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

His earliest memory of Shakespeare is watching “The Wars of the Roses,” directed by his father, when he was 4 or 5, and “seeing a lot of people in armor with very exciting-looking weapons.”

From New York Times

The broad-strokes treatment, by turns suspenseful and rollicking, works well in an outdoor summer Shakespeare presentation that makes the Wars of the Roses seem Spielberg-ian in intrigue and suspense.

From Los Angeles Times

It belonged to Lady Margaret Beaufort, who played a major role in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars for the English throne.

From New York Times

In the 15th century, the befuddled derangement of the English King Henry VI — possibly a hereditary schizophrenia — helped to light the fuse of the Wars of the Roses.

From Los Angeles Times

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