Causes of the Wars of the roses:
Bastard Feudalism – Social:
One explanation of the Wars of the Roses stresses England's social structure. By the 1400s, land was no longer the reward for military or other service. Services were exchanged for money, not land, in this "bastard" feudal system. Conflicts between lords in neighbouring or intersecting areas of influence could sometimes lead to actual fighting. The Earl of Devon fought Lord Bonville and the Earl of Wiltshire in Devon; the Blount’s and the Longford’s feuded in Derbyshire; and the Neville’s and the Percies in the North.
Dynastic struggle – Leadership:
One explanation for the Wars of the Roses pointed to Henry of Bolingbroke's usurpation of the throne in 1399. When Henry IV took the throne, he ignored the title of Edmund, Earl of March, whose claim was won back by Richard, Duke of York, against Henry's grandson, Henry VI.
However, Richard Duke of York did not make his claim until over sixty years after 1399, and even then his supporters were only willing to grant him the right of succession.
Weak monarchs – Political:
The fact that Henry VI was a naive prevented him exercising firm control. Instead, Margaret of Anjou (his lover at the time) and various favourites struggled with Richard Duke of York over who should manipulate the weak king.
In total there were arguably 17 battles fought (if you count the battle of Stoke 1487) between the Yorkist who represents the White rose and the Lancastrian who represent the Red rose however the last to battles (Battle of Bosworth and Battle of Stoke) where between Tudors. The key battle was the battle of St Albans (22nd May 1455) this was the first of all the battles to come this occurred because Henry VI was put into power of England and France at the age of 4 months so he had his advisors to make vital decisions for him people could tell he was weak at power because he soon lost control of France to Joan of Arc who led France to their victory. When Henry VI was old enough to resume power he had the occasional ‘bouts of insanity’ meaning he had serious mental illness. However this led the Yorkist to believe that he is unfit to be the king of England and so the battle of St Albans came about. Another key battle in the Wars of the Roses was the Battle of Bosworth (22nd August 1485) this battle was between Henry Tudor (Henry VII) and Richard III, Henry VII challenged Richard III for the crown on August 7th 1485. What makes this battle interesting is that Lord Thomas Stanley and his brother Sir William switched sides from Richard III to fight for Henry VII which gave Henry VII the upper hand resulting in the death of Richard III and Henry VII ended the Wars of the Roses abruptly.
The outcomes of the Wars of the Roses was that after the Battle of Bosworth 1485 the victor King Henry VII once defeating the Yorkist he quickly ushered in the rule of the House of Tudor effectively ending the Wars of the Roses. It’s told that Henry VII found Richards crown on the battlefield and placed it on his head when crowned king he married Edward IV’s daughter, Elizabeth of York which united the Red roses (Lancastrians) and the White roses (Yorkist) which ended the Wars of the Roses.