Edexcel Ã¢Â€Â“ Unit 1 - Access to History 2

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Access to History Online Edexcel Unit 1 – A6 The Wars of the Roses in England, 1455–85causing and continuing the civil war. Theseinclude the failures of Henry VI as king incontrolling his kingdom, and, once the fightingbroke out, the existence of rival power bases andthe nature of the fighting where neither side wasable to force a victory (8).Richard Duke of York played a crucial role incausing the Wars of the Roses. He was the mostpowerful noble in the country, owning vast landedestates and, before October 1453, he was also thenext in line to the throne. Because of his position,York assumed that he would play a leading role inadvising the king and helping to govern thecountry; he would also have expected to receivepatronage from the king – gifts of land and office– and to have a place at the King’s Court and onhis Council. However, Henry VI, advised by hiswife Margaret of Anjou, surrounded himself with acircle of favourites from which York was excluded.These favourites, such as Somerset, receivedimportant grants, such as the influential role ofCaptain of Calais in 1451. As early as 1452, York’sanger at this situation led to him marching onLondon with an armed retinue, showing that hewas prepared to use violence to secure his placeat Court. Also, in 1455, it was York who raised anarmy which led to the first battle at St Albans andthe start of the Wars of the Roses. This showsthat York’s role in actually starting the conflictwas crucial (9).York also played a leading part in the conflict to1460. He remained suspicious of the motives ofMargaret of Anjou; for example, he refused toappear at a Great Council held in Coventry in1459, instead recruiting troops and facing the kingin battle at Ludford Bridge. Also, York’s decision toclaim the throne itself in the autumn of 1460shocked the more neutral members of the nobilityand forced them to take sides so the conflict wasescalated even further. York’s actions werecertainly a catalyst for the conflict and encouragedthe fighting to continue to 1460 (10).However, thefighting did not stop with York’s death in 1460.This suggests that it was not only York whocaused the civil wars or their continuation (11).Another factor which led to the continuation of theWars of the Roses was the existence of rivalpower bases. For example, the Lancastrians werebased in the royal estates around Coventry andthe Midlands, which is why the Parliament of(8) Balance and range areintroduced with a list of otherfactors.(9) This paragraph is focused onYork’s role in starting thefighting in 1455. It uses preciseand well-selected information tosupport the argument. It alsohas clear links to the question atthe start and end of theparagraph.(10) This paragraph examinesYork’s role in continuing theconflict to 1460. Again, it issupported with relevant andprecise factual detail, thoughthe statement about the neutralmembers of the nobility isvague.(11) The last two sentences hintat a balanced argument andpave the way for other factorsto be discussed.© Hodder Education, 2010
Access to History Online Edexcel Unit 1 – A6 The Wars of the Roses in England, 1455–85Devils was held there in 1459 since it was easierfor Margaret of Anjou to control Parliament awayfrom London and so condemn the Yorkists in theirabsence, causing further tension. In the sameway, York was able to flee to Ireland in 1459 andWarwick was able to use his Captaincy at Calais toprotect himself and raise troops. This situationmeant that neither side was able to gain theupper hand in the conflict as both were able towithdraw, regroup and recruit armies when theyneeded to. This contributed to the continuation ofthe civil war (12).Although other factors explain why the wars brokeout and continued, the most important factor wasthe weakness of Henry VI as king which allowedYork to become too powerful and caused him torebel. Medieval kings were expected to keep lawand order at home and to protect the countryfrom invasion. Henry VI was a peace-loving kingwho disliked war. He was easy to manipulate – inthe period 1455–60, whoever controlled the kingcould control the country. Worse still, in 1453 hesuffered a nervous breakdown which left himunable to rule the country and led to conflictabout who should be Protector. Henry’s rulehelped to bring about civil war. He was blamed byYork and other members of the nobility for thehumiliating English losses in France – by 1453,only Calais was still in English possession. Inaddition, Henry’s lack of financial managementhad left him in massive debt. By 1450, the Crownwas £372,000 in arrears. This particularly affectednobles such as York who had lost lands andincome in France and were owed money for theirservices in France which were not paid – York wasowed nearly £40,000. Finally, Henry mismanagedhis kingdom by allowing local disputes to get outof control, for example the Nevilles andPercys inthe North and the Bonvilles and Courtenays in theSouth-West. Without a strong king, these disputesescalated and led to side taking, with the Nevillesand Courtenays looking to York for supportagainst their enemies. If there had been astronger or more decisive king on the throne,members of the nobility such as York or theNevilles would have been kept under control. Itwas the weakness of Henry VI and his failures asking that led to York’s alienation and allowed warto break out and to continue (13).(12) This paragraph deals with adifferent factor. It is less wellsupportedthan the earlierparagraphs, but demonstratesrange and balance.(13) This paragraph considers afinal point and balances theearlier arguments about the roleof York. York’s actions are putinto the context of Henry’s poorrule to help reach a judgementabout who was really to blame.In conclusion, York’s ambition and position inEngland were certainly important in the outbreak© Hodder Education, 2010
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Edexcel Ã¢Â€Â“ Unit 1 - Access to History 2

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