The Wars of the Roses: A Timeline of Key Events

Transcription

1 The Wars of the Roses: A Timeline of Key Events Edward III reigns from Edward has many sons the heirs of which become the key players in the Wars of the Roses (see family tree). o Edward s first son Edward (The Black Prince) dies in His son, Richard becomes Richard II following Edward III s death and reigns from 1377 until o Edward s third son Lionel also predeceases him. Lionel s daughter, however, is integral to the claim made by The House of York to the throne at the time of the Wars of the Roses. Her granddaughter marries Richard, Duke of York who is the son of Edward III s fifth son, Edmund, Duke of York. Their child Richard, 3 rd Duke of York will eventually make a claim for the throne during the Wars of the Roses. o Edward s fourth son John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, founds The House of Lancaster. His son, Henry (Bolingbroke), overthrows Richard II to become Henry IV. The descendants of Henry IV are King Henry V and King Henry VI. The House of Lancaster therefore has an uninterrupted reign of 62 years. o Edward s fifth son Edmund of Langley, Duke of York founds The House of York. His son Richard, 2 nd Duke of York marries the greatgranddaughter of Edward s third son. 1377: Edward III dies, and Richard II, his grandson, becomes king. Richard II is overthrown by his cousin Henry Bolingbroke who becomes King Henry IV. 1413: Henry IV dies, and Henry V becomes king. Henry V begins a campaign of war on France in Following numerous victories the most famous of which was the battle of Agincourt he eventually negotiates a treaty with King Charles VI which sees him named as heir to France s throne. At this time he also marries Charles VI s daughter Catherine of Valois. The treaty ensures that when King Charles VI dies, Henry V will become king of both England and France. 1422: Henry V predeceases King Charles VI of France. He dies before he can finish his campaigns in France and seize the throne. He leaves a 9 month old son who is heir to the throne but too young to rule the country. Following Henry s death a regency council was formed to govern until the young King Henry VI came of age to rule independently. Henry V s brother

2 John, Duke of Bedford is appointed as senior regent and put in charge of the ongoing wars in France. During his absence his younger brother Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester acts as Lord Protector of England. Following the Duke of Bedford s death the Duke of Gloucester claims the Regency for himself despite disagreement from other members of the regency council. Henry VI grows up to be ill-suited to leadership and an inconsistent ruler. He is devoutly religious, timid and dislikes conflict. The conflict in France is a topic of great dispute within the regency council. Henry s uncle the Duke of Gloucester and Richard, Duke of York argue for the continuation of the war but the Earl of Suffolk and the Earl of Somerset, who Henry is much influenced by, favour a policy of peaceful resolution. 1445: Persuaded by Suffolk and Somerset that it will lead to peace with France, Henry VI marries Margaret of Anjou the niece of France s King Charles VII. Henry also agrees to return the lands of Maine and Anjou to the French as a condition of the marriage a decision which greatly angers Gloucester and York and which is very unpopular with the citizens of England. 1447: Having made his anger and contempt for the marriage of Henry to Margaret known, the Duke of Gloucester is summoned before parliament on the charge of treason. He is arrested and placed in custody where he dies before facing trial. Richard, Duke of York who in the absence of a legitimate heir to the throne is now the presumptive heir is excluded from the court and given a role governing Ireland. Henry VI bestows dukedoms (usually reserved for peers of princely blood) on the Earls of Suffolk and Somerset, raising them above their station. The monarchy becomes increasingly unpopular due to Henry s inability to govern effectively and his favouritism of certain lords over others. The Duke of York is persuaded to return to court and raises an army to eradicate the lords around Henry VI. He continually maintains he is loyal to the King, and is fighting the King s manipulative advisers and Queen Margaret not Henry VI. 1453: Henry experiences a period of severe mental illness which leads to York being appointed as regent in 1454 but then fairly swiftly dismissed in 1455 when Henry recovers. At this time York makes two very influential allies in the Earls of Salisbury and Warwick. With the support of both earls and other noblemen who have

