How Strong Was the Monarchy on the Death of Edward Iv?

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How strong was the monarchy on the death of Edward IV? Throughout the reign of Edward IV, he faced many problems with things such as securing his dynasty, his brother George Duke of Clarence, finance, law and order, and foreign policy. The ways in which he dealt with these issues could have left the monarchy in a very bad position following his death. When Edward died in 1483 he left £1,200 in the treasury . this shows that the main strength of the monarchy following the death of the King was the element of finance, due to the fact that Edward was the first ever king to get the country out of debt for more than a century. The income Edward IV inherited from his predecessors did not match the expenditure of the crown, which was somewhere in the region of £50,000 per year which is about £25 million in today’s money. The expenses of running the royal household with opulence and luxury was one of the biggest expenses during Edwards reign. There was also the expenditure connected with the defence of the kingdom, for example, the castles, the garrison at Calais, and salaries of wardens of the Marches. There were also numerous gifts to be given as part of patronage. It is easy to see how the country ended up in debt, due to the many outgoings of the crown. During the reign of Henry VI, money was borrowed which created many debts. Edward then had the task of paying off these debts, and raising enough money to help pay for the cost of governing the realm. Edward was unable to ask parliament for a grant, and there was the fear that adding additional taxes could spark a rebellion. However, Edward managed to increase the income of the crown by a number of clever ideas. Edward tried to improve trade by making agreements with foreign countries such as Burgundy. The Treaty of Picquigny of 1475 and the treaty
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