Plot Synopsis

Adapted from Phillipa Gregory's novels, THE WHITE QUEEN is a drama set during the War of the Roses, one of the bloodiest wars in English history, as three fiercely independent women -- Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort and Anne Neville -- lay claim to the English throne. The series opens in 1464, before the Tudor dynasty ruled England and during a blood feud between two sides of the same family: The House of York and The House of Lancaster. The House of York's young heir Edward IV is crowned King of England at age 19, with the help of his mentor and advisor, the master manipulator Lord Warwick (The Kingmaker). Three years into his reign, Edward IV meets Elizabeth Woodville, a widow commoner and a Lancastrian supporter, who requests her dead husband's land be returned to her and two sons. They fall in love, much to the displeasure of Warwick, who feels their relationship undermines the Yorkist campaign. Plus, Warwick would rather Edward marry a French princess for diplomatic reasons, and their marriage destroys Warwick's plan to control the throne. After Elizabeth's coronation in 1465, Edward needs a son to secure his reign from his new enemies and his younger brother, George, who shares Warwick's displeasure of Edward's marriage to Elizabeth. A violent struggle for the crown ensues between Elizabeth (The White Queen), her fiercest adversary Lancastrian Margaret Beaufort (The Red Queen), and Anne Neville (The Kingmaker's Daughter), who is just a pawn in her father's power game. Margaret was married to Edmund Tudor, the half-brother of the Lancastrian King Henry VI, and she had her only child, Henry Tudor, when she was just 13. She does not accept Edward as King, especially with Henry VI still alive, nor will she accept Elizabeth, a commoner, as queen. When Edward decides to take away her son's title and bestow it upon his brother, George, she is even more distraught, especially because George has married Isabel, Warwick's oldest daughter. Warwick briefly returns Henry VI to the throne, and in an alliance with Margaret of Anjou, he offers his young daughter Anne's hand in marriage to the Lancastrian prince Henry. Edward IV, returning from one year in exile, reclaims his throne by defeating Warwick and the Lancastrians, but an untimely death engulfs Elizabeth in emotional turmoil and a fight for the throne. Starz aired the US premiere of this series on Saturday, August 10, 2013 at 8pm ET/PT, one day after showing the same first episode as a sneak peek on Friday at 10pm ET/PT.