The War of the Scarlet and White Roses in England. Wars of the Roses (England)

In the second half of the 15th century, Great Britain was rocked by a terrible civil war between supporters of the two branches of the ruling Plantagenet dynasty - the Lancasters and Yorks. Since, when going into battle, Lancastrian supporters attached a scarlet rose to their armor, and the symbol of York was a white flower, the bloody events of 1455-85, with the light hand of Walter Scott, were given the poetic name “War of the Scarlet and White Roses.”

Background and causes of the conflict

Henry V Lancaster ruled Great Britain from 1413-22. He was one of the greatest commanders of his time and a talented ruler. Like his predecessors, Henry V fought the French on the fields of the Hundred Years' War. In this matter, Henry V achieved great success. He not only included part of the French possessions in his state and married the French princess Catherine of Valois, but also insisted that in the future his and Catherine’s son would become the king of both powers.

However, fate played a cruel joke on the English king. At the age of 35, he died of illness, and his heir, Henry VI, who received the throne at the age of one, became an adult and found himself not only deprived of his father’s talents, but also mentally ill.

Henry VI was rapidly losing control of the French lands where troops under the leadership of Joan of Arc were operating. In 1453, the Hundred Years' War ended with the loss of all English possessions on the continent, with the exception of the city of Calais. However, the internal affairs of the mad king were not much better. After defeat in the Hundred Years' War, the nobles decided that Henry VI, whose mental health had seriously deteriorated in recent years, needed a regent. It was decided to make the king’s cousin, Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, such. This proposal greatly frightened the queen, Margaret of Anjou, who believed that Richard would push her and Henry’s son, Edward, away from the throne. During periods of her husband's madness, the country was ruled by Margarita herself - an educated and powerful woman, however, she was not very popular among the British. Therefore, Margaret’s protests did not meet with support from the nobles (by that time a powerful party of large feudal lords had formed around the Duke of York) and Richard Plantagenet received the title of protector.

By 1455, Henry VI's condition had improved significantly and he decided to return to independent rule. Margaret insisted that the York party be expelled from the Great Royal Council. The Duke of York was not ready to give up his high title, so, having enlisted the support of the powerful Earls of Salisbury and Warwick, he gathered an army to regain the throne by force.

Thus, the causes of the War of the Scarlet and White Roses were:

• the results of the Hundred Years' War, which not only led to economic collapse, but also greatly affected the authority of the royal power;
• peasant uprisings 1450-51;
• the attitude of the British towards the Frenchwoman Margaret of Anjou;
• political instability associated with the health of the English king;
• the crisis of patrimonial land ownership caused by outdated feudal orders;
• the presence of different branches of the Plantagenet dynasty fighting for power.

In a broad sense, the War of the Roses was not simply a clash between different members of the royal family, but rather between two ways of life and economic systems. The ruling king and his wife were supported by the northern barons - staunch conservatives, whose possessions were located in the most economically backward region of the country, and the residents of the economically developed southeast of England - merchants, artisans and the most progressive nobles - spoke for York.

Course of events

The first military clash between the Yorks and the Lancastrians took place in May 1455 at St. Albans. The army of Henry VI turned out to be smaller and weaker, so the victory remained with the White Rose. Many high-ranking Lancastrian supporters fell in this battle. The victory allowed the head of the White Rose to declare himself Lord High Constable of England and heir to Henry VI. Minor skirmishes between the two parties continued until 1460, when the Yorks inflicted a crushing defeat on the Lancastrians at Northampton. The king was captured by the Yorks, so Richard York was able to enter London unhindered. However, the fight was continued by Margaret of Anjou, who escaped captivity. Through her efforts, the Lancastrian supporters managed to defeat the Yorks at Wakefield that same year. In this battle, Richard York died without receiving the coveted English crown.

After the death of the Duke of York, his eldest son, Edward, became the head of the White Rose. In 1461, the new king inflicted several defeats on the Lancastrians. The largest was the Battle of Towton, as a result of which Henry VI was imprisoned in the Tower, and Margaret of Anjou and her son were forced to flee the country. After the victory, Edward York was crowned in London under the name of Edward IV, bypassing the legal heir to the throne. By decree of the new king, the Lancasters themselves and their supporters were declared traitors.

