Scarlet and white roses. Dynastic wars

The wars of roses

WAR OF SCARLET AND WHITE ROSE.

WAR OF THE SCARLET AND WHITE ROSE (The Wars of Roses) (1455-85), bloody internecine conflicts between feudal cliques in England, which took the form of a struggle for the throne between the two lines of the royal plantagenet dynasty: Lancaster (in the coat of arms of the scarlet rose) and Yorks (in the coat of arms White Rose). Causes of the war

Pichinas:

The reasons for the war were the difficult economic situation in England (the crisis of a large patrimonial economy and the fall in its profitability), the defeat of England in the Hundred Years War (1453), which deprived the feudal lords of the opportunity to plunder the lands of France; the suppression of the Jack Cad rebellion in 1451 (see the Cad Jack rebellion) and with it the forces opposing feudal anarchy. Lancaster relied mainly on the barons of the backward north, Wales and Ireland, Yorkie - on the feudal lords of the economically more developed southeast of England. The middle nobility, merchants and wealthy townspeople, interested in the free development of trade and crafts, the elimination of feudal anarchy and the establishment of solid power, supported the Yorks.

The course of the war:

The rivalry between the two dynasties in England resulted in a civil war that began in 1455. Since the last months of the Hundred Years War, two branches of the Plantagenet family - Yorks and Lancaster - have fought for the throne of England. The War of the Two Roses (in the York coat of arms there was a white rose, and the Lancaster scarlet) put an end to the rule of the Plantagenets.
1450 year
England was going through difficult times. King Henry VI of Lancaster was unable to calm the differences and strife between the major aristocratic families. Henry VI grew up weak-willed and sickly. Under him and his wife Margaret of Anjou, the Dukes of Somerset and Suffolk were endowed with unlimited power.
In the spring of 1450, the loss of Normandy signaled collapse. Internecine wars are multiplying. The state is crumbling. Condemnation and then murder of Suffolk does not lead to peace. Jack Cad revolts in Kent and moves to London. Kad is defeated by the royal forces, but the anarchy continues.
The king's brother, Richard, the Duke of York, who was then in exile in Ireland, gradually strengthened his position. Returning in September 1450, he tries, with the help of parliament, to reform the government and eliminate Somerset. In response, Henry VI dissolved parliament. In 1453, the king lost his mind as a result of severe fright. Taking advantage of this, Richard York achieved the most important position - protector of the state. But to Henry VI, reason returned, and the position of the duke was shaken. Not wanting to part with power, Richard York gathers armed detachments of his adherents.
Lancaster vs York
York makes an alliance with the Earls of Salisbury and Warwick, who are armed with a strong army, which in May 1455 defeats the royal forces in the town of St. Albans. But the king again takes the initiative into his own hands for a while. He confiscates the property of York and his supporters.
York abandons his army and flees to Ireland. In October 1459, his son Edward takes Calais, from where the Lancaster unsuccessfully try to drive them out. There he gathers a new army. In July 1460 the Lancaster was defeated at Northampton. The king is in prison, and York is declared heir by Parliament.
At this time, Margaret of Anjou, determined to defend the rights of her son, gathers her loyal subjects in the north of England. Caught by surprise by the royal army at Wakefield, York and Salisbury die. The Lancaster army moves south, devastating everything in its path. Edward, the son of the Duke of York, and the Earl of Warwick, having learned of the tragedy, hastened to London, whose inhabitants greeted their army with joy. They defeated the Lancaster at Toughton, after which Edward was crowned Edward IV.
Continuation of the war
Taking refuge in Scotland and supported by France, Henry VI still has supporters in the north of England, but they are defeated in 1464 and the king is imprisoned again in 1465. It seems that everything is over. However, Edward IV is faced with the same thing as Henry VI.
The Neville clan, led by the Earl of Warwick, who elevated Edward to the throne, embarks on a fight against the clan of Queen Elizabeth. The king's brother, the Duke of Clarence, envies his power. Warwick and Clarence revolt. They defeat the troops of Edward IV, and he himself is captured. But, flattered by various promises, Warwick releases the prisoner. The king does not fulfill his promises, and the struggle between them flares up with new strength... In March 1470, Warwick and Clarence find refuge with the King of France. Louis XI, being a subtle diplomat, reconciles them with Marguerite of Anjou and the House of Lancaster.
He did it so well that in September 1470 Warwick, supported by Louis XI, returned to England as a Lancaster supporter. King Edward IV flees to Holland to his son-in-law Charles the Bold. At the same time, Warwick, dubbed "the maker of kings," and Clarence reinstate Henry VI on the throne. However, in March 1471, Edward returned with an army funded by Charles the Bold. Under Barnet, he wins a decisive victory - thanks to Clarence, who betrayed Warwick. Warwick is killed. The southern Lancaster army is defeated at Tewkesbury. In 1471, Henry VI died (and possibly killed), Edward IV returns to London.
Union of two roses
Problems arise again after the death of the king in 1483. Edward's brother, Richard Gloucester, who hates the queen and her supporters, orders the murder of the king's children in the Tower of London, and takes the crown under the name of Richard III. This act makes him so unpopular that the Lancaster regains hope. Their distant relative, Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, son of the last representative of Lancaster and Edmond Tudor, whose father was a Welsh captain, bodyguard of Catherine of Valois (widow of Henry V), whom he married. This secret marriage explains the interference in the strife of the Welsh dynasty.
Richmond, together with supporters of Margaret of Anjou, weaves a web of conspiracy and lands in Wales in August 1485. The decisive battle took place on 22 August at Bosworth. Betrayed by many of his entourage, Richard III was killed. Richard ascends the throne as Henry VII, then marries Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. Lancaster are related to Yorks, the war of the Scarlet and White Roses ends, and the king builds his power on the union of the two branches. He introduces a system of tight control of the aristocracy. After the accession of the Tudor dynasty, it is written new page in the history of England.

