1. 1. [Высшая проба, Ломоносов,ПВГ, СПБГУ] Read the text and summarize it:
The Wars of the Roses: How Noble Houses Lost Power Without Losing Their Lives
The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487) were a prolonged dynastic conflict between two rival branches of the Plantagenet dynasty, a royal house of French Angevin origin that took its name from Geoffrey of Anjou’s broom-plant emblem (planta genista): the House of Lancaster, symbolised by the red rose, and the House of York, represented by the white rose. King Henry VI belonged to the House of Lancaster, whose claim derived from the line of John of Gaunt, while the Yorkists asserted descent from what they presented as a senior branch of Edward III’s lineage. Over time, these roses evolved from heraldic badges into potent political symbols: to declare allegiance to one rose meant placing a noble house’s status, lands, and future at stake.
Although many nobles died on the battlefield, a more subtle and enduring consequence of the conflict was the political and reputational decline of aristocratic families that survived but lost influence. In this volatile period, choosing the wrong faction—or misjudging the balance of power—often resulted either in death or, for survivors, in loss of titles, estates, prestige, and long-term political relevance.
A notable case is Thomas Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, whose family’s fortunes fluctuated sharply due to shifting allegiances. The Percys, once among the most powerful noble houses in northern England, suffered repeated attainders and confiscations as control alternated between Yorkist and Lancastrian regimes. Although later generations regained portions of their lands, their dominance was curtailed, and their political leverage never fully recovered. Their survival came at the cost of diminished authority.
Similarly, the Beaufort family, closely linked to the Lancastrian line, endured a dramatic erosion of power. While not entirely destroyed, their association with the losing side led to the weakening of their dynastic standing, restriction of their claims, and marginalisation at court. The family retained noble status, but their former prominence was irreversibly reduced.
Another instructive example is Henry Holland, Duke of Exeter, a Lancastrian sympathiser who survived the conflict but experienced near-total political ruin. Before his fall, Holland stood among the highest-ranking magnates in England, commanding vast estates, private military resources, parliamentary authority, and privileged access to the royal court through blood and marriage. While married to Anne of York and positioned close to royal power, Holland alienated potential allies through erratic leadership and unwavering Lancastrian loyalty. After Yorkist victories, he was attainted by Parliament, stripped of his estates, and forced into exile on the Continent, where he lived in relative poverty. Although he later received a limited and symbolic restoration of title, his former influence was never recovered; he died under mysterious circumstances at sea in 1475, widely believed to have been eliminated for political reasons. His fate illustrates how survival did not necessarily preserve power, and how noble status could be reduced to little more than a name.
Even families that aligned with the victorious Yorkist cause were not immune to decline. Some Yorkist nobles saw their authority diluted as monarchs such as Edward IV and Henry VII sought to curb overmighty subjects and centralise royal power. In this sense, the war accelerated a broader transformation in which the traditional feudal aristocracy gradually surrendered autonomy to a stronger crown.
The conflict concluded in 1485 when Henry Tudor defeated Richard III and founded the Tudor dynasty. By marrying Elizabeth of York and adopting the Tudor Rose, Henry VII symbolically united the red and white factions, signalling the end of open civil war. Yet beneath this emblem of reconciliation lay a transformed noble landscape: fewer great houses, reduced magnate independence, and a court increasingly dominated by royal authority rather than aristocratic rivalry.
In essence, the Wars of the Roses reshaped England’s nobility not only through bloodshed, but through quiet political dispossession. For many aristocratic families, the true cost of backing the wrong rose was not death, but the slow loss of name, power, and historical significance—a fate that proved just as enduring as extinction.
1. 2. [Высшая проба, ВОШ, Ломоносов, ПВГ] Write a paragraph summarising the text (In the olympiad you will be asked to listen to an audio).
You should follow the structure:
• a topic sentence;
• supporting arguments;
• a concluding sentence.
The paragraph must contain 100 – 120 words.
1. 3. [Высшая проба] In the name of a Henry Holland's daughter write a story about how your father's participation in the War of the Roses changed your family's life.
Attention! Remember to describe characters in your story, use direct speech at least once and show how the characters changed over time, as well to narrate about your life prior the Plague, your life during the epidemic and your life after it. Write 250 words +- 10%
• the characteristics of the time period;
• how you have adapted to the new environment;
• how this experience has influenced your personality;
• whether you would like to stay (or not) and why.
You must write 250 – 300 words.
Tip: Always include character description, direct speech, idioms and proverbs even if it is not mentioned in the task in the olympiad!
To make sure your syntax in direct speech in your story is correct, watch my video about it. And give your thumbs-up👍):
Assessment and Scoring criteria in Higher Probe
