Most wars in history have been very noble wars fought between men of two different sides, battling for the power over the people of a country. William Lace argues that, "There was nothing noble about the Wars of the Roses [though,] because brothers fought brothers, fathers fought sons, prisoners were executed without trials, and battles were won only by last minute deception"(10-11). Throughout the events of the Wars of the Roses, the Battle of Barnet is one battle that makes an impact on British politics and society.

The events of the Wars of the Roses are nothing more than feuds within the Plantagenets family. Because three very powerful noblemen, York, Salisbury, and Warwick are not invited to a council meeting where the other nobles are trying to discuss different ways to protect the king, they feel that they are being plotted against. With an army of about five thousand men, York and company leads an attack on London where Henry I and twenty-five hundred men meet them (Lace 28). Lace describes the start of the war saying, "The Wars of the Roses, brewing for years, finally breaks out when the armies of Richard, duke of York, and Edmund Beaufort, duke of Somerset, meet in the

Before Edward dies, he also names his brother, Gloucester, protector and ruler of England until his son can rule on his own. Gloucester is named official protector of England and rules beside Edward. He then orders most of the Woodvilles to be put to death so he could rule the country by himself instead of through Edward. Gloucester proves that Edward is illegitimate and takes the throne (Lace 74-75). The last hope for the house of Lancaster is with the only surviving member, Henry Tudor. With the help from the duke of Buckingham, Henry begins building up forces against Gloucester (Lace 85-88). This leads to the last major battle of the war which takes place at Bosworth. Henry has significantly fewer men than Gloucester but he decides to fight anyway and wins. Walter Hodges sums up the war like this:

One of the last deciding battles of the War of the Roses is the Battle of Barnet (Lace 61). About a mile from where Edward and his army are, the Lancastrians halt, waiting for the Yorkists along a ridge defended by a hedge. Then before the battle, Edward's scouts meet Warwick's scouts and chase them out of town until they learn that Warwick is only about a half mile ahead. Because Edward knows this, he moves his army silently into position, much closer to Warwick's army. Warwick's army consists of about fifteen thousand men while Edward only has about nine thousand (Seward 179). Charles Ross writes that:

According to Charles Ross, "English life and civilization in general, are remarkably little affected by thirty years of sporadic conflict" (162) except that the people try to do many things in order to increase their status in the society. Many citizens of England decide that they want to attack their neighbors for their land and say that it is all in the name of the family that currently holds power. For most Englishmen, the main evil of the day is the ability of powerful men to defy the law, to evade the courts of justice, and use violence in order to pursue their own interests or those of their followers (Ross 162-165). Most of the powerful men try to get Parliament on their side and this happens so many times because many of the Parliamentarians are dirty and take bribes. The Parliamentarians are replaced every time a new king takes over the throne and then they keep passing laws that favor the party in power (Ross 160-161).

The Wars of the Roses are important because they do not alter the physical landscape but instead alter the political landscape and society. The war severely limits the power of the nobles and increases the power of the king (Lace 11). Before the war, there are quite a few families that have good names and great deals of power; some of which include: Dukes of York, Buckingham, Somerset, Norfolk, Clarence, and Gloucester, and the Earls of Warwick and Northumberland. Charles Ross writes that, "By 1509 only two of these powerful families - Buckingham and Northumberland - survive with their powers in tact; and the estates, and with them the local influence, of almost all others come into firm possession of the king." The Tudor nobility has largely lost the power to rise up against the king because successful noblemen are condemned and executed by Henry VII and Henry VIII without putting up a fight (Ross 155-156). Ultimately however, one of the main political consequences of the war is the personal increase in the power of the king. People don't mind though because they believe that it is well worth the price of peace and prosperity in the country (Ross 161).

The House of Commons, Parliament, also loses initiative as a direct result of the war. Many bills are passed that are put in by the king or by one of the members of the House while others are just moved aside, especially if they do not suit the king's interest (Ross 161). Charles Ross records, "Other influential groups within the political community - the high clergy, the lawyers, and the merchants - almost entirely esca

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Approximate Word count = 2680
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)