The War of the Scarlet and the White Rose: a brief summary and a chronology of events

At the end of the XVII century, the English throne was taken over by Henry Tudor of the Lancaster family - the founder of the new royal dynasty, who 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 lineage Plantagenet - Lancaster and York, which went down in history as the Wars of the Roses, a brief historical description of which is the subject of this article.

Symbols of warring parties

There is an erroneous opinion that the name of the war is due to roses allegedly depicted on the arms of these opposing aristocratic families. In fact, they were not there. The reason lies in the fact that, going into battle, the supporters of that and the other party as a distinctive sign fixed on their armor a symbolic rose - Lancasters - white, and their opponents Yorkie - red. Elegant and royal.

The reasons that pushed to the bloodshed-

It is known that the war of the Scarlet and White Rose began because of the political instability that developed in England in the middle of the XV century. Most of the society expressed dissatisfaction with the results of the Hundred Years War and demanded fundamental changes in government. This situation was aggravated by the incompetence of the feeble-minded and often unconscious King Henry VI of Lancaster, in which the actual power was in the hands of his wife, Queen Marguerite, and her numerous favorites.

The beginning of hostilities

At the head of the opposition was the Duke Richard of York. A descendant of the Plantagenets, he had, in his own opinion, certain rights to the crown. With the active participation of this representative of the White Rose Party, the political confrontation soon developed into bloody clashes, in one of which, in 1455 near the city of St. Albans, the Duke's supporters routed the royal troops. So began the last thirty-two years, and described in the writings of Thomas More and Shakespeare, the war of the Scarlet and White Rose. The summary of their work draws us a picture of those events.

Good luck on the side of the opposition

Such a brilliant victory of Richard York over legitimate authorities convinced members of parliament that this thug is better not to irritate, and they declared him a protector of the state, and in case of the death of the king - heir to the throne. It is difficult to say whether the duke would have hastened 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 long-standing dream, crowned in 1461 under the name of Edward IV. Soon his troops finally suppressed the resistance of the Lancastrians, once again defeating them in the Battle of Mortimer Cross.

The betrayals that the War of the Roses and the White Rose knew

The summary of the historical work of 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 escape abroad, her unfortunate husband was seized and imprisoned in the Tower. However, the newly-made king was too early to celebrate the victory. In his party, intrigues began, caused by the ambitious claims of the closest aristocrats, each of whom sought to get the largest piece in the division of honors and awards.

The strangled vanity and jealousy of some shabby Yorkians pushed them to betrayal, as a result of which the younger brother of the new king, Duke Clarence and Earl of Warwick, corrected all the laws of honor, went over to the side of the enemy. Having gathered a good army, they rescued the unhappy Henry VI from the Tower and brought him back to the throne. It was his turn to flee to Edward IV, who had lost the throne. He and his younger brother Gloucester arrived safely in Burgundy, where they enjoyed popularity and had numerous supporters.

New turn of the plot

The War of the Scarlet and the White Rose, briefly described also by the great Shakespeare, prepared this time an unpleasant surprise for the Lancastrians. The brother of King Clarence, who had so shamefully compromised himself by betrayal and returned the throne to Henry, having learned with what powerful army his relative returns to London, realized he was hurrying. It turned out that he did not want to find himself on the gallows - the most suitable place for the traitors - and he, having appeared in Edward's camp, persuaded him of his deep remorse.

Having reunited, the brothers and their numerous supporters from the Yorkie Party twice defeated the Lancastrians at Barnet and Tewkesberry. In the first battle, Warwick, the very one who betrayed Clarence, died, but, unlike the latter, he did not have time to return to his former master. The second battle proved fatal for the Crown Prince. Thus, the dynastic line of the Lancasters was interrupted by the war of the Scarlet and White Rose that seized England. A brief summary of the subsequent events is given below.

And what does the story tell us about the following events?

Having gained victory, Edward IV again sent the deposed king to the tower of the Tower. Henry VI returned to the familiar and lived before the camera, but for a long time it did not linger. In the same year in the squares of London with deep sorrow announced his death. It is difficult to say whether it was natural, or the new overlord simply decided to save himself from possible troubles, but since then the ashes of Henry VI, abandoned during his lifetime by both his wife and subjects, have been resting in the dungeon of Windsor Castle. What can you do, the royal throne is sometimes very shaky.

Getting rid of his predecessor and potential competitor, Edward IV ruled until 1483, when he suddenly died for an unspecified reason. For a short time the throne was taken by his son Edward, but was soon removed from power by the royal council, as there were doubts about the legitimacy of his birth. By the way, there were witnesses who claimed that his late father was born not from the Duke of York, but became the fruit of the secret love of the duchess and the handsome archer.

So it was, in fact or not, did not dig in, but just in case the throne of the young heir was taken away, and the brother of the late King Richard Gloucester, crowned under the name Richard III, was built on him. Fate did not prepare him for many years of quiet reign. Very soon, a clear and secret opposition formed around the throne, poisoning the life of the monarch with all its might.

Return of the Roses

The historical archives of the 15th century tell how the War of the Roses and the White Rose developed in the future. A brief summary of the documents stored in them shows that the leading representatives of the Lancaster Party managed to assemble on the continent a considerable army, consisting mainly of French mercenaries. Headed by Henry Tudor, she landed in 1486 on the coast of Britain and began the victorious route to London. King Richard III personally led the army, which came out to meet the enemy, but died in the battle of Bosworth.

End of the European Middle Ages

The war of the Scarlet and White Rose in England was nearing its end. The summary of Shakespeare's account of these events recreates a picture of how, having reached without the special troubles of the British capital, Tudor was crowned under the name of Henry VII. Since then, the Lancastrian dynasty has firmly entrenched itself on the throne, and their reign lasted one hundred and seventeen years. The only serious attempt to overthrow the king was taken in 1487 by Count Lincoln, nephew of Richard III, who raised a rebellion, but was killed in the ensuing battle.

It is considered that the war of the Roses and the Roses (1455-1487) is the final link in the European Middle Ages. During this period, not only all the direct descendants of the ancient genus Plantagenet were destroyed, but most of the English chivalry. The main disasters lay on the shoulders of the common people, who in all centuries became hostage to foreign political ambitions.