However, Edward IV could not find a common language with his subjects. The king was distinguished by a tough character, which led to the fact that many of his supporters chose to go to the Lancastrian camp. Among the defectors were the king’s younger brother, the Duke of Clarence, and the experienced intriguer Earl of Warwick, whom his contemporaries gave him the nickname “kingmaker.”

In 1470, the Lancastrians, having secured the support of new allies, opposed Edward IV. The young king was driven to Burgundy. Meanwhile, Warwick managed to free Henry VI and return him to his former place. The Lancastrian king, whose mental state was completely shaken by that time, did not participate in state affairs in any way; the powerful Earl of Warwick had real power at court. The “Kingmaker” planned in the future to replace the mad king from the Lancaster family with his younger brother, George. To achieve this, Earl Warwick carried out yet another intrigue: having provoked the Lancastrian opponents into yet another action, he convinced Henry VI to set out on an obviously failed punitive campaign. The king fell into a trap and the cunning count took him to one of his castles, supposedly for protection. In fact, to take prisoner. Henry VI realized too late that his former ally had betrayed him, but there was nothing he could do.

Meanwhile, Edward IV raised a new army, made peace with the Duke of Clarence and renewed the fight for the throne. In 1471, he managed to inflict several serious defeats on the Lancastrians. In one of them the Earl of Warwick was killed. But the real disaster awaited the Lancasters near Tewkesbury. After the battle, this place was called the “bloody meadow.” In this battle, not only almost all Lancastrian supporters were destroyed, but also the only heir of Henry VI - Prince Edward. Margaret of Anjou and the young widow of the prince who died on the battlefield were captured by Edward IV. Henry VI outlived his son by only a few days. Shortly after the York victory in the “bloody meadow,” it was announced that Henry VI Lancaster had died of grief upon learning of the death of his son. Both historians and contemporaries of those events had every reason not to believe in the version that explained the death of the former king by natural causes. It is likely that Edward IV decided to get rid of the last legitimate contender for the English crown.

For some time, relative calm reigned in England. But in 1483 Edward IV of York died. By law, the throne was inherited by his young son under the name of Edward V of York. However, this decision was opposed by the boy’s uncle, Richard Gloucester, one of the younger brothers of the deceased king. He declared his brother's sons illegitimate and ordered that the boys be sent to the Tower. Historians know nothing more about their further fate. Apparently, the princes were killed and secretly buried on the orders of their uncle. So Richard III of Gloucester became the new English king. The new king began to restore internal order, however, he had to face strong opposition in the person of the Yorks and the seemingly completely broken Lancasters.

The strength to resist returned to the Scarlet Rose camp after it was led by Henry Tudor, the grandson of Catherine of Valois and nephew of Henry VI. After the death of Henry V, Catherine Valois remained a young woman, so she soon began a secret affair with a Welsh nobleman, Owen Tudor. From this relationship the couple had six children, including the father of Henry Tudor.

In August 1485, Henry Tudor, who lived almost his entire life in France, set out with his army across the English Channel and landed on the English coast. Richard III met him on Bosworth Field. During the battle, many nobles left the camp of Richard III, running over to his enemy. The king himself was killed and Henry VII Tudor was proclaimed the new ruler of England. In 1487, one of Richard's nephews of Gloucester attempted to overthrow Henry VII from the throne, but the attempt failed. Thus, the civil war in England ended with the nominal victory of the Scarlet Rose, but in fact with the suppression of the Plantagenet dynasty.

Results of the War of the Roses in England

Henry VII managed to establish peace in the country. He married the daughter of Edward IV, as if uniting the Scarlet and White Roses together. However, the war ended, rather, due to the fact that the country was completely drained of blood, and from the huge noble clans only their most insignificant representatives remained, incapable of a serious struggle for power. The thirty-year conflict led to a number of varied consequences:

• establishment of Tudor power;
• the complete extermination of the oldest and most noble English noble families. Although the Scarlet and White Roses were represented by compatriots, many of whom were related, the clashes between the two sides were marked by great bloodshed. The noble clans were slaughtered completely, including women, old people and children. No one was taken prisoner, the enemy was destroyed in the bud;
• England's complete renunciation of claims to French lands;
• the strengthening of the merchant class, which replaced the nobility and became the main social support of the Tudors.

