The Wars of the Roses were central to 15th-century English history. Their cause lay both deep in the constitution of the Lancastrian kingship and closer to the surface in Henry VI's personal weaknesses. This account of the end of the Lancastrian dynasty brings these factors into sharp focus. The author constructs a lucid interpretation of the fickle support afforded to Henry VI by his great lords, and postulates that it was this breakdown in law and order - caused by Henry VI's personal weakness - which provided the perfect conditions for the outbreak of war. The text also presents and assesses original source material on the background to the first phase of the Wars of the Roses.