The Wars of the Roses

The series begins with the dynastic conflict we know today as the Wars of the Roses. Lucy will explore how Shakespeare's vision of the conflict in his history plays has fixed the way that we look at the conflict between the houses of Lancaster and York. But he based his version of events on a narrative invented and shaped by the victorious Lancastrian who went on to found the Tudor dynasty, Henry VII. Lucy reveals how Shakespeare elevated that invention into one of our most powerful national stories.