What were the origins, the aspect, and the outcomes of the War of the Roses?

Résumé du document

"And here I prophesy: this brawl today, Grown to this faction in the Temple garden, Shall send, between the Red Rose and the White, A thousand souls to death and deadly night.": this is how the Earl of Warwick announces the War of the Roses in Shakespeare's Henry VI. Indeed, from 1455 to 1485, the English nobility was divided by a series of civil wars, today known as the War of the Roses. The belligerents, the House of York and the House of Lancaster, which were both branches of the House of Plantagenet and descendants of Edward III, fought over the gain of the throne of England. Even if this war had firstly been a limited quarrel between powerful nobles, and did not really affect the population, it had become part of a certain myth of the Middle-Ages, and has become a legendary war. Nevertheless, if the War is seen as the embodiment of the Age of Chivalry, it also revealed the deep crisis the English monarchy went through during the Middle-Ages: we may thus wonder which have been the causes and consequences of the War of the Roses? How can it be considered as a symbol for the weakening of the Middle-Age monarchy?

Extraits

[...] But for a distance of 6 miles, the snow-covered ground was stained red with the blood of the victims. Nevertheless, nine years later, Margaret, who had fled to France, had managed to raise a new Lancastrian army-she had obtained in 1469 the support of the Earl of Warwick: Edward had married Elizabeth Woodville, and the lavish advancements of his wife's relations caused troubles; Warwick, dissatisfied with his rewards, decided to change side. Edward was deposed and fled, and Henry was briefly restored from 1470 to 1471. [...]

[...] While the King was in Ireland in 1399, Henry invaded Northern England, and rallied enough support to force Richard's abdication. He was thus crowned Henry IV; but the resentment of the defeated House of York remained long after and altered relation among the nobility. c. The disastrous outcome of the one-hundred years War At the end of the one-hundred years war, the Kingdom of England was in a bad position. After long years of violent battles, the kingdom was left devastated, and the denouement of the war was definitely not in their favour. [...]

[...] After 1410, the Welsh realized that Wales was not likely to be separated from England and to gain its liberty: little by little, Glyndwr lost support and his legitimacy. However, the fight for the control of Wales had been very expensive for England, and especially for the Norman and Welsh border lords, who had to fight to keep their possessions. The English army had to be extended and the unrest in the island remained long after the end of the war. b. [...]

[...] The proof is that it is more than 500 years after, during the XIX century, that the famous Scottish writer Walter Scott named it of the Roses”-due to the symbols of the two families. Nevertheless, it is worth noticing that the significance of this Civil War has been largely heightened by the Royal House of Tudors, and by his first representative, Henry VII. Indeed, the new King had to secure his position, and to do so, he showed himself as the one who had been able to unify a divided nation on the verge of collapse. [...]

[...] The situation was catastrophic for England: English nobles were left weakened by the 100 years war, and the war with Wales, they had lost all their French possessions: it was vital for them to choose a new king, who could be able to impose his power, and to deal skilfully with the crisis. II. The outcome and unfolding of the War a. Yorkists versus Lancastrians In August 1453, Henry suffered from a complete mental collapse-it could have been catatonic schizophrenia. He only recovered at Christmas; during the time, he was said to be speechless and unaware, even of his own son's birth. [...]