The War of the Roses

[a_svirn]

> Geoff:
> Both these roses were sometimes surrounded with rays, and 
> termed en soleil, and later on they were frequently conjoined."

a_svirn:
This is highly unlikely. As far as I know, there was never such thing 
as *red* rose en soleil. And if there was, it hadn't anything to do 
with the House of Lancaster.  For the good reason that the *white* rose 
en soleil originated from an actual historic episode: Edward IV (then 
the 18-year-old earl of March) first ever military victory at Mortimer 
Cross. His army was terrified by the appearance of the "three suns", an 
atmospheric optical phenomenon called parhelion. March then sweettalked 
his men into believing that it is actually a good omen, and was proved 
right – the Lancastrian host lost spectacularly. Ever since then he 
used "sun in splendor" as his emblem as well as the white rose and 
sometimes combined them in the rose en soleil. I know no such story 
about Lancastrian red roses.