The War of the Roses

1st, January 1461

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You shall know the truth my Dearest Visitor,

No one could imagine Richard Duke of York

Raising an army and becoming a traitor,

Against the House of Lancaster, the heir of York

Fought. In 1455 the War of the Roses started,

Illegitimate he claimed Henri VI was,

For five years the War of the Roses continued,

But on the battle field of Wakefield Richard was,

His life gone, Edmund and Neville were beheaded,

Rutland, Salisbury, York, their heads exposed

In the winter cold, displayed on the gates of York.

Edward Earl of March became the next Duke of York.

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Edward Earl of March, futur King of England?

4^th, March 1461

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Marguerite d'Anjou

          Ladies and Gentlemen of England, times are changing and this year would be unforgettable. Good bye dear King Henry VI and his French born Queen Margaret of Anjou. Farewell Prince of Wales, Edward of Westminster, heir of the last King and Queen of England. And also adieu to the House of Lancaster which was on the throne since 1399!

          Welcome to Edward, last Earl of March, then Duke of York by his poor father's death on the Battle of Wakefield, three months ago. He has been crowned King of England hastily but will he stay king? The battle of Towton will be decisive, but could he reign well at his age? He is ninetheen. Some rumours say he's good-looking, then if you cannot be his wife and Queen of England, being his mistress! 

          But he won't be just king by title, he will be king of the english people, what do they think of him? This is time to let them say their own thought.

John ; 25. Yorkist Soldier.

          I am a Yorkist soldier. My father and my uncle fought with Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. I have a cousin who fought with the brother of King Edward IV of England, Edmund, Earl of Rutland and who died during the battle with the king's father, Richard Duke of York. Sad time ; Earl of Rutland, Duke of York and Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, Warwick's father, had their heads cut off and put on spikes on the York wall to show everyone what could happen if you become a traitor. But now Edward IV is on the throne and he's the true heir of the crown of England. I will give my own life for him. God Save the King!

Nice to know it dear John, I hope you faith will be considered as it have to. And I hope too you will stay alive too see (perhaps) the official coronation of King Edward IV. God save you.

Gregory ; 41. Loyal man from the House of Lancaster.

          I am aghast! How could a boy be King of England?! Then he is a traitor, he has to finish as his brother and father; on a spike! King Henry VI has to come back to the throne and no one could claim as Richard last Duke of York the true heir of the crown! He will come back on his seat! Queen Margaret and him will fight for it. Richard II was a bad king, King Henry IV took the throne and save our England. Edward is Duke of York not King of England. He is an impostor.

A speech which could have repercussion on you Gregory. I hope you know some hiding-place... Perhaps your head will stay where she is. But why are you so contrarian? You do not like your life?

Joan ; 22; Prostitute.

          I've heard there's a new King of England by the speechs of my clients. Some of them were angry, some others truly well. I am not a Lancastrian or Yorkist woman. You know what I am, don't you? I am a slut. Yes, I work in the street and actually I really don't care of what happen with this f*cking golden crown. If there is no repercussion in my business, it's good. Then could you go out, I've a client in two minutes...

Then she closed the door, but I am pretty sure your work wouldn't have deals with this new king, perhaps you could meet him...

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The Coronation of our Greatest King Edward IV

28th June 1461

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          Edward, Duke of York has been officially crowned has Edward VI! Indeed he has win the battle which took place at Towton and he defeated the army of Lancaster. 

             50,000 soldiers fought under the banners of the House of Lancaster and the House of York. With a miserable weather, 28,000 men died on the battle field. Some source estimated there were 200,000 soldiers! Please, you aren't serious, are you?

The battle field of Towton
after months

              The Last King and Queen of England stayed at York and this battle was a decisive battle because the winner will be the king. Then from the House of Lancaster, Andrew Trollope and Henry Percy died on the battle field and one of the closest gentleman of the last King of England, Ralph Dacre, has been murdered by an archer who was hid, Lord Robert Horne, a member of the House of York, has been killed too.

               Let's talk about the coronation of this good-looking king. He is at 6 ft 4 and he has an impressive muscular that even hid by his armor all girls and women are dazzled by him! He wore a beautiful coat strewed with ermine. The church was full and the population's screams were so high that no one couldn't hear the archbishop!

But I can assure you the crown suits him perfectly well!

Who was there? Have you seen him or his brother George Plantagenet and Richard Plantagnet, respectively eleven  and nine years old.

Ann ; 9 ; Peasant.

                I am small and I could go wherever I want. I was in front of the crowd and I saw everything. The king is so tall on his horse, and so beautiful. I saw women with blush on her cheeks. He greeted us with a smile I won't forgive, it was so sincere. I guess I love him, I want to be his Queen!

So cute to see a little girl thinking that. But I'm not sure he could married you Ann, he is the king and he has surely a engagement with someone, from Spain? France? Germany? Ask to Richard Neville! 

Richard Neville; 32 ; Earl of Warwick, The Kingmaker

                Edward is now King of England, all efforts we've done to put his father, the greatest Richard Duke of York and then his first born son succeeded today by this official coronation. This is a reborn for England after this fool king who is the grandson of Henry IV who usurped the throne to Richard II. This is a new area for England and I am please to tell you I've great project for him. I have in mind to betrothed him to a Princess, perhaps French.

What? Our prettiest king betrothed to a French Princess? If she is as Margaret of Anjou, please don't. I guess England has had enough with her! But I will find who could be this French Princess... If she disappear, this is probably because of the women who wanted to be the next Queen of England...

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King Edward IV betrothed to a French Princess?!

17^th July 1462

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Bona of Savoy

          This is for women a sad new. Our beloved King of England is already betrothed to a French Princess, as Warwick wished.

          To secure the alliance between England and France, Richard Neville plans to marry Edward IV to Bona of Savoy.

          She is the daughter of Louis, Duke of Savoy and of his beloved wife Anne de Lusignan of Cyprus. His father thought to engage her to Galeazoo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan.

Richard Neville; 33; Earl of Warwick, The Kingmaker

          Edward IV and England have to secure the alliance with France, Marguerite d'Anjou is French and the cousin of Louis XI of France. Then we have to eliminate all possibilities of  a war with France.

Engage our greatest King Edward IV in a wedding with a French Princess, you don't eliminate all possibilities of war with the noble english women, a fight will come to determine who could be the next Queen of England.

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Edward IV revealed his name's wife

24th November 1464

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          Edward IV has confirmed his wedding with a women and revealed her identity and sit down comfortably on your chair my Dearest Reader; she is a Lancastrian Woman!

The Marriage of Elizabeth Woodville and Edward IV

          Her name is Elizabeth Woodville, a Lancastrian widow of Sir John Grey of Groby who died on the battle field of St Albans in december 1461. She has two sons, Thomas and Richard Grey.

          But what an ironic thing, a Lancastrian widow married with Edward IV, a Yorkist fighting  and claiming the throne of England as his own.

          This announcement sounds has an horrible revelation, Yorkist soldiers died to put on the throne the heir of this house, and now he is married with a woman from the ennemy house. Warwick must be the most angry man of the world.

Richard Neville; 35 ; Earl of Warwick, the Kingmaker

          I cannot realise that Edward, my beloved cousin, is married to a Lancastrian woman. Does he forgot his brother Edmund and his father Richard has been executed by the Lancastrian army in 1461? Does he forgot all the sacrifies we've done for him? How could he do that to me and to the Yorkist soldiers? Then the betrothal with the French Princess, Bona of Savoy, is annulled but I won't forget what he has done to me. I have done too much for him and lost enough to forget. I swear I won't.

Jacquetta of Luxembourg; 48 ; Countess Rivers

           I am glad to see my eldest daughter happy with the king and this is an honour to be his mother-in-law. What could be more wonderful to marry my daughter by love to a man? I married Sir Richard Woodville because of love and we've had fourteen children. England will have heirs soon, I am sure of it. And I am not afraid of the rumours, King Edward IV loves Elizabeth and all will be fine for them.

