The Wars of the Roses
- Created by: SGriffin49
- Created on: 25-06-21 09:53
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- The Wars of the Roses
- Why did it start?
- The Wars of the Roses is the name given to the period from 1455-1485 when the House of Lancaster and the House of York were fighting for the English throne.
- Both the House of Lancaster and the House of York had a legitimate claim to the English throne because they were both descended from Edward III.
- Lords and nobles in England had their own private armies. Arguments between them often led to battles.
- Henry VI lost most of the French land which upset the English nobles who started to blame each other for the losses.
- Henry VI also suffered from mental illness. From 1454-55 Richard, Duke of York, ruled for him as Protector. When henry recovered Richard did not want to give up his power, and the Wars of the Roses began.
- The battles lasted about 30 years and caused a lot of disruption,
- Key Events
- 1455: First battle at St Albans. Victories go both ways for the next few years.
- 1461: Edward, the Duke of York's son, wins the throne and rules as Edward IV.
- 1471: Battle of Tewkesbury. Edward IV destroys the Lancastrian force and Henry VI's son, Edward, is killed. Henry VI dies weeks later.
- 1483: Edward IV dies, leaving the throne to his son Edward V. His uncle, Richard III, rules as Lord Protector. Edward and his younger brother go missing.
- 1485: Richard III dies in battle fighting Henry Tudor, who takes the throne as Henry VII.
- What happened to Edward V and his brother?
- Edward IV had 10 children- 7 daughters and 3 sons- two of his sons survived him, Edward and Richard.
- Before Edward IV died in 1483, he named his brother Richard III as Lord Protector because Edward was only 12.
- Richard sent both of his nephews to the Tower of London, supposedly to keep them safe.
- The brothers were seen less and less and eventually disappeared altogether. It is assumed that they died.
- Rumours started that Richard III had the boys murdered as their deaths secured his right to the throne.
- No evidence has been found to prove what happened. In 1674 2 small skeletons were found under a staircase in the tower, however, there was no DNA testing to prove who they belonged to.
- Henry VII
- Henry VII tried to stabilise England after the wars to protect the throne for his descendants.
- Henry married Edward IV's daughter, Elizabeth, uniting the House of Lancaster and the House of York. They created the Tudor Rose which is a combination of the 2 roses.
- Henry married his daughter to James IV of Scotland and his eldest son to Catherine of Aragon, daughter of the Spanish King. This strengthened England's relationships with Scotland and Spain.
- Henry chose good advisers based on their talents. He also recruited Justices of the Peace to enforce law and order.
- Henry was very responsible with money. England was almost bankrupt in 1485 but he restored its fortune by getting as much money as possible from royal lands and introducing a tighter taxation system for the nobles.
- Henry VII died in 1509. Henry VIII inherited the throne.
- Why did it start?
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