White rose of Yorkshire.
The white rose of Yorkshire is the symbol for the House of York. From the fourteenth century it has also become the symbol for Yorkshire.
The use of the White Rose of Yorkshire goes back to Edmund of Langley in the fourteenth century, the first Duke of York and the ruling Plantangenets
The symbolism of the white rose is related to the Virgin Mary, who was known as the Mystical rose of heaven. White is a common colour for purity in religious ceremonies.
In the war of the Roses (Lancashire vs Yorkshire), the forces of Yorkshire fought the Lancastrians who had a Red rose.
The War of the roses was ended when King of England Henry VII united the warring factions and symbolically created the Tudor rose.
At the Battle of Minden 1st August 1759, Yorkshire troops from a Yorkshire batallion were able to pluck white roses from close to the Battlefield in tribute to their fallen comrades. Ever since Yorkshire day has been celebrated on August 1st.
The white rose has also been used for many different causes as well.
During the Second World War, German students who resisted Hitler’s Nazi Regime founded the White Rose league – a movement seeking to overthrow Hitler and his party.
