Stevenson War of the Scarlet and White Roses. The War of the Scarlet and White Roses in England. The situation in England on the eve of the war

War of the Scarlet and White Roses

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.

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...

The War of the Roses was an internecine feudal conflict for the English crown in the second half of the 15th century. (1455–1487) between two representatives of the English royal Plantagenet dynasty - Lancaster (an image of a red rose on the coat of arms) and York (an image of a white rose on the coat of arms), which eventually brought to power the new royal dynasty of the Tudors in England.

Prerequisites for war. Lancastrian rule.

The English king Richard II Plantagenet in 1399 was overthrown by his cousin Duke Henry of Lancaster, who declared himself King Henry IV, and was imprisoned in Pontefract Castle, where he was soon killed. The Lancastrians brutally persecuted their political opponents and Lollards (followers of the church reformer John Wycliffe), executing and burning them at the stake as heretics. After the death of Henry IV of Lancaster, his son Henry V ascended the throne and resumed the Hundred Years' War in France. The actions of Henry V were the most successful in the history of the Hundred Years' War with France. After the crushing defeat of the French army by the British at the Battle of Agincourt (1415), Henry V's ally, the Burgundian Duke John the Fearless captured Paris. The mentally ill French king Charles VI concluded an alliance with the English in Troyes in 1420 and married his daughter to Henry V, whom he declared as his heir. The real heir to the French throne (the son of King Charles VI), the Dauphin Charles (later King Charles VII of France), was deprived of his right to the throne. However, in 1422 Henry V unexpectedly dies. The King of France, Charles VI, survived the death of the English king and, thus, the treaty of 1420, signed in Troyes, was annulled, because. legally had no force and did not give the right to the French throne to the new English king Henry VI.

A liberation movement began in France under the leadership of Joan of Arc, as a result of which the Hundred Years' War was lost by the British, in whose hands the only port of Calais on the French coast remained.

History report

on the topic of:

"War of the White and Scarlet Roses."

Completed the job:

Student of 6th grade "B"

GBOU "School No. 883"

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Latyntsev Mikhail

2017-11-25

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The Wars of Roses

WAR OF THE SCARLET AND WHITE ROSE.

THE WAR OF THE ROSE (The Wars of Roses) (1455-85), bloody internecine conflicts between feudal cliques in England, which took the form of a struggle for the throne between two lines of the Plantagenet royal dynasty: the Lancasters (in the coat of arms there is a scarlet rose) and the Yorks (in the coat of arms White Rose).

Causes:

The causes of the war were the difficult economic situation of England (the crisis of the large patrimonial economy and the fall in its profitability), the defeat of England in the Hundred Years' War (1453), which deprived the feudal lords of the opportunity to plunder the lands of France; the suppression of Jack Cad's rebellion in 1451 (see Cad Jack's rebellion) and with it the forces opposed to feudal anarchy. The Lancasters relied mainly on the barons of the backward north, Wales and Ireland, the Yorks - on the feudal lords of the economically more developed southeast of England. The middle nobility, merchants and wealthy townspeople, interested in the free development of trade and crafts, the elimination of feudal anarchy and the establishment of firm power, supported the Yorks.

Progress of the war:

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.

Consequences:

The War of the Scarlet and White Roses was the last rampant of feudal anarchy before the establishment of absolutism in England. It was carried out with terrible cruelty and was accompanied by numerous murders and executions. Both dynasties were exhausted and died in the struggle. For the population of England, the war brought strife, oppression of taxes, theft of the treasury, the lawlessness of large feudal lords, a decline in trade, outright robberies and requisitions. During the wars, a significant part of the feudal aristocracy was exterminated, and numerous confiscations of land holdings undermined its power. At the same time, land holdings increased and the influence of the new nobility and merchant class, which became the support of Tudor absolutism, increased.

War of the Scarlet and White Roses(The Wars of Roses) (1455-85), bloody internecine conflicts between feudal cliques in England, which took the form of a struggle for the throne between two lines of the Plantagenet royal dynasty: Lancaster (scarlet rose in the coat of arms) and York (white rose in the coat of arms).

Causes of the war

The causes of the war were the difficult economic situation of England (the crisis of the large patrimonial economy and the fall in its profitability), the defeat of England in the Hundred Years' War (1453), which deprived the feudal lords of the opportunity to plunder the lands of France; suppression of Jack Cad's rebellion in 1451 and with it the forces opposing feudal anarchy. The Lancasters relied mainly on the barons of the backward north, Wales and Ireland, the Yorks - on the feudal lords of the economically more developed southeast of England. The middle nobility, merchants and wealthy townspeople, interested in the free development of trade and crafts, the elimination of feudal anarchy and the establishment of firm power, supported the Yorks.

