What were the Wars of the Roses?
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The House of Lancaster, the red rose versus the House of York, the white rose.
The Wars of the Roses? An odd name for such a horrific series of battles!
The “Wars of the Roses” was a long civil war between two families, both claiming the throne of England. A series of battles lasted from 1455 to 1487 and was the longest period of civil war in England. In 1461, 50 00 men took part in the Battle of Towton of which 28 000 were slaughtered. This figure is worse than the horrific number who died on the first day Battle of the Somme in 1916, often cited as the worst ever casualty total in one day. Key participants in these battles were, for the Lancastrians, the red roses, Henry VI, and Henry VII and for the the Yorkists, the white roses Edward IV and Richard III. The Earl of Warwick switched sides and after his death, he became known as the “Kingmaker” for helping Edward IV to gain the crown and Henry VI to reclaim it. The ultimate victor was the first Tudor, Henry VII whose aim was to die a natural death in his bed and be succeeded by his son without any hassle, the young Henry VIII.
What were the causes of Wars of the Roses?
John of Gaunt, the third son of Edward IV
Edward III and John of Gaunt had too many children
If you carefully examine the family tree you will notice that there were numerous claims to the throne via Edward III. Edward III’s rightful heir was his eldest son, Edward the Black Prince but he died before his father leaving the young Richard II. He had numerous problems in his short reign and so was overthrown by Henry IV .
Henry IV could claim the throne via Edward III’s third son John of Gaunt but Philippa’s husband Edmund Mortimer, believed that he was the rightful heir claiming the throne via his father in law, Lionel Duke of Clarence, Edward III’s second and eldest surviving son.
With so many lines on the family tree to make a claim, England had to be ruled very carefully to avoid wars between claimants.
Henry VI could not live up to the stature of his father.
In 1420, Henry V signed the Treaty of Troyes with the defeated French king, Charles VI. This acknowledged that on the death of Charles VI, Henry V of England would be the next king of France.
The original heir with the title, the “Dauphin”, was disinherited and Henry V’s heirs would forever rule France as well as England (in theory at least). With this background how could any heir of Henry V be seen as strong and worthy of both crowns?
It can be argued that anybody who succeeded Henry V would look weak in comparison and so be open to revolt.
Henry lost most of his French territory
The Dauphin was never going to accept being disinherited and so claimed the throne of France, partly claiming that the Treaty of Troyes was invalid because his father was coerced into agreeing to it and partly, on the grounds that Henry VI was mentally not fit to be king of France.
This claim was backed up by the actions of Joan of Arc and her spiritual backing which eventually resulted in the English losing the Battle of Patay and Charles being crowned Charles VII at Reims in 1429, the place where traditionally, all French monarchs were crowned.
This victory in the Loire region was the French equivalent of the Battle of Agincourt to the English. A huge embarrassment to the English and in particular, Henry VI. By 1453, only Calais was left in English hands.
The mighty King Henry V
Henry VI was ony 9 months old when he succeeded Henry V
There was no way Henry VI could run the country as a baby and so it was run in his name by a regency council, ie a group of nobles.
This meant other nobles were bound to challenge their influence and their decisions and probably rebel. Some suggest that the beginning of the wars of the Roses was inevitable.
Henry VI was not natural leader
Henry VI had little interest in politics and was, by nature, a weak ruler. He was very religious, spending a lot of his free time meditating on the sufferings of Christ and staying in monasteries. It has been suggested that this “incited lawlessness” and “opened the door for power hungry nobles.
Opponents criticised Henry’s masculinity for taking so long to have a child. Infertility was usually blamed on women but Henry took a lot of criticism in this case.
Henry was incapable of ruling due to recurring bouts of mental illness
Some historians have suggested it was “catatonic schizophrenia” whereby Henry appeared to be in dream world, suffering from loss of consciousness (catalepsy) and not being able to speak (mutism)”. Visitors to the king, a very religious man, described how “they could obtain neither word nor sign” when they informed him about the death of Archbishop Kempe.
Even worse, when he recovered 18 months later, he apparently was “astonished to find that his wife had given birth to a son” just a couple months after he fell ill. This statement can be backed up by the research of Lauren Johnson who has discovered evidence to suggest that when his wife, Margaret of Anjou, visited her husband’s bedroom for “marital relations”, they were joined by “trusted courtiers” to coach Henry in the art of making a baby!
In 1458, Henry was so desperate for peace, he came up with a medieval hippy solution, by suggesting that the warring parties should have a “Love Day”! He proposed that on the 24th March 1458, there would be a parade whereby leading Lancastrians would hold hands with their opponents as they walked through the streets of London.
How did the Wars of the Roses begin?
Rebellions in 1450
In 1450, rebellions broke out in various parts of England. These were based on accusations of corruption, mismanagement of power and heavy taxation. Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Suffolk and his supporters were the target of the rebels and he was initially put in the Tower, then banished and murdered en route to France.
Another rebellion was led by Jack Cade, second in size, to the “Peasants’ Revolt of 1381”. London was looted and a bloody battle was fought on London Bridge. This eventually failed but Henry VI believed that Richard of York was the key player behind the insurrection.
