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Top 10 Facts about The Wars Of The Roses

The Wars of the Roses were a series of bloody civil wars for the throne of England between two competing royal families: the House of York and the House of Lancaster, both members of the age-old royal Plantagenet family.

The conflict earned its flowery name from the white rose which was the badge of the Yorks, and the red rose, the badge of the Lancastrians. It lasted for approximately thirty years, from 1455 to 1487, before the two families finally merged to create a new royal dynasty, thereby resolving the rival claims.

Here are the top facts about The wars of roses.

1. It was not one Continuous Conflict

The War of the Roses wasn’t one long, continuous conflict; it was a series of minor wars and civil skirmishes interrupted by long period鈥檚 peace and harmony, and that is why it’s referred to as the Wars of the Roses, rather than the singular War.

The wars began with the first battle of Albans which broke out in 1455 when Richard of York attacked and captured King Henry. Richard was then appointed Lord Protector by Parliament leading to a period of relative peace.

However, the war resumed and dragged on for more than 30 years, but only amounted to a few months of actual fighting and less than 20 significant battles. The Battle of Stoke Field in 1487, which essentially ended the house of York’s claim to the throne, is considered to be the actual end of the wars of Roses.

2. The War got its name from the Symbol of Roses used by the two Rival Camps

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although neither side of the rival houses used a rose as its symbol, the Wars of the Roses earned its flowery name because the white rose was the badge of the Yorks, and the red rose was the badge of the Lancastrians.

This legend took root after William Shakespeare and others wrote about it, but most modern historians maintain that neither side was identified solely by a floral symbol.

The white rose was just one of many badges used by the Yorks, and the red rose of Lancaster was likely not adopted until the 1480s when the conflict was nearly over. The name 鈥淲ars of the Roses,鈥� meanwhile, wasn鈥檛 coined until the 19th century. 

4. Not all of the fighters  were English

Although the wars of Roses pitted two houses fighting for the throne of England, not all who fought on the battlefields were English. Varieties of foreign mercenaries who included the Swiss, French, Flemish, and German pikemen, and specialist troops such as artillerymen and hand gunners were also very much involved in the wars.

For instance, a contingent of Burgundian handgunners fought for the Earl of Warwick in 1461 and, ten years later, 500 Flemish handgunners fought for Edward IV. Henry Tudor鈥檚 victory at Bosworth was, in part, thanks to the French mercenary pikemen in his ranks. And, two years later, a large contingent of fearsome German mercenaries fought vigorously but unsuccessfully against Henry鈥檚 army at Stoke.

4. England鈥檚 neighbors took sides in the Wars 

Although the wars of roses were strictly England’s domestic affair between two rival houses, both sides heavily relied on foreign aid. While France and the Burgundians were important military backers, the Low Countries were places of refuge when the tide of war was turning against any of them.

During the Wars, Henry VI, the Earl of Warwick, and Henry Tudor all received help from France of the Roses, While France鈥檚 enemies, the Burgundians, favored the Yorkists, supporting Edward IV and later the Earl of Lincoln in a rebellion against Henry VII.

In all, this period in one of England鈥檚 most famous wars shows that civil wars, even in the Middle Ages, could be subject to foreign interference and the machinations of wider geopolitical events. Ultimately, the Wars of the Roses were not an exclusively English set of events.

5. Edward IV and his brother Richard of Shrewsbury disappeared during the wars 

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One mysterious event that happened during the Wars of roses is the disappearance of Edward V and his younger brother Richard of Shrewsbury. They were the only living sons of Edward IV who had died of sudden illness and death in 1483.

In the wake of their father鈥檚 death, the two boys were lodged in the Tower of London by their paternal uncle and all-powerful regent the Duke of Gloucester, supposedly in preparation for Edward V’s forthcoming coronation.

However, before the young king could be crowned, he and his brother were declared illegitimate and Gloucester ascended the throne as Richard III. It is still unknown what happened to the boys as neither of them was seen again after the summer of 1483.  

Many historians believe the princes were murdered by their uncle Richard III, in an attempt to secure his hold on the throne, but Other than their disappearance, there is no direct evidence that the princes were murdered.

6 English Throne changed hands Multiple Times during the Wars

The Wars of the Roses saw the throne of England change hands between the house of Yorks and the house of Lancaster several times in a span of fewer than 30 years.

Richard, Duke of York nearly unseated the Lancastrian King Henry VI in 1460, only to be killed in battle a few months later. Meanwhile, York鈥檚 son Edward IV crushed the Lancasters in battle and claimed the throne before being briefly deposed in 1470.

He quickly won back his kingship and ruled for several years of relative peace, but his sudden death in 1483 launched yet another period of infighting that saw his sons disappear never to be seen again. In total, the Wars resulted in five different rulers in the span of only 25 years, three of whom were killed or executed by their rivals

7. Treachery was very Rampant on the Battlefields

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Rather than being a war dominated by fighting, this conflict featured more twists, turns, conniving, and deceptions. A number of important battles were won and lost due to treachery as opposed to outstanding tactical skills. Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick and nicknamed the 鈥楰ingmaker鈥�, was one of the most famous defectors as he switched from the House of York to Lancaster only to be slain at the Battle of Barnet in 1471.

At Ludford Bridge (1459), Northampton (1460), and Bosworth (1485), leaders changed sides at the last minute with disastrous consequences for their former allies. The Lancastrian armies disintegrated among bitter accusations of treachery at Barnet and Tewkesbury (both 1471), while Henry VII was concerned that he might be undone by treachery at Stoke in 1487.

8. Both Antagonists came from the same Family Tree

The Houses of York and Lancaster, who were the main antagonists in the wars of roses, both traced their lineage to the sons of Edward III of the House of Plantagenet, who ruled as England鈥檚 king from 1327 until 1377.

The Yorks were descended from the female relatives of Edward鈥檚 second and fourth sons, while the Lancasters were related to Edward鈥檚 third son, John of Gaunt. This complicated family tree ensured that both factions had a legitimate case for their royal lineage, though by modern standards the Yorkists鈥� claim was undoubtedly stronger.

9. The Wars gave birth to a Stable English Monarchy

With their heavy casualties among the nobility, the wars are thought to have ushered in a period of great social upheaval in feudal England, including a weakening of the feudal power of the nobles and a corresponding strengthening of the merchant classes, and the growth of a strong, centralized monarchy under the Tudors. It heralded the end of the medieval period in England and the movement toward the Renaissance.

The post-war period was also the death knell for the large standing baronial armies, which had helped fuel the conflict. Henry, wary of any further fighting, kept the barons on a very tight leash, removing their right to raise, arm, and supply armies of retainers so that they could not make war on each other or the king.

10. The Wars were not between Regions

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While the first war had a regional flavor, with Lancastrian forces coming largely from the north and the Yorkists from the south and Midlands, these were not wars between rival regions and certainly not between the cities of York and Lancaster.

 A noble鈥檚 title often did not equate to the area in which he held land, and it’s worth noting that, for much of the period, the city of York supported the House of Lancaster.

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