Wars of the Roses

A series of dynastic conflicts in fifteenth-century England between the houses of Lancaster and York, conventionally dated 1455–1487. The struggles ended with the establishment of the Tudor dynasty.

Battle of St Albans: The 1455 battle in which Yorkist forces defeated Lancastrian leaders, often treated as the conflict’s opening battle. Its Yorkist victory exposed the political crisis to armed conflict.
Henry VI of England: King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, whose weak rule fueled factional conflict. His disputed capacity to govern helped York’s supporters challenge Lancastrian authority.
House of Lancaster: A branch of the English royal family that held the crown from 1399 until 1461 and again briefly in 1470–1471. Its kingship was challenged by the rival Yorkist claim.
Tudor dynasty: The English royal house founded by Henry VII, which ruled from 1485 to 1603. Henry’s accession after Bosworth established the dynasty that succeeded the Yorkists.
Richard III (play): A history play by William Shakespeare dramatizing Richard III’s rise and fall. Its villain-centered portrait is literary interpretation, not a neutral account of the wars.
Battle of Towton: A 1461 battle in which Edward IV’s Yorkist forces defeated the Lancastrians in one of England’s bloodiest engagements. The victory secured Edward IV’s first reign and drove Henry VI from power.
Edward IV of England: The first Yorkist king of England, whose reigns ran from 1461 to 1470 and from 1471 to 1483. His victories established and restored Yorkist rule.
House of York: A branch of the English royal family that ruled England from 1461 to 1470 and from 1471 to 1485. Its claim to the crown rested on descent from Edward III and opposition to Lancastrian rule.
Elizabeth of York: The eldest daughter of Edward IV and queen consort of Henry VII. Her marriage to Henry joined Yorkist and Lancastrian dynastic claims.
The Princes in the Tower: Edward V and his younger brother Richard, who disappeared while housed in the Tower of London in 1483. Their fate remains disputed, unlike the better-established sequence of military and political events.

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