1450-1455 (Collapse of government) Flashcards
Murder of the Duke of Suffolk
2 May 1450 - William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk was Murdered: He was arrested for treason (said to be passing secrets to the French) and imprisoned in the Tower, but Henry let him go, banishing him for 5 years instead. On his ship out of England, Suffolk was intercepted by the Nicholas of the Tower (Vessel belonging to the Duke of Exeter, the Constable of the Tower (He was a close ally of York)) and killed.
- He was captured at Patay in France in the 1430s yet released without ransom. Hence accused of being a traitor
Jack Cade’s revolt
May-July 1450 - Jack Cade’s Revolt: The people of Kent were afraid of the acts of retaliation for the murder of Suffolk, and also were angry about the regime, the shocking military disasters in France and the subsequent high taxation. The rebels wrote ‘Complaint of the Poor Commons of Kent’ where they demanded greater political equality among the aristocratic elite, for instance, York being installed on the King’s council. They wanted the king to live off his own revenues and also called for greater financial efficiency. It was possible that York was behind the revolt, as he is referred to as the “high and mighty Duke of York” Cade also used the alias of John Mortimer, which connected him to York, and another prominent demand in the manifesto was to bring justice to Gloucester’s ‘murderers.’
Cade’s army grew to more than 5,000 men and they marched on London in an attempt to force the government to end the corruption and remove the ‘traitors’ who surrounded the king. Most of Henry’s army was in France but he managed to send across a small army to try and defeat the rebels before they reached London. There was a skirmish at Sevenoaks where the Royal Army was dispersed, and Henry fled to Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire, fearing his life, meaning that the rebels were free to enter London on 3 July 1450.
Many uprisings occurred elsewhere across the country, and in London, Lord Saye, Lord High Treasurer was murdered and his head stuck on a spike to be paraded through the streets, among others. Lots of the rebels then turned to looting and drunken behaviour and the people of London, initially sympathetic, turned against them. There was a battle on 8 July on London Bridge where the rebels tried to enter London again but were being shut out by officials and London citizens. Cade was forced to negotiate with Cardinal John Kemp, the Lord Chancellor, who promised that the king would fulfil any of their demands and give Cade a pardon if he was to leave London at once and disperse his followers. Henry then returned and voided all previous pardons, offering money to whoever could kill Cade. Cade was thus captured in Sussex and beheaded, his head replacing Saye’s on the spike.
Results: The revolt showed Henry VI to be a coward, and also proved the lack of support for him in London. A lack of royal army support was evident, and this demonstrated to York how easy it would be for him to take London himself. Weir: ‘The rebellion had achieved nothing… however, what had been made strikingly manifest was the inability of king and council to cope with such a crisis.’
York’s arrival in London
27 September 1450 - York Arrived in London: He sought no permission to return, and did so in the aftermath of Cade’s revolt. He published a manifesto, then with a force of 3000 strong, entered the city - his entry forced Somerset to be put into the Tower for his own safety as York gained enormous public support. He met with Henry, but instead of deposing him, pledged his loyalty, and presented the king with a list of personal demands. These included payments of money he was owed, entry onto king’s council and recognition of his position as heir presumptive. Many other demands were very similar to those of Cade
Somerset made Captain of Calais
April 1451 - Somerset made Captain of Calais: He was appointed in this new role upon being released from the Tower. The king accepted York’s demands and let him onto his council, though York couldn’t persuade him to abandon Somerset. When one of York’s councillors, Thomas Young, the MP for Bristol suggested that York be recognised as heir to the throne, he was sent to the Tower. York grew frustrated by his lack of political power, and retired to his castle, Ludlow, on the Welsh Marches.
York’s letter to the citizens of Shrewsbury
3 February 1452 - York’s Letter to the Citizens of Shrewsbury: He wrote this prior to his demonstration at Dartford, and it affirmed his loyalty to the king, but expressed his desire to get rid of Somerset.
York’s demonstration at Dartford
2 March 1452 - Demonstration at Dartford: York made another bid for power, raising an army from his Ludlow men, and heading to London, but he found the city gates barred against him on Henry’s orders. At Dartford, Kent, with his army outnumbered 3:1, and the support of only 2 of the nobility, York was forced to come to an agreement with Henry. He submitted to the king, but only after being assured that Henry would imprison Somerset.
