain new lands "overseas" were finally lost.

Revolt of 1450 led by Jack Cad.

In 1450, a major rebellion broke out in Kent, led by one of the vassals of the Duke of York, Jack Cad. The popular movement was fueled by rising taxes, setbacks in the Hundred Years War, disruption to trade, and increased oppression by the English feudal lords. On June 2, 1450, the rebels entered London and presented a number of demands to the government. One of the points of the rebels' demands was the inclusion of the Duke of York in the royal council. The government made concessions and, when the rebels left London, the royal troops treacherously attacked them and subjected the rebels to beating. Jack Cad was killed on June 12, 1450.

The history of your country, other countries of the world, is rich in many facts and events. School program physically cannot contain many of them. Ignorance is very important points, for erudite young people, will not add respect and will not free you from exam questions.

Let these questions not affect the overall assessment, but the opinion about your knowledge is an important component. Many pages of history, besides being fascinatingly interesting, are also reflected in the works of the classics. This topic includes the War of the White and Scarlet Rose - a long and bloody confrontation between two respected families in England. What do you know about this period in the life of the British?

English kingdom of the 15th century

War is war, but why did such a romantic name stick to these difficult and terrible events?

Every English noble family deservedly had a unique coat of arms. The York family had a rose on their coat of arms white, Lancaster - scarlet. The time of heightened confrontation between the rivals fell on the years 1455-1485.

This historical period was difficult for England. One Hundred Years of Exhausted War (Hundred Years) ended in defeat. The easy booty brought by the plundering of French lands is over. Knowing the country is mired in a showdown with each other. King Henry VI of Lancaster took on the role of peacemaker, but these efforts were in vain.

It could not be otherwise - Henry was ill, his fits of madness led to the fact that the kingdom was actually ruled by the Dukes of Somerset and Suffolk. The political atmosphere was heated to the limit, it seemed that the slightest spark would happen and a destructive fire would light up. It was the Jack Cad Rebellion that began in 1451. The rebels were stopped, but the anarchist sentiments did not diminish from this, but, on the contrary, gained momentum.

White took the first step

The Duke of York, Richard, decided on serious actions, which he had been hatching for a long time. In the same year, 1451, he made a speech against the actions of the Duke of Somerset, the royal favorite. Members of Parliament who sided with Richard Yorke expressed support for him. Moreover, they declared him heir to the throne. But Henry VI was so angry that he dissolved the rebellious parliament. These actions shocked him greatly and led to another prolonged attack and loss of mind. Richard took advantage of the situation and got a very important position of state protector.

The Duke had only a short time to rejoice at the victory. The king came to his senses and directed all efforts to restore justice - to deprive his brother of his post. Richard was not just going to give up what he had achieved, and gathered supporters for decisive action. In parallel, he formed an alliance with the Earl of Salisbury and Warwick. The unification of two strong armies in the spring of 1455 opposed the king. This was the beginning of the war of the two roses.

The small town of St Albans was the site of the first battle. In England, briefly, and without a shadow of regret, they announced what had happened, emphasizing only the main thing: the loyal supporters of the king and his close favorite Sommerset were killed. Henry VI captured.

But it so happened that Richard's jubilation did not last long. A woman entered the game - Queen Margaret of Anjou, wife of Henry VI. She led the supporters of the Red Rose and removed York from power. Richard had no choice but to revolt. This he did. The victory over the Lancaster was obtained. The Battle of Blore Heath (September 23, 1459) and Northampton (July 10, 1460) were victorious. King Henry was again captured by the enemy.

Richard relaxed with joy, but Margarita of Anzhuyskaya, who remained at large, simply did not give up her position. She managed to deliver a surprise blow to Richard, defeating his troops at the Battle of Wakefield. This event took place on December 30, 1460. Ambitious Richard died like a hero on the battlefield. Margarita ordered, for the edification of all the rebels, the head of the rebel, wearing a paper crown, put on public display on the wall of York.