Half of the seeding:

The War of the Scarlet and White Roses was the last riot of feudal anarchy before the establishment of absolutism in England. It was conducted with terrible ferocity and was accompanied by numerous killings and executions. In the struggle, both dynasties were exhausted and perished. The war brought strife, oppression of taxes, plundering of the treasury, lawlessness of large feudal lords, the decline of trade, direct robberies and requisitions to the population of England. During the wars, a significant part of the feudal aristocracy was exterminated, numerous confiscations of land holdings undermined its power. At the same time, land holdings increased and the influence of the new nobility and the merchant stratum of merchants increased, which became the backbone of the Tudor absolutism.

After the end of the Hundred Years War, thousands of people who had fought in France, disappointed by its defeat, returned to England. The situation in England sharply aggravated, any weakening of royal power threatened with internal turmoil.

Under King Henry VI of the Lancaster dynasty, the country was actually ruled by his wife, Queen Margaret of Anjou, a Frenchwoman. This displeased the Duke of York, the king's closest relative.

Lancaster (in their coat of arms scarlet rose) were a lateral branch of the royal plantagenet dynasty (1154-1399) and relied on the barons of the north of England, Wales and Ireland.

Yorks (in their coat of arms a white rose) relied on the feudal lords of the economically more developed south-east of England. The middle nobility, merchants, and well-to-do townspeople also supported Yorks.

The outbreak of war between the supporters of Lancaster and York was called the War of the Scarlet and White Rose. Despite its romantic name, this war was notable for its rare brutality. The chivalrous ideals of honor and loyalty were forgotten. Many barons, pursuing personal gain, broke the oath of vassal loyalty and easily switched from one warring party to another, depending on where they were promised a more generous reward. In the war, the Yorks and the Lancaster were victorious.

Richard, Duke of York, defeated the Lancaster supporters in 1455, and in 1460 captured Henry VI and forced the Upper House of Parliament to recognize himself as the protector of the state and heir to the throne.

Queen Margaret fled north and returned with an army. Richard was defeated and killed in action. By order of the Queen, his severed head, crowned with a crown of gilded paper, was exposed above the gates of the city of York. The knightly custom of sparing the vanquished was violated - the queen ordered the execution of all surrendered York supporters.

