Wars of the Roses

American  

noun

English History.

1. the civil struggle between the royal house of Lancaster, whose emblem was a red rose, and the royal house of York, whose emblem was a white rose, beginning in 1455 and ending with the accession of Henry VII in 1485 and the union of the two houses.

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Wars of the Roses British  

plural noun

1. the conflicts in England (1455–85) centred on the struggle for the throne between the house of York (symbolized by the white rose) and the house of Lancaster (of which one badge was the red rose)

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Wars of the Roses

Some of her most unmissable episodes revolve around the 15th century Wars of the Roses, which inspired the “Game of Thrones” author George R.R.

From New York Times ● Dec. 27, 2022

The visuals are so rich that audiences will often remember the wonderful costumes, forgetting the the bloody details of the Wars of the Roses or the shady political machinations of royal court.

From Salon ● May 31, 2021

I’m writing a war story, essentially — the Wars of the Roses.

From Time ● Jul. 13, 2017

Airing on “Great Performances,” this series of adaptations of Shakespeare’s historical dramas continues with “The Wars of the Roses: Henry VI, Part I.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2016

We believe that it was made for the Audley who fell early in the Wars of the Roses.

From The Great House by Weyman, Stanley John