Second Battle of St Albans to take advantage of their victory. The Wars of the Roses were fought between the supporters of the House of Lancaster, represented by the mentally unstable King Henry VI, and those of the rival House of York. Richard of York quarrelled with several of Henry's court during the late 1440s and early 1450s. He was respected as a soldier and administrator, and was believed by his own supporters to have a better claim to the throne than Henry. York and his friends finally openly rebelled in 1455. At the First Battle of St Albans, York gained a victory, but this
The Wars of the Roses (adaptation) into a single piece for a performance at The Old Vic in 1923 as part of the celebrations for the tercentenary of the "First Folio". In 1957, also at The Old Vic, Douglas Seale directed a production of the trilogy under the title "The Wars of the Roses". Adapted by Barry Jackson, the trilogy was again altered to a two-part play; "1 Henry VI" and "2 Henry VI" were combined (with almost all of "1 Henry VI" eliminated) and "3 Henry VI" was performed in a shortened version. John Barton's adaptation would divide the plays up in a new way.