In 1461 Edward, the eldest son of the slain Richard, defeated the Lancastrian supporters with the support of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. Henry VI was deposed; he and Margarita fled to Scotland. The winner was crowned at Westminster as King Edward IV.

The new king also ordered to cut off the heads of all the noble captives. From the city gates of York, the head of the king's father was removed, replacing it with the heads of the executed. By decision of parliament, the "living and dead" Lancastrians were declared traitors.

However, the war did not end there. In 1464, Edward IV defeated the Lancastrian supporters in the north of England. Henry VI was captured and imprisoned in the Tower.

The desire of Edward IV to strengthen his power and weaken the power of the barons led to the transition of his former supporters, led by Warwick, to the side of Henry VI. Edward was forced to flee England, and Henry VI was reinstated in 1470.

In 1471, Edward IV, who returned with the army, defeated the troops of Warwick and Margaret. Warwick himself and the young son of Henry VI, Edward, Prince of Wales, fell in the battles.

Henry VI was again deposed, captured and brought to London, where he died (presumably killed) in the Tower. Queen Margaret survived, finding refuge outside the country - a few years later she was ransomed from captivity by the French king.

The closest associate of Edward IV was his younger brother, Richard Gloucester. Small in stature, with a sedentary left hand from birth, he nevertheless fought bravely in battles and commanded troops. Richard remained faithful to his brother even in the days of defeat.

After the death of Edward IV in 1485, the eldest of his sons, the twelve-year-old Edward V, was to inherit the throne, but Richard removed him from power and first declared himself the protector of the young king, and later declared his nephews illegitimate and himself took the crown under the name of Richard III.

Both princes - Edward V and his ten-year-old brother - were imprisoned in the Tower. At first, the boys were still seen playing in the courtyard of the Tower, but when they disappeared, rumors spread that they were killed by order of the king. Richard III did nothing to refute these rumors.

Richard III tried to pursue a reasonable policy, began to rebuild the war-torn country. However, his attempts to strengthen his power aroused the discontent of the large feudal lords.

Lancaster and York supporters rallied around a distant Lancaster relative, Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, who lived in exile in France. In 1485 he landed with an army on the British coast.

Richard III hastily gathered his troops and moved towards him. At the decisive moment of the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, Richard III was changed by his entourage, and his personal courage could no longer affect anything. When his horse was brought to him to flee, Richard refused to run, declaring that he would die king. Already surrounded by enemies, he continued to fight. When he was dealt a fatal blow to the head with a battle ax, the crown fell off his helmet, and immediately on the battlefield it was placed on the head of Henry Tudor.

Thus ended the war of the Scarlet and White Rose, which lasted three decades (1455-1485). Most of the old nobility perished in the battles. England was ruled by Henry VII, the founder of the new Tudor dynasty (1485-1603). Trying to reconcile Lancaster and York, Henry VII married Edward IV's daughter Elizabeth and combined both roses in his coat of arms.

Having come to power, Henry VII did everything to discredit his former enemy, presenting him as an evil hunchback, who paved the way to the throne on the corpses of his relatives. The charge of the cold-blooded murder of his young nephews fell on Richard especially hard. There is no direct evidence of his guilt, and the death of the offspring of the House of York was much more beneficial for Henry VII himself than for Richard. The mystery of the disappearance and death of the young princes remains unsolved to this day.

The history of the War of the Roses became the source of the historical chronicles of W. Shakespeare "Henry VI" and "Richard III", as well as the novel by RL Stevenson "Black Arrow".

Outcome The victory of the Lancaster and their minions.
Elimination of the Middle Ages in England. Opponents Lancaster and their minions
French mercenaries Yorkies and their minions

Wars of the Scarlet and White Rose- a series of armed conflicts between groups of the English nobility in -1487 in the struggle for power between the supporters of the two branches of the Plantagenet dynasty.

