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The situation in England on the eve of the war
When the end of the bloody and protracted Hundred Years War was proclaimed, people who took part in the hostilities gradually began to return from France to their homeland, to England. Ordinary soldiers were very disappointed with the defeat of the country and the situation inside the state escalated sharply, and the weakened royalty struggled to cope with the wave of riots and turmoil that swept England.
Despite the fact that Henry VI of the Lancaster family sat on the throne, in fact the country was ruled by his wife, the Frenchwoman Margaret of Anjou. Her origins were clearly disapproved of by the Duke of York, who was the king's closest relative.
A scarlet rose was depicted on the Lancaster coat of arms, and the dynasty itself was a lateral branch of the Plantagenets, who reigned in 1154-1399. Lancaster never acted alone, but their closest associates were the English, Irish and Welsh barons.
York allies with a rose painted on their coat of arms white, became merchants, middle class nobles and wealthy feudal lords living in the more prosperous and economically developed territory of England - the southeast.
The beginning of the war
A conflict broke out between Lancaster and York, which went down in history as the War of the Scarlet and White Rose. The romantic name did not in the least correspond to the cruelty with which the opponents treated each other. Characteristic of this era chivalrous ideals honor and decency have lost their relevance. Throughout the war, the vassals of both dynasties shamelessly betrayed their kings and went over to the side of the enemy. Former like-minded people became enemies overnight, and subjects, for the smallest reward, betrayed their promises of loyalty. The Lancaster and the Yorkies were victorious, with the number of casualties increasing with each battle. 
One of tipping points was the capture of Henry VI in 1460 Lancaster King Richard of York, who before that in 1455 defeated his opponents in battle. The monarch forced the Upper House English Parliament make him the protector of the state and recognize him as the only heir entitled to the throne.
Queen Margaret was forced to flee to the north of the country, where she gathered a fairly large army. Returning with a well-trained army, Margarita defeated Richard. and exposed his severed head in a paper crown over the main gate of York. Distraught with victory, the queen also ordered the execution of all supporters who surrendered. Such a barbaric act, even for the Middle Ages, was too fierce.
Already in next year Edward, the eldest son, decided to avenge his murdered father. He enlisted the support of Richard Neville and defeated the Lancaster army. After the deposition of King Henry VI, he, along with Margaret, fled. At this time in Westminster coronation took place the winner, who henceforth began to be called Edward IV.
Continuation of the war
The newly minted ruler began to mercilessly cut off the heads of everyone who was seen in ties with Lancaster. Richard's head was removed from the gates of the city of York, and instead, for the edification of everyone, the heads of the executed were hung. Parliamentarians unanimously recognized all Lancastrians, dead or alive, as traitors.
The victory gave strength to Edward, who in 1464 set out on a campaign to the north of the country in order to finish off his opponents. The result of the campaign was the capture of Henry VI, who was imprisoned in one of the Tower's chambers. The hopes of the nobility and barons for the fair protection of their interests by King Edward did not materialize, and many of the wealthy and influential aristocrats, including Warwick, sided with Henry VI... Betrayed by his subjects, the monarch fled from England, and released the king was restored to the throne in 1470.
Edward did not abandon his claims to the British throne and appeared with an army that defeated the companions of Margaret and Warwick, who died along with the Prince of Wales, the young son of King Henry VI. The monarch himself was captured, stripped of his titles and brought to London, where he soon died (most likely killed) in the Tower Tower. Margarita managed to escape abroad, where she was captured, from which she was ransomed by the king of France after a while.
Continuation of the struggle for power
The closest in spirit Edward IV considered his younger brother- Richard Gloucester. Despite the fact that a relative of the monarch was in poor health from birth, and his left hand was practically inoperative, Richard was considered one of the most courageous warriors and was an excellent and fearless commander. Another of his virtues was his exceptional loyalty to his brother, which remained even in times of serious defeats.
Edward IV died in 1485, and his eldest son, Edward V, who at that time was 12 years old, was declared his heir. However, this situation did not suit Richard, who first became a protector under the minor king, and then convinced the public of the illegality of the birth of his nephews and declared himself the only legitimate monarch - Richard III.
