The origins of the war of the roses 1450-1459 Flashcards
why did Jack Cades rebellion occur due to failure in Henry VI’s government
Corruption & Oppression: Royal officials blocked remedies for oppression.
William Crowmer (former sheriff of Kent) and his deputies were notorious for corruption.
Lord Saye (treasurer of England & Crowmer’s father-in-law) was also hated.
Noble and bishopric officers were accused of corruption; their patrons failed to act.
Unpopular Government Figures: Linked to the unpopularity of Suffolk and his allies.
Financial Burden: The Crown was in heavy debt (£372,000 by 1450, rising by £20,000 yearly), leading to high taxation.
Widespread Discontent: A third of the rebels’ 15 complaints were about official abuse in Kent. Support in Surrey, Sussex, and Essex showed broader dissatisfaction.
Contradiction: Rebels claimed to fight oppression but looted and pillaged London, leading to their expulsion by its citizens.
Why did Jack Cade’s rebellion occur due to response to the loss of Normandy
Anger at Lost Territory: Rebels felt betrayed by the loss of Normandy and sought someone to blame.
Cade’s complaints referenced France’s situation in 1450.
Somerset’s humiliating surrender of Rouen made him a target, but he was still in France.
Kent’s Disproportionate Impact:
As the embarkation/return point for troops, Kent was heavily affected.
Economic Disruption: Loss of Normandy hurt trade—cloth exports fell, and wine imports dropped to 25% of previous levels.
Increased Piracy & Raids: French raids (e.g., Rye, Winchelsea in 1448) and attacks on Kent shipping worsened unrest.
Defeated Soldiers in Kent: Many joined the rebellion.
Contradiction: The rebellion wasn’t only in London & the South East—there were also uprisings in the Midlands and South West.
Why did Jack Cade’s rebellion occur due to a consequence of the scheming of Richard of York
York’s Influence: A small rising in Ipswich (March 1450) supported York as a solution to England’s problems.
Allegedly stirred by Sir William Oldhall, York’s ally, who later visited York in Ireland.
Rebels Favoured York:
Repeatedly referenced York as a “prince of the blood” who could fix abuses by “evil counsellors” like Suffolk & Somerset.
Tied York to Duke Humphrey of Gloucester, allegedly murdered in 1447 by Suffolk’s faction.
Symbolism in Cade’s Actions:
Cade adopted the name ‘Mortimer’ (June 1450), linking himself to York’s Mortimer lineage, which had a stronger claim to the throne than Henry VI.
White Hart Inn (Cade’s residence) was a symbol of deposed Richard II—possibly hinting at a challenge to Henry VI.
Contradiction: Cade’s manifesto explicitly denied plans to replace Henry VI with York. York himself only returned to London in Sept 1450, and there’s no proof Cade acted on his behalf.
How was Richard of York’s first protectorate 1454-1455 successful
Broad Support: Established a stable regime with no major purges, despite the household’s ties to Somerset.
Major nobles (Staffords, Bourchiers) participated.
Dealt with Exeter & Percy Threat:
May 1454: Exeter attacked York’s allies, allied with the King of Scots, and plotted against York.
July 1454: York’s forces captured Exeter.
Nov 1454: Percy rebels (Egremont) defeated at Stamford Bridge.
Financial Reforms:
Tax on foreigners (‘aliens’) raised funds.
Household spending cut to £5,000; £1,000 reclaimed from Eton & King’s College.
Handled Nobles’ Disputes Fairly:
Stayed neutral in the Courtenay-Bonville feud (1454).
Courtenay found at fault and fined £1,000; both placed under stricter financial bonds.
Eased Private Feuds:
Reduced tensions in Warwickshire, Leicestershire, and Northamptonshire.
Secured Key Positions:
July 1454: Arranged payment for Calais garrison & replaced Somerset as Captain of Calais.
Regained Lieutenancy of Ireland from Wiltshire.
How was Richard of York’s first protectorate 1454-1455 not successful
Limited Control of Calais:
Made Captain of Calais, but the garrison remained under Somerset’s allies (Lord Welles & Lord Rivers).
May 1454: The garrison mutinied over unpaid wages.
Weak Household Reforms: Could not meaningfully reduce the King & Queen’s households until late 1454.
Self-Interest in Dealing with Rebels:
Actions against Exeter & Egremont may have been driven by a need to keep Neville support rather than justice.
Failed in Derbyshire Dispute (Longfords vs. Blounts):
Seen as too close to the Blounts.
May 1454: Longfords rejected York’s royal writ—forced the messenger to tear it up.
Longfords raised a force, sacked the Blount manor (Elvaston), and accused them of treason for serving York.
Could Not Be Fully Impartial:
Afraid of Somerset’s restoration if the King recovered, forcing him to protect allies.
Failed to Prosecute Somerset for Treason:
Could not persuade other nobles.
Somerset remained imprisoned, but York only narrowly stopped his release (July 1454).
Limited Power in Foreign & Naval Affairs:
Could not act effectively in foreign policy (not being King).
Failed to restore the navy due to lack of funds.
Unrest in Wales Continued:
Gruffydd ap Nicholas arrested for lawlessness but escaped and resumed his behaviour.
How successful was Richard of York’s second protectorate successful 1455-1456
Efforts at Conciliation:
All lords were summoned to Parliament, regardless of affiliation.
Issued a full pardon to those who fought for York at St Albans.
Blame for St Albans was placed on Somerset (who was dead), allowing nobles to move forward.
No Yorkist monopoly on grants of patronage (lands, offices, etc.).
Military & Financial Stability:
Secured Calais garrison pay through a deal with merchants.
