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 Romaunt of the Rose The Romaunt of the Rose The Romaunt of the Rose ("the Romaunt") is a partial translation into Middle English of the French allegorical poem, "le Roman de la Rose" ("le Roman"). Originally believed to be the work of Chaucer, "the Romaunt" inspired controversy among 19th-century scholars when parts of the text were found to differ in style from Chaucer's other works. Also the text was found to contain three distinct fragments of translation. Together, the fragments—A, B, and C--provide a translation of approximately one-third of "Le Roman". There is little doubt that Chaucer did translate "Le Roman de la Rose"