Changes

*[[Henry VII]]

*[[Henry VII]]

The Wars of the Roses were a series of intermittent conflicts that occurred in England between 1455 and 1487.  The wars themselves are considered to have begun with the first battle of [[St. Albans]] in 1455, and ended when the [[Yorkist]] pretender, [[Lambert Simnel]] was defeated by [[Henry VII]] at Stoke in 1487. Whilst usually thought of as a struggle between two dynastic houses – an idea fostered by the [[Tudor]] beneficiaries of the conflict – some consider that it was as much about the desire for good governance brought on initially by Henry VI’s ineptitude and the arrogance of his wife, [[Margaret of Anjou]] and her clique. It must be remembered that the protagonists – [[House of York|York]] and [[Lancastrian|Lancaster]] – were branches of the same [[Plantagenet]] dynasty, and that during the 32 years between St. Albans and Stoke the actual period of open conflict totalled well less than ten years and that many of the “battles”- including the curtain raiser - were hardly more than skirmishes.

The Wars of the Roses were a series of intermittent conflicts that occurred in England between 1455 and 1487.  The wars themselves are considered to have begun with the first battle of [[St. Albans]] in 1455, and ended when the [[Yorkist]] pretender, [[Lambert Simnel]], was defeated by [[Henry VII]] at Stoke in 1487. Whilst usually thought of as a struggle between two dynastic houses – an idea fostered by the [[Tudor]] beneficiaries of the conflict – some consider that it was as much about the desire for good governance brought on initially by Henry VI’s ineptitude and the arrogance of his wife, [[Margaret of Anjou]] and her clique. It must be remembered that the protagonists – [[House of York|York]] and [[Lancastrian|Lancaster]] – were branches of the same [[Plantagenet]] dynasty, and that during the 32 years between St. Albans and Stoke the actual period of open conflict totalled well less than ten years and that many of the “battles”- including the curtain raiser - were hardly more than skirmishes.

The term itself was coined in the nineteenth century, based on [[Henry II]]’s description of his marriage to Elizabeth of York as a union of the two English roses, representing peace and prosperity after disunity and strife. (Actually, Lancastrian supporters wore a double “S” on their collar – Yorkists, suns and roses.) Indeed, the history of much of the conflict, especially the final stages, has to be viewed through the fog of Tudor propaganda – epitomised by [[Shakespeare]]’s portrayal of the evil, misshapen Richard III.

The term itself was coined in the nineteenth century, based on [[Henry VII]]’s description of his marriage to Elizabeth of York as a union of the two English roses, representing peace and prosperity after disunity and strife. (Actually, Lancastrian supporters wore a double “S” on their collar – Yorkists, suns and roses.) Indeed, the history of much of the conflict, especially the final stages, has to be viewed through the fog of Tudor propaganda – epitomised by [[Shakespeare]]’s portrayal of the evil, misshapen Richard III.

The events can be divided into five stages:

The events can be divided into five stages: