Richard, Duke of York won the First battle of the War of the Roses against the Lancastrians at the First Battle of St Albans in 1455.
Category: Medieval
The Medieval period, also referred to as the Middle Ages. The period started in 1066 with the Norman Conquest of England at the Battle of Hastings. Castles were built which helped impose the Norman rule under King William the Conqueror. The survey of England, better known as the Doomsday Book was completed in 1086.
Britain was involved during the Crusades (1095-1492) over the centuries. In 1190, King Richard I (Richard the Lionheart) was the first English King to participate directly in the Crusades. He fought in the Holy Land of Jerusalem.
The Magna Carta, a Royal charter of rights was agreed to by King John during 1215.
King Edward I invested large amounts of money and time building major castles during the conquest of Wales (1277–1284). He was forced to borrow heavily from foreign bankers, and to ask Parliament for frequent funds.
The Black Death reached Britain in 1348. The bubonic plague pandemic swept across the land killing a third of the British population.
The Hundred Years War, a series of conflicts from 1337 to 1453, the British Plantagenet King and the French House of Valois fought over the right to rule the Kingdom of France. King Edward III armies won battles at Crécy, Poitiers, and Agincourt. English archers using longbows were key during the Middle Ages.
The War of the Roses started in 1455, it was one of the bloodiest conflicts in British History. The war finished with two Kings fighting for the crown, at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. This was also the end of the Medieval period.