Under the weak-minded king Henry VI Lancaster (1422-61), the country was ruled by a clique of several large feudal lords, which aroused discontent among the rest of the population. Taking advantage of this discontent, Richard, Duke of York, gathered his vassals around him and went with them to London. At the Battle of St. Albans on May 22, 1455, he defeated the supporters of the Scarlet Rose. Soon removed from power, he again rebelled and declared his claims to the English throne. With an army of his followers, he won victories over the enemy at Bloor Heath (September 23, 1459) and North Hampton (July 10, 1460); during the latter, he captured the king, after which he forced the upper house to recognize himself as protector of the state and heir to the throne. But Queen Margaret, wife of Henry VI, and her followers unexpectedly attacked him at Wakefield (December 30, 1460). Richard was completely defeated and fell in battle. His enemies cut off his head and displayed it on the wall of York wearing a paper crown. His son Edward, with the support of the Earl of Warwick, defeated the supporters of the Lancastrian dynasty at Mortimers Cross (February 2, 1461) and Towton (March 29, 1461). Henry VI was deposed; he and Margaret fled to Scotland. The winner became King Edward IV.

Edward IV

However, the war continued. In 1464, Edward IV defeated Lancastrian supporters in the north of England. Henry VI was captured and imprisoned in the Tower. Edward IV's desire to strengthen his power and limit the freedoms of the feudal nobility led to an uprising of his former supporters, led by Warwick (1470). Edward fled England, Henry VI was restored to the throne in October 1470. In 1471, Edward IV at Barnet (April 14) and Tewkesbury (May 4) defeated the army of Warwick and the army of Henry VI's wife Margaret, who landed in England with the support of the French king Louis XI. Warwick was killed, Henry VI was again deposed in April 1471 and died (presumably killed) in the Tower on May 21, 1471.

End of the war

After the victory, in order to strengthen his power, Edward IV began brutal reprisals against both representatives of the Lancastrian dynasty and the rebellious Yorks and their supporters. After the death of Edward IV on April 9, 1483, the throne passed to his young son Edward V, but power was seized by Edward IV's younger brother, the future king Richard III, who first declared himself protector of the young king, and then deposed him and ordered him to be strangled in the Tower along with his younger brother. brother Richard (August (?) 1483). Attempts by Richard III to consolidate his power caused revolts by feudal magnates. Executions and confiscations of property turned supporters of both groups against him. Both dynasties, Lancastrian and York, united around Henry Tudor, a distant relative of the Lancastrians, who lived in France at the court of King Charles VIII. On 7 or 8 August 1485, Henry landed at Milford Haven, marched unopposed through Wales and joined forces with his supporters. Richard III was defeated by their combined army at the Battle of Bosworth on August 22, 1485; he himself was killed.

Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty, became king. Having married Edward IV's daughter Elizabeth, heiress of York, he combined scarlet and white roses in his coat of arms.

Results of the war

T. A. Pavlova

YORKS, royal dynasty in England in 1461-85, a side branch of the Plantagenet dynasty. The House of York was descended in the male line from Edmund, 1st Duke of York, fifth son of Edward III, and in the female line from Lionel, 1st Duke of Clarence, third son of Edward III. In the 1450s The opposition to Henry VI Lancaster was led by Edmund's grandson, Richard of York, who declared his claims to the throne. The conflict between supporters of York and Lancaster resulted in a long and bloody civil war, called the War of the Roses (the York coat of arms had a white rose, and the Lancaster coat of arms had a scarlet), during which a significant part of the English aristocracy died (several large noble houses completely ceased to exist). Richard York died on December 30, 1460 at the Battle of Wakefield. And his eldest son, Edward IV, after the Battle of Towton became the first king of this dynasty.

Edward reigned until 1483, with an interval of eight months (1470-1471), when the rebellious Richard Neville sent him into exile, restoring Henry VI of Lancaster to the throne. Edward IV's son, twelve-year-old Edward V, was king in name only: immediately after his father's death, the young king was sent to the Tower by his uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester. Declared illegitimate, he was removed from the throne in favor of Edward IV's younger brother, Duke of Gloucester, who was crowned Richard III. In 1485, at the Battle of Bosworth, Richard died, and his army was defeated by the army of the new contender for the English crown, Henry Tudor, leader of the Lancastrian party.

In 1486, wanting to strengthen his grip on the throne, Henry VII married Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV, thus uniting the two houses. The last Yorkist claimant to the throne, Edward, Earl of Warwick (the son of the Duke of Clarence, another brother of Edward IV, who was executed for treason), was captured by Henry and eventually executed in 1499.

