War of the Roses, the end of a Plantagenets and the start of the Tudor dynasty. A war between two competing royal Plantagenet families. The House of York, and the House of Lancaster, both staking their claim to the English Throne.
King Henry VI suffered spells of madness, he became dominated by his queen, Margaret of Anjou. Edward, Duke of York became protector of the realm during Henrys periods of insanity. By 1455, Henry VI re-established the authority, resulting in Richard III taking up arms.
The division between the two families became known as The Wars of the Roses. The white rose became used to represent the Yorkists, and red rose for the Lancastrians.
A series of bloody Medieval Battles raged for 30 years splitting England apart. Richard III marched against Henry VI at St. Albans in 1455.
The Yorkists won decisively at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471. The Lancastrian heir Edward, Prince of Wales had been killed in the battle. Henry IV had become imprisoned at the Tower of London, Queen Margaret had been sent to London as a prisoner. Several days later Henry VI had been murdered, ending direct Lancastrian line of succession to the throne.
Henry Tudor, a distant relative of the Lancastrian kings claimed his intrest to the English throne. In 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth, after fighting valiantly, Richard III had been killed on the battlefield.
The War of the Roses came to an end, and the Tudor dynasty started. Henry Tudor became crowed King Henry VII of England.
