Wars of the Roses — The Real Game of ThronesPart I, The Fall of the House of LancasterFrom the

Wars of the Roses — The Real Game of ThronesPart I, The Fall of the House of LancasterFrom the mid to late middle ages England had been ruled by a dynasty of kings from the House of Plantagenet.  By 15th century, however, the Plantagenet’s ceased to be a united family, but was divided into two main family lines, the House of York (symbolized by the white rose) and the House of Lancaster (symbolized by the red rose).  The House of Lancaster ruled England starting in 1399 when Henry IV overthrew the power hungry King Richard II.  A strong line of kings, the Lancastrian’s were renowned for bringing wealth and power to the kingdom through successful conquests in Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and France.  Unfortunately all of that changed when in 1422, Henry VI ascended to the throne (pictured above).  A deeply troubled man who suffered from mental illness, he could barely rule his kingdom, causing England to descend into a period of political chaos, corruption, economic stagnation, and lawlessness.  England lost most of her conquests in France, rebellion broke out across the country, and when things couldn’t get any worse the Black Death killed as much as half of the population.In 1453 Henry suffered a mental breakdown to the point that he was unable to rule England.  The English Parliament elected Richard, the Duke of York to rule in his stead as Protector of the Realm.On Christmas Day, 1454 Henry VI regained his health and demanded that his authority be re-established.  The nobles were hesitant to grant his request, they did not want a return of the corrupt and powerless kingship of Henry VI.  Most of the nobles of England chose to back the Duke of York as a replacement for Henry. With few friends and his throne in jeopardy, Henry once again slipped into madness. To take his place his wife, Queen Margaret of Anjou, raised an army to defend the kingdom.  A beautiful and strong woman, Margaret personally led the army into battle and served as the power behind her husband’s throne.Over the next six years a bloody civil war was waged between Henry and the Duke of York.  Finally in 1461 the royalist army was defeated by the Duke, although York was killed during the battle.  His eldest son, Edward of York, was named King Edward IV of England.  Henry was captured and imprisoned, but later freed when Margaret used the remnants of her army to break him out of prison (2nd Battle of St. Albans).  It was said that he was so mad at that point that he was laughing and singing as the battle raged around him.Queen Margaret was determined not to give up.  She and Henry fled to Scotland where she personally raised an army from loyalists in Northern England.  She gained support from Louis VI of France, and more importantly Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick, a former supporter of Edward IV turned traitor.  Margaret managed to regain the throne in 1470, but Henry’s rule was once again weak and ineffectual.  After merely six months on the throne, Henry was once again ousted in favor of Edward IV.  Margaret of Anjou was ransomed to the King of France, where she lived in exile until 1482.  Her bones were stolen and scattered with the ransacking of Angers Cathedral during the French Revolution.  Henry VI was imprisoned in the Tower of London until his death in 1471.  While his cause of death is unknown, it is rumored that Edward IV arranged to have him murdered.With Edward IV in power, it was now time for him to secure his throne.  In a move truly in line with “A Game of Thrones”, Edward IV would order the mass execution of every Lancastrian noble in England.  Meanwhile his two younger brothers would make their own bids for the throne.To Be Continued… -- source link

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