Scarlet Crest Victory

The owners of the white coat of arms lost. It would seem that everything - the point has been set, but the end of the war was still so far away. Interesting Facts of the distant past, these events did not end. Edward, the son of Richard, aka Earl of March, could not accept defeat and formed a new army for the offensive. February 3, 1461 was marked by a new battle. The decisive battle under Mortimer Cross ended in a spectacular victory. Lancaster fled from the battlefield. Their losses reached three thousand soldiers. White Rose flashed again with a victorious radiance on the coat of arms of York, but ...

The Queen of Anjou, reinforcing her troops with an army that joined in the confrontation with the heir of Henry VI, Prince Edward, made a retaliatory strike. Her actions were swift and took the enemy by surprise. The Queen defeated the White Rose and freed the king.

The cruel Margarita entered London and showed all her dislike for her people. Looting, terrorism, plundering is what her army brought with it, bringing Londoners to an extremely disastrous state. When March and Uovrik approached the gates of the capital, the residents happily let them through. On March 4, 1461, Edward March was proclaimed king by Edward IV. March 29 was a black day for Lancaster. The king and his devoted wife fled shamefully to Scotland.

The scarlet flower has withered ...

At this time, discontent began in the White Rose camp. The Earl, the son of the deceased Richard, is unhappy with the king who ascended the throne. He, having entered into an alliance with Edward's brother, attacks the army of Edward IV and defeats it. The King is captured - victory smiled at Wark. But the count, believing Edward's promises, releases him from captivity. The promises were not fulfilled - the enmity flares up with renewed vigor.

Margarita of Anzhuyskaya, who had shamefully escaped, did not think to calm down. Events in London gave the queen the idea of ​​bringing justice back. Gathering an army, the restless Margarita approaches the Welsh border. There she was supposed to unite with the army of Jasper Tudor. Her plans were thwarted by Edward IV, who prevented the Scarlet from reuniting and defeated them in battle. Margaret is captured, the only heir, Henry VI, is killed in battle. Edward IV rules the country until his death. Long-awaited calm is returning to England.

White, Scarlet - reunion

But in the Kingdom of England there was still a long way to go before the final peace. Events now and then shook the country. This lasted until the coming to the throne of Henry VII, the founder of the Tudor dynasty. Taking as wife Edward IV's daughter, Elizabeth, heiress of Yorks, he created a coat of arms from the coats of arms of the two warring parties. On it, the White Rose and the Scarlet Rose have been reunited for centuries.

All the events of the Roses for England had grave consequences. They are still being studied by historians. The last point has not yet been set ...

Period estimation

"Monstrous, crazy times ..." - William Shakespeare;

The War of the Scarlet and White Roses - Walter Scott

“Wars of the Roses are one of the most colorful pages in English history” - Yegor Neverov.

In conclusion, it should be said that in our training courses we analyze all topics both in the history of Russia and in World history... That is why our guys pass the exam in history for 90 or more points, and this is their average result.

1455 - 1485 (age 30)

Presentation of an inaccurate scene in Temple Garden in Part I of Henry VI, where supporters of warring factions choose red and white roses

War of the Scarlet and White Rose- a series of armed dynastic conflicts between groups of the English nobility in 1455-1485 in the struggle for power between the supporters of the two branches of the Plantagenet dynasty - Lancaster and York. Despite the chronological framework of the conflict (1455-1485) established in the historical literature, some war-related clashes took place both before and after the war. The war ended with the victory of Henry Tudor of the House of Lancaster, who founded the dynasty that ruled England and Wales for 117 years. The war brought significant destruction and disaster to the population of England, during the conflict died big number representatives of the English feudal aristocracy.

