540 years ago today, on August 22, 1485 (July 13, 1485), the English War of the Roses ended. The War of the Roses (1455-1485) was a feudal melee between the two royal families in British history. The Lancaster family's emblem is the red rose, and the York family's emblem is the white rose. This melee between the two royal families is called the War of the Roses. In the 15th century, the feudal economy of England was declining, and the great nobles used the private armies established during the Hundred Years' War to seek power and wealth. In May 1455, Richard, Duke of York, raised his army against Henry the Great of Lancaster, and the war broke out. Richard died in battle in 1460. In March 1461, Richard's son Edward occupied London, deposed Henry VI and took the throne, calling it Edward IV, establishing the York Dynasty. In April 1483, Edward IV died, and his son Edward V acceded to the throne, and his brother Richard regented. In June, Richard usurped the throne, calling it Richard III. The York nobles who supported the descendants of Edward IV and the remnants of the Lancaster family united against Richard. On August 22, 1485, Henry Tudor, a distant relative of the Lancaster family, defeated Richard and claimed the throne as King, establishing the Tudor Dynasty as Henry VII.