Wars of the Roses



Reasons for the Wars.

When Edward III died in 1377, he left no direct hier to the throne of England. The Kings eldest son 'The Black Prince', had died a few years earlier. It was decided that his son, Edward III's grandson, should inherit the throne. Henry, Duke of Lancaster, the late Kings second son opposed this from the start. He spent his life in pursuit of the Kingdom. He never reached his goal and died leaving his son Henry Bolingbroke to carry on the quest for the Crown.

The single event that could be said to have started the Wars of the Roses happened in 1399. Henry Bolingbroke siezed the Throne from Edward's grandson Richard II and declared himself King Henry IV. Henry attacked Richard physically, claiming the right of trial by combat. Richard put up no resistance and disappeared. imprisoned by the new king., shortly afterwards. Though Richard was a weak King, the people opposed Henry until his death. His son, crowned Henry V proved to be a great King. He restored the countries faith in the monarchy with his victories in France. Some never forgot how their own lineage had been severed though by the rise of these usurper Kings from the house of Lancaster.

Henry V died suddenly in 1422 leaving the one year old Prince Henry as heir. Henry VI was an ineffectual King. Unpopular with his people because he listened too much to his current favourite advisors: out for personal gain, and his wife, the unpopular and domineering Margaret of Anjou. A string of bad decisions angered Richard, Duke of York, whom many people believed to have a legitimate claim to the throne himself. He was seen as a threat by those close to the king, and was called back from his important post in Calais and effectually banished to Ireland. This seems to have been the last straw for Richard, who had supported the King completely until then. It was then that the Wars truly started with Richard, a plausible heir to the throne, seeking the crown for himself. He never gained it; but his son, Edward IV took the Kingdom from Henry in 1471.

A few months after being crowned, Henry once more regained the throne. He held it for only a few months and then Edward captured Henry and seized power for himself again.

All was quiet for eleven years until in 1483, Edward IV died. He left his two young sons Edward and Richard in the care of their Uncle, Richard of York. Both boys vanished (presumed killed in the tower) and Richard pronounced himself King of England. In 1485 however, another claimant of the throne, Henry Tudor landed in England and marched across the country. He gathered support for his claim to the throne by his Lancastrian ancestry. On August 22nd, 1485, Richard and Henry met at Bosworth. By the end of the day, Henry was crowned King of England, and Richard was dead.

Henry was only opposed by a few remaining Lords and Nobles. These were either with him or dead by 1490. With his marriage to the last of the Yorkist line, the Wars of the Roses could be said to be finally over.