Causes of the war

The reason for the war was the dissatisfaction of a significant part of English society with the failures in the Hundred Years War and the policy pursued by the wife of King Henry VI, Queen Margaret and her favorites (the king himself was a weak-willed person, who also sometimes fell into madness). The opposition was led by the Duke Richard of York, who demanded for himself first a regency over the incapacitated king, and later the English crown. The basis for this claim was that Henry VI was the great-grandson of John of Gaunt, the third son of King Edward III, and York was the great-grandson of Lionel, the second son of this king (in the female line, in the male line, he was the grandson of Edmund, the fourth son of Edward III). in addition, Henry VI's grandfather seized the throne in 1399, forcibly forcing King Richard II to abdicate, making the entire Lancaster dynasty questionable.

The fuel element was numerous professional soldiers who, after defeat in the war with France, were out of work and, being in large quantities within England, posed a serious threat to royal power. War was a familiar craft for these people, so they willingly hired themselves to serve with the great English barons, who significantly replenished their armies at their expense. Thus, the authority and power of the king was significantly undermined by the increased military power of the nobles.

Names and symbols

Lancaster

Yorkies

The title "War of the Roses" was not used during the war. Roses were the hallmarks of the two warring parties. It is not known exactly who used them for the first time. If the White Rose, symbolizing the Mother of God, was used as distinctive sign even by the first Duke of York Edmund Langley in the XIV century, then nothing is known about the use of Scarlet Lancastrians before the start of the war. Perhaps it was invented in contrast to the emblem of the enemy. The term came into use in the 19th century, after the publication of the story "Anna Geerstein" by Sir Walter Scott. Scott chose the title based on a fictional scene in Part I of William Shakespeare's Henry VI, where opposing parties choose their different colored roses in Temple Church.

Although roses were sometimes used as symbols during the war, most members used symbols associated with their feudal lords or protectors. For example, Henry's forces at Bosworth fought under the banner of the red dragon, while the York army used Richard III's personal symbol, the white boar. Evidence of the importance of rose symbols rose when King Henry VII combined the red and white roses of the factions into a single faction at the end of the war. red and white rose The Tudors.

The main events of the war

The confrontation turned into open war in 1455, when the Yorkists celebrated victory in the First Battle of St Albans, shortly after which the English Parliament declared Richard of York to be the protector of the kingdom and heir to Henry IV. However, in 1460 at the Battle of Wakefield, Richard of York was killed. The White Rose Party was led by his son Edward, who was crowned in London in 1461 as Edward VI. In the same year, the Yorkists won victories at Mortimer Cross and at Towton. As a result of the latter, the main forces of the Lancastrians were defeated, and King Henry VI and Queen Margaret fled the country (the king was soon captured and imprisoned in the Tower).

Active fighting resumed in 1470, when the Earl of Warwick and the Duke of Clarence (younger brother of Edward IV), who had gone over to the Lancastrian side, returned Henry VI to the throne. Edward IV fled to Burgundy with his other brother, the Duke of Gloucester, from where they returned in 1471. The Duke of Clarence again went over to his brother's side - and the Yorkists won victories at Barnet and Tewkesbury. In the first of these battles, the Earl of Warwick was killed, in the second, Prince Edward, the only son of Henry VI, died - which, together with the death (probably murder) of Henry himself that followed in the Tower of the same year, was the end of the Lancaster dynasty.

Edward IV - the first king of the York dynasty - reigned peacefully until his death, which followed unexpectedly for everyone in 1483, when his son Edward V became king for a short time. However, the royal council declared him illegitimate (the late king was a great female hunter and in addition to his official wife, he was secretly betrothed to one - or more - women; in addition, Thomas More and Shakespeare mention rumors circulating in society that Edward himself was not the son of the Duke of York, but a simple archer), and Edward IV's brother Richard Gloucester was crowned the same year as Richard III.

His short and dramatic reign was filled with struggles with overt and covert opposition. In this struggle, the king was initially favored by luck, but the number of opponents only increased. In 1485, Lancastrian forces (mostly French mercenaries) led by Henry Tudor (the female great-grandson of John of Gaunt) landed in Wales. In the battle at Bosworth, Richard III was killed, and the crown passed to Henry Tudor, who was crowned as Henry VII - the founder of the Tudor dynasty. In 1487, the Earl of Lincoln (nephew of Richard III) tried to return the crown to the Yorks, but was killed at Stoke Field.