The fate of the sons of Edward IV, who was imprisoned in the Tower, was unenviable. For some time the boys were in sight and sometimes they were even seen playing in the courtyard of the prison, but then the heirs disappeared. Rumors spread among the British that the order to kill them was given personally by Richard III, who in no way tried to justify himself or suppress all speculation. The king was busy rebuilding the country, devastated by the war, but his political and economic transformation caused discontent among wealthy feudal lords.
The end of the war
In France, Henry Tudor, who bore the title of Count of Rimond, lived in exile. Around him, the nobility united, wishing to overthrow Richard III... Gathering an army, in 1485 supporters of Yorks and Lancaster landed on one of the shores of Britain. The reigning king, with people loyal to the throne, set out to meet Henry. Opponents clashed in the battle of Bosworth, but at the last moment Richard's allies betrayed him and the king was defeated. On the battlefield, he was mortally wounded in the head and the crown was immediately placed on Tudor.
This historic moment is considered the last episode of the War of the Scarlet and White Rose, which, with short truces, lasted 30 years. As a result of fighting and executions in the country was destroyed most of aristocracy and representatives of the noble family th. Henry VII became the sole ruler in England, who became the ancestor of the Tudor dynasty and reigned on the throne until 1603. 
The monarch strove for peace and unification in every possible way, so he entered into a politically advantageous marriage with Elizabeth, daughter of Edward IV and made a coat of arms depicting two roses - scarlet and white, his official symbol. To strengthen his power, Henry tried in every possible way to discredit his predecessor, attributing to him many crimes, including the murder of young nephews, the history of whose disappearance still remains unsolved. The war between Yorks and Lancaster is reflected in literature, including the works of Shakespeare "Richard III" and "Henry VI". Based on the events created computer game, and the confrontation between the two dynasties formed the basis of J. Martin's novel A Song of Ice and Fire, based on which the famous TV series Game of Thrones was filmed.
Good day!
Ivan Nekrasov with you. In this article, we will continue talking about the section world history to prepare for the exam. Today we will analyze one of the stages medieval history England - the war of the Scarlet and White Roses in a simple and understandable presentation
Chronological framework and background
So the Lancaster dynasty English kings in the first half of the fifteenth century, it constantly expanded the rights of parliament. The latter also reciprocated - he invariably supported this dynasty. The second half of the fifteenth century somewhat shaken the strong position of the English parliamentarians. Remember exactly chronological framework, they are needed to solve test problems
The reason for this was significant - the strife between the aristocratic strata, which is called the War of the Scarlet and White Rose. Previous, so called Hundred Years War (an event that occurs in the exam) between the British and the French gave rise to many combat units in the service of numerous representatives of the upper aristocracy. After the war, aristocrats began to quarrel frequently. In addition, Duke Richard, who belonged to the influential Plantagenet family with the coat of arms of the White Rose, became in sharp opposition to King Henry VI
The course of events of the War of the Scarlet and White Rose
The latter had the Scarlet Rose in the family coat of arms. The struggle for the English throne that arose between them divided the country into two camps, which for three decades have been fighting with each other since 1455. The duke was killed, but his son defeated the king's troops, imprisoned him, and seized the English throne himself. In 1461, the new king called himself Edward IV and ruled for twenty-two years. Supporters of the Scarlet Rose tried to take the throne from Edward, as a result of which Henry VI was killed by order of the ruler. After Edward's death, the Duke of Gloucester, a relative and guardian of the young heirs of the deceased king, ordered them to be strangled. After that, he himself led the kingdom in 1483
New king Richard III ruled for two years. However, he also failed, as the throne was seized by Henry Tudor, belonging to the Lancaster. The latter, who called himself Henry VII, was assisted by parliament in the struggle for the throne. The new king decided to end the mutual destruction of the two branches of government by marrying his daughter former king Edward IV. Henry VII ruled for twenty-six years
Outcomes
The Tudors ruled England for one hundred and twenty years. The war greatly weakened both parties. After her, power passed from the class of the upper aristocracy to the small and middle estates of the nobility, who made up the majority in the House of Commons. However, the people, who were tired of the long war, were more inclined towards the customary royal power than to the power of parliament, which formally confirms the decisions of the victorious party. Therefore, at the same time, there was a further weakening of the parliament, and the royal power, on the contrary, increased. The king did not dare to dissolve parliament, although the latter began to sit much less frequently than under Edward IV. I think I presented the topic very clearly
What to learn for the exam?
