Consequences: Y2P Flashcards
how
York was made Protector again in November 1455, but this time there was no real reason for him to be there. York’s supporters were still in the minority in government, and he had little active support amongst fellow nobles. He was initially refused the role of Protector as the King was not actively unwell.
York and Warwick attended Parliament with large, armed retinues – clearly, York’s authority was in military might, not legitimate power. He was clearly still opposed by the House of Lords and Queen Margaret. He was forced to reward his supporters to make himself feel more secure, for example Warwick was made Captain of Calais and given a large amount of Somerset’s land in Wales. Warwick’s captaincy of Calais meant that Calais became a Yorkist base and in effect a seat of an alternative government.
what did he do
York had attempted to reduce the influence and size of the royal household, with ordinances in July 1455 and February 1456 – both of these provoked opposition from the House of Lords.
York had also attempted to pass an Act of Resumption to call back all land grants made by Henry over the previous few years. It was an attempt to undo Somerset’s support network but alienated the neutral Lords who had benefitted from these grants, showed York to be acting against the King’s interests, and forced these men into the arms of Queen Margaret.
failures
York’s second Protectorate (Nov 1455-Feb 1456) was largely a failure. He tried to subdue the Courtenay-Bonville dispute but Devon had Nicholas Radford, an associate of Bonville, murdered. This convinced the Lords of York’s unsuitability and led to his resignation.
He was compensated for the loss of his post, yet it is unlikely he took the dismissal well and it was definitely NOT the outcome he expected after victory at St Albans.
