TheRed Rose of Lancaster (blazoned:arose gules) was theheraldic badge adopted by the royalHouse of Lancaster in the 14th century. In themodern era, it symbolises the county ofLancashire. The exactspecies orcultivar which it represents is thought to beRosa gallica officinalis.

John of Gaunt's younger brotherEdmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York (1341–1402), adopted theWhite rose of York as his heraldic badge. His descendants fought for control of the throne of England during several decades of civil warfare, which became known as theWars of the Roses, after the heraldry of theHouse of York

Adopted after the civil wars of the fifteenth century had ended, the red rose was the symbol of the English Monarchy.

The opposition of the roses was a romantic invention created after the fact, and the Tudor arts under poets like Shakespeare gave the wars their popular conception: TheWars of the Roses, coined in the 19th century. The conflict was ended by KingHenry VII of England who, upon marryingElizabeth of York, created theTudor rose, the symbol of theTudor dynasty.

Lancaster's Red Rose (also known asApothecary's Rose, Old Red Damask and Rose of Provins) is an official variety and is possibly the first cultivatedrose. The rose grew wild throughoutCentral Asia and was discovered by the ancientPersians andEgyptians. Later adopted by theRomans, who introduced it toGaul (France) where it assumed the nameRosa gallica. It is documented thatCharlemagne's court exploited the rose as aperfume. The rose was also appreciated for its medical value and was utilized in countlessmedical remedies.

The Red Rose of Lancaster derives from the gold rose badge ofEdward I of England. Other members of his family used variants of the royal badge, with the king's brother, the Earl of Lancaster,^[who?] using a red rose.^[1] It is incorrectly believed that the Red Rose of Lancaster was the House of Lancaster'sbadge during theWars of the Roses. Evidence for this "wearing of the rose" includes scant evidence.^[2] there are, however, doubts as to whether the red rose was actually an emblem taken up by the Lancastrians during the Wars of the Roses. Adrian Ailes has noted that the red rose “probably owes its popular usage toHenry VII quickly responding to the pre-existing Yorkist white rose in an age when signs and symbols could speak louder than words."

It also allowed Henry to invent and exploit his most famous heraldic device, theTudor Rose, combining the so-called Lancastrian red rose and theWhite Rose of York. This floral union neatly symbolised the restoration of peace and harmony and his marriage in January 1486 to Elizabeth of York. It was a brilliant piece of simple heraldic propaganda.”^[3] TheTudor Rose is used as the plant badge of England (Scotland uses thethistle,Ireland uses theshamrock, andWales uses theleek).

The rose does not form any part of the insignia of theDuchy of Lancaster, but came to be seen as an emblem of thecounty ofLancashire, and as such was incorporated in thecoats of arms of numerous Lancashire local authorities including the county council. Since 1974 a number ofmetropolitan boroughs inGreater Manchester andMerseyside have included red roses in their armorial bearings to show their formation from parts of Lancashire. It is also present in the crest of thecoat of arms of the London Borough of Enfield.

The traditionalLancashire flag, a red rose on a white field, was never officially registered with the Flag Institute and when this was attempted it was found that this flag had been registered by the town ofMontrose, Scotland. As two flags of the same design can not be registered, Lancashire's official flag is now registered as a red rose on a yellow field.^[4][5]

Today the Red Rose is still widely used, and not necessarily on a yellow background.Lancashire County Cricket Club still use the rose as an emblem.The Trafford Centre also features Red Roses in its architecture, most noticeably on all of the glass panes in the shopping centre.Lancashire GAA features a red rose on its emblem.Manchester City Football Club featured the red rose on the club badge from 1972 to 1997 and reinstated it in 2015, reflecting Manchester's history as part of Lancashire.^[6] It also features on the badges ofBlackburn Rovers,Bolton Wanderers, andBarrow.Edge Hill University in Ormskirk uses the Red Rose on a yellow background on its crest along with aLiver bird which signifies its current location (Lancashire) and origins in Liverpool.^[7]

The shield of Lancashire County Council'scoat of arms, however, displays not one but three red roses, on goldpiles on a red background. The arms have been official since 1903.^[8]

From the nineteenth century the red rose was part of the badge of a number of units of theBritish Army recruiting in the county. During theFirst World War, the rose was worn by55th (West Lancashire) Division; theirmotto was "They win or die, who wear the Rose of Lancaster". Whenthe division was reformed in 1920, it maintained the rose as its insignia. The cap badge of theDuke of Lancaster's Regiment, formed in 2006, features the rose.

The SaskatoonLight Infantry of theCanadian Army also incorporated the red rose into the design of their cap badge and regimental buttons, due to an alliance with theYork and Lancaster Regiment of theBritish Army.

TheCanadian city ofMontreal has a Lancastrian rose in the top right hand corner of itsflag, representing the city's historical English community.

The U.S.City of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, known as "Red Rose City", uses the Lancastrian rose as its seal, and in its flag.

• Royal Badges of England
• Wars of the Roses
• White Rose of York
• Tudor rose

• Lancashire villages homepage concerning the rose
• 55th (West Lancashire) Territorial