As far as we know, Medieval England was never invaded by ice zombies, or terrorized by dragons, but it was shaken by a power struggle between two noble families spanning generations and involving a massive cast of characters with complex motives and shifting loyalties.
就我们所知，中世纪的英国不是被冰僵尸入侵，也不是受到恶龙的威胁，而是因两个贵族家庭之间的权力斗争而动摇。这场斗争世世代代持续，牵连众多人物，有的动机复杂、有的见风使舵。
If that sounds familiar, it's because the historical conflicts known as the Wars of the Roses served as the basis for much of the drama in Game of Thrones.
如果那些话你听着耳熟，是因为电视剧《权力的游戏》的大部分背景都取材于刚才提及的历史斗争——“玫瑰战争”。
The real-life seeds of war were sewn by the death of King Edward III in 1377.
战争的起因是1377年爱德华三世的逝世。
Edward's oldest son had died before his father, but his ten-year-old son, Richard II, succeeded to the throne ahead of Edward's three surviving sons.
爱德华的长子死在他之前，但他十岁的儿子——理查二世，越过爱德华的其他三个儿子，继承了王位。
This skipping of an entire generation left lingering claims to the throne among their various offspring, particularly the Lancasters, descended from Edward's third son, and the Yorks, descended from his fourth son.
由于略过了一代人的关系，这三位儿子的后代一直纠缠王位继承的问题。以三儿子的后代兰卡斯特一族和四儿子的后代约克一族争论最激烈。
The name of the ensuing wars comes from the symbols associated with the two families, the white rose of York and the red rose of Lancaster.
“玫瑰战争”的名字和两个家族的家徽有关。白玫瑰代表约克一族；红玫瑰则是兰卡斯特一族。
The Lancasters first gained the throne when Richard II was deposed by his cousin Henry IV in 1399.
1399年，亨利四世罢免理查二世，兰卡斯特一族首先夺得王位。
Despite sporadic unrest, their reign remained secure until 1422, when Henry V's death in a military campaign left an infant Henry VI as king.
尽管社会偶有骚动，但兰卡斯特一族的统治一直持续到1422年，当时亨利五世于军营病逝，留下了幼小的亨利六世继承王位。
Weak-willed and dominated by advisors, Henry was eventually convinced to marry Margaret of Anjou to gain French support.
亨利六世意志软弱，同时受到臣子们的蠱惑，最终被说服迎娶安茹的玛格丽特以换取法国的支持。
Margaret was beautiful, ambitious, and ruthless in persecuting any threat to her power, and she distrusted Richard of York, most of all.
玛格丽特既美丽又有野心、她冷酷地对待任何威胁到她的权力的人，其中她特别不信任约克一族的理查。
York had been the King's close advisor and loyal General, but was increasingly sidelined by the Queen, who promoted her favorite supporters, like the Earls of Suffolk and Somerset.
约克一族世世代代是国王的近臣和忠诚的将军，但皇后渐渐提拔她的支持者，如萨福克伯爵和森密实伯爵，架空了约克一族。
York's criticism of their inept handling of the war against France led to his exclusion from court and transfer to Ireland.
约克对他们在法国战争中无能的批评导致他被排除在朝廷之外，并被流放到爱尔兰。
Meanwhile, mounting military failures, and corrupt rule by Margaret and her allies caused widespread discontent, and in the midst of this chaos, Richard of York returned with an army to arrest Somerset and reform the court.
同时，战场上接二连三的失败和玛格丽特与她同党们的迂腐管治，引起了社会广泛的不满。在这一片混乱中，理查·约克带领军队回归，捉拿森密实伯爵，重组议会。
Initially unsuccessful, he soon got his chance when he was appointed Protector of the Realm after Henry suffered a mental breakdown.
尽管一开始并不成功，但理查很快便发现了他的机会，在亨利六世的一次精神崩溃时，他被任命为护国将军。
However, less than a year later, Henry suddendly recovered and the Queen convinced him to reverse York's reforms.
然而，不到一年，亨利六世突然康复，同时玛格丽特说服他推翻理查·约克的改革。
York fled and raised an army once more.
理查逃亡，再次组织军队。
Though he was unable to directly seize the throne, he managed to be reinstated as Protector and have himself and his heirs designated to succeed Henry.
