Claim: The Wars of the Roses happened in the 15th century.

The Wars of the Roses were a series of wars for control of the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet : the House of Lancaster -LRB- associated with a red rose -RRB- , and the House of York -LRB- whose symbol was a white rose -RRB- . The conflict lasted through many sporadic episodes between 1455 and 1487 ; however , there was fighting before and after this period between the houses . The power struggle ignited around social and financial troubles following the Hundred Years ' War , combined with the mental infirmity and weak rule of Henry VI which revived interest in Richard of York 's claim to the throne . Historians disagree about whether the Wars of the Roses were caused by the structural problems of bastard feudalism or Henry VI 's ineffectiveness as king .   With the Duke of York 's death , the claim transferred to his heir , Edward , who later became the first Yorkist king of England , as Edward IV . His son reigned for 86 days as Edward V , but Parliament then decided that Edward and his brother Richard were illegitimate and offered the crown to Edward IV 's younger brother , who became Richard III . The two young princes disappeared within the confines of the Tower of London .   The final victory went to a claimant of the Lancastrian party , Henry Tudor , Earl of Richmond , who defeated the last Yorkist king , Richard III , at the Battle of Bosworth Field . After assuming the throne as Henry VII , he married Elizabeth of York , the eldest daughter and heir of Edward IV , thereby uniting the two claims . The House of Tudor ruled the Kingdom of England until 1603 , with the death of Elizabeth I , granddaughter of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York .