EP: Edward IV and dealing with the nobility Flashcards
1
Q
Introduction
A
Introduction:
- Edward IV’s reign was initiated after his victory at Towton in March 1461 and concluded upon his death on 9th April 1483
- Chrimes praises his skill in dealing with the nobility and calls his reign a “new monarchy”
- Largely relied on overmighty nobility
- Success in dealing with the Lancastrian threat but limited when dealing with ‘overmighty’ subjects and retaining as well as over patronage and loyalty
- Most successful: Lancastrian threat
- Overall successful, albeit to a limited extent
2
Q
3 paragraphs for the Q: “How successfully did Edward IV deal with the nobility”
A
- Lancastrian threat
- ‘Overmighty’ subjects and retaining
- Patronage and loyalty
3
Q
All of Lancastrian threat
A
- Initially vulnerable in the 1460s, Horrox argues that “by the late 1470’s Edward was, very much, the master in his own Kingdom.”
- Largely extinguished the threat
- Clearly a problem throughout the 1460s in Northumberland (1461 - 64) and in Wales with Lancastrians holding Harlech castle until it falls to Sir William Herbert in 1468
- Culminated in the battles of Hedgeley Moor and Hexham in 1464 and the capture of Henry VI in 1465
- Edward’s policy of conciliation fails with Percy and Somerset in 1462 with their rebellions in 1464. BUT…
- Sir Ralph Percy killed at battle of Hedgley Moor (25th April 1464)
- Henry Beaufort, Duke of Somerset killed at battle of Hexham (15th May 1464)
- Margaret of Anjou ensures Scottish threat by agreeing that James III would gain Berwick if they supported Henry VI’s claim (BUT: Threat only until December 1463)
- Tudors were exiled in Brittany under the protection of Francis II and did not pose a threat to his crown. Henry had been dismissed as a “nobody”
- Threat from the Neville-Lancastrian alliance with the warwick rebellion, the readeption of Henry VI and the return of Margaret of Anjou
- Survival of Oxford after Tewkesbury meant the threat lingered on, but was snuffed out with his imprisonment in 1474 after his siege of St Michael’s Mount
4
Q
All of ‘Overmighty’ subjects and retaining
A
BUT: Whilst he may be credited for dealing with the Lancastrian threat, he continued to rely upon nobility to rule his kingdom
- First reign was overshadowed by Warwick’s rebellion in 1469
- Whilst no subjects rose up against Edward in his 2nd reign, his reliance on the nobility did not change
- Clearly shown by the failures of Edward’s livery and maintenance policy despite passing a statute in the parliament of 1468 effectively prohibiting retaining of military, yet rebellion the following year still managed to topple him temporarily
- Huge power vested in Warwick enabled his rebellion to occur
- Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, was appointed Constable of Dover Castle, Admiral of England and Ireland and warden of the eastern and western marches on the Scottish border after Towton in 1461
- Hicks: “Warwick and his brothers ruled, whilst Edward merely reigned.”
- Replicated in his 2nd reign with the power vested in the Richard, Duke of Gloucester (His brother) as he gained the Neville estates and a special palatinate in Cumberland, granting him the power to raise troops without the King’s authority. Led to a feud between him and his brother Clarence, leading to Clarence’s execution in 1478
- System unravelled following Edward’s death on 9th April 1483
5
Q
All of Patronage and loyalty
A
- Limited success
- More successful in the 2nd reign, epitomised by the fact that the entire nobility supported the French campaign in 1475
- Only rebellions were Clarence in 1477 and Oxford’s occupation of St Michael’s Mount 1473-74
- Pacified Wales and the North through the promotion of regional councils. South West was governed by Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset, who was granted vast estates confiscated from Clarence
- These ‘New Yorkists’ demonstrated considerable loyalty to Edward IV
- BUT: Granted too much patronage in his first reign to warwick and the Nevilles which nearly lost him his crown
- Patronage towards ‘new Yorkists’ of Rivers, Hastings and Herbert, did aid the development of a new Yorkist power-base, however partially instigated Warwick’s rebellion in 1469.
- Rebellion of Robin of Redesdale in April-July 1469 and the Neville uprising of August 1470
- J: Policies heavily relied on Edward’s presence and as such marked only a limited success. Failures in lack of loyalty in the 1st reign
6
Q
Conclusion
A
Conclusion:
- Obvious improvement following the second reign, shown by the diminished lancastrian threat, and the enhanced loyalty of the nobility, Edward was not revolutionary in his methods of dealing with the nobility, and certainly does not conform to Green’s new monarchy
- Emphasised by reliance on overmighty nobility
- Edward also struggled to curb retaining
- Successful, but to a limited extent
7
Q
Who supports the view that Edward established a ‘new monarchy’
A
- Chrimes praises his Edward’s skill in dealing with the nobility and calls his reign a “new monarchy”
8
Q
Quote on Lancastrian threat
A
Horrox argues that “by the late 1470’s Edward was, very much, the master in his own Kingdom.”
9
Q
Quote on Overmighty subjects and retaining
A
- Hicks: “Warwick and his brothers ruled, whilst Edward merely reigned.”
10
Q
Lancastrian threat in the 1460s
A
- Initially vulnerable in the 1460s
- Largely extinguished the threat
- Clearly a problem throughout the 1460s in Northumberland (1461 - 64) and in Wales, particularly at Harlech in 1468
- Culminated in the battles of Hedgeley Moor and Hexham in 1464 and the capture of Henry VI in 1465
- Edward’s policy of conciliation fails with Percy and Somerset. BUT…
- Sir Ralph Percy killed at battle of Hedgley Moor (25th April 1464)
- Henry Beaufort, Duke of Somerset killed at battle of Hexham (15th May 1464)
11
Q
What happened to the Tudors
A
- Tudors were exiled in Brittany under the protection of Francis II and did not pose a threat to his crown. Henry had been dismissed as a “nobody”
12
Q
Threat from the Neville-Lancastrian alliance
A
- Threat from the Neville-Lancastrian alliance with the Warwick rebellion, the readeption of Henry VI and the return of Margaret of Anjou
- Warwick, now allied to Margaret of Anjou, returned to England in September 1470, leading to Edward being forced in to exile 2/3rd October 1470 and the restoration of Henry VI
13
Q
Role of Oxford
A
- Survival of Oxford after Tewkesbury meant the threat lingered on, but was snuffed out with his imprisonment in 1474 after his siege of St Michael’s Mount and his subsequent attainment in 1475
14
Q
Did he continue to rely upon the nobility to rule his kingdom
A
Yes
15
Q
What overshadowed his first reign
A
- First reign was overshadowed by Warwick’s rebellion in 1469