3 become frustrated with Henry s rule, York marches on London with the aim of ridding Henry of his disloyal advisors. This marks the beginning of the Wars of the Roses between the supporters of the House of Lancaster (Henry VI) and those of the House of York (Richard, Duke of York). 22 May 1455: The first significant conflict in the Wars of the Roses takes place at St. Albans. This is a Yorkist victory and the King is captured and escorted back to London. The Duke of York is re-appointed Lord Protector due to the King having suffered a further mental breakdown and a period of relative peace is established. York is dismissed again in 1456 when Henry VI has a lucid period. Queen Margaret fuels anti-yorkist sentiment at court. York s influence is undermined and he is excluded from the royal council. The country is now in a state of civil war. Several battles follow most notably the Battle of Blore Heath in 1459 and the Battle of Northampton in 1460 where King Henry is captured again and this time Margaret and her son Prince Edward flee to safety in Wales. Following the success at the Battle of Northampton, York returns to London and makes a claim to the throne asserting that his line of descent from Edward III is a stronger one than Henry s. This is because his claim is through the third son, whereas Henry s is by the fifth son of Edward III. Everyone, even those most loyal to York is shocked by his claim. After much deliberation over the validity of the claim in parliament, a compromise is reached and it is agreed that York will become Henry's successor, therefore disinheriting Henry s son, Prince Edward. Margaret is furious at this turn of events and is determined to fight for her son s claim to the throne. She begins mustering forces in Scotland, Wales and the Lancastrian heartlands to go to battle against York. Christmas 1460/1461: Battle of Wakefield. Richard of York is killed along with his ally Salisbury and York's second son, Edmund, Earl of Rutland. Margaret ordered the heads of all three placed on the gates of York. York s first son Edward now becomes Duke of York and takes on the fight for the throne. 16 th February 1461: 2 nd Battle of St. Albans. The Lancastrian army beats Warwick and his Yorkist force, who are riding to meet Edward. Instead of marching on London to secure the tower after her victory, Queen Margaret hesitates, and thus wastes an opportunity to regain power. While she hesitates, Edward acts. He rides into London, is greeted like a king, and on the 4 th March is proclaimed the increasingly popular King Edward IV.

4 Now that he is King, Edward sets out to destroy the Lancastrians. 28 th March, Palm Sunday 1461: Battle of Towton. To this day, the battle of Towton remains the largest battle (in terms of numbers) ever fought on British soil. To say it was bloody is an understatement; the river is said to have run red with blood. The Yorkists win. Margaret, Henry VI and their son flee to Scotland. King Edward IV reigns. For now. 28 th June 1461: King Edward IV is crowned. July 1465: Henry VI is captured in the north of England and is brought to the Tower, where he lives a fairly comfortable existence; Margaret and Prince Edward have fled to France. Edward announces that he has secretly married Lady Elizabeth Grey widow of staunch Lancastrian Sir John Grey. Warwick is furious as he had plans for Edward to marry Lady Bona of Savoy, King Louis of France s sister-in-law. Some suggest that Edward was at least engaged (if not married) before he married Elizabeth, to Lady Eleanor Butler, the Earl of Wiltshire s daughter. This is important as it is this information that Richard, Duke of Gloucester uses to prove the illegitimacy of the princes in the tower in Richard III. Elizabeth is of far lower birth than Edward and her advancement to Queen of England as Edward s wife angers the nobility. She begins to raise up her family through advantageous marriages to higher positions of nobility, which greatly upsets Warwick whose family is now being overlooked by King Edward. Warwick forms an alliance with Edward s brother George, Duke of Clarence who is also frustrated by the advancement of Elizabeth s family. Clarence marries Warwick s eldest daughter Isabel Neville defying his brother s orders against the marriage. Warwick and Clarence team up and make a plan to take the crown from Edward but after their attempts fail they are declared as traitors and driven out of England to France. Finding Queen Margaret and Prince Edward are still in France, Warwick decides to switch allegiances begging Margaret s forgiveness and offering his youngest daughter Anne Neville s hand in marriage to Prince Edward. Warwick sets out for England determined to put Prince Edward and his daughter Anne on the throne.

5 Facing this new attack from Warwick some of King Edward s army defect and Edward is forced to flee to Bruges while Queen Elizabeth seeks sanctuary in Westminster Abbey. Queen Elizabeth gives birth to a boy, Edward IV s heir, while in sanctuary at Westminster. With Edward IV having fled, King Henry VI takes back the throne. Warwick s plan being that he will eventually abdicate in favour of his son and Anne Neville. However, Warwick s victory is short-lived as Edward returns with an army to reclaim the throne. Clarence abandons Warwick new and switches sides again to fight alongside his brother Edward. 4 th May 1471: Battle of Tewksbury. The Lancastrian army is defeated by Edward IV s forces. Henry VI s son Prince Edward is killed and Queen Margaret and Anne are captured three days later. 21 st May 1471: Henry VI is murdered in the Tower of London.