The rise and fall of the Duke of York

Question 1

When did York return from Ireland?

Answer 1

November 1450

Question 2

What did York want to achieve on his return from Ireland?

Answer 2

-To clear his name (Cade used the name Mortimer which was Yorks mothers maiden name
-Get loans repaid(He had to sell land to make ends meet in 1450, owed £26,000 by the government, Had not been paid his wages as lieutenant of Ireland)
-Protect his position(Furious that Somerset had acquired the position of kings chief adviser)
-To remove Somerset(York felt that it was it was Somerset who was responsible for the loss of Normandy and was furious that Somerset wad chief adviser to the crown)
-To bring justice and end corruption(York claimed to be attacking the evil men who surrounded the king)
-To take the throne

Question 3

When was the attempted coup under Henry VI?

Answer 3

1452

Question 4

Why did the attempted coup happen?

Answer 4

-York wanted Somerset removed from power
-York had tried removing Somerset from his position using parliament, but this didn’t work, so he was now using force

Question 5

What happened during the attempted coup?

Answer 5

-York got support from William Courtenay, Earl of Devon, and Lord Cobham
-Propaganda issued to gain support
-York issued statements declaring his loyalty to the king
-York reached Dartford on the 2nd of March and found the king there with Warwick
-York presented Henry with a list of complaints against Somerset, but Henry still sided with somerset
-York was forced to swear an oath to the king and had to promise never to resort to force in order to pursue political ends
-York raised an army of 20,000

Question 6

Why did the attempted coup of Dartford fail?

Answer 6

-London remained loyal to the king
-A majority of the nobility were unwilling to support York
-The campaign in France was going well, the economy was recovering, and parliament voted on a tax to be paid to the king
-York’s demands failed to gain popularity because the attacks on Somerset made York look as if he was motivated by personal issues

Question 7

When did Henry VI’s illness begin?

Answer 7

August 1453

Question 8

What was the nature of Henry VI’s illness?

Answer 8

-From August 1453 to January Henry seemed completely oblivious to what was going on around him
-He was incapable of speech and was unable to move

Question 9

What was the cause of Henry VI’s illness?

Answer 9

-Loss of Gascony
-Pressure of his wife’s pregnancy
-A hereditary condition
-The news of the death of John Talbot at the battle of Castillon

Question 10

What was the impact of Henry’s illness?

Answer 10

-The fallout between the Percys and the Neville family broke out (on August 24th 1453 a party of Neville families returning home from a family wedding was attacked at Heworth near York by over 700 Percy followers)
-Lacking the justice they wanted the Nevilles found themselves turning to York
-In looking to York for help against their common foes, they gave York the noble support they had been lacking

Question 11

When was Edward prince of Wales born?

Answer 11

13th October 1453

Question 12

What was the reaction to the birth of Henry VI’s heir?

Answer 12

-York was no longer heir presumptive now the prince was born, but he was determined to acquire the leading position on any regency council that should be needed given the king’s incapacity
-Margaret showed her favour of Somerset by having him heavily involved in her son’s christening

The 2 sides were clearly starting to form

Question 13

When did York’s first protectorate start?

Answer 13

March 1454

Question 14

When did York’s first protectorate end?

Answer 14

February 1454

Question 15

How did York become protector?

Answer 15

-The government couldn’t function without a chancellor at the seal after the death of John Kemp
-Tension continued to rise in London following the attack on Somerset
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Question 16

How did York attempt to build support in his first protectorate?

Answer 16

-York tried to not show too much favour to his supporters
-He didn’t remove the Earl of Bonville and the Earle of Wiltshire from their positions of power in Devon
-The Earle of Salisbury, York main supporter was appointed as chancellor
-The Nevilles were favoured in their disputes with the percys

Question 17

What reforms did York introduce during his first protectorate?

Answer 17

-There were limits to what he could do
-He could not replace the king’s household with men of his own
-He was able to reduce the size of the royal household in 1454
-Reduced its expenditure from £24,000 in 1450 to £5,193 in 1455
-Persuaded the wool merchants to resume making loans
-Replaced somerset as captain of Calais in order to get corntrol

Question 18

When was the battle of Stamford bridge?

Answer 18

1454

Question 19

What was the battle of Stamford bridge about and what was the result?

Answer 19

• Between Lord Egremont (a Percy) and Sir Thomas and John Neville
  -A continuation of the problems that had arisen between the 2 families at Heworth in 1453
  -The Nevilles won and Egremont was imprisoned

Question 20

How well did York deal with disorder and justice in his first protectorate?

Answer 20

-Nobles were using force to solve their problems
-York acted swiftly in dealing with the Percys rebellion

Question 21

What was the impact of Henrys recovery?

Answer 21

-York protectorate came to an end
-Henry ordered the release of the Duke of Exeter
-The York and Neville alliance was solidified due to the re-emergence of Somerset (The favouring of the Percys over the Nevilles in disputes pushed the Nevilles into supporting York who they believed would provide justice)
-The Nevilles saw supporting York as the only possible way to retain their position

Question 22

When was the first battle of St Albans?

Answer 22

May 1455

Question 23

What happened during the first battle of St Albans?

