Henry VII
As Henry Tudor (1457–1509), King Henry VII was the leading member of the House of Lancaster, one of two contending houses making claim to the English throne. Between 1455 and 1485 the Houses of Lancaster and York fought the “Wars of the Roses,” so called for the color symbolizing each house—white for Lancaster, red for York. In 1485, Henry’s forces defeated those of rival Richard III. Tudor, now King Henry VII, unified the kingdom by marrying Elizabeth of York, forming the House of Tudor (represented by a red and white rose). He remained on the throne until 1509 and was peacefully succeeded by his son, Henry VIII.
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