E. V. Kalmykova

LANCASTER(Lancaster), royal dynasty in England in 1399-1461, branch of the Plantagenets.

The House of Lancaster is a junior branch of the Plantagenet dynasty and descends from John of Gaunt, fourth son of Edward III. In 1362, John of Gaunt married Blanca, daughter of Henry, 1st Duke of Lancaster, after whose death (1362) he inherited the title. John of Gaunt was married three times: the second marriage was concluded (1372) with Constance of Castile, daughter of King Pedro I (this marriage allowed Lancaster to claim the crown of Leon and Castile), the third wife of the Duke (from 1396) was Catherine Swynford. Numerous descendants of John of Gaunt from all three marriages laid claim to the English crown, as they were all descended from Edward III.

In 1399, shortly after the death of John of Gaunt, his eldest son Henry Bolingbroke took the English throne under the name Henry IV, deposing the last Plantagenet king, Richard II. In 1413, Henry IV was succeeded by his eldest son, Henry V, who in turn passed the throne to his only child, Henry VI, in 1422. For certain reasons, Henry VI could not be a strong sovereign (he inherited bouts of insanity from his maternal grandfather): at his court, the struggle for power was waged by two powerful parties, led by Queen Margaret of Anjou and Richard, Duke of York. The latter had completely legitimate grounds to lay claim to the crown himself. In 1461, Richard's son of York, with the support of Richard Neville, managed to seize the throne. In 1470, the same Richard Neville returned the crown to Henry, which he lost eight months later completely, along with his life. Henry VI's only son, Edward, died at the Battle of Tewkesbury. After the death of King Henry and Prince Edward, the House of Lancaster was headed by Henry Tudor, descended from the son of John of Gaunt and Catherine Swynford. Having won the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, Henry Tudor, crowned Henry VII, not only finally returned the crown to the House of Lancaster, but was also able to end the civil war by marrying the heiress of the House of York, Princess Elizabeth.

E. V. Kalmykova

Power always breeds rivalry. The Middle Ages were marked by endless fights between barons, dukes, kings and emperors. And it often happened that the starting point of such a confrontation was not the lands - they will come - but the power itself, the right of supremacy in a complex hierarchical system of society. For this, over the centuries, the closest relatives and distant relatives who had at least a relative right to be in power cut each other’s throats. The struggle of different royal families for the throne with the help of weapons, deceit, bribery and betrayal - dynastic wars. It is difficult to name a country that would not have been visited by this misfortune. Often, dynastic feuds were just a pretext, and the real reason was deep contradictions between various social strata, whose interests were expressed by one or another noble family. This happened in Byzantium at the end of the 12th century, when the young Alexei II was on the throne, and Mary of Antioch, hostile to the interests of the country, became regent. Due to the unpopularity of the regent, unrest arose, taking advantage of which, a representative of a side branch of the ruling house of Comneni, Andronicus, came to power. The offended nobles called on the Normans, who overthrew Andronicus and placed Isaac II Angelos on the throne. He, in turn, was deprived of the throne by his own brother (the Byzantines were generally famous for their treachery). But this discord did not result in a confrontation between the armies of the warring parties, as in other states. For example, in Rus' in 1420-1450. Vasily II's uncle, Yuri Dmitrievich, and then his sons Vasily Kosoy and Dmitry Shemyaka challenged the right to the grand-ducal throne from Vasily II in battles.

Behind the dynastic motive sometimes hid a long-standing rivalry not of social strata, but of entire states. This was the Hundred Years' War. The reasons for it lay in the contradictions between the two countries, and the reason was purely dynastic - the claims of the English king, the grandson of the French king Philip IV the Fair, to the French throne.