- Procession mostly about the upset of Somerset being appointed as Captain of Calais
York was then taken to London, and after 2 weeks of virtual house arrest, was forced to swear an oath of allegiance to Henry at St Paul’s Cathedral. Finally he could return after this humiliation to Ludlow, but he was stripped of his titles such as Lieutenant of Ireland in July 1453.
Henry’s mental collapse 1453
August 1453 - Henry VI Suffered a Mental Breakdown: He was based at the royal hunting lodge, Clarendon, Salisbury and would be in a catatonic state for the next 15 months. He was totally unresponsive, incapable of any form of leadership and government thus broke down, leading to Ross describing him as a ‘useful political vegetable.’ The Council tried to continue as before, but eventually they realised that something had to be done. Invitations for a Great Council were issued, and though Somerset tried to have him excluded, York was included. In November, Somerset’s fears came true, as he found himself committed to the Tower.
Birth of Prince Edward
13 October 1453 - Prince Edward born: though there are rumours he is Somerset’s bastard due to Henry’s hatred of physical contact. Henry was so incapacitated he couldn’t even acknowledge Edward as his child. By Christmas, Henry is unable to give any response to those who visit him.
Death of Cardinal John Kemp
22 March 1454 - The Death of Cardinal John Kemp, the Chancellor: Continued government in the king’s name became constitutionally impossible, and Henry could not be induced to respond to any suggestions as who might replace Kemp. Storey declares that ‘the civil wars were the outcome of this collapse of law and order.’
York’s first Protectorate
27 March 1454 - York’s First Protectorate: Following the death of John Kemp, despite the opposition from Margaret of Anjou, the the king’s council decided York should be appointed as the Protector of the Realm, and Chief Councillor. By this stage, he had gained the full support of his brother-in-law, Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury (who was then appointed Chancellor) and Salisbury’s son, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, who was appointed Captain of Calais.
Somerset was imprisoned, and Margaret retired to Windsor to care for her husband - her influence now became marginalised. York was effectively to act as king until such a time that the king recovered, and unsurprisingly, his policies favoured the Yorkists. For example, the Nevilles received far better treatment than the Percys. He also made popular reforms such as cutting the size of the royal household down from over 200 personnel, to just 20, and he reduced expenditure from £25,000 to £5,200. Intervenes in Bonville-Courtney feud.
Impact of Henry’s partial recovery 1454
Christmas 1454 - Henry made a Partial Recovery: Storey asserts that ‘if Henry’s insanity had been a tragedy, his recovery was a national disaster.’ Henry remembered nothing of the past 15 months, and finally recognised his son. He then released Somerset from the Tower and reinstated him as Captain of Calais, dismissing Warwick, and Salisbury was also forced to resign as Chancellor.
End of York’s first protectorate
February 1455 - York’s First Protectorate Ends: Henry is restored to full royal powers, though his wife still exerted dominance over him. Bagley argues that ‘Margaret was forced into active politics and government by circumstances,’ which contradicts Shakespeare’s comment about her being a ‘she-wolf.’ York, Warwick and Salisbury were then threatened when a Great Council was called to meet.
Great Council in Leicester
21 May 1455 - Great Council at Leicester: In the heart of Lancastrian territory, Margaret and Somerset issued a summons to all loyal lords to gather and reaffirm fidelity to the king. York, Warwick and Salisbury were not invited, and they assumed that they would be declared traitors. With their lands and titles at risk, they summoned all 7000 of their retainers and marched on London in an attempt to cut off the king on his march north to the Great Council, leading to the First Battle of St Albans.
- Civil war inevitable
1453 Council meeting
- Meeting at Sheen
- Despenser lands are awarded to Somerset over Warwick
- Important for causing war and forming factions
View of Bastard feudalism
- Phrase coined in 1885 by Charles Plummer
- Supported by Denton and Stubbs
- Claimed that this form of feudalism allowed nobles to ‘indulge in private war’
- View rejected by K.B. McFarlane and is not given much credence today (McFarlane: “Retaining was as much for peace as for war”)
- Pollard: “Bastard feudalism was in essence neutral”
- Traditionalist
- Storey: “The Wars of the Roses were thus the outcome of an escalation of private feuds”