虽然他没法直接夺取王位，但他再次成功地成为护国将军，自己和后代亦成为亨利六世的继承者。
But instead of a crown, York's head acquired a pike after he was killed in battle with the Queen's loyalists.
可惜的是，理查·约克没能成功戴上王冠，而是在与皇后的支持者对战时被一枝矛刺中而亡。
His young son took up the claim and was crowned Edward IV.
他年幼的儿子继承了他的王位，成为爱德华四世。
Edward enjoyed great military success against the Lancasters.
后来，爱德华四世沉醉于战胜兰卡丝一族的喜悦中。
Henry was captured, while Margaret fled into exile with their reportedly cruel son, Edward of Westminster.
亨利六世被俘，而玛格丽特则带着残酷的儿子——威斯敏斯特的爱德华逃亡。
But the newly crowned King made a tragic political mistake by backing out of his arranged marriage with a French Princess to secretly marry the widow of a minor Noble.
可是，新国王犯了一个可悲的政治错误。他没有信守承诺迎娶法国公主，而是私下和一个低级贵族的寡妇结婚。
This alienated his most powerful ally, the Earl of Warwick.
这使他失去了最有力的支持——华威伯爵。
Warwick allied with the Lancasters, turned Edward's jealous younger brother, George, against him, and even briefly managed to restore Henry as King, but it didn't last.
华威伯爵于是与兰卡斯特一族联手，连同爱德华四世爱妒的弟弟乔治，一起对付他。他们甚至成功重新拥立亨利六世为国王。可惜，这并没有持续太久。
Edward recaptured the throne, the Lancaster Prince was killed in battle, and Henry himself died in captivity not long after.
爱德华重新夺回王位，兰卡斯特一族的王子则战死于战役中。亨利六世亦在俘获后不久逝世。
The rest of Edward IV's reign was peaceful, but upon his death in 1483, the bloodshed resumed.
爱德华四世的统治一直安然无事，直至1483年，他的逝世使得腥风血雨再次刮起。
Though his twelve-year-old son was due to succeed him, Edward's younger brother Richard III declared his nephews illegitimate due to their father's secret marriage.
虽然，他12岁的儿子继承了王位，但是他的弟弟爱德华三世声称侄子并没有继承权，只因为他是父亲秘密婚姻下的结果。
He assumed the regency himself and threw the boys in prison.
他成了摄政王，然后囚禁侄子们。
Though no one knows what ultimately became of them, after a while, the Princes disappeared and Richard's power seemed secure.
尽管没人清楚他们的结果，但在王子们消失以后，理查德王位看上去再没有任何威胁。
But his downfall would come only two years later from across the narrow sea of the English Channel.
可惜，两年之后，他在英伦海峡迎来了他的没落。
Henry Tudor was a direct descendant of the first Duke of Lancaster, raised in exile after his father's death in a previous rebellion.
亨利·都铎是兰卡斯特公爵的直系子孙，在他父亲死于叛乱之后，一直在流放之地长大。
With Richard III's power grab causing a split in the York faction,
因为理查三世夺取权力的关系，导致约克一族开始分裂。
Henry won support for his royal claim.
亨利赢得了皇室的支持。
Raising an army in France, he crossed the Channel in 1485 and quickly defeated Richard's forces.
亨利在法国筹备一支军队以后，1485年横渡英伦海峡，并且迅速地击退了理查三世的军队。
And by marrying Elizabeth of York, elder sister of the disappeared Princes, the newly crowned Henry VII joined the two roses, finally ending nearly a century of war.
他后来迎娶了消失王子们的姐姐——约克的伊丽莎白。新上任的亨利七世联合了两个家族，结束了持续近一个世纪的战争。
We often think of historical wars as decisive conflicts with clearly defined winners and losers.
我们通常认为，历史上的战争都是黑白分明的，有着绝对的胜者和败者。
But the Wars of the Roses, like the fiction they inspired, show us that victories can be uncertain, alliances unstable, and even the power of Kings as fleeting as the seasons.
但在“玫瑰战争”中，正如那本被他们启发的小说一样，告诉了我们，胜利不一定是肯定的，联盟不一定是稳固的，甚至国王的权力也可以像四季更迭般一样飘忽。
来源：TED演讲
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