Henry VI now relied on the Duke of Somerset to help him run the country.
Richard of York challenged Henry VI’s government 1452
Richard Duke of York now made it his mission to get rid of the Duke of Somerset for corruption. His uprising failed with York temporarily imprisoned. On “Good Friday” 1452, Henry issued 144 pardons for the people involved in the uprising. When York was released, he returned home but secretly vowed that this was not his last attempt.
Henry VI suffered from mental illness and was not able to rule for 18 months 1453
In August 1453, Henry VI had his first bout of mentall illness. He was totally incapacitated and could not participate in any form of government. In April 1454, the Duke of York was given the highly important and powerful job of protector and defender of the realm, ie overseer of Henry’s kingdom.
In that position he was able to deal with his rival, the Duke of Somerset and send him to the tower. However, by february 1455, Henry had recovered and so the Duke of York and his supporters were dismissed and the Duke of Somerset was re-instated.
Somerset’s first act was to deprive York of the prestigious “Captaincy of Calais” and as a consequence, York readied for war.
The Battle of St Albans May 22nd 1455
The Duke of York, (the White Rose, Yorkists) was joined by Richard Neville Earl of Warwick in May 1455 and moved south to attack Henry VI (Red Rose, Lancastrians) at St Albans. The Yorkists won, Henry was wounded and taken prisoner whilst the Duke of Somerset was killed.
Once more the king suffered from another bout of mental illness and so the duke of York was again made Lord Protector. By february 1456, Henry had recovered and so the Duke of York was relieved of his position of Lord Protector, having been undermined by the Queen.
Warwick Castle, home of the Earl of Warwick
The Battles of Blore Heath, Ludford Bridge and Northampton 1459-60.
At Blore Heath, the Yorkist army commanded by Lord Salisbury defeated a Lancastrian army under Lord Audley despite being outnumbered two to one. By the autumn of 1459, Queen Margaret had mustered a huge Lancastrian army and reversed her fortunes at Ludford.
This time many Yorkists deserted on being offered a pardon resulting in the Earls of Warwick and Salisbury fleeing and the Duke of York going to Ireland.
In July 1460, the Earl of Warwick captured London and then moved on to Northampton to defeat the Queen’s Lancastrian army. Henry VI was again taken prisoner but the Queen and Prince Edward escaped and fled to Scotland.
Fighting was very brief with the Yorkist, Lord Grey of Ruthin, ordering his soldiers to lay down their arms having been secretly promised Yorkist support in a property dispute.
Henry VI was imprisoned in the Tower of London. A great place to visit, see our blog on the Tower
The Duke of York now claimed to the throne October but was defeated and killed in the Battle of Wakefield December 1460
With his allies having won the Battle of Northampton, the Duke of York now claimed the throne but had to accept a compromise. York agreed that Henry could retain his crown until his death and then the Yorkists would be crowned.
Queen Margaret was not happy and once again raised an army to fight the Yorkists. This time the Lancastrians won with Richard the Duke of York being killed, his severed head wearing a paper crown being put on display with the heads of his son the Earl of Rutland and that of his ally, the Earl of Salisbury.
The Battle of Mortimer’s Cross February 1461 and the Second Battle of St Albans February 1461
Richard Duke of York’s eldest son became the next Duke of York and in february defeated Lancastrian, Jasper Tudor, the Earl of Pembroke at Mortimer’s Cross. Here, Jasper’s father, Owen Tudor, was gruesomely beheaded on the battlefield along with several other prisoners. Queen Margaret however, reversed the situation by defeating forces led by the Earl of Warwick at the Second Battle of St Albans and rescuing King Henry!
The Battle of Towton and victory for Edward, Duke of York who became Edward IV 1461
0n 27th March 1461 the Yorkists defeated the Lancastrians in a snowstorm at the Battle of Towton. 50 000 participated in this battle of which 28 000 were slaughtered! This has become the bloodiest one day battle in English history. It resulted in the coronation of Edward IV on 28th June with Henry, Margaret and their son, Edward, fleeing to Scotland.
King Edward IV
Further Yorkist victories at Hedgely Moor and Hexham 1464
In 1464 Queen Margaret made a further attempt on Henry’s behalf to restore him to power but once again was defeated at Hedgely Moor and Hexham by the Earl of Warwick’s brother, John, Marquess of Montague.
1464. Edward became under the influence of the Woodvilles, with his old allies losing influence and favour.
In September 1464, Edward revealed that he had secretly married Elizabeth Woodville, widow of Sir John Grey, a Lancastrian. This was an ill-thought out move that was destined to upset some of his loyal allies especially, the Earl of Warwick who began to feel ignored and isolated. In June 1465 Henry VI was captured in Lancashire and returned to the Tower of London.
Why did the Earl of Warwick the Kingmaker switch sides ?
