Backstory - The Wars of the Roses.

• War of the Roses between the Houses of York and Lancaster. 1455-1485.
• 1377, King Edward the third dies and appoints his ten year old grandson, Richard the second as king. Ed's: Son number four has descendants, the Yorks and son number three's descendants are the Lancasters. There are now lingering claims to the throne. The War of the Roses has begun!
• Richard the second is overthrown by Henry the fourth. The Lancasters are on the throne! They rule mostly securely between 1399-1422.
• However, Henry the fifth dies around 1422, leaving his infant son, Henry the sixth as king of England. Weak-willed Henry 6 is eventually persuaded to marry Margaret of Anjou; a ruthless, ambitious and beautiful French noble.
• Maggie of Anjou distrusts Richard of York and sidelines him. Eventually, Richard of York manages to get his own heirs to succeed.
• Edward the fourth, who dies in 1483, marries a widow of a minor noble. His sons - the missing princes in the tower - are declared illegitimate by his brother, Richard the third because of this. However, this causes a split amongst the York faction.
• Henry the seventh, direct descendant of the first duke of Lancaster crosses the channel in 1485 and manages to beat Richard the third. He marries Edward the fourth's daughter, Elizabeth of York and unites the Houses of York and Lancaster. With Elizabeth, he has their surviving children: Arthur, Margaret, Queen of Scots, Henry 8th and Mary, Queen of France.
• Richard the third was the youngest son of Richard, the third Duke of York.
• Richard the third was born in 1452.
• Rich 3's family was depossessed in 1459 and restored in 1460 when Rich's father was made an heir, making Rich 3'rd, fifth in line for the throne. By the end of this year, Rich's father and brother Edmund were dead and in early 1461, his oldest brother usurped Henry 6th, now making Rich second in line for the throne and the Duke of Gloucester on November 1st, 1461.