In the exam meet historical figures and a cycle of dates, I enclose them below. well and full course on general history will be available in free access from March 29. That's all) See you in the next posts)
V late XVII century, the English throne was seized by Henry Tudor of the Lancaster family - the founder of the new royal dynasty that remained in power for a century. This was preceded by a bloody dynastic conflict between the descendants of the two branches of the ancient royal plantagenet family - Lancaster and York, which went down in history as the War of the Scarlet and White Rose, a brief historical description of which is the topic of this article.
Symbols of the warring parties
There is an erroneous opinion that the war owes its name to roses, allegedly depicted on the arms of these opposing aristocratic families. They weren't really there. The reason lies in the fact that, going into battle, the supporters of both parties, as a distinctive sign, fixed on their armor a symbolic rose - Lancaster - white, and their opponents Yorkies - red. Elegant and royal.
The reasons that pushed to the bloodshed-
It is known that the War of the Scarlet and White Roses began due to the political instability that developed in England in the middle of the 15th century. Most of the society expressed dissatisfaction and demanded radical changes in government. Such a situation was aggravated by the incapacity of the imbecile and often falling into complete unconsciousness, King Henry VI of Lancaster, in which the actual power was in the hands of his wife, Queen Margaret, and her many favorites.
The beginning of hostilities
At the head of the created opposition was the Duke Richard of York. A descendant of the Plantagenets, he had, by his own conviction, certain rights to the crown. With the active participation of this representative of the White Rose Party, the political confrontation soon escalated into bloody clashes, in one of which, which took place in 1455 near the city of St. Albans, the duke's supporters utterly defeated the royal troops. Thus began the war of the Scarlet and White Rose, which lasted thirty-two years and is described in the writings of Thomas More and Shakespeare. Summary their work paints us a picture of those events.
Luck is on the side of the opposition
Such a brilliant victory of Richard of York over the legitimate power convinced the members of Parliament that it was better not to irritate this thug, and they declared him the protector of the state, and in the event of the king's death - the heir to the throne. It is difficult to say whether the duke would hasten this death or not, but in the next battle with the troops of the opposing party, he was killed.
After the death of the instigator of the war, the opposition was led by his son, who fulfilled his father's old dream, crowned in 1461 under the name of Edward IV. Soon his troops finally suppressed the resistance of the Lancastrians, again defeating them at the Battle of Mortimer Cross.
The betrayals that the war of the Scarlet and White Roses knew
Summary historical work T. Mora conveys the depth of despair of the deposed Henry VI and his frivolous wife. They tried to escape, and if Margarita managed to hide abroad, then her unlucky husband was captured and imprisoned in the Tower. However, it was too early for the newly minted king to celebrate the victory. Intrigues began in his party, caused by the ambitious claims of the aristocrats closest to him, each of whom sought to get the largest piece in the division of honors and awards.
The harmed pride and envy of some deprived Yorkers pushed them to betrayal, as a result of which the younger brother of the new king, the Duke of Clarence and the Earl of Warwick, having trampled all the laws of honor, went over to the side of the enemy. Gathering a sizeable army, they rescued the unfortunate Henry VI from the Tower and returned him to the throne. It was the turn of Edward IV, who had missed the throne, to flee. He and his younger brother Gloucester safely reached Burgundy, where they were popular and had numerous supporters.
A new plot twist
The War of the Scarlet and White Roses, also briefly described by the great Shakespeare, prepared this time an unpleasant surprise for the Lancastrians. The king's brother Clarence, who had so shamefully compromised himself by betrayal and returned the throne to Henry, having learned with what a strong army his relative was returning to London, realized that he was in a hurry. To be on the gallows is the very suitable place for the traitors, he clearly did not want to, and he, having appeared in Edward's camp, convinced him of his deep repentance.
Reunited, the brothers and their many Yorkist supporters defeated the Lancastrians twice at Barnet and Tewkesberry. In the first battle, Warwick died, the one who committed betrayal along with Clarence, but, unlike the last one, did not have time to return to the former owner. The second battle proved fatal for the crown prince. So, the Lancaster dynastic line was interrupted by the war of the Scarlet and White Rose that captured England. Read on for a summary of subsequent events.
What does history tell us about the following events?
Having won the victory, Edward IV once again sent the king he had deposed to the Tower of the Tower. returned to his usual and previously inhabited cell, but did not stay in it for a long time. In the same year, his death was announced with deep regret. It is difficult to say whether it was natural, or the new overlord simply decided to save himself from possible trouble, but since then the ashes of Henry VI, abandoned during his life by both his wife and subjects, have rested in the dungeon. What can you do, the royal throne is sometimes very shaky.
Having got rid of his predecessor and potential competitor, Edward IV ruled until 1483, when he suddenly died for an unknown reason. On a short time the throne was taken by his son Edward, but was soon removed from power by the royal council, as doubts arose about the legality of his birth. By the way, there were witnesses who claimed that his late father was not born from the Duke of York, but was the fruit of the secret love of Mother Duchess and a handsome archer.
So it really was or not, they did not dig, but just in case, the throne was taken from the young heir, and the brother of the late King Richard of Gloucester, crowned under the name Richard III, was erected on him. Fate did not prepare him for long years of calm reign. Very soon an open and secret opposition formed around the throne, poisoning the life of the monarch with all its might.
Return of the Scarlet Rose
Historical archives of the 15th century tell about how the further war Scarlet and White Rose. A summary of the documents stored in them testifies to the fact that the leading representatives of the Lancaster Party were able to assemble a significant army on the continent, consisting mainly of French mercenaries. Led by Henry Tudor, she landed on the coast of Britain in 1486 and began a victorious journey to London. King Richard III personally led the army that went out to meet the enemy, but died in the battle at Bosworth.
End of the European Middle Ages
The War of the Scarlet and White Rose in England was drawing to a close. A summary of Shakespeare's account of these events recreates a picture of how, reaching without special trouble British capital, Tudor was crowned under the name From that time on, the Lancaster dynasty was firmly entrenched on the throne, and their reign lasted one hundred and seventeen years. The only serious attempt to overthrow the king was made in 1487 by the Earl of Lincoln, nephew of Richard III, who rebelled, but was killed in the ensuing battle.
It is generally accepted that the War of the Scarlet and White Roses (1455-1487) is the final link in the European Middle Ages. During this period, not only all direct descendants of the ancient Plantagenet family were destroyed, but most of the English chivalry. The main disasters fell on the shoulders of the common people, who in all ages became hostages of other people's political ambitions.
You are involuntarily amazed at the timing during which they were conducted. Just think about it -! Sieges of castles and cities lasted for years and sometimes decades! So the war, called quite romantically, the War of the Scarlet and White Rose, lasted for three whole decades.
In fact, of course, there was nothing romantic about this war. Like any other war, it was bloody and dirty, mixed with the ambitions of a handful of people, which resulted in the death and suffering of thousands and thousands of innocent people. This war was due to the struggle for the English throne between the two branches of the Plantagenet dynasty - the Lancaster, whose coat of arms was decorated with a scarlet rose and the Yorkies, on whose coat of arms, respectively, a white rose flaunted.
The Hundred Years War between England and France ended, and thousands of disappointed people began to return to Foggy Albion. England has lost the war! Henry the Sixth Lancaster, King of England, not only suffered from fits of insanity, but in moments of rare enlightenment, he was not particularly eager to rule the country. He preferred a quiet, secluded life, and not the routine of state affairs, and even more so, war. So, in fact, England was ruled by the king's wife, Margaret of France (Valois) and her many confidants. And the disappointment and awareness of the bitterness of defeat in the war with France somehow did not add to the queen's love of the people.
Richard of York was the first to declare that royal power in the hands of a woman is absolutely unacceptable. And the fact that this woman is also a Frenchwoman made the queen the first enemy of the state. Richard of York demanded custody, that is, regency over the incapacitated king, and after his death, the English crown. And Richard had every reason for such high demands. King Henry the Sixth was the great-grandson of the third son of King Edward the Third, John of Gaunt, and Richard of York himself was the great-grandson of Edward's second son, Lionel, though in the female line. On the male side, Richard of York was the grandson of Edward III's fourth son, Edmund. Well, plus to everything, the fact that the grandfather of Henry the Sixth, Henry the Fourth Lancaster forced to abdicate the throne, seizing power in 1399, called into question the legitimacy, in general, of the entire royal dynasty of Lancaster.
