The Tudor rose was a clever piece of political propaganda

Cultures · Published 1 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: We often imagine the Wars of the Roses as a conflict defined by red and white floral banners. However, the iconic Tudor rose was actually a post-war invention, designed by a king to manufacture a legacy of peace and unity after a period of intense civil strife.

The famous emblem, which features five white inner petals for the House of York and five red outer petals for the House of Lancaster, was not a symbol of the conflict itself. Historians note that contemporaries did not refer to the 15th-century struggles as the 'Wars of the Roses.' In fact, for much of the period between 1461 and 1485, the primary royal badge was simply the white rose of Edward IV. The Lancastrian side used various symbols, including a gold rose or even an antelope, rather than a consistent red rose.

The Tudor rose was the creation of Henry VII, the king who ended the era of conflict by defeating Richard III at the Battle of Boswufer Field in 1485. To solidify his legitimacy and present himself as a 'peacemaker king,' Henry VII conjoined the rival symbols. He married Elizabeth of York in January 1486, a union intended to merge the two warring factions. By adopting a badge that physically merged the white and red, he visually communicated the end of the dynastic struggle.

While Henry VII used the symbol reservedly, often sticking to the Lancastrian rose, his son Henry VIII used it more frequently. The emblem's influence spread through royal architecture and even international heraldry. It appears in the Henry VII Chapel at Westminster Abbey and was even used in a compound badge by James VI of Scotland and I of England, who merged the Tudor rose with the Scottish thistle. Today, the rose remains the official floral emblem of England, appearing on everything from the 20-pence coin to the crest of the England national football team.

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