Richard III Flashcards
Who was the English Monarch between 1483 and 1485?
Richard III
Which English monarch reigned between 1485 and 1509?
Henry VII
Which English Monarch reigned between 1509 and 1549?
Henry VIII
Which English monarch reigned before Richard III?
Edward IV
What was the war of the roses?
A civil war between two rival branches of the royal family. The war was on and off between 1455 and 1485, 30 years.
Who were the two main protagonists in the war of the roses?
Henry VI
Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York
How was Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York related to Henry VII his main protagonist in the war of the roses?
They were cousins
Who were the Yorkists named after?
Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York and cousin to King Henry VI.
What colour of rose is an emblem of the Yorkists?
White rose
What colour of rose is an emblem to the Lancastrians?
Red rose
Who were the Lancastrians named after?
After Henry Bolingbroke, Earl of Lancaster who was made king Henry VI after he deposed Richard II in 1399.
Who were both Richard of York and Henry VI descended from?
Both descended from Edward III and so both had royal blood
Who was most to blame for the war of the roses?
Henry VI was blamed for being a bad king.
Why was Henry VI a bad king and therefore thought to be responsible for the war of the roses?
- If he had been a better unbiased king, then Richard of York wouldn’t have felt so cheated and therefore wouldn’t have wanted the throne so badly.
- Poor military skills
- Not interested in ruling the country
- Mental illness
- Let his wife, Margaret of Anjou push him around
- Lazy
Who was Henry VI’s son and heir?
Edward of Westminster
Before Edward of Westminster was born, who had been Henry VI’s heir to the throne?
Duke of York
Who was Henry VI wife?
Margaret of Anjou
What was Margaret of Anjou like?
Bossy! Henry VI was dominated by his bossy French wife
Why did Margaret of Anjou hate the Duke of York?
She feared that Richard, Duke of York wanted the crown for himself.
Who was Margaret of Anjou jealous of and why?
She was jealous of the powerful Duke of York who was an over mighty nobleman.
How powerful was the Duke of York and therefore how big a threat to Henry VI?
He was a senior Noble in the land and very very rich and powerful with extensive landed estates and experience of governing in Ireland and France.
He was thought by most to be able to be a good king
When Henry was incapacitated due to mental illness who took over?
Richard, Duke of York became Regent of England
What did Margaret of Anjou accuse Richard of York of when her husband, Henry VI recovered?
Treason!
Did the charges of treason against the Duke of York by Margaret Anjou stick?
No, but he had to robustly defend himself.
Did Henry’s wife like the Duke or York?
No, Margaret on Anjou hated Richard, Duke of York.
Name two things that Henry VI was much more interested in than ruling his country.
Learning
Religión
Who were enemies of Richard or York and friends with Henry VI?
Dukes of Somerset and Suffolk
What did King Henry VI give to his favoured Dukes of Somerset and Suffolk?
- Rewards from the King
2. Given money from the King which had originally been borrowed from the Duke of York.
Why was the Duke of York enemies with the Dukes of Somerset and Suffolk.
They were favourites of the king
Rivals to the Duke of York for political office
Was Henry VI guilty of favouritism?
Yes. He showed favouritism to a small circle of courtiers.
Who was Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, a man later given the title as king maker?
Neville, Earl of Warwick, was a wealthy and influential nobleman during the war of the roses.
He was influential is making Edward IV king.
Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, was originally a Lancastrian supporter but fell out with people so changed his allegiance. What to?
He changed his allegiance to Richard of York
After the Duke of York was killed in battle, Warwick supported the Duke of York’s son, Edward as they continued their struggle against the Lancastrians and Henry VI. At which battle did Warwick and Edward defeat Henry VI?
Battle of Towson
Who was to blame for the start of the war of the roses?
Henry VI: weak king; favouritism; no interest in ruling the country; mentally unwell; irresponsible; money waster; borrowed Duke of York’s money; lost France, etc
Margaret of Anjou: jealous, antagonistic, accused Richard, Duke of York of treason!
Was Henry VI good at law and order?
No! He failed to maintain law and order. There was a significant uprising in Kent.
What title was Edward given after defeating Henry VI in the battle of Towton in 1461?
King Edward IV
Who was the most important nobleman and richest man in England apart from the king?
Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick
Did Henry VI treat the Duke of York fairly?
No, he neglected him.
How did Henry VI waste Royal money?
- He was irresponsible in his distribution of land
2. Irresponsible in office
If the Duke of York was so great, why did he never become a King?
He was killed in the battle of Wakefield in 1460.
Who were Richard of York’s sons?
Edward ( who became King Edward IV)
Richard ( who became King Richard III)
George (who tried twice to over throw Edward from the throne and was then drowned by his brothers in a barrel of wine)
How was Henry VI state of mind?
Poor. He was mentally ill and had a breakdown during his reign.
Who was Edward IV greatest advisor?
Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick.
How did Henry VI do in the 100 years war with France?
Terribly! He lost all of France leaving only Calais in English hands.
Why did The Earl of Warwick and King Edward IV fall out?
As Edward IV became more and more settled in his role as king he started to ignore the advice of Warwick and make his own decisions. This annoyed Warwick.
Who did the Earl of Warwick arrange for Edward IV to marry and why?
The Earl of Warwick arranged for Edward IV to marry a French princess to secure peace with France.
Did Edward IV marry the French princess?
No!
Why did Edward IV not want to marry the French princess?
He secretly fell in love with and married a very poor noble woman
What was the name of Edward IV’s wife?
Elizabeth Woodville
How did Edward IV make peace with France instead of marrying the French Princess?
He made a secret peace treaty with France’s enemy Burgundy, so that France would be less likely to rage war on Britain.
Whose idea was the treaty with Burgandy instead to marrying the French princess to secure peace with France?
Elizabeth Woodville’s father
Why do you think Elizabeth Woodville’s father suggested a treaty with Burgandy rather than Edward IV marrying the french princess?
He probably suggested this so that his daughter Elizabeth Woodville could marry Edward IV and become queen.
The Earl of Warwick was jealous and outraged when he found out what Edward IV had done behind his back. What did Warwick do in retaliation?
Warwick rebelled again Edward IV.
Who did Warwick try to replace Edward IV with after they had quarrelled about the unsuitable marriage and the treaty with Burgandy?
Warwick tried to replace Edward IV with his younger brother George.
