How did the Wars of the Roses influence the succession and legitimacy of monarchs?

The Wars of the Roses significantly influenced the succession and legitimacy of monarchs by disrupting the traditional line of inheritance and introducing the concept of usurpation.

The Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England from 1455 to 1487, had a profound impact on the succession and legitimacy of English monarchs. The wars were fought between the houses of Lancaster and York, both branches of the Plantagenet dynasty, for control of the throne. The conflict disrupted the traditional line of inheritance, leading to a period of instability and uncertainty regarding the rightful heir to the throne.

Before the Wars of the Roses, the succession of the English throne was generally determined by primogeniture, the right of the firstborn son to inherit his parent's estate, titles, and roles. However, the wars saw several instances of usurpation, where a person seized the throne from the reigning monarch, often by force. This was a significant departure from the established norms of succession and posed a challenge to the legitimacy of the reigning monarch.

The first major instance of usurpation during the Wars of the Roses was when Edward IV, a Yorkist, deposed the Lancastrian king Henry VI in 1461. Edward's claim to the throne was based on his descent from Lionel of Antwerp, the second surviving son of Edward III, which he argued gave him a superior claim to the Lancastrians, who descended from John of Gaunt, the third surviving son of Edward III. This set a precedent for the throne to be seized by force, rather than inherited.

The most significant impact of the Wars of the Roses on the succession and legitimacy of monarchs came with the rise of the Tudor dynasty. Henry Tudor, a distant relative of the Lancastrian line, defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 and claimed the throne as Henry VII. His claim was tenuous at best, as it was based on his mother's descent from a legitimised branch of the Beaufort family, who were themselves descended from John of Gaunt's illegitimate children.

To strengthen his claim, Henry VII married Elizabeth of York, uniting the houses of Lancaster and York and effectively ending the Wars of the Roses. This marriage also helped to legitimise his reign and the reign of his descendants, establishing the Tudor dynasty as the rightful rulers of England. However, the legacy of the Wars of the Roses continued to influence the succession and legitimacy of English monarch