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

There’s a tremendous amount of history to get through in “Henry 6,” but the production has fun catching the audience up on how the Wars of the Roses came about.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 15, 2024

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

Shakespeare's dramatic rendering of the infamous Machiavellian-style politics during the Wars of the Roses in his series of history plays gave "Game of Thrones's" creator, George R.R.

From Salon • Sep. 24, 2022

But some of us are still playing catchup with her best work: the BBC’s 10-part Wars of the Roses drama, The White Queen, from 2013, in which she is fiercely affecting as Elizabeth Woodville.

From The Guardian • Jul. 19, 2018

Bosworth Field is often treated as the last act of the Wars of the Roses.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 5 English History by Various