How did the Tudor Rose come about?

 

The Tudor Rose is well known as the emblem of the Tudor dynasty. The distinctive red and white rose is an amalgam of the White Rose of York and the Red Rose of Lancaster. This page gives an insight into the creation of the Tudor Rose.

This page gives an account of the background to the creation of the Tudor Rose It was In the fifteenth century, there was a power struggle between rival descendants of Edward III. The conflict between them is known as the Wars of the Roses.

Wars of the Roses Background

During the 15th Century there was a power struggle between rival descendants of King Edward III. This conflict later became known as the Wars of the Roses because the emblem of the House of Lancaster was the Red Rose, while the White Rose was the emblem of the house of York.

The origins of the conflict can be traced to the 1399 deposition of King Richard II, son of Edward the Black Prince, by his cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, who became King Henry IV.

He was succeeded by his son, Henry V without incident but the rule of mentally unstable King Henry VI was challenged by Richard Duke of York, grandson of Edmund of Langley and great great grandson of Lionel of Antwerp.

Richard Duke of York did not succeed in his challenge, but his son did, becoming King Edward IV in 1461. His son, the young king Edward V was declared illegitimate in 1483 and Edward IV’s brother, Richard Duke of Gloucester took the throne as Richard III. Soon afterwards, Edward V and his younger brother Richard, the Princes in the Tower, disappeared.  Many people believe they were murdered by their uncle.

 

The Tudor Dynasty

Henry Tudor, son of Margaret Beaufort, great granddaughter of John of Gaunt was now the only rival Lancastrian claimant to the throne. He was in France raising troops to mount an invasion and remove Richard from the throne. He gained the support of Elizabeth Woodville, widow of Edward IV, by promising to marry her eldest daughter, Elizabeth of York, when he became King.

In 1485 Henry Tudor landed at Milford Haven and marched inland. On hearing of the invasion, Richard III called his army to muster in Leicester. The two sides met at Bosworth Field on 22nd August 1485. Richard III was killed on the battlefield and Henry Tudor was proclaimed king.

Henry took the throne as Henry VII and, as promised, married Elizabeth of York in January 1486. The emblem of the new dynasty was the Tudor Rose which was created from the red rose of Lancaster and the white rose of York.

 

Published 2020 – Updated – Nov 25 2024