The Wars of the Roses

Henry VI could not win the war in France. He could not keep the peace in England either. Each lord had a band of men who wore his badge. They stole from the people, and beat them up if they complained. The courts were no help - the lords' men bullied the judges and juries as well.

The greatest nobles had private armies. When they fell out with each other in the 1450s, there was civil war. One group, led by Henry VI's wife, Queen Margaret, fought to keep Henry on the throne, and make sure that their son was the next king. Their enemies thought that England would be better off with Richard, duke of York, in charge.

The two sides were called Lancaster (the king's family) and York. The wars between them are known as the Wars of the Roses. The Red Rose was the badge of the Lancaster side, and the White Rose was the badge of the York side. Most nobles took one side or the other. The greatest lord in England, the earl of Warwick, was on the side of York at first.

The York family won the wars, but Duke Richard was killed in battle. His son, Edward IV, became king. By 1471, when the wars ended, Henry VI and his son were dead, and so were the earl of Warwick and many other lords. The common people stayed out of the fighting – the wars were not their business. But while they lasted, there was no real law and order.

Walter Robson: Medieval Britain; Oxford University Press, 1991/2000, page 65 f.