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When first drawn up, our roll highlighted historical continuity and justified Lancastrian rights to the crown, as did many similar contemporary rolls.Īs with any dynasty, insistence on legitimacy was paramount for the Lancastrians. The work of the earliest scribal hand to appear on the Roll, that of the Lancastrian Scribe, dates to between 14. Two different sides of the Lancaster–York conflict are portrayed on a genealogy that attempts to legitimize their respective kings – the Lancastrians Henry IV, Henry V, and Henry VI, and Edward IV of York.Īlthough the ultimate origins of the Canterbury Roll are a mystery, it was certainly created as a pro-Lancastrian text. The Canterbury Roll shows the same 'war' fought on parchment rather than on the battlefield.

The Canterbury Roll is an example of one such work. This may account for the prevalence and popularity of genealogical manuscripts during this era. Such a situation heightened awareness of lineage, descent, and genealogies. The Wars of the Roses threw England into political instability for much of the 15th century. These wars became known as the Wars of the Roses, named after the heraldic symbols of the two royal houses: the red rose of Lancaster and the white rose of York. Less than three decades after its creation, the country fell into chaos as the Lancastrians and a rival family, the Yorkists, fought for the crown in a prolonged civil war. The Roll was first drawn up thirty years after the throne was seized by the Lancastrian family. At the time of the Canterbury Roll’s original production, England was in the middle of a dynastic crisis.

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