Abstract: The Wars of the Roses were a series of civil wars fought in medieval England from 1455 to 1485 between House of Lancaster and House of York. There were three periods of sustained conflict: 1455-1461, 1469-1471, and 1483-1487. The name of the Wars of the Roses was based on the badges used by the two sides, the red rose for the Lancastrians and the white rose for the Yorkists. After the war the aristocracy suffered dreadfully, and Tudor dynasty was founded. Based on the historical facts, this paper is to discuss the causes of the Wars of the Roses, the impact of this war on the social development of England and also on the postwar England as a whole.
Key Words: The Wars of the Roses; aristocracy; social development
关键词： 玫瑰战争;贵族统治；社会发展
CONTENTS
Introduction 1
1. Background and Origins of the Wars of the Roses 2
1.1 Background of the Wars of the Roses 2
1.2 Origins of the Wars of the Roses 2
2. The Course of the Wars of the Roses 4
2.1 The Initial Phase of the Wars: 1455-1461 4
2.2 The Second Phase of the Wars: 1464-1471 6
2.3 The Third Phase of the Wars: 1485-1487 12
3. The Impact of the Wars on English Social Development 13
3.1 The Impact of the Wars on political system 13
3.2 The Impact of the Wars on Economic System 14
3.3 The Impact of the Wars on the Social Ideas 15
4. Conclusion 15
Bibliography 17