The tragic events of the 15th century, replete with almost detective plot twists, became a source of inspiration for many authors: William Shakespeare with his plays “Henry VI” and “Richard III”, Walter Scott and George Martin.

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War of the Scarlet and White Roses

The rivalry between the two dynasties in England resulted in a civil war that began in 1455. Since the last months of the Hundred Years' War, two branches of the Plantagenet family - York and Lancaster - have been fighting for the throne of England. The War of the Roses (York's coat of arms had a white rose, and Lancaster's had a scarlet one) put an end to the reign of the Plantagenets.

1450

England was going through difficult times. King Henry VI of Lancaster was unable to calm down the disagreements and strife between the major aristocratic families. Henry VI grew up weak-willed and sickly. Under him and his wife Margaret of Anjou, the Dukes of Somerset and Suffolk were given unlimited power.

In the spring of 1450, the loss of Normandy signaled collapse. Internecine wars are multiplying. The state is collapsing. The conviction and subsequent murder of Suffolk does not lead to peace. Jack Cad rebels in Kent and marches on London. Royal troops defeat Cad, but the anarchy continues.

The king's brother Richard, Duke of York, who was in exile in Ireland at that time, gradually strengthened his position. Returning in September 1450, he tries, with the help of Parliament, to reform the government and eliminate Somerset. In response, Henry VI dissolved Parliament. In 1453, the king lost his mind as a result of severe fright. Taking advantage of this, Richard York achieved the most important position - protector of the state. But Henry VI regained his sanity, and the Duke's position began to shake. Not wanting to give up power, Richard York gathers armed detachments of his followers.

Lancasters vs Yorks

York enters into an alliance with the Earls of Salisbury and Warwick, who are armed with a strong army, which in May 1455 defeats the royal troops in the town of St. Albans. But the king again takes the initiative into his own hands for a while. He confiscates the property of York and his supporters.

York abandons the army and flees to Ireland. In October 1459, his son Edward occupied Calais, from where the Lancasters unsuccessfully tried to dislodge them. There he gathers a new army. In July 1460, the Lancastrians were defeated at Northampton. The king is in prison, and Parliament names York heir.

At this time, Margaret of Anjou, determined to defend the rights of her son, gathers her loyal subjects in the north of England. Taken by surprise by the royal army near Wakefield, York and Salisbury are killed. The Lancastrian army moves south, devastating everything in its path. Edward, the son of the Duke of York, and the Earl of Warwick, having learned about the tragedy, hastened to London, whose inhabitants joyfully greeted their army. They defeated the Lancastrians at Towton, after which Edward was crowned Edward IV.

Continuation of the war

Taking refuge in Scotland and supported by France, Henry VI still had supporters in the north of England, but they were defeated in 1464 and the king was imprisoned again in 1465. It seems that everything is over. However, Edward IV faces the same situation as Henry VI.

The Neville clan, led by the Earl of Warwick, who placed Edward on the throne, is starting a fight with Queen Elizabeth's clan. The king's brother, Duke of Clarence, is jealous of his power. Warwick and Clarence mutiny. They defeat the troops of Edward IV, and he himself is captured. But, flattered by various promises, Warwick releases the prisoner. The king does not keep his promises, and the struggle between them flares up with renewed vigor. In March 1470, Warwick and Clarence find refuge with the King of France. Louis XI, being a subtle diplomat, reconciles them with Margaret of Anjou and the House of Lancaster.

He did this so well that in September 1470, Warwick, supported by Louis XI, returned to England as a supporter of the Lancastrians. King Edward IV flees to Holland to join his son-in-law Charles the Bold. At the same time, Warwick, nicknamed the “kingmaker,” and Clarence restore Henry VI to the throne. However, in March 1471, Edward returned with an army financed by Charles the Bold. At Barnet, he wins a decisive victory - thanks to Clarence, who betrayed Warwick. Warwick is killed. The Lancastrian Southern Army is defeated at Tewkesbury. In 1471 Henry VI died (or possibly was assassinated), Edward IV returned to London.

