Edward IV's reigns had faced many problems because of Warwick. Firstly Warwick believed Edward had not rewarded him enough by giving him the captain of Calais. Whilst other nobles such as William Herbert were also rewarded with high titles such as Lieutenant of South Wales. This had begun to create problems between Warwick and Edward, to add to insult Edward would not let Clarence marry Warwickshire daughter Isabel. As a result Edward decided to remove the Archbishop of York who had approved the marriage.
The most important factor for Edward being able to take the throne was due to Henry’s weakness as if he wasn’t weak Edward would not have been able to usurp the throne. The loss of France was a massive blow to the English nobility. Wars in France gave them a sense of purpose and more land supporting them. The humiliating defeats there reflected badly on Henry VI. In 1450 England lost
At this time Henry was experiencing mental fluctuations, his wife Margaret of Anjou was influencing his decisions and the division within the nobility all contributed to the instability of England economically, socially and politically. In my opinion, the main factors for England’s fragmentation were Henry’s poor leadership and Margaret of Anjou’s control of Parliament in 1459. Before the first Battle of St Albans, Richard’s only ambitions were to be loyal to Henry and to be heir to his throne. All was running smoothly for him as he had defeated the royal troops in the beginning of the first Battle of St Albans and by the end of 1455, he had resumed his role as protector in Henry’s time of insanity. However, this only lasted for 3 months and changed when Henry’s son Edward IV was born, resulting in Richard not being able to claim the title of heir.
This bad political move meant that York had grown in considerable force and had no choice but to fight the Lancastrians, otherwise he would go to prison or even be executed. The result of the First Battle of St Albans was devastating for the Lancastrians and gave an advantage to the Yorkists. Richard Duke of York’s two main rivals, the Duke of Somerset and the Earl of Northumberland, were both killed during the battle and Henry VI was captured by the Yorkists. The Lancastrians and Margaret had lost control of the Kingdom as Henry was now under Yorkist protection. This also meant that when Henry had his second breakdown later in 1455, Richard become Protector of the Realm until 1456 when Henry recovered.
Why did fighting break out in 1455? To understand why fighting broke out we must first analyse the time period leading up to said event. From 1450-55 the situation the crown found itself in was very volatile, the slightest disturbance at nobility level could cause shockwaves that reverberated throughout the whole kingdom. King Henry VI had built a terrible reputation, demonstrating the inability to be decisive and clinical many a time. This lack of leadership at the highest level would inevitably cause disturbances to many facets of society; quarrels between nobility were not regulated or controlled, ownership of lands (abroad as well as England) was not properly accounted for.
The barons had numerous complaints about their king. They were fed up with the king's constant military campaigns abroad, constant demand for higher taxes, more money, and men to continue his war efforts. After King John lost is land in northern France, he announced higher taxes without consulting his barons. This greatly angered the barons. Another complaint was that King John angered the Roman Catholic Church, which led to every church service in England being banned and the Pope excommunicating him.
There are many events that occurred in 1483 as a result of the weaknesses of Edward IV that led to the usurpation of the crown, such as the overmighty nobility, strong division between the Yorkists, the premature death of the King and the opposition of the Woodvilles. However there were also the personal ambitions of his brother Richard III, who had a strong powerbase in the North, needed to protect himself from the Woodville’s revenge, arranged the arrest and deaths of nobles in his way of the throne and imprisoned his own nephews. One of the biggest weaknesses in Edward’s reign was his nobility, who were hugely overmighty despite the fact that he had distributed less patronage in his second reign than he did in his first. Gloucester and the Woodvilles benefited in particular from his extensive patronage. In July of 1471 Gloucester was granted all of Warwick’s northern lands and to help him conduct the war against the Scots in 1480-82 he was also made Lieutenant General in the north.
His son who succeeded him, Charles VI (also called Charles VI the mad), was mentally ill. Tensions within the country between different houses allowed England's King Henry V to begin regaining lost ground. The defeat of the French at Agincourt in 1415 solidified his position. The French loss at Agincourt was due to similar tactics that brought about their destruction by the English in the battles of Crecy and Poitiers. The improvements that the French army had made during the reign of Charles V and thus, the subsequent similarities that had arisen between the two countries' armies, disappeared.
Before John was King of England, for many years, the kings defended English territory within France by using English men and money. King John acted in this similar way but his military campaigns were unsuccessful. England and France were constantly at war. By 1204, he had lost his lands in northern France; this included his family’s ancestral land in Normandy and Anjou to Philip II. In order to continue battling France, the King forced from his barons greater taxes and additional military services, this angered the barons because he did not consult them before raising taxes; this was a violation of feudal law and custom.
Why did Richard III face opposition during his short reign? Even before Richard III claimed the throne, he was already in the black books of the public and nobles for being accused of murdering the two princes in the tower. With rumours quickly spreading of his alleged murder, many Yorkist nobles and servants who were loyal to Edward IV and his sons were strongly against Richard III’s appointment as the King of England. This resulted in a constant revolt by rebellions organized by Yorkists. Buckingham who was a close ally to Richard III was denied a reward that Richard III had promised.