How successful was York's second period of dominance (the 'Second Protectorate' 1455-56) (mine)

Question 1

summarise the situation before the Second Protectorate

Answer 1

• 22nd May 1455: Battle of St Albans; York captures HVI - Somerset, Clifford, and Northumberland are killed
• November 1455: official beginning of Second Protectorate

Question 2

What things did York need to do to demonstrate his success, during the Second Protectorate?

Answer 2

• uphold laws and justice; deal with corruption
• defend the kingdom from military threats
• improve the government finances; reduce debts
• demonstrate that he was fair and even-handed; resolve private feuds

Question 3

what evidence is there that York was successful in defending the kingdom from military threats, during the Second Protectorate?

Answer 3

• York secured the pay of the Calais garrison through a deal with the merchants of the staple. ​
• Warwick was made Captain of Calais which was to prove crucial to the Yorkists later.​

Question 4

what evidence is there that York was successful in demonstrating that he was fair and even-handed, during the Second Protectorate?

Answer 4

• Efforts were made at conciliation
• There was no Yorkist monopoly on grants of patronage (lands, offices etc.)​
• councils seem to have been attended by a reasonably broadly based group of lords

Question 5

how were efforts made at conciliation, during the Second Protectorate?

Answer 5

• all the lords were summoned to Parliament regardless of affiliation, including antagonistic figures like Wiltshire and the heirs of those killed at St Albans
• Responsibility for St Albans was placed on Somerset and 2 minor household figures

Question 6

why did placing the blame for St Albans on Somerset and 2 minor household figures improve relations?

Answer 6

as Somerset was dead this gave everyone a way out of the blame game and it did the least harm

Question 7

who was not summoned to parliament during the Second Protectorate and why?

Answer 7

Somerset’s heir was not, as he was formally underage

Question 8

what evidence is there that York was successful in upholding laws and justice, during the Second Protectorate?

Answer 8

• York was made Constable of England
• A full pardon was issued to those fighting on York’s side.​
• Humphrey of Gloucester, who had died in 1447, and was seen as York’s political mentor, was formally rehabilitated.​
• Conciliation among the lords seems to have had knock-on effects regarding the disputes of the gentry

Question 9

what title did York give himself during the Second Protectorate?

Answer 9

Constable of England

Question 10

what private feuds were dealt with during the Second Protectorate?

Answer 10

September 1455: Buckingham was able to arbitrate successfully between the Vernons and the Gresleys in the north midlands.​

Question 11

which noble arbitrated between the Vernons and Gresleys during the Second Protectorate?

Answer 11

Buckingham

Question 12

what inheritance issue was resolved during the Second Protectorate?

Answer 12

The Mountford inheritance

Question 13

how was the issue of the mountford inheritance resolved during the second protectorate?

Answer 13

even though Warwick supported the heirs from William Mountford’s first marriage and Wiltshire supported those from the second. The inheritance was divided between the two. ​

Question 14

what was the effect of the death of Henry Percy during the Second Protectorate?

Answer 14

calming in the north

Question 15

what evidence is there that York was not successful in upholding laws and justice, during the Second Protectorate?

Answer 15

• There were still major disturbances especially in Wales (not caused by, but not resolved by, the protectorate).​
• Local violence was particularly bad in Devon, primarily due to the unresolved feud between the Earl of Devon (Courtenay) and Lord Bonville – nothing was done to effectively deal with it. ​

Question 16

why was local violence particularly bad in Devon, during the Second Protectorate?

Answer 16

primarily due to the unresolved feud between the Earl of Devon (Courtenay) and Lord Bonville

Question 17

why were there major disturbances in Wales during the Second Protectorate?

Answer 17

• due to the Crown’s inactivity, some Welsh gentry had become too powerful, becoming almost independent powers within the principality
• e.g. Gruffydd ap Nicholas – he exploited his office for maximum financial gain and carried out criminal activities with impunity.​ York’s efforts to remove him and his family from office were not successful

Question 18

how was the Courtney-Bonville feud dealt with during the Second Protectorate?

Answer 18

• Between October and December 1455 the Courtenays rampaged through Devonshire.​
• Nicholas Radford, an elderly lawyer who had served Lord Bonville, was abducted and murdered. A mock inquest held by the Courtenays, they ruled it was suicide!. His body was thrown naked into a grave and crushed by stones in such a way as to make a real inquest impossible
• nothing was done and whilst steps were eventually taken from December to bring the earl of devon to order, there was no great urgency
• The city of Exeter was captured by the Courtenays.​

Question 19

why did Bonville become a supporter of the Yorkists during the Second Protectorate?

Answer 19

Devon had swiched sides away from York at St Albans in 1455

Question 20

who was murdered during the Courtney-Bonville feud in the Second Protectorate?

Answer 20

Nicholas Radford, an elderly lawyer who had served Lord Bonville, was abducted and murdered. A mock inquest held by the Courtenays, they ruled it was suicide. His body was thrown naked into a grave and crushed by stones in such a way as to make a real inquest impossible

Question 21

what city did the Courtenays capture during the Second Protectorate?

Answer 21

Exeter

Question 22

what evidence is there that York was not successful in improving the government finances, during the second protectorate?

Answer 22

York had committed to a major Act of Resumption to deal with the mess that was the royal finances, after Commons had demanded it in 1455, but he completely failed to gain the support among the lords that he needed

Question 23

why did York fail to gain support for the Act of Resumption in the Second Protectorate?

Answer 23

• The intention was to reduce the queen’s spending to 10,000 marks a year (which was still a large sum) and to protect the Duchy of Lancaster from being granted away for royal projects like Eton and King’s College. ​
• It was an attempt to fundamentally alter the king’s power to make grants and few nobles were willing to commit to that due to the nature of York’s position.