Causes of the war

The reason for the war was the dissatisfaction of a significant part of English society with the failures in the Hundred Years War and the policy pursued by the wife of King Henry VI, Queen Margaret and her favorites (the king himself was a weak-willed person, moreover, sometimes falling into complete unconsciousness). The opposition was led by the Duke Richard of York, who demanded for himself first a regency over the incapacitated king, and later the English crown. The basis for this claim was that Henry VI was the great-grandson of John of Gaunt, the third son of King Edward III, and York was the great-grandson of Lionel, the second son of this king (in the female line, in the male line, he was the grandson of Edmund, the fourth son of Edward III). in addition, Henry VI's grandfather, Henry IV, seized the throne in, forcibly forcing King Richard II to abdicate - which made the legitimacy of the entire Lancaster dynasty questionable.

The origin of the Scarlet and White roses

The common statement that the Scarlet Rose was the Lancaster coat of arms, and the White Rose was the Yorkie coat of arms, is incorrect. As the great-great-grandchildren of Edward III, the heads of both parties had very similar coats of arms. Henry VI bore the plantagenet family coat of arms (consisting of the coats of arms of England - three leopards on a scarlet field and France - three lilies on a blue field), and the Duke of York - the same coat of arms, only with a title superimposed. Roses were not coats of arms, but distinctive badges (badges) of two warring parties. It is not known exactly who used them for the first time. If the White Rose, symbolizing the Mother of God, was used as a distinctive sign even by the first Duke of York Edmund Langley in the XIV century, then nothing is known about the use of Scarlet Lancastrians before the start of the war. Perhaps it was invented in contrast to the emblem of the enemy. Shakespeare in the chronicle "Henry VI" cites a scene (probably fictional) in which the Dukes of York and Sommerset, quarreled in London's Temple Garden, invited their supporters to pick a white and a red rose, respectively.

The main events of the war

The confrontation turned into a stage of open war when the Yorkists celebrated victory in the First Battle of St. Albans, soon after which the English Parliament declared Richard of York to be the protector of the kingdom and heir to Henry VI. However, in the Battle of Wakefield, Richard of York died. The White Rose Party was led by his son Edward, who was crowned in London as Edward IV. In the same year, the Yorkists won victories at Mortimer Cross and at Towton. As a result of the latter, the main forces of the Lancastrians were defeated, and King Henry VI and Queen Margaret fled the country (the king was soon captured and imprisoned in the Tower).

Active hostilities resumed when the Earl of Warwick and the Duke of Clarence (younger brother of Edward IV), who had sided with the Lancastrians, returned Henry VI to the throne. Edward IV with his other brother, the Duke of Gloucester, fled to Burgundy, from where they returned to. The Duke of Clarence again went over to his brother's side - and the Yorkists won victories at Barnet and Tewkesberry. In the first of these battles, the Earl of Warwick was killed, in the second, Prince Edward, the only son of Henry VI, died, which, together with the death (probably murder) of Henry himself in the Tower of the same year, was the end of the Lancaster dynasty.

Edward IV - the first king of the York dynasty - reigned peacefully until his death, which followed unexpectedly for everyone in 1483, when the king a short time became his son Edward V. However, the royal council declared him illegitimate (the late king was a great female hunter and, in addition to his official wife, was secretly betrothed to one - or more - women; in addition, Thomas More and Shakespeare mention rumors circulating in society that Edward himself was the son of not the Duke of York, but a simple archer), and Edward IV's brother Richard of Gloucester was crowned the same year as Richard III. His short and dramatic reign was filled with struggles with overt and covert opposition. In this struggle, the king was initially favored by luck, but the number of opponents only increased. The Lancastrian forces (mainly French mercenaries), led by Henry Tudor (the great-great-grandson of John of Gaunt on the female line), landed in Wales. In the battle that took place at Bosworth, Richard III was killed, and the crown passed to Henry Tudor, who was crowned as Henry VII, - the founder of the Tudor dynasty. The Earl of Lincoln (nephew of Richard III) tried to return the crown to the Yorks, but was killed in the Battle of Stoke Field. Hugo de Lanois was also executed with abuse.

Results of the war

The War of the Scarlet and White Rose actually drew a line under the English Middle Ages. On the battlefields, scaffolds and in prison casemates, not only all direct descendants of the Plantagenets perished, but also a significant part of the English lords and chivalry.

