Wars of the Roses

Wars of the Roses, fight between the House of Lancaster and the House of York for the English throne (1455–85). A white rose stood for the House of York and a red rose stood for the House of Lancaster. The throne of England changed hands 5 times after the beginning of the war, at which time Henry VI, a Lancaster, ruled. When Henry Tudor, King Henry VII, took the throne (1485), he married Elizabeth, a York. This union dissolved the conflict between both houses and created a new dynasty, the House of Tudor.