house of York York, house of, royal house of England, deriving
its name from the creation of Edmund of Langley, fifth son of
Edward III, as duke of York in 1385. The claims to the throne of
Edmund's grandson, Richard, duke of York, in opposition to Henry
VI of the house of Lancaster (see Lancaster, house of), resulted
in the Wars of the Roses (see Roses, Wars of the), so called
because the badge of the house of York was a white rose, and a
red rose was later attributed to the house of Lancaster.
Richard's claim to the throne came not only from direct male
descent from Edmund, but also through his mother Anne Mortimer,
great-granddaughter of Lionel, duke of Clarence, who was the
third son of Edward III. The royal members of the house of York
were Edward IV, Edward V, and Richard III. The marriage of the
Lancastrian Henry VII to Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Edward
IV, united the houses of York and Lancaster. Henry was the first
of the Tudor kings. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th
ed. Copyright © 2012,