Which of Shakespeare's plays deal with the War of the Roses?

Answer 1

The War of the Roses really only took place during the reigns of Henry VI, Edward IV and Richard III and so is described in Parts 2 and 3 of Henry VI and Richard III. The "choosing of roses" scene is in Henry VI Part I. However, Shakespeare's history has the root of the trouble in the usurpation of the throne by Henry Bolingbroke from Richard II, when Henry was not even Richard's next heir. The taint of illegitimacy stains the reigns of Henry, his son Henry V, and his grandson Henry VI, whose right to rule is challenged by the descendant of the true heir to Richard II, the Duke of York. In this sense the chronicle of the Wars of the Roses can be said to start with Richard II, and flow right through the Henry IV plays, the Henry V play and the Henry VI plays until it is resolved to the great satisfaction of Tudor historians, in Richard III.