Results of the war

While historians are still debating the true extent of the impact of the conflict on medieval English life There is little doubt that the War of the Roses led to a political upheaval and a shift in the established balance of power. The most obvious outcome was the collapse of the Plantagenet dynasty and its replacement by the new Tudors, who changed England in the following years... In the following years, the remnants of the Plantagenet factions, left without direct access to the throne, dispersed to different positions, as the monarchs continually pitted them against each other.

Karl the Bold

The War of the Scarlet and White Rose actually drew a line under the English Middle Ages. She continued the changes in feudal English society initiated by the Black Death, including the weakening of the feudal power of the nobility and the strengthening of the position of the merchant class, as well as the rise of a strong, centralized monarchy under the leadership of the Tudor dynasty. The accession of the Tudors in 1485 is considered the beginning of the New Age in English history.

On the other hand, it has also been suggested that the horrific impact of the war was exaggerated by Henry VII in order to extol his achievements in ending it and bringing about peace. Of course, the effect of the war on traders and laboring classes was much less than in the protracted wars in France and elsewhere in Europe, which were filled with mercenaries with a direct interest in continuing the war.

Louis XI

Although there were several long sieges, they were in relatively remote and sparsely populated areas. In highly populated areas that belonged to both factions, opponents, in order to prevent the collapse of the country, sought a quick solution to the conflict in the form of a general battle.

The war was disastrous for the already waning influence of England in France, and by the end of the struggle there were no possessions left there except Calais, and ultimately lost during the reign of Mary I. Although later English rulers continued to campaign on the continent, the territory of England did not increased. Various European duchies and kingdoms have played important role in the war, especially the kings of France and the dukes of Burgundy, who helped the Yorks and Lancaster in their fight against each other. By giving them military establishment and financial assistance, as well as offering refuge to the defeated nobility and applicants, they thereby wanted to prevent the emergence of a strong and united England, which would become their adversary.

The post-war period was also a funeral march for the standing baronial armies that fueled the conflict. Henry VII, fearing further struggle, kept the barons under tight control, forbidding them to train, hire, arm, and supply armies so that they could not start a war with each other or the king. As a result, the military power of the barons diminished, and the Tudor court became the place where baronial quarrels were resolved by the will of the monarch.

On the battlefields, scaffolds and in prison casemates, not only the descendants of the Plantagenets perished, but also a significant part of the English lords and chivalry. For example, in the period from 1425 to 1449, before the outbreak of war, many noble lines disappeared, which continued throughout the war from 1450 to 1474. The death in battles of the most ambitious part of the nobility led to a decrease in the desire of its remnants to risk their lives and titles.

Editorial staff:

1) Makeeva Tatiana

2) Stolyarova Alexandra

3) Zhiratkova Ksenia

4) Sergey Stolyarov

year 2012

The War of the Scarlet and White Roses (1455 - 1485) is a struggle for the English throne between two lateral branches of the Plantagenet royal dynasty - Lancaster (coat of arms with a scarlet rose) and Yorks (coat of arms with a white rose). The confrontation between Lancaster (the ruling dynasty) and Yorks (a wealthy aristocratic feudal family) began with separate, non-war-related clashes that took place both before and after the war. The war ended with the victory of Henry Tudor of the Lancaster dynasty, who founded the dynasty that ruled England and Wales for 117 years.

Causes

The reason for the war between the two branches of the Plantagenet dynasty - Lancaster and Mink (note that traditional name This confrontation appeared already in the 19th century thanks to Walter Scott) - the nobility became dissatisfied with the policy of the weak-willed King Henry VI of the Lancaster branch, who was defeated in France. The instigator of the conflict was Richard of York, who was striving for the crown.

