5.The Wars of the Roses（1455-1485）

Barely two years after the close of the Hundred Years’War with France，England was thrown into another series of civil wars，which were waged intermittently between the two branches of the Plantagenet family，the House of Lancaster and the House of York，between 1455and 1485.The flag of Lancaster showed a red rose，and the flag of York showed a white one，so the struggle between them became known as the Wars of the Roses.

In form，this war was a dynastic struggle between descendants of Edward Ⅲwho had rival claims to the throne.To this extent it was the outcome of a policy that had been initiated by Edward Ⅲwho had married his children to the heirs of the most powerful nobles in the hope of strengthening his family.In this way immense lands and wealth were concentrated in the hands of small group of men all connected with the royal house and all political ambitious.With the ending of the wars in France，the ambitious nobles，whose energies were no longer taken up by war，began to gang up to gain the control of the government at home.A mass of unemployed soldiers who just returned from France provided the military forces for the nobles.The civil war began when Richard，the Duck of York，claimed to displace the Lancaster King，HenryⅥ.Supporting the Lancastrians were the wild nobles of the Scottish and Welsh borders，the most backward and feudal elements surviving in the country.The Yorkists drew most of their support from the progressive South，from East Anglia and from London，even if this support was not usually very active.So in nature the war was a struggle between the commercial-minded gentry in the South and the backward feudal landowners in the North and West.

Wars of Roses（1455-1485）

The civil war went on for 30years.Open battles were few，but murder and revenge were common.Political trials after each disturbance took many noblemen to their death.But the common people were little affected and so was the economic life of the time.Actually the war was a hidden blessing to the English，for the death of many nobles enabled England to shake off much of its feudal burden in its advance.It is generally believed that the Wars of the Roses practically extinguished feudalism in England.

The civil war ended in 1485with the accession of Henry Tudor as Henry Ⅶ.Henry Tudor was a Welsh lord whose mother came from John of Gaunt’s⁵ family.As the only surviving Lancastrian claimant to the crown，he won support of the moderate nobles of all parties and married EdwardⅣ’s daughter，thus uniting the Lancastrian and Yorkist royal houses.England then settled down to a new age of orderly government under the royal House of Tudor.

Notes

1.New Forest：an area of 92，170acres in south Hampshire，England.It was made a royal hunting preserve by William the Conqueror in 1079.The area is now famous for its ponies，and in 1992was given the status of a national park.

2.Crusades：military endeavors by Christian nations of the West Europe from the end of the 11th century till the 13th century to conquer Palestine and free Jerusalem from the Turks.Eight crusades are usually listed.The first started in 1096，and after many battles Jerusalem was captured in 1099.The third，in which Richard I of England took part，began in 1187when Saladin captured Jerusalem and ended in 1192with a truce between Saladin and Richard，giving Christian pilgrims free access to Jerusalem.

3.Windsor：site of Windsor Castle in Berkshire，about 35km west of London.The Castle was built in the 11th century by William the Conqueror and it is now one of the most famous royal palaces in Europe.In 1936EdwardⅧmade his famous abdication broadcast from Windsor.

4.Joan of Arc贞德（1412-1431）：French national heroine，apeasant girl，and also known as the Maid of Orleans.During the Hundred Years’War，she persuaded CharlesⅦof France to allow her to lead the French troops，and in 1429she raised the Siege of Orleans，then accompanied CharlesⅦto his coronation.In 1430she was captured and handed over to the English，who burnt her as a witch and heretic in 1431.In 1456the church annulled the condemnation of Joan for heresy，and in 1920she was declared a saint by the French government.

5.John of Gaunt：Duke of Lancaster，fourth son of Edward Ⅲ，father of Henry Ⅳ，and uncle of RichardⅡ.Because he was also the great-great grandfather of Henry Ⅶ，he was the ancestor of all subsequent English monarchs.He was called“Old Lancaster”by Shakespeare，although just 59when he died.

Exercises

Ⅰ.Choose the correct answer.

1.The last of the true Norman Kings was________.

A.William Rufus　　　B.HenryⅠ

C.Henry Ⅱ　　　　　 D.Robert

2.The founder of the English legal system and the Common Law was________.

A.HenryⅠ　　　B.Henry Ⅱ

C.Stephen 　　 D.Matilda

3.The Great Charter includes all the following points except that________.

A.no tax should be made without the approval of the council

B.no freemen should be arrested except by the law of the land

C.if the king attempted to free himself from law the vassals had the right to force the king to obey

D.the vassals had the sole power to levy a tax on people

4.The first“Prince of Wales”in English historywas________.

A.Henry Ⅲ　　　B.EdwardⅠ

C.EdwardⅡ　　　D，Edward Ⅲ

5.The Parliament became a regular agency of the government under________.

A.Henry Ⅲ　　　B.Simon de Montfort

C.EdwardⅠ　　　D.EdwardⅡ

6.Wales was conquered by________.

A.EdwardⅠ　　　B.EdwardⅡ

C.Henry Ⅲ　　　D.RichardⅠ

7.The chief demand of the peasants during Tyler’s Risingof 1381was________.

A.to punish the lawyers　　　B.to raise wages

C.to free villeins　　　　　 D.to reform the church

8.The Wars of the Roses ended in 1485with the accession of________，the first king of the House of Tudor.

A.Henry Ⅶ　　　　　　B.Henry Ⅷ

C.John of Gaunt　　　 D.EdwardⅣ

Ⅱ.Fill in the blanks.

1.HenryⅠbecame king of England in________.During his reign，he introduced several ________and ________reforms.He was well liked by his people because he kept ________in the country，but he must bear part of the ________for the terrible years followed his death.

2.Henry Ⅱwas the first kingof the House of________.He was a very powerful ruler in Europe.He received all ________France from his father and all________France from his wife.He ruled，in fact，all land between________and________.Henry Ⅱis best remembered for his reform of the________and their________.

3.In his Canterbury Tales，the poet Chaucer described a group of people who made pilgrimages to________’s grave.

4.The Great Charter was signed by King________in________.This feudal contract________the barons’traditional feudal rights.It was chiefly important as an expressing of the principle of________government；it forwarded the idea that the king was bound by the________of the land.The right of revolt against________government was spelled out in the document.This was to be a factor in the________Revolution.The Great Charter is traditionally regarded as the basis of English________.

5.The Hundred Years’War lasted intermittentlyfrom 1337 to________.During the war England underwent important________，________and social changes.

6.The Black Death struck Europe in the middle of the ________century and reached England in the summer of________.The sudden and violent effect in England was the fall in the population，and consequentlyin the________.The government tried to check this by the Statute of Labourers of 1351，which made it a ________offence for labourers to demand，or for employers to pay，more than the maximum wages fixed by the ________in the district.

7.The Wars of the Roses lasted ________years.Supporting the Lancastrians were the wild ________of the Scottish and Welsh borders，the most________and ________elements surviving in the country.The Yorkists drew most of their support from the progressive________，from East Anglia and from________，even if this support was not usually very active.So in nature the war was a struggle between the __________gentry in the South and the backward ________landowners in the North and West.

Ⅲ.Questions for Discussion.

1.How did King Henry Ⅱreform the courts and law in England？

2.Why was King John nicknamed“King of Lackland”？

3.What’s the significance of the Great Charter？

4.How did the English Parliament come into being？

5.What do you know about the nature and consequences of the Wars of the Roses？