Collins Medieval Britain history for Year 7

1. Unit 6.2 The Wars of Roses
Unit 6 : Late medieval England

2. Words to learn
Words Terminology
Yorkists Supporters of Duke of York and his
sons during the War of Roses
Lancastrians Supporters of King Henry VI and his
family during the War of Roses
The War of
Roses

3. Henry VI the youngest English King
• Crowned in 1423, Henry VI
was just 9 month old.
• For the first 16 years of his
life, England was ruled by
Royal councils
• When Henry VI became
king, England was at war
with French and had lost
many French territories to
the powerful French King

4. Henry VI hated war
• At 18 years old, England
lost Normandy (most
important ancestors land)
and Henry VI sent his
cousin to lead army into
war.
• He hate the ideas of war
and preferred books,
church to swords and
armour.
• Many of the noble labled
their king as coward

5. The unlucky year for England
• By 1450, England’s Empire in
France reduced (left only port
of Calais)
• In the same year, rebellion
broke out in London . Open
fighting were going on for 3
days and the rebels were led by
Jack Cade
• One of the former King’s
ministers dragged on street and
beheaded
• To make matter worse, king
Henry VI fell ill, for a year, his
body became unresponsive and
had to be cared like a newborn
child.

6. Who’s Richard , The Duke of York?
• Henry VI was clearly
incapable of ruling so a
group of noblemen took
charge to control England
• Chief among them was
the king’s cousin name
Richard, Duke of York (he
dislike king Henry VI)
• Queen Margaret (Henry
VI’s wife) despise for his
formidable decisions and
she later organised the
opposition against
Richard , Duke of York

7. • This dispute led two rival fractions:
House of Lancaster House of York
Leader Queen Margaret (Henry VI’s
wife)
Richard , The Duke of York
Supporter Lancaster Yorkists
Support who Support the king and his
royal family
Support the nobles and councils
who ruled the country while king
bear his sickness
Symbols
Red Rose White rose

8. How did the war begin?
• In 1459, Margaret declared
Richard a traitor to the king
causing the war outbreak
between the two houses.
• In December 1460 Queen
Margaret defeated Richard
in the battle of Wakefield
• Richard, The Duke of York
were beheaded and his
head was put on spike
adorned with paper crown

9. New Yorkists rule- Downfall of
Lancastrian
• Queen Margaret’s success did
not last long . The people of
London refused to allow her
into the city and she withdraw
to North England with her
soldiers.
• Richard’s son Edward replacing
his dead father to lead the
Yorkists.
• He was only 18 years old at that
time, a fierce and tall guy stood
at 6 foot 4 inches (1.93m) and
proven warrior at battlefield
and a charismatic leader

10. The new king
• Edward was crowned king
of England and known as
Edward IV in March 1461
• He marched north to finish
off with Lancastrians to kill
the king.
• They reached at Towton on
March 29th, the battle went
bloody.
• Edward VI won the Battle
and became the first Yorkist
King. While Henry VI and
Margaret fled to Scotland

11. Battle of Towton
• The battle took place in
heavy winter days
• Both soldiers numbered 50
000 men each
• 8000 lancastrians (royal
soldiers) died and 5000
Yorkists (noble’s soldiers)
died
• The later discovery found a
skull with more than 20
injuries showing that the
dead body was mutilated
by their enemies