After the death of the Duke of Suffolk in 1450, various factions compete for control over the feeble-minded King Henry VI. Richard of York struggles with Henry's French wife, Margaret of Anjou, and her favorite, Edmund, Duke of Somerset.

Edward of York becomes King Edward IV in 1461, after wresting power from Henry VI, but must subsequently deal with his ally, Warwick the Kingmaker. In 1465, Edward marries the beautiful but lowborn Elizabeth Woodville.

One of the most famous events of the Wars of the Roses was the killing of 12-year-old King Edward V and his younger brother, Richard: the so-called Princes in the Tower.Their deaths were almost certainly orchestrated by their uncle, Richard III. What led him to descend from a military leader to a tyrant?

For almost three decades, Margaret Beaufort took control of her destiny to protect herself and her son from the anarchy that consumed England. She arranged smart marriages, swapped sides, and did whatever it took to remain safe and put her son, Henry VII, on the throne.