A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY…

THE WARS OF THE ROSES (1455-1485)

The Wars of the Roses were a series of battles _______were fought between the supporters of
the House of Lancaster (Lancastrians – red rose) and the supporters of the House of York
(Yorkists – white rose). _______ there were no battles fought until 1455, the cause ____ the
wars dates back to the reign of Edward III and the power struggle ______ his sons after his death.
The four eldest sons of Edward III (1312 – 1377) were Edward the Black Prince (heir ___ the
throne), Lionel of Antwerp (Duke of Clarence) John of Gaunt (Duke of Lancaster) and Edmund of
Langley (Duke of York.) Edward III died in 1377. His eldest son, Edward, the Black Prince had died
____ the plague in 1376 and so his grandson, Richard, aged ten and son of the Black Prince,
became king. Because Richard II was ____ ten years old, his uncle, John of Gaunt, Duke of
Lancaster, ruled the country. As Richard grew older he rebelled _____ his uncle and made
decisions that were not popular ____ the most powerful men in the country. In 1399 John of
Gaunt died and Richard II confiscated the land he had owned. John of Gaunt’s son, Henry, raised
an army and when Richard surrendered, took the throne as Henry IV. Richard was imprisoned
___ Pontefract castle and mysteriously died in February 1400. Henry IV faced a ____ of
challenges to his place on the throne because he was not the natural successor to Richard II.
With the death of Richard II, the crown should ___ passed to Edmund Earl of March, great
grandson of Lionel Duke of Clarence. However, Henry managed ____ keep his place on the
throne and when he died in 1413, the country was at peace and his son, Henry V, succeeded
without problem. Henry V was a strong leader and ____ ordering the execution of Richard, Earl
of Cambridge for plotting to put the Yorkists on the
throne, invaded France. He won many battles,
including the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 and
conquered Normandy and Rouen for England. In
1420, Henry married the daughter ___ the king of
France and it was agreed ____their children would be
the heirs of ____ England and France. When Henry V
died in 1422 from dysentery, his son, Henry VI became

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the only king to be crowned king of England and France. Henry VI was four months old ____ he
became king and his father’s brothers ruled England and France in his place. France was soon
lost ____ Joan of Arc raised an army against the English and restored the French monarchy. As
Henry grew older it became apparent ____ he was a weak king, totally dominated _____ his
French wife Margaret of Anjou. He was also prone ___ bouts of insanity and the Yorkists began
plotting to take his place on the throne. The first battle of the Wars of the Roses took place at
St Albans on 22nd May 1455. The Yorkists led by Richard Duke of York easily defeated the King’s 2

army. Henry VI was injured and _____ prisoner. In 1455, Henry suffered another bout of insanity
and Richard Duke of York was made protector of England. In 1456, Henry recovered and retook
the throne. There were further battles and in 1459 Richard ____ killed at the Battle of Wakefield.
In 1461, Richard’s son Edward, Earl of March, defeated the King’s army, took the King prisoner
and made ______King Edward IV. Queen Margaret took her son and fled to Wales where they
were taken in by the king’s half-brother Jaspar Tudor. In 1470, Henry regained the throne ___
in 1471 was defeated ____ Edward’s army at the Battle of Tewkesbury and taken prisoner.
Henry’s son, Edward, Prince of Wales was killed ____ the battle. With no other Lancastrian heir
to challenge him, Edward IV remained king until his sudden death in 1483. Edward IV had two
sons, Edward and Richard, both of whom were ____ young to rule and so their uncle Richard
Duke of Gloucester ruled England. The two princes were taken ___ the Tower of London and in
the summer of 1483 mysteriously disappeared. It is ______that their uncle murdered them.
Richard was crowned Richard III. He was not a popular king and faced many challenges to his
place ____ the throne, notably from Henry Tudor, grandson of Owen Tudor who had been
second husband to Henry V’s wife Katherine of Valois. Henry Tudor raised a Lancastrian army
against Richard III and at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, Richard was killed and the
Yorkists defeated. It is told that Henry found Richard’s crown on the battlefield and placed it
on his head. Henry VII was crowned king _____married Edward IV’s daughter, Elizabeth of York
a move that was to end the Wars of the Roses.

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  Find the words and then explain their connection to the War of the Roses.

 Let’s meet the King. Choose the correct option.

Henry VIII inherited a very strong and wealthy England ____ (1) his father, Henry VII, and ruled
the country from 1509 to 1547. Henry Vlll was handsome ____(2) his youth, but became fat as
he got older (he had a 54-inch waist when he was 50). He was an extravagant king, wearing
glorious clothes.

He was well-known ___(3) being very tall and sporty in his youth.
Henry threw the javelin and enjoyed hunting, archery, jousting and
tennis. He spoke French, Spanish, Latin and some Italian and was a
good musician. Henry played the lute and harpsichord well and
could sing ___(4) sight. The King liked young and pretty women
around him. Henry VIII is best known for his six wives and founding
the Church of England.

Henry actually had 11 children from three of his wives. ____(5), as

was very common in Tudor times, most of them died when they
were babies. Only three survived to be adults. King Henry VIII was
also the inventor ___(6) the stair lift! Injured through jousting, he
used a chair that was hauled ____ (7) and down stairs on a block
and tackle system by servants at the ancient Whitehall Palace in
London. During Henry VIII's thirty-eight-year reign, he had___(8)
than 70,000 people executed. That works out as an average of just
over five every day.

1. BY FROM AS
2. IN ON DURING
3. FOR BY AS
4. BY FROM ON
5. HOWEVER UNFORTUNATELY ALTHOUGH
6. OF ON FOR
7. IN UP FROM
8. RATHER FURTHER MORE

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  Read about Henry VIII’s six wives.

