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 |