Wars of the Roses

The birthplace of modern western democracy endured decades upon decades of civil war, but this same civil war that savaged Britain for so long also spurred the growth of democracy. The Wars of the Roses helped shape the future of Britain and the wider the world, and it also helped form the basis for William Shakespeare’s King Lear. Shakespeare lived in a time in British history only a century after the conclusion of this brutal conflict, and it had a powerful impact on his writing. Conflict over…

Henry VII is remembered in history as having ended the Wars of the Roses and uniting a bitterly divided England. By defeating Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 and marrying Elizabeth of York he brought together the Houses of Lancaster and York under his new Tudor banner. However, Henry’s reign was not going to be straightforward and he had many issues which challenged his security on the throne. Henry had to ensure he dealt with rivals to the throne as well as making sure he ruled…

in the number of defining, long-lasting but generally political un-taxing decisions he made. Several of these contributed to the longevity of the Tudor dynasty and worked to bring stability and balance to England in the years succeeding the Wars of the Roses. While there were a number of failures during reign, none of them were particularly devastating and were all generally short-term issues. Key successes in Henry’s political moves included arranged marriages that forged connections and…

Machiavellian traits of being a fox by being sly and stabilizing peace with other countries through arranged marriages that staked his family's hereditary claim to the throne. He was a firm and decisive ruler, who was very independent and kept England out of war. Finally, he strengthened England's economy and protected his power. Henry's Machiavellian traits and ability to stabilize his power and control over others, can be similarly compared to the actions of Adolf Hitler. Both demanded loyalty…

Topic: Richard III and the princes in the tower Introduction: “Let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death kings; how some have been deposed; some slain in war, some haunted by the ghosts they have deposed. Some poisoned by their own cousins. Anyhow, all murders are for the hollow crown.” (Shakespeare, 2.3.5-10) As many royal stories in England, every crown has their own story to tell. In our story, the deception cousin did not only stole the throne but also captive the two…

by the plague, most of my family would have probably died and I would be living in very harsh conditions. My family would have also been forced to fight in the 100 year war, losing most of our income and men. Not only did we have to live through this war, we also had to live through the civil war in england, The War of the Roses. Resulting in the Tudors rising to power and living in an absolutist country. However a light during this time was a increase in attempt to make england 's people more…

Though Queen Margaret was clearly a powerful and influential Queen, Shakespeare dismissed her political accomplishments. In Richard III, the playwright only mentions to her actual involvement in the War of Roses once, referring to when Margaret took a cloth drenched in Rutland's blood and waved it in front of Richard Plantagenet's face: “The curse my noble father laid on thee, / When thou didst crown his warlike brows with paper / And with thy scorns drew'st rivers from his eyes, / And then, to…

The Tragedy of Richard III was based on the true life king who ruled 1483 to 1485, just two short years. Richard III was no doubt a really bad guy. He was a murderer, a tyrant, a hypocrite, and a traitor. Shakespeare presents Richard in an extremely negative way throughout the entire play. He was shown as an evil person; who was fascinated with the control that only being the king could have brought him, and he would have taken any risk that was needed to become the King. He was motivated by his…

What was the most significant threat to Henry VII's reign? Some people argue that the De la Poles were the most significant threat to the throne and whilst they surely had the most potential I disagree with that claim. The brothers had three times the chance to make a claim to the throne, as all of them had an equal claim to it through their maternal heritage. Albeit they did not use it to their advantage or were unable to use it. John wasted his claim by supporting another, which would have…

Battle of Langside Battle of Pinkie Cleugh Battle of Carberry Hill Rough Wooing of Scotland Wyatt's Rebellion Siege of Leith Revolt of the Northern Earls Anglo-Spanish War Battle of Langside: The Battle of Langside took place May 13th1568 and was between Mary Stuart and her half-brother James Stuart. The reason behind the battle was that Mary escaped from the Loch Leven Castle that she was imprisoned at due to the Battle of Carberry Hill. Once Mary escaped she tried to put her last efforts…