Search results
Meanwhile, the main Lancastrian army, predominantly northern, was marching southwards to meet a force raised by the Earl of Warwick in London and Kent. Though defeated, Warwick was able to join with Edward’s force, and to occupy London.
- What Were The Wars of The Roses?
- Wars of The Roses Timeline: The Three Phases of Fighting
- Who Are The Key Figures in The Wars of The Roses?
- Why Is It called The Wars of The Roses?
- When Did The Wars of The Roses End?
- Who Won The Wars of The Roses: Lancaster Or York?
- Would The Wars of The Roses Have Ended in 1471 Had Edward IV Lived A Bit Longer?
- Wars of The Roses Facts: Eight Realities About The Clashes For England's Throne
- 12 Unbelievable Incidents from The Wars of The Roses
Although popularly seen as a long, dynastic struggle between the houses of Lancaster and York, the Wars of the Roses were in fact three separate wars, each with different causes, fought in the 15th-century.
Writing for BBC History Revealed, historian and battlefields expert Julian Humphrys recounts the twists and turns in the contest for England's throne... Phase one: the ire of Richard of York The initial conflict was caused by the inadequacies and poor mental health of the Lancastrian Henry VI of England, and the ambitions of Richard of York, great-...
The Wars of the Roses: four huge questions answered
Historian Lauren Johnson answers four of the biggest questions surrounding the Wars of the Roses...
This was a civil war fought between two roses – the household of York, which was which now has come to be symbolised by a white rose, and the household of Lancaster, which has come to be symbolised by a red rose – hence the name Wars of the Roses. Although the title 'Wars of the Roses' only comes into use in the early 19th century, the idea of two ...
To keep things simple, we could say that the Wars of the Roses ended after Bosworth in 1485 when Henry Tudor takes the throne. We can say that with hindsight, because we know the Tudors go on to rule right through until 1603 with the death of Elizabeth I. At the time, it was probably a lot less clear cut than that. We see two pretenders come and in...
Henry Tudor wins at Bosworth. Now, is he a Lancastrian or a Yorkist? That's the difficult question because through his mother, Margaret Beaufort, he has a Lancastrian claim to the throne. But it's absolute rubbish. It's incredibly distant. It's arguably illegitimate. Effectively, the reason that he is considered the victor is because he is king by ...
It depends on your perspective as to 1483, and whether you think that Richard, Duke of Gloucester really believed that he was under threat from the Woodvilles, which is what he said was the reason for him taking control of the Princes in the Tower; whether you think he really believed that the princes were illegitimate, which again is what he said ...
Writing for BBC History Revealed, historian and battlefields expert Julian Humphrys explores what civil war was like in the Middle Ages...
Writing for History Extra, historian Matthew Lewis shares 12 lesser-known facts about the conflicts…
People also ask
Why did Warwick have a Lancastrian army?
How did Warwick bind his family to the Lancastrians?
Where did the Lancastrians go?
Why did Henry revert to Lancastrian strongholds?
With the help of the French and of Yorkist defectors, Henry defeated and killed Richard at Bosworth Field on August 22, 1485, bringing the wars to a close. By his marriage to Edward IV’s daughter Elizabeth of York in 1486, Henry united the Yorkist and Lancastrian claims.
Warwick, who still had Henry in his custody, entrenched at St. Albans in an attempt to block the Lancastrians from entering the city before Edward could arrive. In a confused battle fought in the city’s streets, Somerset drove off the Yorkists and reunited Henry with his wife and son.
Warwick chose St. Alban’s as the place where he would challenge the Lancastrian army. The town was well known to him, was easy to defend and was close enough to London for a force to be deployed reasonably easily. See our page on the 2nd Battle of St. Alban’s for a description of the battle.
Warwick’s Lancastrian force had the advantage of the high ground, and nearly half of the army was protected by the lay of the land. The Lancastrian line, which was situated about a half mile north of Barnet, was astride the Great North Road. From right to left the battles were led by Oxford, Montagu, and Exeter.
This Stanley did for ten years until Edward IV fell out with Stanley’s brother-in-law, the ultimate noble, the Earl of Warwick, known as the ‘kingmaker’ due to his immense power. Stanley did not follow his in-law into the Lancastrian camp, but he ‘lent’ them his army for a period.
