War of the Roses, Wars of the Roses noun. Struggle for the English throne (1455-1485) between the house of York (white rose) and the house of Lancaster (red rose) ending with the accession of the Tudor monarch Henry VII.
While researching we ran into the query “How did the war of roses get its name?”.
The romantic name for the dynastic conflicts which troubled 15th-century CE England, the ‘ Wars of the Roses ’, was first coined by the novelist Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832 CE) after the later badges of the two main families involved (neither of which were actually the favoured liveries at the time): a white rose for York and a red rose for Lancaster.
Why was it called the war of the Roses?
Waged between 1455 and 1485, the Wars of the Roses earned its flowery name because the white rose was the badge of the Yorks, and the red rose was the badge of the Lancastrians. After 30 years of political manipulation, horrific carnage and brief periods of peace, the wars ended and a new royal dynasty emerged.
The Wars of the Roses heralded the end of an era. This was a pivotal moment in English history and saw the end of the Plantagenets. I have not found anything to suggest that the ‘ Cousins’ Wars ‘ represent anything other than a fairly recent term. I have written about this and the early origins of the dynastic split that led to the wars on my blog:.
What caused the war of the Roses?
A power bloc formed around Cardinal Beaufort. Later a rift emerged between those in favour of aggression in France and those wanting to adopt diplomacy. As the King fell into a state of Catatonia the Queen assembled favourites around herself to protect the interests of the young Prince Edward., and more items.
What was the importance of the war of the Roses?
The various consequences of the Wars of the Roses may be summarised as: an increase in the power of nobles compared to the Crown during the wars. An increase in the use of violence and assassination as political tools. The destruction of half the nobility of England. The reassertion of the Crown’s superiority over the nobility by the war’s victor Henry VII. The creation of the House of Tudor by Henry VII. More items.
How many people died in the war of the Roses?
The one possible exception to the untrustworthiness of contemporary casualty figures is the number given for those killed in March 1461 at the Battle of TOWTON, the largest and longest battle of the Wars of the Roses. Various chroniclers claimed that between 30, 000 and 38, 000 men lay dead on the field after the battle.