War of the Roses

War of the Roses

n.

1. Any of a series of intermittent civil wars in the 15th century between the English royal houses of York and Lancaster and their supporters. The wars began in the 1450s and ended in victory for the Lancastrians in 1485 with the death of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field and the accession of Henry VII to the throne.

2. These wars considered as a group.

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[From the symbols of the two houses.]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

War of the Roses - struggle for the English throne (1455-1485) between the house of York (white rose) and the house of Lancaster (red rose) ending with the accession of the Tudor monarch Henry VII Wars of the Roses Bosworth Field - the battle that ended the Wars of the Roses (1485); Richard III was killed and Henry Tudor was crowned as Henry VII England - a division of the United Kingdom