1. The War of the Roses
The War of the Roses was a dynastic struggle between the rival houses of Lancaster and York.
Each house used a rose as its symbol:
Lancaster = Red rose
York = White rose
The war lasted sporadically from to 1487 as different claimants to the throne aimed to usurp one another.

2. The Houses of York and Lancaster

3. The Battle of Towton
The largest, longest, and bloodiest battle of the War of the Roses took place outside of the town of Towton.
During the battle, the armies of Lancaster and York fought amidst a blinding snowstorm and each suffered huge casualties.
As a result of this battle, the Lancastrian king Henry VI was usurped by the Yorkist king Edward IV.

4. The Battle of Bosworth Field
The War of the Roses ended at the Battle of Bosworth Field where the Lancastrian claimant, Henry Tudor, defeated the final Yorkist king, Richard III.

5. The Battle of Bosworth Field
Henry Tudor (Henry VII)
Richard III

6. Shakespeare’s Richard III
In William Shakespeare’s Richard III, Shakespeare portrays Richard as a hunchbacked, cowardly, and evil king.
Shakespeare was writing the play during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a Tudor monarch.
The play culminates in Richard’s death on Bosworth Field with the (in)famous lines:
King Richard: A horse, a horse! My kingdom for a horse!
Catesby: Withdraw, my lord; I'll help you to a horse.
King Richard: Slave! I have set my life upon a cast, And I will stand the hazard of the die.