Lancastrians

The Lancastrians were one of the two main factions in the Wars of the Roses, a series of English civil wars fought between 1455 and 1487. Their symbol was the red rose. The Lancastrian claim to the throne was based on descent from John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the fourth son of King Edward III. Their primary rivals were the Yorkists, whose symbol was the white rose and who also claimed descent from Edward III, through his second and fifth sons.

The Lancastrian cause was initially championed by King Henry VI, whose weak rule and mental instability were seen as a major cause of the conflict. Following his deposition and subsequent death, the Lancastrian line continued through his son, Edward of Westminster, who was killed at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471. Later, Henry Tudor, a descendant of John of Gaunt through his mother Margaret Beaufort, revived the Lancastrian claim. He defeated King Richard III, a Yorkist, at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, becoming King Henry VII and establishing the Tudor dynasty. The marriage of Henry VII to Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV, symbolically united the two houses and ended the Wars of the Roses, ushering in a new era for England.