House of York basis. Edward Plantagenet became Edward IV in 1461, thus merging the title of Duke of York with the crown. The most popular symbol of the house of York was the White Rose of York. The Yorkist rose is white in colour, because in Christian liturgical symbolism, white is the symbol of light, typifying innocence and purity, joy and glory. During the civil wars of the fifteenth century, the White Rose was the symbol of Yorkist forces opposed to the rival House of Lancaster. The red rose of Lancaster would be a later invention used to represent the House of Lancaster,
The Rose in Splendour: a Story of the Wars of Lancaster and York Sunday) 1461). The Rose in Splendour: a Story of the Wars of Lancaster and York The Rose in Splendour: a Story of the Wars of Lancaster and York is an historical novel by Leslie Barringer. It was first published by Phoenix House in 1953. The novel is set in England over a period of eighteen months in the years 1460-61. It tells the tale of a young boy's early life, leaving his family’s farm first to an apprenticeship in York and later getting caught up in the bloody and decisive victory for the Yorkists at the Battle of Towton (29