What happened in the Wars of the Roses?

Most of the fighting in the Hundred Years War took place in France, which meant most of the military damage affected the French peasantry rather than the English. In the Wars of the Roses, most of the fighting occurred in England, and thus the loss of life and property was much greater for English citizens. read more

Nevertheless, when the Wars of the Roses first kicked off, the Lancasters had been entrenched on the throne since 1399, when Henry IV usurped power from his cousin Richard II. 2. Fallout from the Hundred Years’ War helped spark the unrest. The Wars of the Roses might never have happened if not for the tenuous state of English politics in the 1450s. read more

The name"Wars of the Roses" refers to the heraldic badges associated with the two royal houses, the White Rose of York and the Red Rose of Lancaster. Wars of the Roses came into common use in the 19th century after the publication in 1829 of Anne of Geierstein by Sir Walter Scott. read more