The Wars of the Roses
Henry was devout, kindly, not enamoured of the trappings of wealth but was also described as "unsteadfast of wit", a difficult quality in the turbulent times and for a king surrounded by a turmoil of ambitious, strong, competing nobles and his wife.
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic wars for the throne of England. They were fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet, the houses of Lancaster and York. They were fought in several sporadic episodes between 1455 and 1487, although there was related fighting before and after this period. The conflict resulted from social and financial troubles that followed the Hundred Years' War, combined with the mental infirmity and weak rule of Henry VI, which revived interest in the alternative claim to the throne of Richard, Duke of York.
