COMMITTEES

War of the Roses: Royal Court of King Edward IV of York, 1463-1471 YORK

GROUP: Continuous Crisis

usg.cc@munuc.org

DELEGATION SIZE Single

EXECUTIVES

  • Daniela Estrada (she/her)
  • Pietro Juvara (he/him)
Email Committee Chair

In 1377, the beloved King Edward III of Great Britain died without a clear heir to the English throne, which had been ruled by his Royal House, the House of Plantagenet, for over three centuries. His descendants formed two warring factions: the House of Lancaster (“the Lancasters”) with their symbol of the red rose, and the House of York (“the Yorks”) with their symbol of the white rose, all vying for the throne. This is the start of The War of the Roses, the battle over which family would control England. After much bloodshed, the Lancasters have controlled the throne for nearly 25 years, with three Lancaster kings ruling in succession.

However, the year is now 1422 and for the first time, the rising Lancaster dynasty has been defeated and a York king, King Edward IV, has just taken the throne. His rule will not be easy. As the entire country begins to take sides in The War of the Roses, the familial dispute stands to tear England apart. Now, it falls to the members of the nobility to advise King Edward IV of York to bring an end to the war. As a delegate, you are a member of the Royal Court, a body composed of both loyal York supporters and potential Lancaster adversaries to the king. Your goal is to prevent the collapse of Great Britain by navigating the social sphere between the different familial parties and advance your political agendas through forging alliances. You are advised to help navigate your political agenda by developing diplomacy to further the interests of your noble house and bring an end to the never ending war. Who will you help aid in maintaining the throne and who will you trust to do so? The fate of England rests in your hands.