WOTR Judgements Year 12 Flashcards
“The loss of Normandy was the decisive factor destabilising England in 1450”
Ultimately Henry’s inability to rule led to a myriad of problems that all stemmed from his lack of control for his nobility. They manipulated him to gain positions of power, lost land in France and ultimately did not do their job in maintaining law and order in England. The lack of security and instability this caused led to the largest rebellion of this century, which took the capital city. There may have already been economic instability in Europe but Henry did nothing to alleviate this in England and ultimately made it worse with the loss of land in Normandy. The economic ramifications and death of Suffolk in Kent may have been the triggers for the rebellion, but unsuccessful leadership had caused these issues.
To what extent was Henry VI to blame for Richard’s rise to power?
Although York had various personal reasons of which Henry could not change, such as his claim to the throne, Henry’s incapacity to rule was the driving factor that placed the country into its politically corrupt field by 1450 and was the cause of each issue written under York’s motives (2 bills). York’s chivalrous attitude alongside common support evidently let to his rise to power, being seen as the saviour throughout society. Overall, Henry had so much power to restrict York’s authority and obtain a stable environment in the nobility, however his poor choices and poor health led to York’s eventual position as Lord Protector.
To what extent did Richard’s position improve in 1455?
Richard was in a much better position after 1455 with the death of Somerset allowing him to take control of the king’s council and once again being named protector of the realm. However, this was short-lived as the consequences of winning at St Albans led to blood feuds and a firm Lancastrian faction that fought against him. He perhaps created a bigger, more agile opposition by killing the older nobles. His position was entirely based on the health of Henry VI.
“War was inevitable after the First Battle of St Albans”
Ultimately, the battle of St Albans had set a precedent for killing nobles, which created blood feuds that a weak king such as Henry VI could not defuse. The uneasy peace that followed was full of assassination attempts and was ultimately a power struggle between the Lancastrians and Yorkists. While York threatened Anjou’s son’s inheritance there was inevitably going to be further conflict and there was no love day that could prevent it long term.
How important was the Nevilles’ support to York between the First Battle of St Albans and the Act of Accord?
Overall, at St Albans Neville support was important to York seen during his success in St Albans compared to previous events such as Dartford. Warwick especially also helped the Yorkists gain popularity and power during the Uneasy Peace preparing for a return to war, although the Calais men would not fight at the Battle of Ludford Bridge. However, after this Neville support became less important as their most important efforts to strengthen the Yorkist faction had already taken place. This meant that during the Yorkist invasion, March was the one exerting his influence most and that York was not afraid to act without the Neville’s when he returned from Ireland and was still able to get Parliament to pass the Act of Accord.
“York could never be secure as long as Anjou and her son were alive”
Ultimately, Anjou’s threat grew in the 1450’s. In 1453 Anjou and Prince Edward were not the biggest threat to York’s security, however, during the Uneasy Peace when Anjou became stronger through forming her own faction, she prevented the Yorkists from becoming secure; eventually sentencing them with the Acts of Attainder. This is especially true after the 1460 Act of Accord when York became the most secure he had ever been, as Anjou immediately raised 15,000 men and attempted to defend Prince Edward from his disinheritance by having her men attack Sandal Castle to kill York at the Battle of Wakefield. However, she was unable to restore Prince Edward’s inheritance despite the fact that York was dead, she was not able to fully destabilise the Yorkists as a whole.
