War of the Roses

a conflict between the House of Lancaster and the House of York for the kingship of England. It started with the deposition of Richard II in 1399 by Henry Bolingbroke and ended with the victory of Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, over Richard III at the battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. In order not to be seen as bloody usurper the new king, Henry VII, many historiographers and writers adapted the War of the Roses as decisive part of the Tudor Myth. According to the historian G.R. Elton, the War of the Roses points towards the emergence of "bastard [[feudalism]" (land/work for money) and the subsequent weakening of monarchical power. As many members of the nobility died because of their involvement in the fight between Lancaster and York, their numbers were severely decimated.