The causes of the Wars of the Roses were varied. The Wars of the Roses ended with the defeat of a Yorkist army at the Battle of Stoke Field in 1487. Tudor became King Henry VII following his defeat of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth. The final phase saw a challenge to Richard III from Henry Tudor. Warwick was killed at the Battle of Barnet. That phase of the war saw the end of Lancastrian power. The first phase saw the crown seized from Henry VI by Edward IV following victory at the Battle of Towton in 1461.Ī second phase was fought from 1469-71 as Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, switched allegiances. The Wars of the Roses were fought in three distinct phases. Opposing them were the Yorkists, led at first by Richard, 3rd Duke of York, then his sons, Edward IV and Richard III. On one side, King Henry VI and his Queen, Margaret of Anjou, led the Lancastrians. Many of the major personalities of the wars shared the same names, see this family tree to see who is who: Wars of the Roses Family Tree – Source: CC BY-SA 3.0, Link Two rival factions of the Plantagenet family fought for the crown.

The Wars of the Roses were a dynastic power struggle that took place in 15th century England.

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