Answer 23

-The Lancastrians were caught unprepared and took up a defensive stance
-Took advantage of the narrow streets
-Warwick’s tactics won the battle for the Yorkists
-Henry was captured
-The Earle of Northumberland and Clifford were killed
-60 dead
-The Duke of Somerset was killed

Question 24

What was the impact of the first battle of St Albans?

Answer 24

The development of Vendettas

Impact on Henry vI

Impact of Margaret of Anjou

The impact on the Duke of York

Question 25

How did vendettas develop as a result of the first battle of St Albans?

Answer 25

Only 3 members of the nobility died
-The Duke of Somerset
-The earl of Northumberland
-Lord Clifford

Question 26

What was the impact of the Battle of St Albans on Henry VI?

Answer 26

-He was wounded, and his mental health would’ve also taken a blow due to his mental fragility
-Loveday could be seen as Henry VI’s attempt to create unity between the 2 sides

Question 27

When was love day?

Answer 27

March 1458

Question 28

What was love day?

Answer 28

-Members of the rival sides walk arm-in-arm through London to St Paul’s Cathedral
-Queen Margaret walked hand in hand with the Duke of York

Question 29

What was the impact of the Battle of st albans on the Duke of York?

Answer 29

-His position changed politically (He was now at the heart of policy and decision-making)
-Became king’s chief advisor
-Became protector again when the king’s health was so poor that he could not deal with the serious rioting in the South West in the Autumn of 1455
-York wanted to make it clear that in taking up arms he had not been committing treason, but only wanted to rid the king of evil advisors

Offices were distributed among the Yorksit’s
-York made constable of England
-Viscount Bourchier was made treasurer
-Warwick made Captain of Calais

Question 30

When was the Duke of Yorks second protectorate

Question 31

Why was York restored to protectorate?

Answer 31

-The Yorkist victory at St Albans

-Yorks’s desire to secure power

-The promise of reform

-The Urgency of the situation in the south-west

-The lack of alternatives to York

-Henry’s declining health

Question 32

How did Margaret of Anjou play a hand in the development of conflict after the battle of St Albans?

Answer 32

-Margaret was convinced that the Duke of York was a danger to her son’s future
-She could not rely on the help of her Husband and those who had supported her had died (Suffolk and Somerset)
-In April 1456 Margaret left London due to the lack of Lancastrian support and headed for the Midlands (the heart of Lancastrian power)
-In August 1456, the king joined the queen in Kenilworth so she could now exert control over him and place her own supporters in positions of power (Lawrence Booth Margarets private chancellor was made Keeper of the Privy Seal
-Having a hold over the Exchequer, the queen saw to it that less money was sent to Calais causing Warwick to struggle to pay the garrison

Question 33

What was happening between the Courtenays and the Bonnevilles in the South west?

Answer 33

-A dispute was rising concerning who should be the dominant family in Devon
-The Bonvilles had provided a good service to Henry Vi in France and were raised to a peerage as a reward

Question 34

Why did peace break down in 1459?

Answer 34

-Blood feud brought about as a result of the battle of St Albans
-York had made an enemy of Margaret who believed him to be a threat to her son
-Henry was too Ill to govern
-Margaret’s government saw the removal of Yorkist appointments meaning that York was back on the outside
-There was a lack of trust between the 2 sides
-The queen felt like she had enough Noble support to destroy the Yorkists
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Question 35

When was the Battle of Ludford bridge?

Answer 35

October 12th 1459

Question 36

What was the events of the Battle of Ludford bridge?

Answer 36

-The 2 sides met at Ludford Bridge
-It was clear the Yorkists didn’t have enough men and were outnumbered 3 to 1
-The Yorkists lost the support of the Calais men who weren’t prepared to go against the king
-The Yorkists fled

Question 37

When was the Parliament of Devils?

Answer 37

November 1459

Question 38

What was the parliament of Devils?

Answer 38

-Lancastrian dominated parliament in Coventry
-At the parliament, 27 Yorkists were condemned as traitors and stripped of their land
-Disinherited heirs

Question 39

What was the result of the Parliaments of devils?

Answer 39

-The Yorkists had nothing to use
-York learnt having control of Henry wasnt enough
-When Warwick Sailsbury and March landed in Kent in June 1460, many of the men of Kent rose in support of them

Question 40

How did Warwick help York triumph in 1460?

Answer 40

-

Question 41

When did the Duke of York return to England?

Answer 41

September 8th 1460

Question 42

What did the Duke of York do on his return to England?

Answer 42

-He marched under the royal banner to Westminster
-He put his hand on the throne as a sign of possession
-He expected applause from the assembled nobles, but it didn’t come
-York stormed out
-He had overplayed his hand
-He formally claimed the throne 6 days after in the high court

Question 43

When was the act of accord signed?

Answer 43

October 24th 1460

Question 44

What was the act of accord?

Answer 44

Said York was to become king after Henry

Question 45

What was the aftermath of the act of accord?

Answer 45

-Margaret was gathering an army in the North
-She was joined by the Earl of Devon and the Duke of Somerset
-On December 1460 at Sandal Castle whilst out hunting, York Rutland and Salisbury were killed