The Wars of the Roses
Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York
• Rebelled against Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou- beginning of the Wars of the Roses
• Failed to take the throne
• Father of future kings Edward IV and Richard III
Henry VI• Weak ruler->
mentally unstable and controlled by wife-Margaret of Anjou
• Deposed by Edward IV
• Margaret of Anjou unsuccessfully raised armies to put her husband back on the throne
Edward IV
• Defeated Henry VI’s armies in battle and forced him to flee
• Brother (George Plantagenet) and cousin (Richard Neville) tried to rebel against him and temporarily succeeded in unseating him
Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick
• First helped Richard of York rebel against Henry VI
• Helped Edward IV defeat Henry and Margaret of Anjou
• Betrayed Edward IV and allied with Margaret of Anjou to put George Plantagenet on the throne- failed and was killed in battle
Henry VI• Warwick’s forces
were successful in battle but resulted in Henry VI back on the throne
• Deposed by Edward IV again
• Held prisoner in the Tower of London and most likely murdered
Edward IV
• Peaceful 12 year reign after Henry VI was killed
• Died suddenly and succeeded by his 12 year old son Edward V o Edward V was never
crowned and mysteriously vanished along with his brother shortly before Richard III took the throne
Richard III• Named Lord Protector
after Edward IV died
• According to legend, he killed the Princes in the line of succession
• Took the throne in 1483
• Defeated at the Battle of Bosworth
Henry VII• Claim to the throne: Great-
grandson of John of Gaunt who was the grandfather of Henry VI
• Forced to flee England as a child
• Defeated Richard III ending the Wars of the Roses
• Married Elizabeth of York, uniting the families in the House of Tudor