The War of the Roses begins

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In the opening battle of England’s War of the Roses, the Yorkists defeated King Henry VI’s Lancastrian forces at St. Albans, 20 miles northwest of London. Many Lancastrian nobles, including Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, were killed, and King Henry VI was forced to submit to the rule of his cousin, Richard of York. This dynastic struggle between the House of York (white rose) and the House of Lancaster (red rose) lasted 30 years.

Both families, closely related, claimed the throne through descent from Edward III, who reigned from 1327 to 1377. The Lancastrian line began with Henry IV in 1399, whose reign was marked by rebellion and lawlessness. His son, Henry V, achieved significant victories in the Hundred Years War against France, but his successor, Henry VI, lacked kingly qualities and lost most of the French territories. Domestically, chaos reigned, and private armies challenged his authority, with his queen, Margaret of Anjou, often controlling the crown.

In 1453, Henry VI suffered a bout of insanity, leading Parliament in 1454 to appoint Richard, Duke of York, as protector of the realm. After Henry recovered in late 1454, he dismissed York, restoring Margaret’s influence. In May 1455, York marched to London with an army and defeated Henry’s forces at St. Albans. Richard was reappointed protector, but Margaret regained control in 1456.

The conflict resumed in 1459, and by 1460, the Lancastrians were defeated, granting York the right to the throne upon Henry’s death. However, in December 1460, Lancastrian forces killed York near Wakefield. York’s son, Edward, then claimed the throne as Edward IV and won a decisive victory at the Battle of Towton in March 1461. Henry, Margaret, and their son fled to Scotland, ending the first phase of the war.

Internal Yorkist rivalry led to Edward’s temporary overthrow in 1470 and Henry VI’s brief restoration. Edward IV regained the throne in 1471, defeated Margaret’s forces, and imprisoned Henry, who was murdered in the Tower of London. Edward IV ruled until his death in 1483. His son, Edward V, was briefly king before being imprisoned by his uncle, Richard III, who seized the crown. In 1485, Richard III was defeated by Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth Field.

Henry Tudor became King Henry VII, marrying Elizabeth of York in 1486, thus uniting the Yorkist and Lancastrian claims and ending the War of the Roses. Though some Yorkists supported a brief rebellion in 1487, the war's end marked a significant consolidation of power, thinning the ranks of the nobility but leaving little impact on the common people.

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