Union of two roses

Problems arise again after the king's death in 1483. Edward's brother, Richard of Gloucester, who hates the queen and her supporters, orders the murder of the king's children in the Tower of London, and seizes the crown under the name of Richard III. This act makes him so unpopular that the Lancasters regain hope. Their distant relative was Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, son of the last of the Lancastrians and Edmond Tudor, whose father was a Welsh captain, bodyguard of Catherine of Valois (widow of Henry V), whom he married. This secret marriage explains the interference in the discord of the Welsh dynasty.

Richmond, along with the supporters of Margaret of Anjou, weaves a web of conspiracy and lands in Wales in August 1485. The decisive battle took place on August 22 at Bosworth. Betrayed by many of his circle, Richard III was assassinated. Richard ascends the throne as Henry VII, then marries Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. The Lancasters become related to the Yorks, the War of the Roses ends, and the king builds his power on the union of the two branches. He introduces a system of strict control of the aristocracy. After the accession of the Tudor dynasty, a new page was written in the history of England.

Between England and France. Its result was the complete defeat of the British. They were expelled from French lands and thrown into the sea. The Gascons, Bretons, and Provencals rallied into a single French nation and began to build a new country with the main motto: “One faith, one law, one king.” What about the British? Their situation was somewhat different.

In power was King Henry VI, who became king at the age of 8 months. In 1445, at the age of 23, he married Margaret of Anjou, who was related to the French Valois dynasty. This woman was beautiful, smart and ambitious. She began to have a strong influence on her husband, who is believed to have suffered from schizophrenia and even experienced hallucinations.

Margaret of Anjou

When the Hundred Years' War ended, Guienne, with its center in Bordeaux, went to France. And this city meant extremely much to the English kings. “Bordeaux” is the plural of “brothel,” which made the city extremely fun to live in. It has long been considered the residence of English kings. They preferred to live in Bordeaux rather than London.

According to the charter of the London city community, no nobleman had the right to spend the night in London. Even when the king came to his own capital, he had to resolve all matters before sunset and leave for his country palace. That is, the head of state did not have the right to spend the night in his own capital. These were the harsh customs. Therefore, Bordeaux for the English kings was not even a residence, but a second capital. And now she was gone.

Henry VI took this loss very hard. He fell into a state of mental disorder and became absolutely indifferent to everything. Months dragged on, and the king still could not come to his senses. As a result of this, the opinion became stronger among the aristocratic community that the king could not rule the state. It is incompetent and requires replacement.

The main accuser in this matter was Duke Richard of York. He demanded for himself a regency over the incompetent king. It should be said that the Duke had such rights, since he was related by blood to Edward III. He had the opportunity to take the English throne with the correct alignment of political forces at court.

Taking into account the madness of the king, the seizure of power could have been carried out, but the ambitions of the Yorks encountered powerful opposition in the person of Margaret of Anjou. She was not going to lose her status as queen and led the opposition against the Yorks. In addition, in October 1453, Margaret gave birth to an heir, Edward of Westminster.

The political situation began to stabilize when, at the end of 1454, Henry VI came to his senses and became adequate. The Yorks realized that they were losing the opportunity to gain royal power, and a military conflict broke out. It went down in history as the War of the Scarlet and White Roses. It lasted 30 years from 1455 to 1485.

This military confrontation was a purely noble conflict. The Earls of York and Neville decorated their shields with a white rose, and the Lancasters and Suffolks hung a scarlet rose on their shields. After this, representatives of the two opposing parties began to kill each other, and they were helped in this by professional soldiers who found themselves out of work after the end of the Hundred Years War.

The first major battle of St. Albans, 35 km from London, took place on May 22, 1455. The White Rose was led by Duke Richard of York, and Count Richard Neville was his ally. The Scarlet Rose was led by Earl Edmund Beaufort. In this battle he died, and the Lancasters suffered a crushing defeat. Henry VI himself was captured, and Parliament declared Richard of York protector of the kingdom and heir to Henry VI, bypassing Edward of Westminster.

However, this failure did not bother the Scarlet Rose and Margaret of Anjou, who stood at its head. In 1459, the Lancasters tried to take revenge. The Yorks were defeated at the Battle of Ludford Bridge. Richard York himself and his two sons fled without entering the battle, and the Lancasters captured the main York city of Ludlow and ravaged it.

