In 1376, Edward III introduced some complexity in terms of who would take the throne as succession was limited to male heirs through the letters patent he had issued. He was 10 years old and took precedence over his uncles. Edward III was succeeded by Richard II as the only surviving son of Edward.Near the end of Edward III’s reign, there was an unexpected narrowing in the direct ascension direct line as the eldest son, Edward, had passed away.John, Duke of Lancaster, Edmund, Duke of York, and Thomas, Duke of Gloucester. He had five legitimate sons: Edward, the Black Prince, Lionel, Duke of Clarence.A strategy of murdering kings and their heirs, which began in 1399 CE, by Henry Bolingbroke.After the death of Edward III in 1377, the question of succession arose, and this was the primary cause of the Wars of the Roses.

In 1154, after the ascension of Henry of Anjou to the throne as Henry II, the crown was passed easily from father to son or brother to brother until 1399.The wars acquired their names from the livery badge of each side: the red rose of Lancaster and the white rose of York.This dynastic family ruled England for over three centuries, from 1154 until 1485, and provided the kingdom with 14 of its sovereigns.Ĭauses and nature of the Wars of the Roses At the beginning of the 12th century, the House of Plantagenet, from the cadet branch of the counts of Anjou, was established.This dynasty was usually subdivided into three parts: Henry II, son of Geoffrey Count of Anjou, became the first Plantagenet king of England.Historical Context: The House of Plantagenet The son of her marriage to Edmund Tudor saw the throne claimed by Henry VII.

As the Wars of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York drew to a close, Margaret Beaufort came to have the only surviving Lancastrian claim to the throne.

The nobility of England was split into two groups that were centred around the descendants of Edward III: The Lancasters and Yorks.

The Wars of the Roses was a dynastic struggle between the English monarchy and nobility, which resulted in four decades of sporadic battles, murder and execution plots.

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