The Yorkist Rule

The Yorkist Rule refers to a period in English history during the late 15th century when the House of York, a branch of the Plantagenet family, contested the throne against the rival House of Lancaster. This struggle for power was a central part of the Wars of the Roses (1455-1487), a series of civil wars. Key figures included Edward IV, who established Yorkist dominance, and his brother Richard III, the last Yorkist king. The Yorkists championed a more centralized monarchy, but their rule ended when Henry Tudor (Henry VII) defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, marking the rise of the Tudor dynasty.