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 of England the allegorical statements refer to the shields of those involved. The garden is England, and the rose tree the House of Lancaster, with the king being Henry V of England. The boar is either the House of York, which claimed the throne in the person of Edward IV of England, or Richard III of England, who endangerd the future Henry VII of England's life, causing his uncle Jasper Tudor to flee the country with him—or represents both. The Rose of England The Rose of England is Child ballad 166. It is an account of Henry VII of England claiming the