Wars of the Roses Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun struggle for the English throne (1455-1485) between the house of York (white rose) and the house of Lancaster (red rose) ending with the accession of the Tudor monarch Henry VII
    War of the Roses.

WordNet


Definitions
  1. (Eng. Hist.), feuds between the Houses of York and Lancaster, the white rose being the badge of the House of York, and the red rose of the House of Lancaster.

Webster 1913