E X T E N S I O N THE WARS OF THE ROSES (PART 1) The Wars of the Roses were a series of battles that took place in England from 1455 to 1485 between two families: the House of York and the House of Lancaster. They both wanted to rule1 England. The long series of battles were called the Wars of the Roses because the symbol of each house was a rose. The House of York had a white rose, the House of Lancaster had a red rose. Edward III was king of England from 1327 to 1377. After his death, his many children and their descendants2 all wanted to become kings of England.With time, these descendants became two different families: the Yorks and the Lancasters. Henry VI, a Lancaster, became king in 1422. Henry was not a strong leader of the country. During his reign3, England lived in a chaotic4 situation. This made life very difficult for many people. The king and his lords also asked them to pay high taxes. In 1453, Henry had serious health problems and Richard, Duke of York, became king. But after two years, Henry recovered5 and wanted the throne6 back. Richard did not want to give up his power. This led to the first battle between the Yorkists and the Lancastrians, at Saint Albans in 1455. Richard and the Yorkists won. 1. rule: to control and have authority over a country, a group of people, etc. 2. descendant: person who belongs to the same family but lives at a later time. 3. reign: the period during which a king, queen, etc. rules. 4. chaotic: without any order, in a completely confused state. 5. recover: to get well again after being ill. 6. throne: the position of being a king or queen. 21