The Battle of Wakefield on December 30, 1460 became significant.. It went down in history as the key battle of the War of the Scarlet and White Roses. In this battle, the main troublemaker, Richard of York, was killed and his army was defeated. The Earl of Salisbury also died. The bodies of these two men were beheaded and their heads impaled on the gates of York.

The victory was sealed by the second Battle of St. Albans on February 17, 1461. Margarita of Anjou took a direct part in it. The White Rose was again defeated, and King Henry VI was finally returned from captivity. But military happiness is changeable. The son of the deceased Duke of York, Edward of England, gathered a strong army, and on March 29, 1461, the Lancastrians suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Towton.

After this, Edward of England proclaimed himself King Edward IV, overthrowing Henry VI. Margaret fled to Scotland and entered into an alliance with the French king Louis XI, who had just ascended the throne. She also gained the support of some influential aristocrats who had lost their importance at court after the rise to power of Edward IV.

Among them was Richard Neville, and Margaret betrothed her son Edward to his daughter Anne. To prove his loyalty to Margaret, Richard Neville briefly restored the power of Henry VI in October 1470 in the absence of Edward IV. Margarita and her son immediately went to England, full of the brightest hopes. However, Edward IV mixed up all the plans. At the Battle of Barnet on April 14, 1471, he defeated the army of Richard Neville. The latter was killed, and Margarita was left without a strong ally.

Her army was defeated on May 4, 1471 at the Battle of Tewkesbury. At the same time, her son Edward, who was the heir to the English crown, died. Margaret herself was captured and imprisoned by order of Edward IV, who regained the royal throne. At first, the dethroned queen was kept in the Tower, and in 1472 she was placed under the guardianship of the Duchess of Suffolk.

In 1475, the spiritually broken woman was ransomed by King Louis XI of France. This woman lived another 7 years as a poor relative of the king and died on August 25, 1482. She was 52 years old at the time of her death.

As for Henry VI, after the death of his son, the king's life ceased to be of any value. He was held in the Tower of London until his death on May 21, 1471. According to the official version, he died from a severe attack of depression when he learned of the death of his son and the defeat of the Scarlet Rose at the Battle of Tewksbury. But it is assumed that he was killed on the orders of Edward IV. Henry VI was 49 years old at the time of his death.

Richard III

However, after the departure of the main characters from the political arena, the war between the Scarlet and White Roses did not stop, but continued. But at first it did not manifest itself in any way and was latent in nature. Edward IV ruled the country, but died suddenly at the age of 40 on April 9, 1483. He left two heirs - Edward and Richard. The first was proclaimed king of England, and he became Edward V.

However, after 3 months, the Privy Council recognized both boys as illegitimate. They were placed in the Tower, and soon the children, the eldest of whom was 12 years old and the youngest 9, mysteriously disappeared. It is assumed that they were strangled with pillows in the tower on the orders of their uncle Richard. The latter was the younger brother of Edward IV, and on June 26, 1483, he was proclaimed King Richard III. But the newly-minted king reigned for only a short time - a little more than 2 years.

A new personality has entered the political arena - Henry Tudor, great-great-grandson of John of Gaunt, founder of the Lancaster family. This man had rather dubious rights to the throne, but the current king Richard III had the same dubious rights. Therefore, from the point of view of dynastic rules, the opponents found themselves on an equal footing. Their dispute could only be resolved by brute force, and therefore the War of the Scarlet and White Roses moved from a latent phase into an active one.

It appeared at the Battle of Bosworth on August 22, 1485. Richard III was killed in this battle. With his death, York's claims to the throne ended, as there were no living claimants. And Henry Tudor was crowned Henry VII and became the founder of the Tudor dynasty, which ruled England from 1485 to 1603.

Henry VII - founder of the Tudor dynasty

To end the feud between the Scarlet and White Roses, the new king married the daughter of Edward IV, Elizabeth of York. Thus, he reconciled the warring houses of Lancaster and York. In the Tudor coat of arms, the king combined a scarlet and white rose, and this symbol is still present in the British coat of arms. And yet, in 1487, Richard III's nephew, Earl of Lincoln, tried to challenge Henry VII's right to the throne. But at the Battle of Stoke Field on June 16, 1487, he was killed.

