1. The wars of the roses
Brenda Jaup

2. The Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of battles fought in medieval England from to 1485.
It was fought between two rival families who both laid claim to the throne of England: the House of Lancaster and the House of York
The "War of the Roses" comes from the symbols, or badges, of the two warring houses: the House of Lancaster was represented by a red rose and the House of York by a white rose.

4. What started the war?
1) both houses were direct descendents of king Edward III; 2) the ruling Lancastrian king, Henry VI, surrounded himself with unpopular nobles; 3) the civil unrest of much of the population; 4) the availability of many powerful lords with their own private armies; 5) the untimely episodes of mental illness by Henry VI.

5. Timeline
The Wars of the Roses begins with the Battle of First St. Albans. At this battle Richard of York defeated the army of Henry VI. Richard put Henry VI in prison and became the "Lord Protector" of England.
The Lancastrians win a major victory at the Battle of Wakefield. Richard of York is killed.
Edward IV defeats the Lancastrians at the Battle of Towton. Edward IV is declared king of England.
Edward IV has a twelve-year-old son, Edward V, who becomes king. However, his uncle, Richard III, has him sent to the Tower of London where he disappears from public view. Richard III becomes king of England.

6. The wars ended when Richard III, the last Yorkist king, was defeated at the battle of Bosworth in 1485 by Henry Tudor founder of the house of Tudor.

7. Thank you for listening!