As far as we know, Medieval England was never invaded by ice zombies, or terrorized by dragons,
就我们所知，中世纪的英国没有遭到冰僵尸入侵，也不是受到恶龙的威胁，
but it was shaken by a power struggle between two noble families
而是因两个贵族家庭之间的权力斗争而动摇，
spanning generations and involving a massive cast of characters with complex motives and shifting loyalties.
这场斗争持续了世世代代，牵连众多人物，有的动机复杂、有的见风使舵。
If that sounds familiar,
如果这些听着耳熟的话，
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.
那是因为电视剧《权力的游戏》大部分的背景都是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.
战争的起因是从1377年爱德华三世逝世开始。
Edward's oldest son had died before his father, but his ten-year-old son, Richard II,
爱德华的长子死在他之前，但他十岁的儿子，理查二世，
succeeded to the throne ahead of Edward's three surviving sons.
越过顺位继承人，也就是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,
由于略过了一代人的关系，导致这三位儿子的后代一直纠结着王位继承的问题，
particularly the Lancasters, descended from Edward's third son, and the Yorks, descended from his fourth son.
尤以三儿子的后代兰卡斯特一族和四儿子的后代约克一族最为激烈。
The name of the ensuing wars comes from the symbols associated with the two families,
玫瑰战争的名字和这两个家族的家徽有关，
the white rose of York and the red rose of Lancaster.
白玫瑰代表约克一族；红玫瑰则是兰开斯特一族。
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,
尽管社会偶尔有骚动，兰卡斯特一族的统治亦一直持续到1422年，
when Henry V's death in a military campaign left an infant Henry VI as king.
当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,
意志软弱，同时受到臣子们的蛊惑，
Henry was eventually convinced to marry Margaret of Anjou to gain French support.
亨利六世最终被说服迎娶安茹的玛格丽特，换取法国的支持。
Margaret was beautiful, ambitious, and ruthless in persecuting any threat to her power,
玛格丽特既美丽，亦有野心，她冷酷地对待任何威胁到她的权力的人，
and she distrusted Richard of York, most of all.
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,
约克一族世世代代都是国王的近臣和忠诚的将军，
but was increasingly sidelined by the Queen, who promoted her favorite supporters, like the Earls of Suffolk and Somerset.
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.
约克一族对于他们在法国战役中的无能进行了批评，却因此在议会中被驱逐，并被流放到爱尔兰。
Meanwhile, mounting military failures, and corrupt rule by Margaret and her allies caused widespread discontent,
同时，战场上接二连三的失败和玛格丽特与她的同党们迂腐的管治，引起了社会广泛的不满，
and in the midst of this chaos, Richard of York returned with an army to arrest Somerset and reform the court.
在这一片混乱之中，理查·约克带领军队回归，捉拿森密实伯爵并重组议会。
Initially unsuccessful, he soon got his chance
尽管一开始并不成功，但理查很快便把握住了他的机会，
when he was appointed Protector of the Realm after Henry suffered a mental breakdown.
在亨利六世一次精神崩溃的时候，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，一年之内，亨利六世突然康复，同时玛格丽特劝他推翻理查·约克的改革。
York fled and raised an army once more.
理查因此逃亡，但再次组织了一支军队。

Though he was unable to directly seize the throne,
虽然他没办法直接地夺取王位，
he managed to be reinstated as Protector and have himself and his heirs designated to succeed Henry.
但他设法再次成为了护国将军，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.
他年幼的儿子成为了爱德华四世。
Edward enjoyed great military success against the Lancasters.
后来，爱德华四世在与兰卡丝一族的战斗中大获全胜。
Henry was captured, while Margaret fled into exile with their reportedly cruel son, Edward of Westminster.
亨利六世被俘获，玛格丽特则带着他们残暴为名的儿子、威敏斯特的爱德华，被迫流亡。
But the newly crowned King made a tragic political mistake
可是，新国王犯了一个可悲的政治错误，
by backing out of his arranged marriage with a French Princess to secretly marry the widow of a minor Noble.
他没有信守承诺迎娶法国公主，而是私底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,
华威伯爵于是与兰卡斯特一族联手，连同爱德华四世善妒的弟弟乔治一起对付他，
and even briefly managed to restore Henry as King, but it didn't last.
他们甚至成功地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.
爱德华重新夺回了王位，兰卡斯特一族的王子则战死于战役中，亨利六世亦在被俘获后不久逝世。
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，他的逝世使到腥风血雨再次刮起。
Though his twelve-year-old son was due to succeed him,
虽然他12岁的儿子继承了他的王位，
Edward's younger brother Richard III declared his nephews illegitimate due to their father's secret marriage.
但是爱德华四世的弟弟理查三世声称，自己的侄子并没有继承权，只因为他是父亲的秘密婚姻下的结果。
He assumed the regency himself and threw the boys in prison.
他成了摄政王，然后囚禁了侄子们。
Though no one knows what ultimately became of them,
尽管没人清楚他们的结果，
after a while, the Princes disappeared and Richard's power seemed secure.
但在王子们消失以后，理查的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,
亨利·都铎是兰卡斯特公爵的直系子孙，
raised in exile after his father's death in a previous rebellion.
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, Henry won support for his royal claim.
理查三世夺取权力的关系，导致约克一族开始分裂，亨利赢得了别人的拥护。
Raising an army in France, he crossed the Channel in 1485 and quickly defeated Richard's forces.
在法国筹备一支军队以后，1485年亨利横渡英伦海峡，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,
他后来迎娶了消失的王子们的姐姐--约克的伊丽莎白，
the newly crowned Henry VII joined the two roses, finally ending nearly a century of war.
新上任的亨利七世联合两个家族，结束了持续接近了一个世纪的战争。
We often think of historical wars as decisive conflicts with clearly defined winners and losers.
我们经常认为，历史上的战争都是黑白分明，有着绝对的胜者和败者。
But the Wars of the Roses, like the fiction they inspired,
但在“玫瑰战争”中，正如那本被他们启发的小说一样，
show us that victories can be uncertain, alliances unstable, and even the power of Kings as fleeting as the seasons.
告诉了我们，胜利是不确定的，联盟不一定是稳固的，甚至是国王的权力也可以像是四季更迭般一样飘忽。