" "Let their heads fall to the ground. "This sentence may be repeated more frequently in history than ""let him live"", at least in Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", this is the famous saying of the Queen of Hearts . However, here, this sentence was not shouted by a grumpy and funny clown-like figure, but by a 7-year-old boy who was also an ordinary man. He was King Henry VI of England and the "Red Queen". "The only son of Princess Margaret of Anjou - Edward, the Crown Prince of England. Unfortunately, the troubled times prevented this boy from sitting on the throne of the crown prince, and he had to possess some things that should not be expected at this age." "Quality", including being comfortable with blood and cruelty. When he said this, a cruel battle had just ended on February 16, 1461, at St. Alsborne. It was one of the bloodiest massacres in the "War of the Roses", the most famous civil war in British history. The Lancastrians, led by the "Red Queen", led an army against her mortal enemy - the man she had executed not long ago. The Yorkist army led by the Duke of York's ally, the Duke of Warwick, aimed to recapture her husband, Henry VI, who was under house arrest. More than 25,000 people fought on the battlefield. The boy witnessed the white snowflakes under the gray sky covering the wasteland stained red with blood. More than 6,000 corpses were lying on the frozen soil, and the severed limbs and broken arms were scattered everywhere. And now, two people were being escorted. The knights standing in front of him appeared in front of him. They were the two enemy generals, Baron William Benville and Sir Thomas Cree. The boy watched them kneel at his feet, and his mother's voice rang in his ears: ""I Just son, how do you want these two knights to be put to death? "" "Let their heads fall to the ground!" "This was the answer of the 7-year-old boy. This answer obviously satisfied his mother very much. She achieved her goal of letting this young child understand the power of life and death that the king should control as soon as possible. However, the executed knight One, Baron William Benville, who was called "noble and upright" by his time, cursed before his execution: "May God destroy the person who instigated you to say this!" "Killing: necessary technical means. For readers who are familiar with Chinese history, this post-war killing is not surprising. After the war, the heads of enemy generals were sacrificed to flags and blood was used to provoke drums. This was a sign of respect as early as the time of Confucius. Although the ancient saying "Killing prisoners is ominous" has been passed down for a long time, it does not prevent the killing actions taken to eliminate the enemy's vitality from being carried out in accordance with the rules. However, during the War of the Roses, the British, Benville and Kerry, both The execution of the knight aroused widespread anger and dissatisfaction. Because both men were acting under orders to protect Henry VI from harm and did not participate in the battle, they were not technically combatants and should be exempted. , and Henry VI also said that after his side's victory, they would be safe. However, both the medieval war tradition and the king's Chrysostom promise were cut short by the ax swinging in the air. , so much so that Churchill, the 20th century politician, in his "History of the English-speaking Nations", which was famous for its conciseness and powerfulness, specially set aside a space to tell the whole story of this incident, and commented at the end: ""People have no mercy. , but I want to avenge the murder. " Churchill in the book led this to say " "Let their heads fall to the ground!" "The 7-year-old boy was described as ""furious beyond his age" (this is very different from historical facts. In fact, Prince Edward was a brave and fearless man, and had a fair nature), which is the same as his evaluation of this incident. , is a conservative politician who "sends moral thunder from the clouds". As an author who inherits the Western classical historians' concept of "eating evil and promoting good", he is obviously more concerned about the moral precepts of this incident. However, for historians in the new century, technical analysis is required before making moral and value judgments. The most realistic judgments are often the most likely motives of historical figures. At this point, they may have to agree. Duan Yuhong's new work "Blood Crown: The War of the Roses" gives a concise explanation of the motivation for this incident: ""The queen wanted to cultivate a successor with a harder heart than her husband." This statement is obviously not in line with the moral standards of educating future generations. However, From a historical background, this is the most reasonable explanation.