Rifts soon began to appear in Edward’s court which eventually resulted in Warwick joining the Lancastrians. Warwick fell out with the Woodvilles over France. He wanted an alliance with Louis XI rather than Burgundy but Edward’s sister married the Duke of Burgundy in 1469.
The situation was made worse when Edward’s brother, George Duke of Clarence married Warwick’s sister Isabel much to Edward’s annoyance. In May 1470, Warwick quarrelled with Edward and inspired rebellions against him. On 26th July 1469 the King’s army was defeated at Edgecote near Banbury with queen’s father, the Earl of Rivers and her brother, being captured and executed!
Warwick arrested Edward IV and had him imprisoned in Middleham Castle. A few weeks later, they were reconciled and the King was released. This was short-lived because the Lancastrians rose up again in 1470 under Sir Robert Welles and although they were quickly defeated Warwick and Clarence were accused of being traitors had to flee to France.
Warwick joined the Lancastrian side and defeated Edward IV. Henry VI was back!
Warwick met Louis XI of France and reconciled with Margaret of Anjou. He agreed to support the Lancastrians, an agreement cemented with Warwick’s daughter Anne marrying Margaret and Henry’s son, Prince Edward, in August 1470.
In September 1470, Warwick, Clarence and the Lancastrian army landed at Dartmouth and it wasn’t long before Edward IV and his brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, had to flee to Flanders. In October, Warwick entered London and set Henry VI free.
Henry regained the crown but was, in reality, incapable of governing the country.
Edward IV returned to be king 1471
In march 1471, Edward and his brother the Duke of Gloucester landed back in England and were joined by their brother, the Duke of Clarence. Once again they captured Henry VI and took back London. Warwick hoped to defeat the Yorkists at the Battle of Barnet but failed and was killed in April.
At the same time, Margaret of Anjou landed at Weymouth and was joined once more by the Duke of Somerset, Edmund Beaufort. They set out to link up with the Tudors in Wales but Edward pursued them and at Tewkesbury, they were beaten with Margaret being taken prisoner and her son, Edward being killed.
Shortly afterwards, Henry VI was mysteriously found dead in the Tower. Who killed him? His death was advantageous for Edward IV and thus he is the obvious candidate for the murderer but there is little proof.
Henry was rumoured to have been murdered here in his chapel in the Tower.
Edward’s premature death, the murder of the “princes in the Tower” and the accession of Henry VII
Having regained power from Henry VI, Edward ruled until his early death in 1483. Next in line to the throne was his 12 year old son Edward and his 10 year old brother Richard. Immediately, plans were put in place for Edward to be the next king with his uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester to advise him.
Having been a dutiful brother to Edward IV, the Duke of Gloucester made a bid for power and declared that both of his nephews were illegitimate and parliament agreed with him. The grounds for illegitimacy were that Edward IV had not officially broken his engagement to his first fiancee, Eleanor Talbot, which in those days was part of a wedding contract and therefore, his marriage to Elizabeth Woodville was bigamous and illegal.
This might explain why his marriage to Elizabeth Woodville was very low key and not the great public event that it would normally would be. Richard had the two princes placed in the “Bloody Tower” (named the Garden Tower at the time) for “their own protection” and proceeded with his own coronation. Richard did not want the Woodvilles to “look after” the Princes and dominate English politics once again.
Supporters of Richard III maintain that because they were illegitimate, he had no reason to have them killed but after October 1483 they were never seen in public again.
Richard III. See our blog on the Tower of London to find out more.
On the 7th August, Henry Tudor landed in Wales with his invasion army. On the 22nd August 1485, Richard III was defeated and killed in the Battle of Bosworth against Henry Tudor.
On becoming King, Henry VII, he listed publicly all of Richard III’s crimes but rather oddly, murder of two young princes was never mentioned. The mystery of the Princes in the Tower remains unsolved.
The Battle of Stoke and the end of the Wars of the Roses.
Some historians regard Henry Tudor’s victory at Bosworth in 1485 as the end of the Wars of the Roses. Others add that Henry’s position was challenged at the start of his reign and so the wars ended when the Earl of Lincoln, John de la Pole, nephew of the Yorkist kings, was killed at the Battle of Stoke in 1487.
Lincoln raised an army of 1500 German mercenaries together with 4000 Irishmen to support the claims of an imposter called Lambert Simnel. He claimed that he was the son of Edward’s brother George, the Duke of Clarence and as a consequence was crowned Edward VI in Dublin. It all came to a climax in June 1487 at the Battle of Stoke where Lincoln and the other leaders were killed and Lambert Simnel taken prisoner.
In January 1486, Henry VII married Elizabeth of York, Edward IV’s daughter. This meant all of their children would be both Yorkist and Lancastrian and thus would have by far the best claims to the throne. In the following November, Elizabeth of York was crowned queen putting an end to the warring families. Stoke was the last battle of the war although a further imposter, Perkin Warbeck attempted to impersonate one of the “Princes in the Tower”, Richard Duke of York.
Find out more;
Click here to find out about the Richard III Visitor Centre including how they rediscovered his body
Click here to find out about Richard III’s magnificent tomb at Leicester Cathedral
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