 
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George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence is dead

19th February 1478

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          We have learned the George, the Royal Duke of Clarence has been executed on 18 February in the Tower of London. The Duke was jailed in the tower after his several treasons and his disloyalty towards our beloved King Edward IV. He was obsessed by the power, the money and his wicked whispers against the legitimacy of Edward IV have had his own life.

          We remind that he married Isabel Neville on July 1469 by interest and he orgenised a rebellion against his own brother the king with his father-in-law, the Earl of Wawrick. He put back on the throne the last King Henry VI and his French Queen on 30 October 1470 and he realised that all efforts which were done were for the Warwick's own interests. They were vain and he turned his coat.

          After the defeat of the Lancastrian Army and the death on the battle field of Tewkesbury of Warwick, he returned to the court, the king forgiving him. Despite the forgive of King Edward IV, George had never change his behavior. However, he was avid of the Neville's fortune and found in his broother Richard a rival. Indeed, Richard of Gloucester married Anne Neville, the youngest Warwick daughter in 1472, but he didn't  inherit the entire Warwick estate.

        Isabel Neville died on 22 December 1476 after giving birth to Richard, two months ago. Clarence accused one of her Ladies-in-waiting of killing the Duchess of Clarence and executed her. Their surviving two children, Margaret and Edward who will be cared by Anne Neville, their aunt, after their father's death.

         Clarence's mental state was questioned because of conspiring and ploting against our Majesty. Our Grace severly upbraided him and ordered his immediate confinement in the Tower of London by accusing him of treason George, Duke of Clarence was imprisoned and a trial of treason against his brother Edward IV began. Trying in vain to find evidence because of love which could clear him, the king heard the verdict as "Guilty", convicting George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence to the death sentence. He has been also "privately executed" yesterday, rumours pretending ha has been drowed in a butt of Malmsey wine, the Queen's favorite...

            Thus, the Three Sons of York is an achieved age. Are they destined to destroy the other?

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The Royal Crown ; Subjet of War and Death

24th April 1483

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           Our country is divided since 1455, the beginning of the war between York and Lancaster. Today, while King Edward IV is dead, the conflict continue... 

           Even if the beginning of the quarrel dates since 1455, in reality the discord already exist for almost a century. Indeed, in 1399, Henry Bolingbroke (future Henry IV), Duke of Lancaster, dethroned his cousin Richard II however Henry wasn't legitimate. He descended from John of Gaunt, third son of Edward III and normally the throne was for the descendant of Lionel of Antwerp, second son of Edward III. Lionel's grandson, Roger Mortimer, was considered the true heir to the throne.

Henri VI

           This is why, in 1455 while Henry VI was king, Richard, Duke of York rebel against King Henry reminding the illegitimancy of the House of Lancaster and claiming himself as the true heir. And on 22th May 1455, he won the battle of Saint Albans, after that Richard Duke of York, headed the country during four years, Henry suffered of madness, he lived out of the kingdom. 

           But in 1459, Richard was hunting out of the court by Henry VI, still king, and Margaret of Anjou. At this moment, Richard formed an alliance with Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick but Duke of York died during the Battle of Wakefield. Then, Henry took the power again. 

           In 1461,Yorkist won the battle of Towton. And on 28th July, 1461, Warwick made Edward IV, Richard's son, the king. Margaret and Henry ran away in Scotland. 

           In 1469, Warwick betrayed King Edward IV with George, Duke of Clarence, Edward lost the battle of Edgecote Moor and he was jailed. But he recovered the throne quickly and forgave them. After an other treason, Warwick and George ran away in France and made an alliance with Margaret of Anjou. Warwick suceeded and put back Henry VI to the throne. But, Edward IV won the battle of Barnet where Warwick was killed and then the battle of Tewkesbury in 1471.

           From this moment and nowdays, there were no more battles between the two roses however with the death of our King, things can change... 

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Finally, because of this war, many important people died...

• Richard, Duke of York,1460;
• Richard Wydville, Earl of Rivers, Last Queen Elizabeth's father, 1469;
• John Wydville, Last Queen Elizabeth's brother, 1469;
• Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, 1471;
• Edouard of Wesminster, Last King Henry VI' s IV son, 1471;
• Georges, Duke of Clarence, 1478;
• Henry VI, 1471.

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