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In 1455 a civil war started which became known as the Wars of the Roses. Unlike the Hundred Years War it was fought on English
soil and ordinary people were very much involved. If you check the two little videos here you will see the main characters in the war. It was fought between two
great families; the House of Lancaster, of which the King in 1455, Henry VI, was a member, and the House of York. If you want you can write down the main characters
so you can see when we come across them.
To help you a bit more, I hope, we've also put that family tree from the last century on this page.
It all started because, in 1454, Henry VI suffered a mental breakdown, partly because of the stress of losing France and also
the rebellion led by Jack Cade. The Council, who advised the King, decided to appoint Henry’s uncle, Richard, Duke of York, as protector while Henry was unwell.
Henry’s wife, Margaret, didn’t like this idea and she, and her supporters, forced Richard to leave London.
Richard then gathered all his supporters together and marched towards London. The two armies met at St Albans on May 22 1455. Richard won, captured
Henry and put him in prison, which probably didn’t help his stress too much. Having won Richard was advised not to become King but continue as Lord Protector, as
his advisors felt this would look better. He did this, sort of, for 6 years during which time there were various small battles between the houses of York and
Lancaster.
Forward to 1460AD
