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.
The reasons
The reason for the war between the two branches of the Plantagenet dynasty - Lancaster and Mink (note that the traditional name of this confrontation appeared already in the 19th century thanks to Walter Scott) - was the discontent of the nobility with the policy of the weak-willed King Henry VI of the Lancaster branch, who was defeated in the Hundred Years War with 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 again rebelled 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.
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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 winners cut 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 to the throne of Henry VI. 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. His son, 12-year-old Edward V, was supposed to become the new monarch, but he suddenly found a formidable rival. This time it turned out not to be 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 - Richard III.
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 Branch was cut short. 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
As a result of the 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, the English possessions on the continent (except Calais) were 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 knights.
From the accession of the Tudors, English historians trace the New Age as a period of strengthening centralized royal power, weakening the aristocracy and the emergence of the bourgeoisie to leading positions.