With this, the War of the Scarlet and White Roses ended completely. England has entered a new era. The power of kings became dominant in it, and the power of large feudal lords noticeably weakened. Civil wars were replaced by a royal court, which further strengthened the monarchy.

A dynastic conflict with a romantic name took place in England between the families of Lancaster (Scarlet Rose) and York (White Rose) and lasted 30 years.

So, as short as possible.

“.. it is much easier for a hereditary sovereign, whose subjects have managed to get along with the ruling house, to retain power than for a new one, because for this it is enough for him not to violate the customs of his ancestors and subsequently apply himself to new circumstances without haste.” (c) N. Macchiavelli.

Edward III of the Plantagenet dynasty is considered one of the greatest English kings. His mother was the daughter of the King of France, so Edward decided that he had certain rights to the French throne. When his claims were rejected, he went to war. This war was the longest in world history and was later called the Hundred Years.

Edward III (1312-1377, king from 1327) and his wife Philippa of Gennegau (1314-1369):

Edward and Philippa had 15 children, including seven sons. Three of them are relevant to this story: Edward, nicknamed the “Black Prince” (1330-1376), John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (1340-1399) and Edmund Langley, Duke of York (1341-1402).

The Black Prince and John of Gaunt:

The Black Prince predeceased his father and Edward III was succeeded by his grandson as Richard II.

Richard II (1367-1400), king of England in 1377-1399:

At the beginning of his reign, Richard often went to extremes and was influenced by his favorites. But over time, hope arose that his rule would become more conscious and wise. However, unsuccessful campaigns in Ireland, as well as Wat Tyler's brutally suppressed peasant revolt, contributed to the decline of his popularity. In 1399, Richard's cousin - the son of John of Gaunt - Henry Bolingbroke returned from exile and rebelled. As a result, Richard was deposed and imprisoned at Pontefract Castle, where he died a year later. According to one version, he was starved to death. With the death of Richard, the Plantagenet dynasty came to an end. Henry Bolingbroke became king under the name Henry IV. This is how the Lancaster dynasty came to power.

Lancasters.

Scarlet Rose of Lancaster

The Lancastrian dynasty is represented by three kings: Henry IV (1367-1413, king from 1399), his son Henry V (1387-1422, king from 1413) and his grandson Henry VI (1422-1471, king from 1422-1461). G.) :

The first two monarchs were strong and gifted rulers, especially Henry V, who was also a brilliant commander. His military talent manifested itself in the war with France - for example, in the battle of Agincourt (Agencourt) - and, had he lived a little longer, the outcome of the Hundred Years' War could have been completely different, and Wars of the Roses most likely it would not exist at all. But Henry V died at 35, and his only son was not even a year old at that time. His uncle, the Duke of Bedford, became his regent.

(United Tudor Rose)

Duke of Lancaster John of Gaunt (father of Henry IV) was married for the second time to his mistress Catherine Swinford - a woman of lower birth - so for a long time she was not considered a legal wife. By this marriage he had a son, John Beaufort (or Beafort), who in turn also had a son, John Beaufort II, and his daughter was Margaret, who married Edmund Tudor. Their son later became King Henry VII.

Margaret Beaufort (1443-1509) and her son Henry VII (1457-1509, king from 1485):

Before the birth of her son, Margaret was considered a contender for the throne in the event of the early death of Henry VI. In this she was supported by the Beauforts and her closest relatives, the Lancasters. As for Edmund Tudor, he was the half-brother of Henry VI, born into the semi-legal marriage of Queen Catherine, the widow of Henry V, and her second husband, the Welsh nobleman Owen Tudor. The Tudors were subsequently legitimized, but the fact remains that in both cases, on both the paternal and maternal lines, they were considered illegitimate for a long time.

White Rose of York.

Edward III's fourth son, Edmund Langley, had a son, Richard, who held the title of Earl of Cambridge. His son was also named Richard. He inherited the title Duke of York.

