The end of the Hundred Years' War resulted in a period of political instability in England. From 1455 to 1487, the House of York and the House of Lancaster fought for control of the English throne.
At the beginning of the Hundred Years' War, Edward III was King of England. He had four sons: his eldest and heir was Edward, the Black Prince; next came John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (whose symbol was a red rose); Edmund, Duke of York (whose symbol was a white rose); and Thomas, Duke of Gloucester. Edward the Black Prince died unexpectedly in 1376, and when his father King Edward III died the following year, the throne passed over his brothers John, Edmund, and Thomas and went directly to the Black Prince's 10-year-old son, Richard II.
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In 1399, Henry, the Duke of Lancaster (son of John of Gaunt) deposed Richard II and became King Henry IV. |
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He was followed by Henry V and Henry VI. Henry VI was a child when he became king, so a regency was established under Richard, Duke of York (great-grandson of King Edward III.) |
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However, the Duke of York was eventually pushed out of court and banished to Ireland by Henry VI's French wife, Queen Margaret of Anjou. |
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Henry VI then had a mental breakdown and the Duke of York returned, once again setting up a regency. |
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However, when Henry VI recovered, he banished the Duke of York again. |
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In 1455, the Duke of York decided to try to depose Henry VI, officially beginning the War of the Roses. He (along with the Earl of Warwick) captured Henry VI, but instead of deposing him, had himself named Henry's successor. |
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This infuriated Queen Margaret, who wanted her son Edward to become king, so she went to Scotland and raised an army. This army was very successful, killing the Duke of York in 1460 along with one of his sons, defeating the Earl of Warwick, and capturing King Henry VI. |
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However, the Duke of York's son Edward was proclaimed King Edward IV in London. In 1461, Edward IV defeated the army of Queen Margaret, who escaped to France. |
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After this, however, the Earl of Warwick fell out with King Edward IV and made an alliance with Edward IV's brother Prince George, Queen Margaret, and the Lancasters. Warwick invaded England in 1470, placing Henry VI back on the throne. Edward IV escaped with his brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester. |
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England soon got into a war with Burgundy. To destabilize England, King Charles of Burgundy offered to help Edward IV reclaim the throne. Edward invaded England in 1471, reconciled with his brother Prince George, and defeated and killed the Earl of Warwick. He defeated Queen Margaret later that year. Her son, Prince Edward, was killed; Margaret was ransomed by the King of France; and Henry VI was soon murdered. |
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When King Edward IV died in 1483, his children were (probably) murdered by his brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who became King Richard III. In 1485, Henry Tudor, a descendant of Edward III on the Lancaster side, invaded England from France. He defeated and killed Richard III, becoming King Henry VII. |
Henry VII then married Elizabeth, the daughter of Edward IV, uniting the House of Lancaster and House of York and ending the Wars of the Roses.
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