In what year did a civil war initiate to settle the dispute over England's monarchy?

Okay, let's talk about the Wars of the Roses. This was a really turbulent period in English history, a series of bloody civil wars fought between two powerful families, the House of Lancaster and the House of York, both vying for control of the English throne. Think of it like a real-life "Game of Thrones"! The conflict gets its name from the emblems associated with each house: a red rose for Lancaster and a white rose for York. Now, these wars didn't just erupt overnight; tensions had been building for a while, but the spark that ignited the full-blown conflict was in 1455. This is when the First Battle of St Albans took place, marking the official beginning of the Wars of the Roses. It's important to remember that this wasn't a single, continuous war, but rather a series of battles and periods of relative peace stretching over several decades. While other dates might seem plausible, 1455 is the key year to remember as the start of this dramatic chapter in English history.