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What caused the War of the Roses to break out in medieval England?

Media Honnan

Hear ye, hear ye! Gather round all ye lords and ladies, peasants and knights, for I have a tale to tell about the War of the Roses.

In medieval England, the royal family tree was more twisted than a pretzel. It all started with King Edward III, who had a bunch of sons but his favorite was the one named John of Gaunt. John of Gaunt had a son named Henry Bolingbroke, who eventually became King Henry IV.

But Henry IV's reign was full of drama. His own cousin, Richard II, had been the previous king until Henry overthrew him. So naturally, Richard II's supporters were not too happy about that and plotted to take back the throne.

Fast forward a few years and Henry V is now king. He's a warrior king, conquering lands left and right. But when he dies, his young son Henry VI becomes king and he's not quite cut out for the job. He's weak, indecisive, and prone to mental breakdowns.

Enter the powerful nobles of England, who start fighting over who should have the most influence over Henry VI. On one side, you had the Lancastrians (supporters of Henry VI) led by the Duke of Somerset. On the other side, you had the Yorkists (supporters of Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York) who thought they should have more power.

The feud between the Lancastrians and Yorkists grew stronger as time went on. You had battles like the Battle of Wakefield, where Richard Plantagenet and his son were killed. And the Battle of Towton, which was the biggest battle ever fought on English soil and saw the Yorkists emerge victorious.

But the War of the Roses wasn't just fought with swords and arrows. It was fought with sneaky political moves too. The Yorkist's leader, Edward IV, even married a Lancastrian widow named Elizabeth Woodville to try and bring peace to the two sides. But that didn't go over so well with the powerful nobles, who thought Edward was giving Elizabeth's family too much power.

In the end, the War of the Roses came to a close when a Yorkist named Henry Tudor (who was also related to the Lancastrians) defeated Richard III (Edward IV's brother) at the Battle of Bosworth Field and became King Henry VII.

So there you have it, folks. A tale of family feuds, political power struggles, and battle after battle. If you ask me, it's a miracle anyone was able to keep it all straight.