The power struggle
The Lancastrians were greatly influenced by Margaret of Anjou, as her strong and power-obsessed personality was a large contrast to Henry VI. The battles continued even more intensely in 1459 where York and most of his supporters were coerced into leaving the country for fear of their own safety. However, in an unexpected turn of events, one of York’s staunchest and most salient supporters, the Earl of Warwick, was able to capture Henry VI and this paved the way for York’s return to England. York was then killed a year later when he tried to suppress Margaret of Anjou and her Lancastrian supporters in the north. The Lancastrian army was able to release their king, Henry VI, while the Yorkist army had crowned York’s eldest son as King Edward IV. His crowning had unified the Yorkists even more and they earned a crushing victory against the Lancastrians in the Battle of Towton. Edward IV was generally indolent but he brought stable government to England and was consistently victorious in battles with his enemies.
However much to the displeasure of his supporters, King Edward IV married Elizabeth Woodville in secret and even went as far as favouring her family over others. She was a widow, mother of two and came from a middle-ranked family in England, where the powerful only married the powerful. Thus it was easy to understand why this created unhappiness amongst several subjects of King Edward IV.
As a result, King Edward IV became estranged with many of his advisors and most notably his chief advisor, the Earl of Warwick (who had captured Henry VI for the Yorkist cause earlier). In return, the Earl of Warwick planned a rebellion against King Edward IV and he exploited the fact that many were unhappy with this unfamiliar change King Edward IV had brought into his Yorkist faction. The Earl of Warwick was however unsuccessful and King Edward IV brought an end, not only to Warwick, but also to the Lancastrian line of succession. In the victory at Tewkesbury, the Lancastrian heir known as Edward, Prince of Wales, was executed after battle and Henry VI was murdered in the Tower of London some days after.
The Tower of London is famous for its many beheadings and tortures. Find out about some of the methods used during the Tudor Dynasty.
In another unexpected turn of events, Edward IV did not enjoy the success of his reign for long as he died in 1483 at age 40. His brother quickly took the opportunity to seize the throne but was overthrown by the distant relatives of the Lancastrian kings. Henry Tudor was then crowned King Henry VII, and in an ingenious move he married Elizabeth of York to unite the two opposing houses. To signify this union, he joined the red and white roses to make a new Tudor rose. From that day onwards, the prosperous Tudor dynasty began.
Sources:
http://global.britannica.com/ebchecked/topic/615557/united-kingdom/44828/edwardiv-1461-70-and-1471-83http://www.warsoftheroses.com/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Wars_of_the_roses/http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-war-of-the-roses
After King Henry VII, his son Henry VIII took over and ruled for more than 40 years. Find out about the colourful life of Henry VII and his 6 wives.
The Tudor dynasty was one of the most glorious in the history of England. When Henry VIII died, his daughter Elizabeth I, reigned for almost 50 years. This was known as the Golden Age of England.