Uneasy peace Flashcards
1456
Margaret moved her royal court to Coventry – this was a smart move as the Duchy of Lancaster was in the King’s lands, so the resources of that land could be called upon to support Henry VI.
Margaret expected this court to offer the same deference as they would the king.
In the autumn of 1456 there was an attempt on the life of Warwick while he was on his way to London. The ambush was led by Exeter, Shrewsbury and Somerset!
1457
February – Council of Prince of Wales took formal control of Prince Edward’s birth right, with all members of the council being staunch Lancastrians, such as the Earls of Shrewsbury and Wiltshire. Some of their decisions attacked York, such as giving his castle of Carmarthen to Jasper Tudor. She associated herself directly with York’s enemies, using her supporters in government to try and marginalise York further – e.g. Shrewsbury was appointed the Treasurer. She also regularly distributed her swan livery to ‘all the gentlemen of the country’.
14th September – Margaret arrived in Coventry to a lavish pageant, trying to act like the monarch! To many it would have seen like she was trying to replace Henry as King, although she had no official royal authority and instead had to wield power through her son’s council. This power manifested itself in many ways, one of them was to issue royal writs and warrants under son’s name, but given he was 4 years old there was no guessing who really held the power.
In the autumn of 1457, there was a real danger of French invasion, which made the problem of reconciling the lords a matter of urgent necessity.
1458
Loveday March 1458
Nobles urged to reconcile and march through London – e.g. Margaret walked through the streets accompanied by York. Northern lords had brought with them 1,500 armed men. York and Warwick agreed to compensate those who had lost family at St Albans, yet all it did was remind those of the horrors of 1455.
Summer
Warwick was forced to resort to piracy to maintain the garrison, attacking Hanseatic and Castilian fleets.
1459
Warwick even attacked Genoese fleets in 1459. He was summoned to Parliament in early 1459 to explain himself, and this led to brawl between is men and some of the Royal household.
Warwick fled back to Calais believing he had only just managed to save his own life.
Buckingham moves to Margaret
Buckingham moved into Margaret’s party by 1459. This was possibly due to financial difficulties but perhaps also his personal affection for HVI.
June Council Meeting
In preparation for the June Council Meeting, Margaret played a role in gathering forces to attend.