Warwick made Captain of Calais—later key for the Yorkists.
Political Rehabilitation:
Humphrey of Gloucester (York’s mentor) formally rehabilitated.
Reduced Gentry Conflicts:
Buckingham mediated between the Vernons & Gresleys (North Midlands).
Resolved the Mountford inheritance dispute by splitting it, despite rival noble support.
Short-Term Stability in the North:
Death of Henry Percy helped ease tensions..
How unsuccessful was Richard of York’s second protectorate successful 1455-1456
Ongoing Disorder in Wales:
Gruffydd ap Nicholas exploited his power for financial gain & criminal activities with impunity.
Unresolved Local Feuds:
Devon Feud (Earl of Devon vs. Bonville):
Devon switched sides to Lancastrians (1455), so Bonville became Yorkist.
Oct-Dec 1455: Courtenays rampaged through Devon.
Murdered Nicholas Radford (Bonville’s lawyer) & staged a mock inquest ruling it suicide.
Captured Exeter.
Failure in Financial Reform:
York’s Act of Resumption aimed to reduce Queen’s spending & protect the Duchy of Lancaster.
Plan failed due to lack of noble support—seen as limiting royal power.
Lack of Noble Cooperation:
Wiltshire refused to work with York.
Exeter had to be imprisoned.
Many nobles avoided councils & Parliament, fearing consequences if York lost power.
Margaret of Anjou Regains Power:
Opponents of York reclaimed government control & began removing his allies.
Why did relations deteriorate between the Duke of York and the Duke of Somerset?
Loss of Normandy, Financial resentment, Dynastic rivalry, Political opportunism of York
Why did relations deteriorate between the Duke of York and the Duke of Somerset due to the loss of Normandy
York and Somerset had a history of opposition to each other regarding Normandy.
York had been replaced by Somerset as Lieutenant-governor of France in 1447, he had also lost his many personal lands (and supporters) in Normandy by 1450 and blamed Somerset for this.
Influential figures in Normandy had fallen into factions:
One including the earl of Shrewsbury and Lord Hoo supported Somerset and were favoured when Somerset dominated government from 1450.
Others including Sir William Oldhall, Sir Edmund Murso and Sir Henry Retford remained loyal to York and were excluded after 1450.
York used the loss of Normandy as propaganda throughout the 1450s claiming that he was the ‘lost leader’ that would have saved Normandy if he had not been excluded from the government of France and if Somerset had not been in a position to lose it.
York’s appeal regarding Normandy was particularly effective at gaining him support in Kent and South East England that was now vulnerable to French raiding.
Why did relations deteriorate between the
Duke of York and the Duke of Somerset due to financial resentment
Richard of York was heavily in debt by the 1450s and became more so:
He was owed hereditary annuities (payments) of £1000 per year from the Exchequer and was rarely paid - this was a quite large proportion of his income.
He had lent large amounts of money to the crown for the defence of France in the 1440s - repayment of this was both slow and incomplete.
Edmund Beaufort was even more dependent on royal annuities than Richard of York as he had very few lands in comparison.
He received nearly £2,000 per year from the Exchequer due to his positions and offices but only about £300 from his lands.
There was never enough money at the Exchequer to pay all of the king’s debts so royal favour determined the order in which they were paid, as well as who went without.
Royal favour was essential to Somerset’s financial survival, and it was also the only means by which York could regain the large sums of money owed to him.
Why did relations deteriorate between the
Duke of York and the Duke of Somerset due to dynastic rivalry
York’s Claim as Heir Presumptive (1447-1453):
Through both the Langley (York) and Mortimer lines.
Henry VI’s court (incl. Somerset) resented this.
May 1451: York’s councillor Thomas Young imprisoned for proposing York as heir in Parliament.
Threat of Yorkist Ambitions:
Allegations that York’s supporters sought to make him king:
1450: William Oldhall accused of scheming for York’s kingship.
1451: Thomas Young’s petition.
1452: York’s Shrewsbury Manifesto.
Somerset’s Rival Dynastic Position:
Descended from John of Gaunt (Lancaster) like Henry VI.
The Beauforts were illegitimate but could be legitimized by the king.
Somerset married his niece, Margaret Beaufort, to Suffolk’s son—creating another possible Lancastrian heir.
York’s Personal Grievance Against the Lancastrians:
His father was executed in 1415 for plotting to replace Henry V with a Mortimer candidate.
Why did relations deteriorate between the
Duke of York and the Duke of Somerset due to Political opportunism of York
It can be argued that Richard of York was not the hated outsider in the 1440s that he presented himself as (so his opposition to Suffolk and Somerset was opportunistic):
There had been negotiations for his eldest son to marry a French princess, which Suffolk had led.
York had been included in discussions as to how to deal with the surrender of Maine
He was present at the parliament where Gloucester was arrested for treason and had territorially benefitted from his death.
In 1445 he had arranged his daughter Anne’s marriage to Henry Holland, the future Duke of Exeter, one of his supposed dynastic rivals and in June 1447 he was given the wardship of his underage son-in-law.
Although he later complained that he had been sent to Ireland in the late 1440s to get him out of the way, he was allowed to hold the office through a deputy for long time and his descent from Lionel of Clarence meant he held many lands in Ireland and was therefore a natural choice to represent the king there.
There is doubt about his poor relationship with Somerset before 1450. In 1448 a piece of land in Essex was placed in the joint trusteeship of York and Somerset.
CA
York may well have believed that it was his duty to intervene in the government of England and that it was necessary to remove Somerset to do so because Edmund Beaufort had become too closely associated with the household and too tainted by the loss of France to fully unite political society.