But the most famous of the dynastic feuds was, perhaps due to its romantic name, the War of the Scarlet and White Roses, which broke out in the 15th century. in England. The unrest and strife that preceded it began even earlier, at the end of the 14th century. Ruined lords tried to support their departing power with the help of weapons. They assembled armed units (essentially real gangs) from relatives, vassals and mercenaries and began to terrorize their weak neighbors and rob on the roads. It was almost impossible to find control over powerful lords. It cost them nothing not only to start a fight during the trial of one of their “comrades-in-arms,” but also to bring a retinue armed with clubs into parliament. This was done by both the barons and the princes of the blood who had ambitions for the throne, who were willingly supported by noble robbers who hoped to benefit from the change of ruler. The Lancaster dynasty established itself on the English throne by force in 1399: the son of Duke John of Lancaster took the throne from his cousin Richard II Plantagenet and became King Henry IV Lancaster. However, he was unable to rule calmly: unable to cope with the baronial unrest that continued throughout his reign, and exhausted by a serious illness - leprosy, Henry IV in 1413 handed over the crown to his son. Henry V - young, talented, successful - during his not too long reign he managed to take part in the Hundred Years' War, defeat the French at the Battle of Agincourt and conclude a peace under which the king of England actually became the heir to the French throne. But Henry V never had time to raise his heir. When he died of an accidental fever, his son was only ten months old. Henry VI grew up amid continuous quarrels between relatives and guardians fighting for power and influence. The reign of a child king, as well as a king who did not have time to acquire a direct heir, is a fertile time for those who would like to become an heir themselves. Under Henry VI, Duke Richard of York (grandson of Edmund York, Henry IV's uncle), the owner of huge estates, a decisive and powerful magnate with a huge number of supporters, began to lay claim to the throne. They feared Richard York, not without reason, and tried to keep him away from the royal court. However, this was not easy to do. Henry VI grew up weak-willed and sickly; affairs were run by the favorite of his wife, the energetic Margaret of Anjou.

In 1450, taking advantage of the unrest in the country, Richard York voluntarily left the post of Viceroy of Ireland, returned to England and began a show of force, managing, however, to show loyal feelings to Henry VI. The Duke and his supporters directed their main blow against the Duke of Somerset, who enjoyed unlimited power under the royal couple. The House of Commons, which supported York, insisted on his expulsion, but Henry VI showed enviable firmness. Then, in 1451, one of the members of parliament directly made a proposal to proclaim Richard York heir to the throne (the king did not have children for a long time). In response, Henry VI dissolved parliament and imprisoned the daring deputy in the Tower. From that moment on, an open confrontation began between the Yorks, whose coat of arms featured a white rose, and the Lancasters, whose coat of arms featured a scarlet rose: the War of the Scarlet and White Roses. This rivalry resulted in a bloody thirty-year slaughter.

In August 1453, Henry VI lost his mind as a result of severe fright. Taking advantage of this, Richard York achieved the most important position for himself - 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 gathered armed forces of his followers. He decided that death on the battlefield was better than death on the scaffold. In 1455, in the town of St. Albans, a battle took place between the troops of the Duke and the King on the narrow streets. The outcome of the battle was decided by the young supporter of York, Earl of Warwick, who, breaking through fences and vegetable gardens with his men, struck the royal troops from the rear. In half an hour it was all over. Many Lancastrian supporters of the king, including the Duke of Somerset, died. The king himself ended up in the hands of Richard York. The relatives of the dead lords burned with revenge. Thus began the War of the Scarlet and White Roses. After the battle, each side had clearly identified supporters: the Yorks were supported by the more developed southeastern regions of England, London merchants, and townspeople - those who were interested in establishing strong royal power. The Lancastrians were supported by the independent feudal lords of Northern England. However, considerations of immediate personal gain, fear of revenge and thirst for profit gave rise to a huge number of traitors and defectors during this war.

After the defeat at St. Albans, Henry VI was again seized by madness, and Queen Margaret led the fight against Richard of York. At the end of 1460, she managed to take revenge - in a fierce battle in front of the gates of her Wakefield castle, Richard York died. His 17-year-old son and many barons loyal to him died along with him. The queen dealt with the survivors with unfeminine cruelty. The head of the deceased York, crowned with a crown of gilded paper, was displayed above the gates of the city of York as a warning to new claimants to the throne. The eldest son of the deceased Duke of York, Earl Edward March, and Warwick, who had once distinguished himself in a street battle, and now the leader of the Yorkists, a talented commander, orator and diplomat, soon learned about the tragedy at Wakefield. They hurried to London, whose residents were in panic at the news of the approach of Queen Margaret's army; her soldiers mercilessly plundered the cities along the way. The York army was greeted with joy. Here Warwick successfully raised the question of Edward March's rights to the throne. The Londoners agreed to declare him King Edward IV. On March 3, 1461, a deputation of lords and noble citizens asked the Earl of March to accept the crown. But the solemn coronation of the 19-year-old king took place only after he, having defeated the Lancastrian troops in another battle, occupied York, brutally avenged his father, expelled Queen Margaret and Henry VI, who was with her, to Scotland and subjugated the north of the country.

