an account of Wars of Roses

 

 

Question: Write an account of Wars of Roses?

 

Ans: The Wars of the Roses were a series of battles fought in medieval England from 1455 to 1485 between the House of Lancaster and the House of York. The name Wars of the Roses (sometimes mistakenly referred to as War of the Roses) is based on the badges used by the two sides, the red rose for the Lancastrians and the white rose for the Yorkists. Major causes of the conflict include:

1) both houses were direct descendents of king Edward III;

2) the ruling Lancastrian king, Henry VI, surrounded himself with unpopular nobles;

3) the civil unrest of much of the population;

4) the availability of many powerful lords with their own private armies; and

5) the untimely episodes of mental illness by Henry VI. The wars ended when Richard III, the last Yorkist king, was defeated at the battle of Bosworth in 1485 by Henry Tudor founder of the house of Tudor.

During Henry VI's  reign, the French gained the upper hand in the Hundred Years' War and began driving English forces from France.  A weak and ineffective ruler, Henry was heavily advised by the Duke of Somerset who desired peace.  This position was countered by Richard, Duke of York who wished to continue fighting.  A descendent of Edward III's second and fourth sons, he possessed a strong claim to the throne.  By 1450, Henry VI began experiencing bouts of insanity and three years later was judged unfit to rule.  This resulted in a Council of Regency being formed with York at its head as Lord Protector.  Imprisoning Somerset, he worked to expand his power but was forced to step down two years later when Henry VI recovered.   

 

Five important battles of Wars of Roses:

• The Battle of St Albans (22 May 1455) The opening battle of the War of the Roses saw Richard Duke of York lead an army of 3,000 men against London. ...
• The Battle of Wakefield (30 December 1460) ...
• The Battle of Towton (29 March 1461) ...
• The Battle of Tewkesbury (4 May 1471) ...
• The Battle of Bosworth Field (22 August 1485)

 

Each house was represented by a rose: The Struggle for power was known as the War of the Roses because the Lancaster emblem was a red rose and the York emblem a white rose.

Wars of Roses planted the Tudor house on the throne of England. Henry Tudor, (Henry VII), earl of Richmond and a Lancastrian, defeated King Richard III, a Yorkist, at the battle of Bosworth Field on 22 August 1485. Richard III was the last English monarch to have been killed in battle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

End of Feudalism – Industrial Revolution – Causes for Industrialization in England and Europe – Textile Industry – Working Class Movement – American War of Independence (1776) – French Revolution (1789) – Causes, Course, Results and its Impact. Factors for the Rise of Napoleon – Domestic and Foreign Policies – Fall of Napoleon.