1455-59 Flashcards
What happens after the First Battle of St Albans?
3 days later:
- Henry VI is taken to St Paul’s Cathedral by the yorkist lords for a crown-wearing ceremony - to show their loyalty to the king = putting distance from suspicion of him wanting the crown
- the Yorkists blame Somerset for the battle (convenient as he is dead) + immediately summon a parliament
When were the Yorkists pardoned for St Albans?
- July parliamentary meets - dominated by Yorkists
- H6 personally declares York, Salisbury + Warwick to be loyal in a parliamentary pardon
- the pardon formally blames St Albans on Somerset for allegedly withholding the two letters sent by the Yorkists to Henry before the battle - thereby hiding York’s loyalty to the king
Position of Yorkists after St Albans?
- York is appointed Constable of England
- Warwick is appointed Captain of Calais (although not accepted by garrison until Jan 1456)
- 19 November = start of York’s second protectorate - the need for a protectorate is unclear since H6 is not incapacitated
What was York’s reform programme?
- Nov-Dec + Jan-Feb (1456) parliamentary sessions focused on York’s reforms
- attempts to introduce acts of resumption - reclaiming the lands of Henry VI’s half brothers + endowments granted to Eton + King’s, Cambridge = good governance?
- also involved the management of the Duchy of Lancaster lands including those of prince Edward = angering Margaret
Reaction to the York’s reforms?
- received little support from the Lords, so reliant on the Commons in parliament
- the nobles would lose out by another act of resumption + also saw it as an attack to the royal prerogative
- approx. 3/4 of nobility do not attend these parliamentary sessions
- moderates such as the Duke of Buckingham were provoked into opposition to York, Salisbury + Warwick
How long did York’s second protectorate last?
November 1455 - February 1456
What happens in 1456?
- York’s protectorate ends
- York’s allies removed from office + replaced by those entirely loyal to Henry VI + Margaret
- Margaret is now in control of the instruments of the govt. - the Privy Seal + the Great Seal
- York’s advantages from St Albans dissolved
What happens in 1457?
- council of the Prince of Wales established = gives Margaret more direct control over the Duchy of Lancaster lands including earldom of Chester
- Great Council moved to Coventry - Margaret taking more of a leading role - Sept. it is Margaret makes a triumphal entry into Coventry to celebrate a religious feast not Henry
When was the Loveday?
25 March 1458
What happened at the Loveday?
- ritual reconciliation - the sons of the victims of St Albans brought together with those responsible for killing their fathers (York, Salisbury + Warwick)
- York, Salisbury + Warwick make reparations to the sons of the Lancastrians killed = suggest their guilty + makes their pardons appear unsecure
What happens at the Great Council in 1459?
- Great Council at Coventry - York, Salisbury, Warwick deliberately excluded from those summoned
- plans laid to condemn the Yorkists for treason
- the royal court gathers its strength in the midlands based at Coventry
- Yorkists worried - echoes Leicester council meeting which led to St Albans
What happens in 1459
- Great Council at Coventry = Yorkists worried
- Yorkist lords plan to meet at Worcester in sept. (Difficult as they are widely spread out) - they need to converge but Lancastrian’s determined to prevent this
- 23 Sept = Battle of Blore Heath
- Somerset appointed captain of Calais
- 12/13 oct = Ludford bridge
- 20 November = parliament of devils
When was the Parliament of Devils?
20 November 1459
What happened at the Parliament of Devils?
- Yorkists lords found guilty of treason
- their lands are forfeited + their heirs cannot inherit
