The key players

John of Gaunt

John of Gaunt was an English prince and the third son of Edward III. He served as the Duke of Lancaster after his father created a series of Duchies for his five sons. He rose to a position of influence and power following the death of his older brothers and his appointment as part of the Regency council of his nephew.

His direct male line formed the House of Lancaster who would rule England from 1399 until the outbreak of the Wars of the Roses. He had several children, including Henry Bolingbroke who would go on to become Henry IV. He fathered five children with his mistress Katherine Swynford, who would go on to become his third wife and these children would be given the surname Beaufort. His great granddaughter, Lady Margaret Beaufort is the mother of Henry VII.

Richard, Duke of York

Also known as Richard Plantagenet, Richard the 3^rd Duke of York was descended from two of Edward III’s sons, Lionel and Edmund. He was cousin to king Henry VI and was named Lord Protector while the king was unwell. He did not get on with Margaret of Anjou, Henry’s wife and eventually tried to take the throne, he died in battle and his son, Edward IV inherited the throne instead.

Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick

Known as Warwick the Kingmaker, Richard Neville was the wealthiest and most powerful English peer of the time. He happened to be the uncle of Richard Duke of York, which also made him related to Henry VI. He started out as a supporter of King Henry and sat on his council but would swap sides to work with the Yorks, installing Richard of York as Lord Protector and supporting his claim to the throne.He returned to supporting Henry after falling out with Edward IV over his marriage to Elizabeth Woodville. He was killed in battle at the Battle of Barnet.

George Plantagenet, the Duke of Clarence

George was the brother of Edward IV and Richard III. As part of the House of York he took part in the Wars of the Roses but switched sides during Warwick’s support of Henry VI. At one time, Warwick tried to replace Edward with George and this resulted in George being imprisoned in the Tower of London on charges of Treason. He was eventually executed, though historians debate whether this was because he teamed up with Warwick or whether he told the church that Edward had a previous marriage contract in place which could have invalidated his marriage to Elizabeth Woodville.

Margaret of Anjou

Queen Margaret was the wife of Henry VI and is thought to have personally led the Lancastrian faction due to her husband’s ill health. Margaret effectively ruled in the king’s place despite a Lord Protector being appointed and personally called to exclude Richard of York from the line of succession. She was taken prisoner at various times during the war and following the death of her only son, was eventually ransomed by her cousin King Louis XI of France where she spent the last of her days.

Elizabeth Woodville

Elizabeth Woodville became Queen of England following her marriage to Edward IV. She had previously been married to a Lancastrian knight and this angered the Earl of Warwick. Elizabeth remained politically influential following the death of her husband and the disappearance of her two younger sons after they were deposed by Richard III. She was instrumental in helping Henry VII’s claim, having previously worked with his mother, Margaret Beaufort. Through her daughter, she was grandmother to the Tudor dynasty.

Lady Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond

Margaret was a descendant of King Edward III through John of Gaunt’s third wife. At the age of 12 she was married to Edmund Tudor, half brother of King Henry VI, together they had one son, Henry Tudor. Because Henry’s life was in peril as a claimant to the Lancastrian throne, he spent most of his life in exile, away from his mother but she used the political uncertainty of the time to manoeuvre him into a position of power. She used her wits and the forces of her third and fourth husbands to gain influence which would turn the tide in her son’s favour.