THE BEGINNING OF THE CONFLICT

Henry VI of Lancaster and his wife Margaret of Anjou had no children during their 9 years of marriage. All this time, Richard of York (his second cousin) was rightfully considered the heir to the throne. In 1452, the royal couple finally had a son, which caused York supporters to be extremely annoyed. And a year later, Henry VI fell into insanity - it was a hereditary disease transmitted through his mother Catherine of France. Enjoying popularity among the people, Richard of York began to challenge the guardianship of the king, who had fallen into infancy, from Margaret of Anjou. Before this, they always tried to keep him at a distance, appointing him either the ruler of Ireland or the commander-in-chief in France (the Hundred Years' War was in full swing). And so Richard returned, raised a rebellion, which resulted in the first armed conflict between the Yorks and the ruling Lancaster dynasty. During one of the battles, Richard, his son and younger brother were killed. As a deterrent, by order of Margaret of Anjou, Richard's head in a paper crown was mounted on a spear and presented to the participants in the uprising.

These events are considered the beginning Wars of the Roses.

After Richard's death, his eldest son Edward became leader of the Yorks. In 1461 he deposed Henry VI and became king under the name Edward IV. Margaret of Anjou fled to France with her son and husband, where she asked for help from King Louis XI, her cousin. In his turn, Edward entered into an alliance with Louis’s worst enemy, Duke of Burgundy Charles the Bold, and gave him his sister Margaret in marriage.

Louis XI (1423-1483, king from 1461), Charles the Bold (1433-1477, duke from 1467):

In 1470, with the support of the French, Henry VI was again restored to the throne.

The Yorkies fled to Burgundy to Charles the Bold.

A year later, a quarrel occurred between the French king and the Duke of Burgundy, as a result of which the latter started a civil war in England. Edward returned to power, Henry was imprisoned in the Tower and soon killed. A few months earlier, his only son had also died. The Lancastrians had no more contenders for the throne.

Children of Richard of York : 1) Edward, Earl of March, then Duke of York, and from 1461 King Edward IV (1442-1483) ; 2) Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy (1446-1503); 3) George, Duke of Clarence (1449-1478); and 4) Richard, Duke of Gloucester, from 1483 King Richard III (1452-1485) :

In 1477, the Duke of Burgundy died in the Battle of Nancy. In connection with this event, the Lancasters could have used the help of Louis XI, now unlimited by anyone, but except for Queen Margaret, none of them were alive. Louis bought her from Edward for 2,000 pounds and gave her refuge in France, where she died 5 years later.

In 1483 Edward IV died. His son was never crowned, but remained in history under the name of Edward V. He was 12 years old, so Richard of Gloucester proclaimed himself regent until his nephew came of age. Soon he declared the marriage of Edward’s parents invalid (there were certain reasons for this), and he himself was illegitimate, and under this pretext he seized power. Edward V and his brother the Duke of York were locked in the Tower and have not been seen since. Rumors spread that the princes were killed on the orders of their uncle. One work of Shakespeare greatly contributed to the persistence of this rumor. A refutation of this version can be the fact that Richard was a gifted ruler who gained popularity in his youth. Both the people and many members of the nobility preferred to see the mature and experienced Richard on the throne rather than his young nephew. If Richard ordered the murder of his nephews, he made a fatal mistake. If not, then this was an incident that played an equally fatal role in his life, because... after this, Richard III's popularity began to decline.

At the same time, Henry Tudor, who was in France, began to gather supporters. Louis XI had died by then and was succeeded by his 13-year-old son under the regency of his sister Anne. Anne of France "sponsored" Henry's event, giving him 20,000 francs.

Anne of France (1460-1522, regent of France from 1483):

In 1485, the famous Battle of Bosworth took place, in which Henry defeated Richard's troops. History ends with Henry Tudor's rise to power Wars of the Roses. To strengthen his rights, Henry married the daughter of Edward IV, Elizabeth of York, and chose a united rose as an emblem - white against a scarlet background.

Elizabeth of York (1466-1503):

At the end of the 17th century. 2 skeletons were found in the Tower. It is believed that they belonged to the murdered princes. There is also a version that Edward V died of natural causes, and his younger brother was secretly taken outside of England.

Edward V (1470-1483?) and his brother Richard of York (1472-1483?):

But there is also a version, which is becoming increasingly popular, that the princes were killed on the orders of Henry Tudor. With rather illusory claims to the throne, he was completely “uninterested” in leaving the sons of Edward IV alive...