On this day

On 30 December 1460, the long-running civil conflict known as the Wars of the Roses took a dramatic and bloody turn. At the Battle of Wakefield, Lancastrian forces defeated the Yorkists and killed Richard, 3rd Duke of York — one of the most powerful nobles in England and the leading claimant to the English throne. The battle marked a decisive Lancastrian resurgence and reshaped the struggle for the crown.   Background to the conflict   The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487) were a series of dynastic conflicts between two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the House of Lancaster, symbolized by a red rose, and the House of York, represented by a white rose. Both claimed legitimate descent from King Edward III. By 1460, England was deeply unstable. King Henry VI of Lancaster was weak and prone to periods of mental illness, leaving governance largely in the hands of powerful nobles.  Richard, Duke of York, had emerged as the leader of opposition to t...

On the 30th of December in 1816, the United States formally proclaimed the Treaty of St. Louis, an agreement negotiated with the united Ottawa, Ojibwa (Chippewa), and Potawatomi Indian tribes. This treaty was one of several agreements made in the early 19th century that reshaped political control, land ownership, and Native–U.S. relations in the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi regions following the War of 1812.   Historical context   The War of 1812 had recently ended, leaving the United States eager to consolidate its authority in the western territories and reduce British influence among Native nations. Many Native American tribes in the Great Lakes region had allied with Britain during the war, hoping to resist American expansion. With Britain defeated and withdrawing from the region, U.S. officials moved quickly to secure treaties that would reaffirm American sovereignty and open land for settlement.   The Ottawa, Ojibwa, and Potawatomi peoples — ofte...