The reign of Edward IV lasted 22 years (1461 -1483). In the first years, the young king, having placed the entire burden of power on the faithful Warwick (nicknamed the “kingmaker”), spent his time in feasts and tournaments. But soon the royal rake turned into an intelligent, active ruler. Here he began to have disagreements with Warwick regarding relations with France: Warwick stood for an alliance with King Louis XI, and Edward for an alliance with his rival Charles of Burgundy. The disagreements ended in a complete break between the king and the “kingmaker.” Warwick led a rebellion against Edward. The king's army was defeated, and he himself became a prisoner of Warwick. Edward did not skimp on promises to regain his freedom, and Warwick soon released his captive. But the king had no intention of keeping his promises, and the struggle between him and his former associate flared up with renewed vigor. Gradually, Warwick became closer and closer to the Lancastrians, even entering into an agreement with Queen Margaret. In 1470, he decided to create, or rather, recreate his next king. Henry VI, insane, weak, who had recently wandered unconscious along the roads of England with mendicant monks, and was then imprisoned in the Tower, was freed by Warwick and proclaimed king. For six months Warwick could again rule autocratically. But in the spring of 1471, Edward IV defeated the troops of the rebellious count in a battle near the city of Barnet. Warwick was killed. The unfortunate Henry VI also soon died (or was killed, since his death happened at the right time). The Lancastrians did not have a single possible contender for the throne. Only a distant relative of the Lancastrian house, Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, who took refuge in France, survived. However, the bloody strife did not stop there.

Edward IV reigned for another 12 years. By the end of his reign, he became a sickly, lethargic, flabby man, although he was not old at all. As the king's will weakened, the role played by his younger brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester, increased. In all the rebellions and unrest, he remained faithful to Edward. Richard was a talented administrator and a capable commander. Nature deprived him of a beautiful appearance, but this deficiency was compensated by will and a lively mind. From birth he was sideways. Richard, through grueling physical exercise, ensured that this flaw became almost invisible. Edward IV died unexpectedly in 1483. He was to be succeeded by his 12-year-old son. The Boy King needed a regent. The relatives of Queen Elizabeth, widow of Edward IV, numerous and greedy, were disliked by lords and townspeople alike. Having arrested the queen's relatives, Duke Richard of Gloucester announced to the frightened little King Edward V that he would now be his guardian. It was a real coup d'etat. Edward V and his younger brother Richard ended up in the Tower. Shortly thereafter, Richard of Gloucester staged his "call to the throne" and was crowned King Richard III on July 6, 1483.

Richard III is associated with the image of an evil hunchbacked dwarf created by Shakespeare, hated by everyone and accompanied by a crowd of ghosts of the people he killed. Indeed, Edward IV's young sons were killed in the Tower on his orders. Richard probably also had a hand in the murder of King Henry VI in 1471. But in reality he was no more bloodthirsty than any of the rulers of that time. Richard Gloucester, who grew up amid the bloody turmoil, took a direct part in it along with other heroes of the War of the Roses. He was a warrior, he had to kill more than once in battle with his own hands - and therefore he could look at blood quite indifferently. Richard III was a man of his time and a king of his time. And not the worst king. His reforms - the prohibition of violent exactions, the streamlining of legal proceedings, the protection of the interests of the English merchants - were popular among the people. It was not for nothing that the “bloodthirsty villain” Richard III was considered by the English people to be almost the only king who put the interests of the state above his own.

However, Richard III's reign did not last long. Already in 1483, a new wave of mutinies began, started by the surviving supporters of the Lancastrians. Henry Tudor, who was hiding in France, attempted to invade England, but was forced to flee. Anticipating that this would not be the end of the matter, Richard began to prepare for new performances. He gathered troops and saved funds. Henry Tudor really didn’t have to wait long: on August 7, 1485, he landed in Wales. Richard's army turned out to be much smaller than he expected: many barons betrayed him. The opponents met at Bosworth. Here even his soldiers abandoned Richard, demoralized by the betrayal of one of the king’s commanders. Richard III did everything that depended on his personal courage. He refused to run when they offered him a horse, declaring that he would die as a king, fought until he had enough strength, and was hacked to death with an ax. Here, on the battlefield, Henry Tudor was proclaimed king of England.

The War of the Scarlet and White Roses is over. Over the course of 30 years, it claimed almost a quarter of the population of England, 80 representatives of royal blood, and a huge number of feudal families. The nobility, tracing its ancestry from the Normans who had once conquered England, was completely exterminated. New nobles came to replace her. Henry Tudor, who was crowned Henry VI, founded a new dynasty. The Scarlet and White Roses - Lancasters and Yorkies - became weak and died out. But the two warring flowers were united by Henry VII on one coat of arms - the coat of arms of Tudor England.

Prerequisites for war. Lancastrian rule.

Causes of the war

Edward IV

End of the war

Results of the war

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