Henry VII of England: The Dawn of the Tudor Era

 

His ascension to the throne of England marked the end of the Wars of the Roses (read about them HERE and HERE). He's the man who finally managed to unify the houses of Lancaster and York.

But let's take it from the top.

Henry Tudor was born in 1457 to Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond, and Margaret Beaufort, who descended from the House of Lancaster. His mother was 13 years old when she gave birth to him and 12 years old when she... ahem... conceived him. Now, by comparison, the sex scenes in the Knock Knock film don't seem that creepy anymore, do they?

The Wars of the Roses (Part 2)

 

The first part is HERE.

After Edward IV's coronation, the two former monarchs (Henry and Margaret) and their son fled to Scotland.

Everything seemed to be going well for three years, during which, by the way, Former King Henry was captured for a third time (ok, seriously, stop being captured, Henry; this isn't even funny anymore!)

Anyway, after a relatively peaceful period, disagreements arose between King Edward and the Yorkists' powerful ally, Richard Neville.

The Wars of the Roses (Part 1)

 

A series of conflicts that lasted for 30 years, from 1455 to 1485. Do not confuse them with the Thirty Years' War, which lasted from 1618 to 1648, though; we will talk about the latter in the future... maybe.

The Wars of the Roses were named after the emblems of the Lancaster and York houses: a red rose and a white one respectively.

The House of Lancaster and the House of York both branched off the House of Plantagenet, who had been ruling England since 1154 (we talked about that HERE).

The House of Lancaster was created by the third son of King Edward III: John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (hence the name). The House of York was created by the fourth son of Edward III: Edmund of Langley, Duke of York (hence the name).

You see, King Edward, in his attempt to keep all his sons happy (how sweet of him!), created duchies left and right, bestowing them on his children. Little did he know what a mess that decision of his would cause!

The Hundred Years' War (Part 3): Joan of Arc

 

Read the first part HERE.

Read the second part HERE.

So, as I promised last time, today, I'll tell you the story of Joan of Arc, a pretty interesting woman who was canonized by the Catholic Church.

Aka the Virgin of Orleans (well, virgin as far as we know!) A young, no name shepherdess who changed the course of history of two kingdoms!

The Hundred Years' War (Part 2)

Read the first part of this article HERE.

So, as we saw last time, by 1360, King Edward III of England had strengthened his position in France.

Unfortunately for him, past that point, the tide began turning.

Eddie had aged and eventually grew more interested in screwing his mistress, Alice Perrers, than in politics. And who could blame him? I mean, which of you wouldn't do the same thing to a chick like her? Just look at her below.

 

Furthermore, his health as well as that of his son, Edward the Black Prince, who had greatly contributed to the English victories until then, deteriorated.

The Hundred Years' War (Part 1)

 

100 years are a long time. Do you know how long a time 100 years are? Well, to get an idea, more or less...

-This is how long the Sleeping Beauty slept for.

-This is how long an average chess match lasts.

-This is how long it will be before Dan Schneider finally does us a favor and makes a Victorious reunion episode.

-Also, this is how long the Hundred Years' War lasted.

But what exactly is the Hundred Years' War?

Well, this is what historians arbitrarily call a series of conflicts that took place between France and England over the period 1337-1453. The truth, though, is that the conflicts between those two medieval kingdoms began long before that period and ended long afterward.

Richard I of England: Heart of a Lion, Brains of a Chicken

 

He was renowned for his martial prowess and bravery.

Boooring.

His exploits in the Third Crusade are legendary.

Yawn.

One of the most illustrious monarchs of England.

Wake me up when this article is over.

Also rumors have it he was gay.

WHOAH! Now you have my attention!

Richard was one of the children of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine (we said a lot about that couple HERE).

He became Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Poitou when he was 15. Most boys his age would be delighted in his position. I mean, what else does it take to make a teenage boy happy? Some pokemon video games, some prostitutes, some junk food and a duchy or two. However, Richard was greedy.