Sources: Role of Henry VI

Question 1

Finances

Answer 1

• Crown owed Richard £38,000 by 1450 (£17 million today)
• Held a lavish court
• York would cut royal household spending from £25,000 to £5,000 by 1455
• He had 212 servants and 200 horses
• Lack of finance meant nobles could exploit power
• Crown annual income dropped from £120,000 during Henry IV to £45,000 by 1450, compensated in high taxes
• Following a poor military campaign in France, Somerset was paid £25,000 by the crown whilst York remained in debt

Question 2

Henry and patronage

Answer 2

• He clearly favoured the Beaufort
• Appoints Somerset to the leader in Normandy
• York is sent to Dublin
• Edmund Beaufort is made lieutenant in France, Captain of Calais (1451) and Duke of Somerset (1448)
• 1441: Bonville v. Courtney Feud- He gave the stewardship of the duchy of Cornwall to Thomas Courtenay, which Bonvilles had held since 1437
• ## July 1453: Despenser lands with York + Warwick v. Beauforts + Lancasters- They were unfairly taken from Warwick and given to Somerset. Warwick was not even invited to the council to discuss the handover of Cardiff castle

Question 3

Evidence of Henry being dominated by figures

Answer 3

• Somerset imprisonedYork following his procession at Dartford in 1452
• Margaret of Anjou emerged post 1453

Question 4

Henry and foreign policy

Answer 4

• The collapse of Northern France
• Truce of Tours (22 May 1444) was kept a secret from York. Agreed to a 5-year ceasefire, marriage to Margaret and loss of Anjou and Maine
• York had been successful in France (1440-45)
• Created a pro-war and anti-war faction due to weakness at court
• Failure at Formingy (15th April 1450) and Castillon (17th July 1453)
• Formingy was the final battle in Normandy with Normandy falling within 15 months after
• Also saw loss of Gascony

Question 5

Pro-war faction

Answer 5

• Gloucester (Humphrey of Lancaster)

- Richard, Duke of York

Question 6

Ant-war faction

Answer 6

• Had more influence over the King
• Suffolk
• Beauforts

Question 7

Henry’s personality + Quotes

Answer 7

• Mcfarlane: “A man not fit to wear his father’s crown”
• Watts: “Political system depended upon the personality of the monarch”
• V. religious (6+ hours a day in prayer)
• Never led in battle (Expect at Ludford, where Trollope switched sides and the Yorkists disbanded because they didn’t want to face the King)
• Fled during Cade’s revolt causing discontent in London
• Terrified of physical contact
• Made contradictory policy decisions causing feuds
• Weakness created factions at court

Question 8

His insanity/mental collapse

Answer 8

• August 1453
• Left government weak and unstable
• Catatonic state for the next 15 months
• York was appointed protector of the realm and commissioned somerset to the tower
• Supposedly, occurred upon hearing of the defeat in Gascony
• His insanity led directly to St. Albans
• Birth of his son, Prince Edward in October 1453 but he is unable to recognise him. He was thus accused of being Somerset’s bastard
• The collapse of royal authority allowed the development of private feuds
• a partial recovery in Dec 1454 with changes reversed. Sorey calls it a “national disaster”

Question 9

Who did Henry allegedly murder

Answer 9

• Supposedly murdered/ gave the order to murder Gloucester in 1447
• Counter-argument to how passive he was
• Death of Gloucester led to York becoming head of the pro-war faction and his banishment to Ireland was important in developing the power and ambition of York