 Henry VIII's children: Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I

All three of Henry VIII's legitimate children – Mary, Elizabeth and Edward – became queens or
kings of England. They played an important role in both British history and the history of the
royal palaces. However, none of them had children themselves, and on Elizabeth’s death, the
Tudor dynasty ended.

Edward VI, born 1537, reigned 1547-53 (OPEN CLOZE)

Edward, born and christened _______ Hampton Court Palace was the eagerly-
awaited son of Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour. Henry is said to
____ wept with joy as he held his infant son, then wept again a few days later
when the queen died f____ post-birth complications. As a little boy, Edward
was spoiled _____ indulged, he even had his ____ fighting bears.

Edward was extremely well educated____ a set of forward-thinking

Cambridge scholars, who instilled in the prince ___ desire for religious reform.
Even before he was 10, Edward was, apparently, fairly fluent ____Latin, Greek
and French. Edward was crowned aged 9 ____ his uncle, Edward Seymour,
Duke of Somerset, acted as the young King's governor and lord
protector____the realm until he was deposed ______ 1550.

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Edward's reign saw the foundations laid ___ one of the great transformations of English
society, the English Reformation, but the King did not live to see ____ successful realisation of
many of his religious plans. Falling ill in 1552, probably ____ tuberculosis, he finally succumbed
on 6 July 1553, aged only 15.

Mary I, born 1516, reigned 1553-58 (WORD FORMATION)

Mary Tudor was the only ______ (SURVIVE) child of King Henry VIII’s 24-year _______
(MARRY) to Katherine of Aragon. Reportedly pretty and privileged, she received a _____ 5

(SCHOOL) education, partly directed by her staunchly Catholic mother.

When Henry divorced Katherine, Princess Mary’s royal

future looked ______ (DOUBT), and she was demoted to
the status of ‘lady’, no longer a princess. When her
younger brother became king, Mary became a focus for
_______ (CONSERVE) and catholic opposition to the
reforming protestant ideas of Edward VI and his ministers.

Mary I was the first Queen of England to rule in her own

right. As queen, Mary became ______ (DETERMINATION)
to return the country to the ‘old religion’. Her persecution
and execution of protestants earned her the title ‘Bloody
Mary’ but this must be seen in the context of the eventual
triumph of the Church of England and later writers’
_______ (SUCCEED) attempts to destroy her reputation.
In 1554 Mary married Philip II of Spain. A year later, it was
thought the queen was pregnant, and the court gathered at Hampton Court Palace to await
the birth. However, no baby ever came. Mary’s _____ (SWELL) belly was possibly the result of
a ___________ (PSYCHOLOGY) phantom pregnancy.

Elizabeth I, born 1533, reigned 1558-1603 (WORD FORMATION)

Elizabeth was the only daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. After the
____(EXECUTE) of her mother on charges of adultery and _____ (TRAITOR) when Elizabeth
was only 2, the little princess found her royal status
______ (THREAT). In the later years of Henry VIII’s reign,
his three children were all once again included in the
succession, and so – eventually – Elizabeth became
queen after both her brother Edward and her sister
Mary died ______ (CHILD). One of the most important
surviving images of Elizabeth I, this portrait was almost
certainly painted from life, and the resulting pattern for
the queen's face was to be repeated for the _____
(REMIND) of her reign.

Elizabeth’s sympathies with _____ (RELIGION)

reformers meant she became the focus for _____
(OPPOSE) during the reign of her sister, Mary I. At one point, Mary imprisoned her in the
Tower of London on _______ (SUSPICIOUS) of treason.

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Elizabeth’s shrewdness and coolness under questioning demonstrated a ______ (GROWTH)
political maturity, skills which were sorely tested during her own _______ (ORDINARY) 45-year
reign.

As queen, Elizabeth presided over a ______ (GOLD) age of English literature and drama, but
political and religious troubles remained an ever-present challenge. Elizabeth, the ‘Virgin
Queen’, ______ (FAME) never married. The Tudor dynasty died with her in 1603.

6
 Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfgeLdXA87 and put the events
in the correct order.

_______ Her mother was beheaded, condemned on cause of adultery.

_______ She died at Richmond Palace on 24 March 1603, having become a legend in her
lifetime. The date of her accession was a national holiday for two hundred years. James VI
of Scotland was Elizabeth's successor and became James I of England.

_______ She was very well-educated (fluent in five languages), and had inherited
intelligence, determination and shrewdness from both parents.

_______ Her brother became king after the death of their father.

_______ In 1588, aided by bad weather, the English navy scored a great victory over the
Spanish invasion fleet of around 130 ships - the 'Armada'. he Spanish Armada was
intended to overthrow the Queen and re-establish Roman Catholicism by conquest, as
Philip II believed he had a claim to the English throne.

_______ Mary I became Queen and imprisoned Elizabeth in the Tower of London.

_______ Elizabeth succeeded to the throne on her half-sister's death in November 1558.

_______ Elizabeth I - the last Tudor monarch - was born at Greenwich on 7 September
1533, the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn.

_______ During her reign, a secure Church of England was established. Its doctrines were
laid down in a compromise between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.

_______The arts flourished during Elizabeth's reign - the Queen attended the first
performance of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. C

_______ Elizabeth's reign also saw many brave voyages of discovery, including those of
Francis Drake, Walter Raleigh and Humphrey Gilbert, particularly to the Americas. These
expeditions prepared England for an age of colonisation and trade expansion.

_______ She reduced the Privy council, leaving her most trusted advisers only.

_______ As a likely successor to Elizabeth, Mary Queen of Scots spent 19 years as

Elizabeth's prisoner because Mary was the focus for rebellion and possible assassination
plots. Despite Elizabeth's reluctance to take drastic action, on the insistence of Parliament
and her advisers, Mary was tried, found guilty and executed in 1587.

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