EP: Compare Edward IV's 2nd reign to his 1st Flashcards
Introduction
Introduction
-First reign: victory at Towton 1461, characterised by poor dealing with nobility and Warwick’s rebellion in 1469
-Regained throne 1471 after crushing Lancastrians at Battle of Tewkesbury
-Debate surrounding his success or whether he created a ‘new monarchy’:
→Green and Chrimes: “The foundations of what has commonly been called the ‘new monarchy’ were laid not by Henry VII, but by Edward IV”
→Warren and Grossel: Edward was successful in maintaining control, but did not create significant reforms “If the country was not as lawless as in the reign of Henry VI, this simply reflected Edward’s more powerful personality”
-Overall: post 1471, Edward undoubtedly extended authority & improved governance but 2nd reign was not without limitations
Who argues Edward established a new monarchy
Green and Chrimes
What do Warren and Grossel argue
Edward was successful in maintaining control, but did not create significant reforms “If the country was not as lawless as in the reign of Henry VI, this simply reflected Edward’s more powerful personality”
3 Paragraphs for the question “Compare the success of the second reign of Edward IV to the first one”
- Relations with the nobility and Lancastrian threat
- Foreign policy
- Reassertion of royal authority (Greatest success)
Conclusion
Conclusion:
- Greatest success undoubtedly in the reassertion of royal authority: marked improvement from the first reign, though not quite a ‘new monarchy’ as Green says
- Foreign policy very limited success
- Relations with nobility overall success but with some limitations
- Overall: second reign saw marked improvement
All of Relations with the nobility and Lancastrian threat
Yes:
→First reign: Rival King, prince, Margaret of Anjou and major Lancastrians still at large, and many were protected by the Policy of Conciliation (failed: Percy, Somerset, Oxford rebelled) yet by 1471, Lancastrian threat gone (Oxford in prison 1475, Tudors in exile), policy of Conciliation more successful (e.g. Morton)
→First reign: Reliant on Warwick who was given erroneous amounts of power, yet is still jealous surrounding the promotion of the new Yorkists. Second reign: still overmighty subjects, but largely loyal
- Lancastrian resistance in Wales persisted throughout the 1st reign, Welsh castle of Harlech finally falls to Sir William Herbert in August 1468
→1st reign saw battles of Hexham (1464) and Hedgeley Moor (1464) which were victories, but far from guaranteed
But:
→Clarence and Gloucester’s, Hasting and Grey’s, Stanley and Harrington’s feuds
→Clarence’s rebellion 1477 in Cambridgeshire (executed 1478)
→Earl of Oxford seizes St. Michael’s Mount in September 1473. But, most of his men deserted him and he was later imprisoned and attained in early 1475
So:
-Although his second reign was not without challenges, Edward improved relations with the nobility and his ability to punish them correctly
All of Foreign policy
Yes:
→First reign: characterised by constant threat of foreign powers to reinstate Henry VI (e.g 1470 Louis XI arranges meeting with Warwick and Margaret of Anjou). Second reign: no foreign threat to Edward with the one exception of Francis II helping Tudors
→Treaty of Utrecht 1474: Ended Anglo-Hanseatic war between England the Hanseatic League. Increases trading privileges with the Hansa gaining access to the ports of Hull, Lynn and Boston
→Invasion of Scotland 1482: recaptured Berwick which had been promised to Scotland in the 1464 Treaty of York (But, Scots had broken the 45-year truce agreed in 1474)
→Treaty of Hesdin 1463 supposedly ends French support of Lancastrians, yet did not prevent Louis’ alliance with Margaret in 1470 v. Treaty of Picquigny 1475 gave Edward 10,000 crowns for Margaret, 75,000 crowns up front and a yearly pension of 50,000 crowns (key making Edward solvent)
But:
→Edward’s support of Charles the Bold during his downfall in 1474 cost him vital allies (as he did not have the support of the new heir of Burgundy- Maximilian HRE)
→Treaty of Picquigny left many nobles angry as it meant that the English were essentially left to whims of France, French broke treaty 1482 due to Treaty of Arras between Louis and Maximilian
- Had huge potential to gain control of Scotland through alliance with Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany, James III’s brother, known as ‘Clarence in a kilt’ in 1482. But failed as Albany favoured his brother again later.
