The War of the Roses

Myth and Reality of the most epic period in English History

Main Characters

Two parties :

• the Party of Lancaster (red rose)

• the Party of York (white rose)

Lancaster

• Henry VI (1421-1471)

Reign : 1422-1461 and 1470-1471

• Marguerite d'Anjou, his wife

• Edward, Prince of Wales, his son

Lancaster-Tudor

• Henry, Earl of Richmond (1455-1509) becomes Henry VII Tudor

Reign : 1485-1509

Lancaster

H en ry, E arl o f R ich m on d(1 4 5 5 -1 5 0 9 )

H en ry V I(1 4 2 1 -1 4 7 1 )

M arg u erite

E d w ard , P rin ce o f W a les(1 4 6 3 -1 4 7 1 )

York• Edward IV (1442-1483)

Reign : 1461-1470 and 1471-1483

• His father, Edward Duke of York (+1461)

York

• His sons :

Edward V (1470-1483) Richard of York

• George, Duke of Clarence (+1478)

York

• Richard of Gloucester (1452-1485), becomes Richard III

Reign : 1483-1485

York

E d w ard , D u ke o f Y ork(+ 1 4 6 0 )

C ic e ly, D u ch es s o f Y ork

E d m on d o f R u tlan d(+ 1 4 6 0 )

E d w ard , P rin ce o f W a les(1 4 7 0 -1 4 8 3 )

R ic h ard , D u ke o f Y ork(+ 1 4 8 3 )

E lisab e th

E d w ard IV(1 4 4 2 -1 4 8 3 )

E lisab e th W ood ville

G eorg e , D u ke o f C la ren ce(+ 1 4 7 8 )

E d w ard , P rin ce o f W a les(+ 1 4 8 4 )

R ic h ard , D u ke o f G lou ces te r(1 4 5 2 -1 4 8 5 )A n n e N eville

Lords

• Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick (+1471)

"the King Maker"

• His brothers : George, archbishop of York

John, Lord Montagu (+1471)

Lords

• Duke of Buckingham (+1483)

• William, Lord Hastings (+1483)

Main Events

First period : troubles

Henry VI weak, Sommerset and Suffolk plunder the state funds--> Lancastrians unpopular

1449

• English lose Normandy

1450

• defeated soldiers

• numerous agitators (Jack Cade ...)-->anarchy

• French corsairs

• death of Suffolk

1453

• End of the 100 year war

• Henry VI becomes mad

• Birth of his son, Duke of York no more the heir

• Duke of York protector of the Kingdom

Christmas 1454

• Henry VI recovers his mind

• Queen Marguerite and Sommerset at power

Second period : first struggle for the power

1455 • battle of St Albans

--> Duke of York and Warwick capture the King1456

• Queen Marguerite gets back her husbandEach party raises troops

1456-57• civil riots

1459• Marguerite attacks

Several battles --> Yorkist leaders leave the country

1460

• Yorkist leaders come back

• King captured at the battle of Northampton

• Duke of York becomes Heir of the Crown

• Marguerite still fights

• Duke of York and his oldest son, Edmond, killed at the Battle of Wakefield

1461

• Marguerite gets back her husband at the battle of St Albans

• Warwick and Edward take London and Edward becomes King (4th Mars)

Third period : Reign of Edward IV (1461-1470)

1461

• Towton battle : the biggest of the war and the final one

1461-1463

• guerilla warfare in Wales and extreme north

1463

• Marguerite flies in France

1464

• Death of the last Lancastrians leaders at the battles of Hedgeley Moor and Hexham

1465• King Henry VI captured

1461-1469• Rise of the power of the Neville family

George Archbishop of York and chancellor

John, Marquis of Montagu, reigns over the north

Warwick rules the army and the foreign office• Edward tries to resist

1469• Edward captured by the Nevilles and his brother

George of Clarence

Fourth period : new anarchy

1469

• Riots in London and in the whole country

• Lancastrian uprising at the Scottisch border

• Help of Edward necessary --> more power

1470

• Conspiracy of Clarence and Warwick

fails (battle of Lose-Coat Field)

Clarence and Warwick flee in France

• Clarence, Warwick and Marguerite ally

• The alliance takes the power --> Henry VI King

1471

• Edward comes back with a small army

• Edward takes York

• Several battles in favour of Edward

• George Neville betrays the Lancastrians and gives up London and Henry VI to Edward

• Battle of Barnet : Warwick and John killed

• Final battle of Tewkesbury :

Marguerite captured

Her son is killed

Fifth period : Reign of Edward IV (1471-1483)

• Happy period of peace and reconstruction

• Governs with the help of his faithful and clever brother Richard

• Dies unexpectedly of illness

Sixth period : Reign of Richard III

• Richard of Gloucester becomes king with the help of the Duke of Buckingham in place of his nephew and despite the opposition of Hasting

• He kills his nephews

• He crashes Buckingham uprising

• He is killed by Henry, Earl of Richmond, at the battle of Bosworth

• Henry becomes Henry VII

FOUNDS THE TUDOR DYNASTY