Prince Edward's special identity, as well as the war environment in which he grew up, require that the future heir to the throne must learn from an early age how to stay at the top of the bloody food chain. According to the standards of the Middle Ages, a 7-year-old boy should no longer be regarded as a young boy. According to research by medieval historian J.C. Russell, the average life span of England's nobles in medieval times was roughly 32 years old, while the life span of the lower class commoners was probably only 21 years old. This means that in this troubled world, the complicated life experiences have to be compressed into an extremely short life. Compared with today, a person is barely considered an adult at the age of 16. In that era, one had to learn to lead troops and fight at the age of 12, and the sons of lords often inherited titles at the age of 20 and were already able to skillfully fight with those who coveted power. The brothers fought openly and secretly. It is true that although the Middle Ages gave birth to the most romantic legends of knights and the most brilliant martial arts poems, they provided endless sources of inspiration for writers and poets in the following centuries, including American dramas that are currently experiencing soaring ratings. The real historical source of "Game of Thrones" is the War of the Roses, and almost every protagonist can find a historical prototype in it. Although this American TV series adapted from George R.R. Martin's novel of the same name is bloodthirsty enough for today's audiences, compared with the real War of the Roses, the former's bloodthirsty is just staring at the condensation on the ground after the war. There were bloodstains, and the latter stretched out his tongue to lick the bright red liquid that still had a warm and fishy smell on the blade. In a sense, if a book about the Wars of the Roses cannot make readers feel that it was written with pig iron dipped in blood, then it has failed in terms of restoring history. Duan Yuhong's book just shows the coldest, bloodiest, most realistic, and possibly the least moral side of this war for power. Infidelity and fratricide have become the standard features of the powerful, and Loyalty and morality often serve as the carpet covering the pool of blood in the hall. The guillotine anvil that had just been carried out was still dripping with warm blood, and it would be carried in again after a while. On May 4, 1471, at the Battle of Tewkesbury in the Wars of the Roses, the Lancastrian army was wiped out and the heir to the throne, Prince Edward, was killed and beheaded: the end of the aristocracy until the collar of his red velvet coat was torn off by the executioner. Only then did Owen Tudor begin to believe that he was about to have a death date with the guillotine. As he laid his head on the anvil, he lamented: "This head rests on the anvil as if it were lying on Queen Catherine's lap." "This sentence, full of knightly honor and poignancy before execution, later became one of the verses sung and chanted by Welsh poets. However, what is exposed behind it is an extremely devastating fact: the end of the aristocracy is about to fall. The arrival of the ax. Queen Catherine in Owen Tudor's mouth was once the wife of the late King Henry V and the mother of the current King Henry VI. After the death of Henry V, she remarried Owen Tudor (for details, see "The Blood Crown" "Pages 166-168. It is not surprising that the Queen Mother remarried in the Middle Ages, especially in England, where women had greater rights to property and to inherit titles and land than in Europe, so they remarried with titles and land. This is not uncommon). He was not only the stepfather of the king, but also a highly respected nobleman in the country, and was related by marriage to Wales, who was prone to martial arts and rebellion at that time. As Duan Yuhong pointed out in the book, such a famous nobleman, according to the The law of war at that time was a considerable amount of wealth, which could be exchanged for a huge ransom from the enemy. In an era when only a money bag could be used to recruit troops, exchanging prisoners for ransom was one of the main sources of income for knights (IV). Looting was another important source). Therefore, the execution of Owen Tudor was not worthwhile from an economic point of view, and the execution of the nobles could only be carried out after a proper judicial trial to prove that they were indeed guilty of treason. Death penalty. Although "treason" is a crime that "can't be punished without excuse", according to normal procedures, it takes a lot of trouble to execute a nobleman. But Edward Plantagenet who issued the execution order , but was willing to give up a huge ransom and ignore the rules and laws of war. The Battle of Mortimer's Cross (which took place on February 1, 1461) was the first time that this 19-year-old young nobleman led the York party. He went out to fight against the King of Lancaster and was victorious. It stands to reason that this fledgling warrior should follow the laws of war, even if it was just a show of force, but his young heart was soaked in the boiling bitter wine of revenge.

His father, old Richard, Duke of York, had been killed on the battlefield by the Lancastrian army a month ago. The Lancastrian army also violated the rules of respecting the corpses of nobles on the battlefield. Their leader, Earl Clifford, not only deliberately killed the Earl of Rutland, the youngest son of the Duke of York and Edward's younger brother, but also found the body of the Duke of York. Cut off his head, made a paper crown and put it on his head. Nailed the head with the paper crown on the wooden stake of the city gate together with the heads of two other Yorkists, and laughed at The Duke of York's ambition to covet the throne: "Look, this is a king without a kingdom." "Edward's execution of the Lancastrian nobleman Owen Tudor was precisely to avenge his father. From another point of view, Earl Clifford killed Edward's youngest brother, chopped off and mocked his father's head He was also seeking revenge, and he was seeking revenge for the humiliation of his father, Earl Clifford, who was killed by Richard, Duke of York during the First Battle of St. Alsborne five years ago in 1455, and his body was left lying on the street for a long time. When he excitedly stabbed Edward's younger brother, Earl Rutland, to death with his own hands, he shouted ""With the wrath of God, your father killed my father, and to hell with the damn blood of the York family!" "At the time, he had already inadvertently shouted out the only rule of this war: the purpose of revenge and the elimination of hostile noble bloodlines. Revenge: The Chivalry in the Medieval Times It must be pointed out that blood revenge is indeed the chivalry in the Medieval Times. 