War Of Roses Essays - Knights Of The Garter, House Of York

War Of Roses 1. The main players of the War between the Roses Lancastrian Henry VI became King of England at the young age of one, succeeding his father Henry V. He was incapable of following in his mighty predecessor's footsteps. Fractions in the court dominated him all his life. Margaret was the daughter of the powerful French noble Rene of Anjou, was married to Henry VI to strengthen ties with France. She was beautiful, fiery, blunt, and was a loyal friend as well as a dangerous enemy. Her blatant favoritism caused much resentment in England, and set sparks which would later flare up into the Wars of the Roses. Somerset escalated the clash between the two families enormously. He was the bastard grandson of John of Gaunt and one of the King's closest relations, who handled a great amount of power. He supported King Henry VI and the Queen during the King's breakdown. William de la Pole was a magnate of moderate power who came to exercise much control in the Lancastrian circle. Yorkist Richard Plantagenet was a man of many titles and lands who was filled with a passion to raise his family to what he saw as their proper due. He was also the father of Edward IV and Richard III. His relationship with King Henry was amiable at first and his claim to the throne was considered strong enough for him to become heir to Henry VI. Salisbury staunchly stood by York at all times, even when York later endangered both of them with his arrogance. His devotion was paid back by death. Richard, the Earl of Warwick, was the most powerful noble ever seen in England. Richard was York's nephew and a firm defender of that party, continuing to fight alongside his cousin Edward after York's death. He eventually was the person who placed Edward on the throne. Edward IV, Earl of March, was handsome and skilled. He fought by his father's side during the early years of the Wars of the Roses. When his father was killed at Wakefield, he became leader of the Yorkist cause. In 1461 he organized a landing at Sandwich, then marched into London and claimed the throne for himself, crowning himself King Edward IV. Upon the death of his father, the Duke of York, in the battle of Wakefield on December 31, 1460, Edward took up both the position and the quarrel of his father. 2-3. The reasons for The Wars of Roses and the final outcome The reason the Wars of the Roses started was to determine who would have control over the English throne. It was between the descendants of the sons of Edward III, the Duke of York and the Duke of Lancaster. In 1399 Henry of Bolingbroke, the son of the Duke of Lancaster, seized the throne from Richard II and declared himself King Henry IV. This placed the House of Lancaster, son John of Gaunt, on the throne of England even though there were descendants better suited by birth rank to be king, such as the Earl of March. The people opposed Henry IV until his death. When he died his son was crowned King Henry V and proved to be a great king. He led his army into France and scored several victories, but Henry V died in 1422 leaving the one year old Prince Henry as his heir. When he became old enough to rule England he listened too much to his current favorite advisor, which made him unpopular with his people. The struggle began in 1455 when Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, challenged Henry VIs right to be king. Richard was descended in the direct male line from Edward III's fifth son, Edmund, Duke of York, and through his mother, Anne Mortimer, in the direct female line from the third son Lionel Duke of Clarence. Richard had a better title to the throne than Henry VI. Despite this fact the Yorkist family chose not to press its claim. Henry IV and his son, Henry V, were well supported by the population, and any attempt to overthrow Lancastrian power during their reign would have been a difficult endeavor. This changed upon the reign of Henry VI. Henry VI married Margaret of Anjou, the daughter of an influential