Lady Margaret Beaufort
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Lady Margaret Beaufort was a major figure in the Wars of the Roses of the late fifteenth century, and mother of King Henry VII of England, the first Tudor monarch.
Monumental brass of Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond, the husband of Lady Margaret Beaufort, in St David's Cathedral, Pembrokeshire
Pembroke Castle in 2007, the Norman castle where Margaret gave birth to Henry Tudor in 1457
A young woman, believed by some to be a young Lady Margaret Beaufort, in the National Portrait Gallery
Statue of Margaret Beaufort in the Chapel of St John's College, Cambridge, which she founded
Wars of the Roses
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The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The wars were fought between supporters of the House of Lancaster and House of York, two rival cadet branches of the royal House of Plantagenet. The conflict resulted in the end of Lancaster's male line in 1471, enabling the Tudor family to inherit their claim to the throne through the female line. Conflict was largely brought to an end upon the union of the two houses through marriage, creating the Tudor dynasty that would subsequently rule England.
Miniature of the Battle of Tewkesbury, late 15th century
Edward III was the father of five dukes: Edward (Cornwall), Lionel (Clarence), John (Lancaster), Edmund (York), and Thomas (Gloucester).
Richard II was a child-king who succeeded his grandfather Edward III shortly after the death of his father, Edward the Black Prince.
John of Gaunt, founder of the House of Lancaster