Ch. 14: The Accession of Edward IV

The Wars of the Roses 1377-1471

by Robert Balmain MOWAT (1883 - 1941)

The Wars of the Roses, 1377-1471, were a series of English civil wars fought for the control of the throne of England between two rival cadet branches of the House of Plantagenet, Lancaster and York. The Scottish historian, Robert Balmain Mowat (1883-1941) writes that these wars saw "the death of the old England and the beginning of the new." But they also saw the emergence of great personalities: the noble Richard of York, Warwick the Kingmaker, King Edward IV, indolent and energetic by turns, and his relentless opponent, Margaret of Anjou, a true she-wolf of France. (Summary by Pamela Nagami, M.D.)

Listen next episodes of The Wars of the Roses 1377-1471:
Ch. 18: The Troubled Years of King Edward, Pt. 2 , Ch. 18: The Troubled Years of King Edward, Pt. 3 , Ch. 20: English Society during the Wars of the Roses, Pt. 2 , Ch. 15: The Northern War , Ch. 16: Queen Margaret Abroad , Ch. 17: The Capture of Henry VI , Ch. 18: The Troubled Years of King Edward, Pt. 1 , Ch. 19: The Last of the Lancastrians, Pt. 1 , Ch. 19: The Last of the Lancastrians, Pt. 2 , Ch. 19: The Last of the Lancastrians, Pt. 3 , Ch. 20: English Society during the Wars of the Roses, Pt. 1 , Ch. 21: The Breakdown of Government under Henry VI , Ch. 22: The Work of Edward IV , Conclusion: The Accession of Henry VII