Notes (edit)

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See what the "War of the Scarlet and White Rose" is in other dictionaries:

This term has other meanings, see the Civil War in England. War of the Scarlet and White Rose Presentation of an unreliable sc ... Wikipedia

War of the Scarlet and White Rose- Wars a scarlet and white r ozo ... Russian spelling dictionary

War of the Scarlet and White Rose- (in England, 1455-1485) ... orthographic dictionary Russian language

War of the Scarlet and White Roses Date 1455 1485 Place England Outcome Victory of the Lancaster and their minions. Elimination of the Middle Ages in England ... Wikipedia

Long (1455 85) internecine war of feudal cliques, which took the form of a struggle for the English throne between two lines of the royal dynasty of Plantagenets (See Plantagenets): Lancaster (See Lancaster) (in the coat of arms of a scarlet rose) and Yorks ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Scarlet and White Rose War- (1455 1485) the struggle for the English. the throne between the two lateral lines of queens, the Plantagenet dynasty Lancaster (in the coat of arms a scarlet rose) and Yorks (in the coat of arms a white rose). The confrontation between Lancaster (ruling dynasty) and Yorks (the richest ... ... The medieval world in terms, names and titles

History report

on the topic of:

"War of the White and Red Roses".

Performed the work:

6th grade student "B"

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Moscow SZAO

Latyntsev Mikhail

2017-11-25

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The wars of roses

WAR OF SCARLET AND WHITE ROSE.

Causes:

The course of the war:

The rivalry between the two dynasties in England resulted in a civil war that began in 1455. Since the last months of the Hundred Years War, two branches of the Plantagenet family - Yorks and Lancaster - have fought for the throne of England. The War of the Two Roses (in the York coat of arms there was a white rose, and the Lancaster scarlet) put an end to the rule of the Plantagenets.
1450 year
England was going through difficult times. King Henry VI of Lancaster was unable to calm the differences and strife between the major aristocratic families. Henry VI grew up weak-willed and sickly. Under him and his wife Margaret of Anjou, the Dukes of Somerset and Suffolk were endowed with unlimited power.
In the spring of 1450, the loss of Normandy signaled collapse. Multiply internecine wars... The state is crumbling. Condemnation and then murder of Suffolk does not lead to peace. Jack Cad revolts in Kent and moves to London. Kad is defeated by the royal forces, but the anarchy continues.
The king's brother, Richard, the Duke of York, who was then in exile in Ireland, gradually strengthened his position. Returning in September 1450, he tries, with the help of parliament, to reform the government and eliminate Somerset. In response, Henry VI dissolved parliament. In 1453, the king lost his mind as a result of severe fright. Taking advantage of this, Richard York achieved the most important position - protector of the state. But to Henry VI, reason returned, and the position of the duke was shaken. Not wanting to part with power, Richard York gathers armed detachments of his adherents.
Lancaster vs York
York makes an alliance with the Earls of Salisbury and Warwick, who are armed with a strong army, which in May 1455 defeats the royal forces in the town of St. Albans. But the king again takes the initiative into his own hands for a while. He confiscates the property of York and his supporters.
York abandons his army and flees to Ireland. In October 1459, his son Edward takes Calais, from where the Lancaster unsuccessfully try to drive them out. There he collects new army... In July 1460 the Lancaster was defeated at Northampton. The king is in prison, and York is declared heir by Parliament.
At this time, Margaret of Anjou, determined to defend the rights of her son, gathers her loyal subjects in the north of England. Caught by surprise by the royal army at Wakefield, York and Salisbury die. The Lancaster army moves south, devastating everything in its path. Edward, the son of the Duke of York, and the Earl of Warwick, having learned of the tragedy, hastened to London, whose inhabitants greeted their army with joy. They defeated the Lancaster at Toughton, after which Edward was crowned Edward IV.
Continuation of the war
Taking refuge in Scotland and supported by France, Henry VI still has supporters in the north of England, but they are defeated in 1464 and the king is imprisoned again in 1465. It seems that everything is over. However, Edward IV is faced with the same thing as Henry VI.
The Neville clan, led by the Earl of Warwick, who elevated Edward to the throne, embarks on a fight against the clan of Queen Elizabeth. The king's brother, the Duke of Clarence, envies his power. Warwick and Clarence revolt. They defeat the troops of Edward IV, and he himself is captured. But, flattered by various promises, Warwick releases the prisoner. The king does not fulfill his promises, and the struggle between them flares up with renewed vigor. In March 1470, Warwick and Clarence find refuge with the King of France. Louis XI, being a subtle diplomat, reconciles them with Marguerite of Anjou and the House of Lancaster.
He did it so well that in September 1470 Warwick, supported by Louis XI, returned to England as a Lancaster supporter. King Edward IV flees to Holland to his son-in-law Charles the Bold. At the same time, Warwick, dubbed "the maker of kings," and Clarence reinstate Henry VI on the throne. However, in March 1471, Edward returned with an army funded by Charles the Bold. Under Barnet, he wins a decisive victory - thanks to Clarence, who betrayed Warwick. Warwick is killed. The southern Lancaster army is defeated at Tewkesbury. In 1471, Henry VI died (and possibly killed), Edward IV returns to London.
Union of two roses
Problems arise again after the death of the king in 1483. Edward's brother, Richard Gloucester, who hates the queen and her supporters, orders the murder of the king's children in the Tower of London, and takes the crown under the name of Richard III. This act makes him so unpopular that the Lancaster regains hope. Their distant relative, Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, son of the last representative of Lancaster and Edmond Tudor, whose father was a Welsh captain, bodyguard of Catherine of Valois (widow of Henry V), whom he married. This secret marriage explains the interference in the strife of the Welsh dynasty.
Richmond, together with supporters of Margaret of Anjou, weaves a web of conspiracy and lands in Wales in August 1485. The decisive battle took place on 22 August at Bosworth. Betrayed by many of his entourage, Richard III was killed. Richard ascends the throne as Henry VII, then marries Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. Lancaster are related to Yorks, the war of the Scarlet and White Roses ends, and the king builds his power on the union of the two branches. He introduces a system of tight control of the aristocracy. After the accession of the Tudor dynasty, a new page is written in the history of England.

