DATES AND EVENTS RELEVANT TO THE
PLAY
| 1445 | King Henry VI marries Margaret of Anjou, the niece of the
King of
France. |
| 1453 | Edward, Prince of Wales born to King Henry VI and Queen
Margaret. The
Hundred Years' War ends. The King shows first traces of mental illness. |
| 1455 | The rivalry between the Yorkists (white) and the
Lancastrians (red) starts the
War of the Roses. |
| 1461 | Edward IV defeats the Lancastrians at the Battle of
Tewkesbury. The
Yorkists capture Margaret and Lady Anne, kills Edward (the heir to the
Lancaster throne) and
Edward IV becomes King at age 19. |
| 1464 | King Edward IV marries Elizabeth Woodville in secret. |
| 1471 | Henry VI dies. |
| 1472 | Richard III and Lady Anne Neville marry. |
| 1478 | George, Duke of Clarence murdered in the Tower. |
| 1483 | King Edward IV dies, leaving young Edward V as King, but
only for two
months. Richard III usurps the throne, becoming King. |
| 1485 | King Richard III loses the crown to Henry Tudor in the
Battle of Bosworth.
The newly crowned King Henry VII marries Elizabeth, the eldest daughter of
Edward IV and
Elizabeth Woodville; thus, uniting the rivals York and Lancaster. The end
of The War of the
Roses. |