York, House of, English royal line that in the 15th century disputed the throne of England with the house of Lancaster. Both York and Lancaster were branches of the royal house of Plantagenet. Their dynastic rivalry developed into the Wars of the Roses (1455-1485).

When Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, laid claim to the throne occupied by King Henry VI, who was head of the house of Lancaster, it was agreed that the house of York should inherit the throne on Henry's death. Henry's wife, Margaret of Anjou, however, wanted her son Edward to succeed his father. In 1455 she raised an army to defend her claim. Richard was killed in battle in 1460, but in 1461 his eldest son was proclaimed King Edward IV, the first Yorkist king. On the death of Edward IV in 1483, his 12-year-old son, King Edward V, was promptly imprisoned by his paternal uncle, who had himself crowned King Richard III. Edward V and his brother later disappeared, and tradition holds Richard responsible for their deaths. In 1485 Richard III was killed in the Battle of Bosworth Field. With his death, the York dynasty came to an end as the Tudor family took the throne.