The Wars of the Roses

A series of bloody civil wars fought between supporters of the rival houses of Lancaster and York, whose ultimate goal was the throne of England. They are generally accepted to have been fought in several spasmodic episodes between 1455 and 1487 (although there was related fighting both before and after this period). The name Wars of the Roses is based on the badges used by the two sides, the red rose for the Lancastrians and the white rose for the Yorkists. Henry Tudor’s Lancastrian forces decisively defeated Richard III’s Yorkist army at the Battle of Bosworth on 22 August 1485, and Richard’s death in the battle effectively ended the Wars of the Roses between the two houses, although it was not the last battle Henry had to fight. He was crowned Henry VII, the first monarch of the Tudor dynasty. The major battles were as follows:

1455 May 22 Battle of St. Albans
1459 September 23 Battle of Blore Heath
1459 October 12 Battle of Ludford Bridge
1460 July 10 Battle of Northampton
1460 December 30 Battle of Wakefield
1461 February 2 Battle of Mortimers Cross
1461 February 17 Second Battle of St. Albans
1461 March 29 Battle of Towton
1464 April Battle of Hedgeley Moor
1464 May Battle of Hexham
1469 July 26 Battle of Edgecote
1471 April 14 The Battle of Barnet
1471 May 4 The Battle of Tewkesbury
1485 August 22 Battle of Bosworth