#english_history 

## Henry VI
Henry VI grew up to be simple-minded and book-loving. He found 2 colleges that are still in function: Eton College and King's College in Cambridge. He, however, soon succumbed to his nascent mental illness.

## Dispute
Once again the treacherous nobles began to ask questions about who should be ruling the country. At that time, there were not mroe than 60 noble families controlling England at the time. Most of them were related.
They were divided between those who remained loyal to Henry VI, the "Lancastrians", and those who supported the duke of York (who was the heir of the [[The crisis of kingship in Medieval England|earl of March]]), the "Yorkists".

## England in Conflict
In **1460** the duke of York claimed the throne for himself. After his death in battle, his son Edward IV (1461-1470; 1471-1483) took up the struggle and won the throne in **1461**. He put Henry VI into the Tower of London, but in **1470** a new Lancastrian army rescued Henry and chased Edward out of the countryI
But then Edward was able to raise another army, plus he had the merchants on his side, considering that the Yorkists had strongly encouraged profitable trade. He returned to England in **1471** and defeated the Lancastrians. Henry VI died in the Tower of London soon after.

The war between York and Lancaster would have stopped then if Edward's son, Edward V, had been old enough to rule, and if Edward's brother, Richard of Gloucester, had not been so ambitious.
After Edward IV's death in **1483**, Richard put Edward V in the Tower and took the crown as King Richard III. A month later Edward V and his brother were murdered, though Richard's guilt has never been proved.

Richard III was not popular, with both factions having aversion to him. In **1485** a distant relative of John of Gaunt, Henry Tudor, duke of Richmond, landed in England.
He met Richard III at Bosworth, where Richard was defeated and executed. Henry Tudor was crowned king immediately

## Name
The Name "Wars of the Roses" was chosen the novelist [[Walter Scott]] in the 19th century because York's symbol was a white rose, and Lancaster's a red one.

## Impact
The wars nearly destroyed the English idea of kingship for ever, although it was not as disastrous as it seems, for only the nobility and their armies were involved in the fighting.
It was, however, disastrous for the nobility: half of the noble families had died in the wars, making it possible for the Tudors to build a new nation state.