- Commercial treaty with Burgundy in 1467 saw cloth exports from England double
So:
Prevented foreign mercenaries on English soil but French campaign 1475 and Scottish 1482 failed
All of reassertion of royal authority
Yes:
→Crusade tax 1463 (pocketed) and sale of indulgences 1463-66 very unpopular, Edward caused the liquidation of the London branch of the Medici bank in 1478 with the massive loans he took out in his first reign which he was unable to repay and was reliant on tax for income. By second reign, Edward better at exploiting existing revenue streams (crown lands, customs revenues from £25,000 to £35,000) - crown solvent by 1475
→ Income reached £70,000/ year
→Council saw vast improvements and the appointment of specialised ‘new men’ who were completely loyal to him (e.g. Vaughan, Tunstall)
→First reign: anarchy in North and Southwest where gentry ran local admin for the crown, second reign saw a vast increase in the no. of JPs and sheriffs who were not paid but were completely loyal
→ In 2nd reign he made the King’s council much smaller (10-15 men)
But:
→Some nobles (e.g. Duke of Norfolk) angry as they were not appointed to the council due to preference of new men
→Retaining continued after 1468 as it was allowed for “lawful service”
So:
- Marked improvement in this area, Edward took control of finances, improved relations with the church and managed to create workers who were completely loyal to him (new men)
- Very little is novel about his finances, merely exploits the same system better
Lancastrian threat in the 1st reign
- Central to the Lancastrian threat in the 1st reign was availability of an alternative monarch in Henry VI who could claim to be the legitimate ruler. Murdered in the tower 21st May 1471 on Edward’s arrival back to London
- Margaret of Anjou ensured Scottish threat as James III supported Henry VI until truce in Dec 1463
- Lancastrian resistance stemmed from their strongholds in Northumberland and Wales- Jasper Tudor holds Harlech Castle in revolt against Edward from 1461 to 1468
- Henry Beaufort, Duke of Somerset and Sir Ralph Percy both submit to Edward in 1462 but subsequently rebel in 1464
Lancastrian threat by the 2nd reign
- By 1471, Lancastrian threat gone (Oxford in prison and attained by 1475, Tudors in exile following Tewkesbury) policy of Conciliation more successful (e.g. Morton)
Role of over mighty subjects in the 1st reign compared to the 2nd
→First reign: Reliant on Warwick who was given erroneous amounts of power, yet is still jealous surrounding the promotion of the new Yorkists. Second reign: still overmighty subjects, but largely loyal
Rebellions and feuds in the 2nd reign
→Clarence and Gloucester’s, Hasting and Grey’s, Stanley and Harrington’s feuds
→Clarence’s rebellion 1477 in Cambridgeshire (executed 1478)
→Earl of Oxford seizes St. Michael’s Mount in 1473 (but attainted and imprisoned 1475)
Threats from foreign powers in the 1st compared to the 2nd reign
→First reign: characterised by constant threat of foreign powers to reinstate Henry VI (e.g 1470 Louis XI arranges Meeting with Margaret of Anjou and Warwick → Neville-Lancastrian alliance). Second reign: no foreign threat to Edward with the one exception of Francis II helping Tudors
Invasion of Scotland 1482
→Invasion of Scotland 1482: recaptured Berwick which had been promised to Scotland in the 1464 Treaty of York (But, Scots had broken the 45-year truce agreed in 1474)
Treaties with the French. 1st vs 2nd
→Treaty of Hesdin 1463 supposedly ends French support of Lancastrians, yet did not prevent Louis’ alliance with Margaret in 1470 v. Treaty of Picquigny in 1475 which gave Edward 10,000 crowns for Margaret, 75,000 crowns up front and a yearly pension of 50,000 crowns (key making Edward solvent)