Consequences:

Dynastic feuds

The exact date of the beginning of the War of the Roses cannot be determined: the disputes have been going on for 5 centuries. The immediate cause of the conflict was the dynastic crisis - a consequence of the over-fertility of King Edward III (1327-1377). The struggle for the throne between the heirs of his two sons - John of Gaunt and Edmund York - resulted in almost half a century of armed struggle between the two most powerful and wealthy feudal houses in England. But by the end of the 15th century, they almost completely exterminated each other: the Lancaster male line was cut short in 1471 after the death of Prince Edward, son of Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou, and the last York, Richard III, was killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.

Elizabeth of York and Henry VII Tudor

The result of prolonged strife among the court factions was the accession of a new Tudor dynasty, the founder of which was Henry VII. He was a distant relative of the Lancasters, and to legalize his rights to the throne, he married the last surviving representative of Yorks - Edward IV's daughter Elizabeth.

The coat of arms of two roses appeared at the wedding of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York

It is at the royal wedding that the famous emblem of two connected roses - Scarlet and White - appears for the first time. Before that, no one even thought about the famous metaphor, which would later find its place on the pages of the works of Shakespeare and Walter Scott.

"Wars of the nobles"

The influence of the Wars of the Roses on the history of England is enormous: this series of conflicts led to the accession of a new dynasty and the establishment of absolutism. Yet it would be wrong to call it a full-scale civil war. For this era, the term "non-peace" is more suitable (archaism, meaning non-peaceful or wartime. - Dictionary V.I. Dahl).

War of the Roses classic example invented war

The struggle of the court parties for the English crown could not but affect life in the provinces. Petty nobles were forced to go to war in order not to lose the favor of the patron lord. The gentry themselves (the so-called "new nobility" of England of that era) had no preferences in the ruling dynasties. A peaceful environment and stability were much more important to them than the observance of the order of succession to the throne. During the political struggle in the center, unrest also occurred in the localities, but it rarely came to the murder of nobles, usually the warring parties were limited to stealing cattle, intimidation and, in extreme cases, killing servants.

