Lancaster, York and Tudor

Behind the fighting between Lancaster and York lay a badge each side wore into battle. The House of Lancaster carried a red rose as its mark, while its rival, the House of York, fought under a white rose instead, and the clash of colours between them gave the whole war its lasting name.

When the fighting ended, the winning side did not keep its own badge alone. The two flowers were combined into one design, a red rose with a white rose inside it, worn as a sign that Lancaster and York were now joined rather than opposed. That combined badge became the emblem of the House of Tudor, and it still marks, today, the royal line that closed a long civil war.