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Middle Ages

The War of the Roses

The War of the Roses
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 5 to 7
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   6.24

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    Albans, discontent, emblem, gangs, unopposed, battlefield, dynasty, corrupt, descendant, medieval, based, rival, better, opposition, marriage, power
     content words:    King Edward III, Henry VI, Edward III, Hundred Years War, King Henry, When King Henry, Edward IV, Richard III, Henry Tudor, King Henry VII

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The War of the Roses
By Sharon Fabian 		  
1     Like opposing football teams or rival gangs, the House of Lancaster and the House of York, both royal families, each had its color. The House of Lancaster's color was red, and their emblem was a red rose. The House of York's color was white, and their emblem was a white rose.
 
2     So, when the Houses of Lancaster and York fought for 30 years over who would rule England, it became known as the War of the Roses.
 
3     Both Lancaster and York based their claim to the throne on an ancestor that they had in common, King Edward III. Henry VI, a descendant of Edward III and a member of the House of Lancaster, was king in the 1450's, but he would not reign unopposed.
 
4     Discontent was growing among Henry's subjects. They no longer had much faith in their king after England's losses in the Hundred Years War. Some people also claimed that Henry's government was corrupt.
 
5     Henry was having personal troubles too; he suffered from mental illness. From time to time, this illness became so severe that he was unable to rule his country.

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