1. As a son, there is nothing wrong with the morality of the Middle Ages in killing an enemy and avenging his father. The method and place of revenge are detailed in the Bible and the Germanic law. Although the system allowed blood compensation to be used in place of revenge, it still ranked homomorphic revenge in the second place in the law. In the decree of William the Conqueror, murder of the father or son was allowed to be used to repay blood debts. In the epics of the times, revenge is often a highly praised knightly virtue. As detailed in "The Blood Crown", we can find a chain of revenge from the previous wars of the War of the Roses: from the first Holy Olympus in 1455. The Battle of Isborne began when Earl Clifford was killed by the Duke of York. In 1460, at the siege of Sandelburg, Earl Clifford beheaded the Duke of York to avenge his father; in 1461, the Battle of Mortimer's Cross , Edward, Earl of March, killed Owen Tudor to avenge his father, the Duke of York; a month later, at the Second Battle of St. Alsborne, the 7-year-old Crown Prince Edward ordered the execution of two Yorkist knights, again Revenge for Owen Tudor. Every revenge killing by a noble is a major attack on the aristocracy, but all of this is done in the name of the nobles' most cherished sense of honor of blood revenge. This has to be done. It is an irony. Edward, the son of the Duke of York, who won a great victory in the war, was able to become king because of this. After the Second Battle of St. Alsborne, he marched to London. On March 4, he Twenty-five days after the anointing ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral and the coronation as King Edward IV, on the battlefield of Taunton with flying snow and a storm, Earl Clifford was shot in the throat and died. Edward IV was finally avenged. His revenge for killing his younger brother and humiliating his father's body was no longer the theme of his life. Edward IV, who had been crowned king, was more concerned about how to eliminate the hostile aristocratic forces. He shouted to the soldiers chasing the Yorkist enemy on the battlefield: "Leave those ordinary people alone, let the ordinary people go!" Kill the lord, kill the lord! "At that time, he not only abandoned the long-established rules of war, but also showed that as a monarch who aspired to the throne, he considered how to strengthen his power, just as Duan Yuhong wrote in the book: ""Now money It is no longer important, the annihilation of the enemy lords is the primary goal." In the subsequent battles, Edward IV always adhered to this harsh policy of exterminating local nobles. In the Battle of Hexham in 1464, the captured Lancai The Scottish nobles and knights were beheaded in batches of 6 or 12. The Battle of Barnet and the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471 were devastating battles against the Lancastrian nobles. Fulfilling his ruthless slogan of "kill the lords", Edward IV's troops even stormed into Tewkesbury Abbey and killed the Lancastrians who sought refuge there. "" It is estimated that there were more than 2,000 Lancastrians. Soldiers died at Tewkesbury and the place where the fighting took place became known as 'Bloodmeadow', a name that has survived to this day."

Almost all the Lancastrian nobles died in this battle. King Henry VI's son, Prince Edward, who mentioned at the beginning of the article that he ordered "" their heads to fall"", was also killed in this battle. It is said that he was brought before Edward IV and declared righteously: "I have come to restore the legitimate property of my father, whose throne has been usurped." "This brave and fearless young man was hit in the face, cut his throat, and stabbed to death by the angry Edward IV and his brothers. At the Battle of Bosworth on August 22, 1485, Richard III rode a white horse and fought with the enemy. Fighting, and finally killing the opponent. (1864, color wood carving) This cruel plot was written by Shakespeare in his famous play "Henry VI" about the Wars of the Roses, and it is one of the most breathtaking plots. I say to you three, I am nobler than you, and you are all traitors. You have usurped my father and my throne. "Shakespeare, in his play, had Prince Edward so denounced Edward IV and his brothers, and then died generously. There is only one shortcut to ascending to power, which is to step on the corpses of the enemy, and every step should leave a few beheaded Only the throne on the top of the mountain of noble heads is the most stable. If you don't sit firmly enough, there must be some restless head. Ending: The grass must be eradicated August 22, 1485. In 2012, Richard III, who was given a demonic image by later generations, was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field. In 2012, his body was unearthed from an underground car park in Leicester, which proved that although his actions during his lifetime were different from those before. The cruel and cruel monarchs who followed were the same, but they were the only monarchs who received karma. ""There were ten wounds all over his body, eight of which were on the head, and the back of the head had been split." The tragic death of Richard III not only announced that Rose The end of the war also allowed the moral sense that had been ravaged by war and chaos to return gloriously. A perfect evil image was created, and all evils were reduced to one person. At least on the surface, the Tudor monarchs maintained a clean and upright moral appearance. . However, the bloody gene has always flowed in their veins, but they are not as unscrupulous as during the War of the Roses. The new king also uses the guillotine to deal with the rebels, and killing is still necessary, even for entertainment. The citizens of London are also very necessary. The noble heads that were chopped off may not be more sinful than the nobles during the War of the Roses. Thomas More, who wrote "The Chronicles of King Richard III" to welcome the new dynasty and angrily denounce the old king. One of these wronged souls on the guillotine, the new monarchs are also familiar with the principles of power and blood. Although "The Blood Crown" is only written until Henry VII ascends the throne and establishes the Tudor Dynasty, the last victim of the War of the Roses was. It was half a century after the end of the war. Edward IV's brother, Duke of Clarence, was drowned in a barrel of wine for rebelling against the king, but his daughter Margaret was still alive by 1541. She was 69 years old and had long since faded away from politics. However, the reigning King Henry VIII was afraid of her pure York royal blood, so he ordered her to be beheaded. However, the last orphan of the York family did not wait quietly for death. She dodged left and right on the guillotine, but in the end she was caught up by the angry executioner, who grabbed her hair and chopped her to death with an axe.