War of the Roses: British Dynastic Struggle

The War of the Dynasties

• The Lancaster and York dynasties, represented by a white and red rose respectively, fought for the throne.
• Henry VI (Lancaster) was imprisoned and deposed by Edward IV (York), who later died under suspicious circumstances.
• Edward V (York) was deposed by his uncle Richard III (York), who was killed by Henry Tudor in the Porpus war, marking the end of the Plantagenet dynasty.

The Tudor Dynasty

• Henry Tudor became the first Tudor king, supported by the Lancaster family, and took the name Henry VII.
• Henry VII's reign marked the beginning of a new era of stability after years of civil war.
• He married Elizabeth of York, Edward IV's daughter, uniting the two roses and ending the civil war.
• They had four children: Arthur, Henry VIII, Margaret, and Mary.

The Children of Henry VII

• Arthur married Catherine of Aragon, leading to an alliance with Spain, but died before his father.
• Henry VIII succeeded his father and became king.
• Margaret married the king of Scotland, the Stuart family, but England and Scotland remained divided until the 17th century.
• Mary married twice, first to the king of France and then to the Duke of Suffolk, and had many children, including Frances, who married Lord Grey and had Jane.

Henry VIII's Reign

• Henry VIII asked the Pope for permission to marry his sister-in-law, Catherine of Aragon, but was denied due to the rules of the Catholic Church.
• Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church and formed the Anglican Church, with himself as its head.
• He married Anne Boleyn, had a daughter Elizabeth, and eventually had Anne beheaded on charges of adultery and incest.
• He married Jane Seymour, had a son Edward, and she died after childbirth.
• He married Anne of Cleves, but the marriage was canceled due to lack of consummation.
• He married Catherine Howard, had her beheaded on charges of adultery, and finally married Catherine Parr, who survived him.

The Tudor Succession

• Henry VIII's will declared that his daughter Mary should succeed him, but she was Catholic, and Edward VI, a Protestant, became king instead.
• Edward VI died, and Mary became queen, but was soon overthrown by Jane, who was proclaimed queen for nine days.
• Mary was reinstated as queen, earning the nickname "Bloody Mary" for her persecution of Protestants.
• Elizabeth I succeeded Mary and became queen, deciding not to marry and instead focus on her reign.