The Wars of the Roses were a series of civil wars in England between 1455 and 1485 fought over the throne between the House of Lancaster and the House of York, two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet. The House of York included King Edward IV and King Richard III, while the House of Lancaster included King Henry VI and King Henry V. Weak rule by Henry VI, failures in the Hundred Years' War, and social/financial troubles afterwards led to armed conflicts between the families that ultimately resulted in the rise of the Tudor dynasty.