Confrontation. Course of events

Two years after the Hundred Years War, an internecine war began in England, which will last 30 years. 1455 - The confrontation first moved to the battlefield. The Duke of York gathered his vassals and marched with them to London. 1455, on May 22, at the Battle of St. Albans, he was able to defeat the followers of the Scarlet Rose. Soon removed from power, he rebelled again and declared his claims to the English crown. With the army of his adherents, they won victories over the enemy at Blore Heath (September 23, 1459) and North Hampton (July 10, 1460); in the latter, he took the king prisoner, after which he forced the upper house to recognize itself as the protector of the state and heir to the throne.

However, Queen Margaret, wife of Henry VI, and her supporters suddenly attacked him at Wakefield (December 30, 1460). Richard's troops were completely defeated, and he himself fell in battle. The victors chopped off his head and put it on the wall of York in a paper crown. His son Edward, supported by the Earl of Warwick, defeated the supporters of the Lancaster dynasty at Mortimers Cross (February 2, 1461) and Toughton (March 29, 1461) Henry VI was deposed; Margaret fled to Scotland, and the king was soon caught and imprisoned in the Tower. The severed heads of the defeated opponents were hoisted on the city gates of York, in the place where the head of the defeated Richard used to be. The winner became King Edward IV.

The confrontation continues

1470 - Lancastrians, thanks to the betrayal of the brother of King Edward IV, Duke of Clarence, were able to expel Edward and returned Henry VI to the throne. Soon, Edward IV, who fled to the mainland, returned with an army, and the Duke of Clarence again went over to his brother's side. This brought victory to the Yorks in 1471 at the Battle of Tewkesbury. The son and heir of King Henry VI, Edward, died in it, and soon the unfortunate king himself was killed in the Tower. This marked the end of the Lancaster branch of the Plantagenet dynasty.

1) Henry VI; 2) Margaret of Anjou, wife of Henry VI

Richard III

There was a break in the wars, which seemed to many to be its end. Edward IV confidently ruled England until in 1483 he died unexpectedly on the eve of his 41st birthday. The new monarch was supposed to be his son, 12-year-old Edward V, but he suddenly found a formidable rival. This time it was not Lancaster, but York - another younger brother of Edward IV, Richard Gloucester.

During the war of the Scarlet and White Roses, Richard remained loyal to his brother, not giving up on him even in the days of defeat. And after his death, he declared his rights to the crown, declaring the sons of his deceased brother illegitimate. Two young princes were imprisoned in the Tower, and Richard of Gloucester was proclaimed king under the name -.

What happened to his nephews is not known even after five centuries. According to the most widespread version, the crowned uncle ordered them to be killed. Be that as it may, the princes are gone forever.

1) Edward IV; 2) Richard III

Tudor accession

However, there was no peace in the state, opposition to the Yorks intensified, and in 1485 a detachment of French mercenaries who arrived from the mainland landed in Wales, who were hired by Lancastrian supporters, led by Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, who had no rights to the throne.

1485, August 22 - At the Battle of Bosworth, Henry Tudor was able to defeat King Richard III. Richard III himself was knocked off his horse and immediately stabbed to death. Thus the York Line was cut off. The victorious Henry Tudor, immediately after the battle, was crowned in the nearest church under the name of Henry VII. Thus a new royal Tudor dynasty was founded.

Results of the war

Eventually civil wars Of the Scarlet and White Roses, the former Plantagenet dynasty, due to the feuds of childbirth, left the political arena, the state was ruined, English possessions on the continent (except Calais) are lost, and many of the aristocratic families suffered colossal damage, which made it possible for Henry VII to curb them. On the battlefield, scaffolds and prisons, not only the descendants of the Plantagenets died, but also a significant part of the English lords and chivalry.

From the accession of the Tudors, English historians trace the New Age as a period of strengthening the centralized royal power, the weakening of the aristocracy and the emergence of the bourgeoisie to the leading positions.