War+of+Roses

War Of Roses By: Josh R.  Name: These civil wars were called War of Roses because of the badges used by both sides were different colored roses (red roses for Lancastrians and white roses for the Yorkists).

Background: The War of Roses were fought in England during the Middle Ages. It was mainly the House of Lancastor (King Henry VI) versus the House of York (Richard, Duke of York, and then later Edward IV). The War of Roses lasted from 1455 to 1487 because of Richard, Duke of York trying to acquire the throne from King Henry VI.  Battle of Northampton: There were two very important battles invovled with this war because they both invovled King Henry VI. In the Battle of Northampton, Sir Henry Beaufort, Duke of Somerset was appointed to be the new Captain of Calais which refused to let them in. The captain and his army had to cross a channel to get to Calais so they started construction of a fleet. Once the fleet was completed (that would cross the channel), Warwick made a raid and stole them. On June 2nd the Yorkists forces invaded London with their vast army. Later in the battle, Northampton was made the defendable position by the King's forces. Which made their rear to the River Nene and a stake and water filled trench in front of them. On June 10th in 1460, the Yorkists forces continued on to fight the incoming Lancastrian forces, Warwick's forces approached the right flank of the Lancastrian forces which was commanded by Lord Grey. He is his men surrendered to the attacking Yorkists and let them pass into a nearby camp. King Henry VI was captured in his tent by the Yorkist's forces. Battle of Barnet: Before this battle King Henry VI regained his power to the throne for about a year until Edward IV (Richard, Duke of York's son) recaptured him and killed King Henry VI. Importance: The War of Roses decided if England and France would be one because King Henry VI was to inherit the throne of both countries due to his parents (Henry V of England and Catherine, daughter of Charles VI of France). If these series of civil wars did not rebel against King Henry VI, France and England would have had one ruler and been one country. England would not have been Catholic if the War of Roses had not happened because King Henry VI would never had risen to power and turned England's back on Catholicism and created the Church of England.  Fun Facts: 1. King Edward IV’s two kids Richard and Edward V were locked in Tower of London by their uncle and were killed. 2. King Henry VI’s French Grandfather who passed down his mental illness to Henry VI thought that he was made of glass. 3. King Henry VI was supposedly killed by Richard of Gloucester. Work Cited: __The Wars of the Roses.__ 15 Apr. 2009 []. __WarsOfTheRoses.com - Wars of the Roses.__ 15 Apr. 2009 []