The number of fallen nobles in the battles of the court parties themselves is relatively small. The fact that the gentry fought not for their convictions, but for the protection of the Lord Protector, proves that no bloody civil war in the minds of contemporaries there was not and could not be. For people far from the court, it was a series of protracted conflicts in the highest circles.

There were only a few performances of the third estate in wars, the most famous being the Jack Ked uprising in 1450. However, many contemporaries call this movement "predatory": the rebels did not pursue any noble goals, except for robbery.

Three centuries of mythologization

The creation of the myth of the War of the Scarlet and White Roses began during the uprising of Richard of York in 1452. The Duke actively used the propaganda achievements of that era. In his calls for an uprising, he began to emphasize the illegality of Henry VI's acquisition of power - after all, the king's grandfather received the throne by overthrowing his uncle, Richard II, back in 1399.

Richard III Plantagenet

This version of the myth quickly gained popularity among the English aristocrats, who were dissatisfied with the rule of Henry and the omnipotence of the Lancastrian party, led by Queen Margaret, whom opponents called the "Queen of Thorns"

Richard III and Henry VII. Engraving by William Faithorn, 1640 Richard III is shown as an old man with a symbolically broken scepter

The second version of the myth was created at the end of the dynastic war, immediately after the marriage of Henry VII Tudor to the heiress of York. It was at this time that the image of Richard III began to demonize: he became a bloodthirsty tyrant, child and fratricide. The rest of the participants in the conflict loomed in neutral tones. In this myth, the emphasis was not on criticism of the Lancaster, whose distant ancestor was Henry, but on harsh accusations against the previous ruler.

The spread of this version among the people was facilitated by the inconsistency that shrouded Richard's ascension to the throne: after the death of Edward IV, his older brother, he became regent under the king's young children - princes Edward and Richard. However, six months later, Richard Gloucester declared the boys bastards, and himself - the legal heir. With parliamentary consent, he was crowned in July 1483. The fate of Edward's sons remained unknown: according to one version, the "princes from the Tower" were killed by their own uncle, according to the other, they managed to escape to France. The first version turned out to be much more attractive to the Tudor propaganda machine.

Richard III suffered from scoliosis, but was not hunchback

Soon after the consolidation of his power, Henry VII began to forget that he owed half of the crown to his wife. The third reworking of history began, in which it was customary to criticize Yorks and glorify Lancaster, and also to represent the era not as a series of conflicts of court parties, but as a continuous war, the deliverer of which was the young Tudor.

The fourth stage in the transformation of myth was under Henry VIII. The blood of two dynasties flowed in him, so there was no need to criticize one of them. The King's ancestors, both Lancaster and York (except Richard III), were now victims of circumstance. All the blame for the outbreak of the civil war was laid on the foreigner Margarita of Anjou. And the image of the last of the York dynasty in the work of the famous humanist Thomas More "The Story of Richard III" acquired new features: the author ascribes to the unfortunate king the famous hump and dried left hand.

Margaret of Anjou, Queen of England

During the reign of Elizabeth, the myth was revised for the fifth time. The goal of Tudor propaganda was to establish the idyll of the Elizabethan era against the backdrop of the terrible and dark times of feudal strife. This is where Shakespeare's famous Historical Chronicles appear. Peru, the great playwright belongs to the famous scene, where in the Garden of the Tower Lancaster and Yorkie pin up scarlet and white roses as a sign of an implacable struggle to a victorious end. It was Shakespeare who created the image of a dark and bloodthirsty era of incessant fratricidal wars, attracting with its tragedy and heroism.

The term "War of the Scarlet and White Roses" was proposed by Walter Scott

The stereotypes created by Shakespeare for two centuries have fixed in the minds of the British the image of a large-scale bloody war. Finally, in the 18th century, Walter Scott proposed the term "War of the Scarlet and White Roses", which seemed so successful to contemporaries that it is still used in science today.

The debunking of the Tudor myth began only in the 20th century. The process of general rehabilitation of the heroes of history has begun. It went to extremes: numerous societies of Richard III were created, whose members are convinced that England did not have a better king. The events of the Wars of the Roses are being studied today, but many questions remain unanswered.