Richard York found support from so many families of the English aristocracy. The second half of the nobility took the side of the Lancaster. So a bloody feud ensued, dividing the country into two irreconcilable warring camps for as much as thirty years. (The war lasted from 1455 to 1485.) In this war, the Yorks periodically won, the Lancaster periodically, and their supporters often forgot their vassal oaths and fled from camp to camp. In a word, in this war, all the chivalrous ideals of that time were forgotten and trampled upon. The word "loyalty" lost all meaning for many nobles, they easily changed their political beliefs, it was worth one of the sides of this great confrontation to entice them with a more generous reward. And this war was distinguished by rare cruelty even for that time. In 1455, Richard of York defeated the Lancaster army, took King Henry the Sixth himself prisoner and forced the Upper House of Parliament to recognize himself as regent and heir to the throne. Of course, Queen Margaret did not agree with this decision.
She fled north and soon returned to England with an army of many thousands. She won the battle, ordering to cut off the head of the already dead Richard, who died in this battle. The head was adorned with a paper crown, painted in gold, and it flaunted over the gates of York for a long time. Queen Margaret also broke the knightly custom of leaving life to all the vanquished. She ordered the execution of all supporters of Richard York who surrendered. The son of the slain Richard of York, Edward, in 1461, with the support of the Earl of Warwick, gathered an army and defeated the Lancaster, forcing Margaret to flee again to Scotland. Henry the Sixth, who by that time hardly understood what was happening in the country at all, was deposed, and Edward was crowned at Westminster as the new English monarch under the name of Edward the Fourth. The new king decided to follow the example of Margaret and ordered to cut off the heads of all the noble supporters of Lancaster. But the war did not end there either. The feeble-minded King Henry was imprisoned in the Tower, and Edward's fanatical desire to strengthen his power, weakening the power of his barons, led only to the fact that his former supporters sided with Henry the Sixth.
As a result, King Edward was forced to flee England. The unfortunate King Henry was re-seated on the English throne in 1470. A year later, Edward returned with an army and again won the crown for himself. Now, just in case, he decided to kill the king, whom he immediately re-imprisoned in the Tower, announcing to everyone that he had died of some strange disease. Queen Margaret was redeemed a few years later from captivity by the French king. After Edward's death, the throne was to be inherited by his eldest son Edward the Fifth, but he was removed from power by Richard Gloucester, the late king's younger brother. He declared himself protector, and later heir to the throne, ordering subsequently to imprison Edward and his younger brother in the Tower, where they were killed.
Richard the Third tried to pursue a wise policy, trying to rebuild the country after thirty years of war devastation. His actions were not to the liking of many feudal lords, and the former supporters of Lancaster and York began to unite around a new claimant to the throne, a distant relative of the Lancaster, who lived in exile in France. In 1485, Henry's troops landed on the English coast. Richard the Third hastened to meet with his army. In the battle of Bosworth, at the most crucial moment, the supporters of Richard III betrayed him, going over to the side of the enemy. But the king refused to run, even when someone brought his horse. He decided to die king. A fatal blow to the head with a battle ax, made the crown fly off the helmet. She was immediately lifted from the bloody slurry and placed on the head of Henry Tudor. Thus ended the three-decade-long war between Lancaster and York. Henry Tudor, united in his coat of arms Scarlet and White rose, having married the daughter of Edward the Fourth, Elizabeth.
Humanity tends to romanticize own story over the centuries. Today the times of the Middle Ages are perceived as the time of beautiful ladies, noble knights and no less noble robbers, street musicians and poets. Plots based on the events of that time form the basis of super popular books and TV series. At the same time, the introduction to these works of magicians and dragons sets off the true horror of everything that happens.
Countless murders, burning of cities and villages, devastation and desolation, epidemics that claim hundreds of thousands of lives - this true picture does not look as good as the movie plots.
One of the most famous civil conflicts medieval Europe from which modern authors draw inspiration is the so-called War of the Scarlet and White Rose, which unfolded in England in the second half of the 15th century.
The romantic name of this civil war appeared only in the 19th century thanks to writer Walter Scott... Roses were indeed the distinctive symbols of the two warring camps: the white one belonged to the Yorks, and the scarlet one belonged to the Lancaster.
Hundred Years War Crisis
In 1453, the Hundred Years War ended - series armed conflicts between England and France, the original reason for which was the claims of the English kings to the French throne.
The war ended with the defeat of the British, which caused a deep crisis in the country. Thousands of warriors returned to England, frustrated by failure and seeking to apply their skills on the battlefield.
