Welham Girls' School

As far as we know, medieval England was never invaded by zombies or terrorized by ice dragons but it sure was shaken by the rivalry within a royal family that went on for generations. This war, i.e. ‘The war of Roses’ may have faded over time but it surely made a comeback on our watchlist under the guise of “The Game of Thrones”. The spark of the war was lit by the death of King Edward III. His elder son ‘The black Prince’ had died before his father and instead of his brothers succussing to the throne, his 10-year-old son (Richard III took up the crown. This skipping of an entire generation led to the origin of the Lancasters and the Yorks or more familiarly known as the Lanisters and the Starks, the rebellions from the same family. The Lancasters first took the throne when Richard III was deposed by his cousin Henry lV. Following him, the throne was taken by his weak-willed son, Henry the V. This new king was a puppet to his wife, Margret, who represents ‘Cersel’ in the more familiar story. Margret was beautiful and ambitious, however, most notably she distrusted Richard of York i.e. Neo Stark, who at that time served as an advisor to the king. The first war between our two rivals was fought when Richard of York broke open from his exile in Ireland and attacked the corrupt rule of Margret with an army of his own. Meanwhile, the puppet king suffered a mental breakdown, and taking the golden chance, Richard rose to the position of ‘protector of realms. However, Richard was forced to declare war against the red roses, when the king recovered and took away the military title from his cousin.

 

This war marked the turning point in the fight, for thereafter, Richard’s younger son Edward lV seized the throne and deposed the Lancaster bloodline. Meanwhile, Margret was forced into exile, with her son Edward of Westminster. An easier name for the character can be ‘Joffery’. The rest of Edward’s rule was peaceful until he died in 1483 when his son was refused inheritance due to Edward’s illegitimate marriage. The throne was then taken over by Stannis, or to be accurate Richard III. None knew his downfall would arrive only 2 years later, bought by Henry Tudor, who gave inspiration to the character ‘Dnenerys’. Henry was the decedent of the first duke of Lancaster and the reason for the end of the war. Once he defeated the current ruler, he married Edward’s daughter. In turn, he blended the colors of red and white to a peaceful shade of pink and for once and for all, gave us a real-life better ending to the series that would reign our watchlists, where eventually, greed won over love.

- Bhavya Sangal and Ragini Ghughtayal