Chapter 5 - How successful was Edward IV's domestic policy, 1471-83?

Edward IV's first reign

- His domestic policy had seen mixed success.

- There were big improvements on the domestic policy of Henry VI in many areas.

- The fact that he lost the throne at a time of widespread discontent and rebellion meant that there was still room for improvement by Edward.

- Lawlessness still a problem.

- His improvements in the managing of the Crown lands and finance had yet to deliver benefits.

What was Edward's style of ruling?

- Edward IV was very much at the heart of his own government.

- His aim was to improve the efficiency of government and he did this through the careful selection of men of ability.

- He continued to rely on the nobility to keep order in their localities.

- His council after 1471 saw an increase in men of ability but of lower rank e.g. Bishop Morton of Ely (who went on to serve under Henry VII), William Lord Hastings and William Parr.

- The King relied on these men for help with judicial matters and policy decisions.

Did Edward IV improve law and order?

- Edward was determined to ensure that the law was obeyed and that those areas that had seen disorder were brought under control.

- Nobles who failed to keep peace in their lands were replaced e.g. William Herbert in South Wales.

- No major riots or rebellions after 1471 with law and order having been restored = with the exception of Thomas, Bastard of Fauconberg, (Warwick's cousin) in Kent in 1471.

- Last Lancastrian attack 1473 = Earl of Oxford captured St Michael's Mount in Cornwall, only to submit to Edward at the end of the year.

- The Lancastrian cause seemed to be without hope = Henry Tudor was heir to the Lancastrian cause through the illegitimate Lancastrian line via his mother, Margaret Beaufort.

- Edward was not going to ignore issues like treason and rebellion = executed his own brother, the Duke of Clarence, for treason in 1478 after having rebelled with Warwick (he was drowned in a barrel of his favourite wine).

- HOWEVER, Edward was prepared to tolerate a high level of crime so long as it did not interfere with his aims = he tackled the problem of piracy because it was interfering with his foreign policy and the raising of customs duties.

- He turned a blind eye to a certain amount of corruption in the justice system and was guilty in wrongdoings himself e.g. in dealings with inheritance = Edward often ignored the heirs to increase his family's holdings = such was his power in England.

- The maintenance of private armies by the nobility (retainers) had been a source of many of Henry VI's problems = Edward IV was a stronger king than Henry VI so did not necessarily have an issue with retaining.

- So long as there was a strong king on the throne, the nobles would not be inclined to take to the battlefield in order to resolve their private feuds.

- Fewer men were being retained by nobles in the 1470s as there was no real need for large numbers of retainers in times of peace and stability.

- Edward exerted a huge amount of authority through his nobility.

- HOWEVER, he has been seen as generous and sometimes even weak in his handling of the nobility due to the number of pardons issued, his use of patronage, and his failure to tackle retaining.

- His ultimate aim was to keep the peace and to that extent he was hugely successful = no major rebellions after 1471.

- If Edward sometimes did things or allowed others to get away with doing things that were unpopular, he was too strong to be challenged.

How successful was Edward's handling of royal finance?

- One of Edward's greatest achievements was the way in which he was able to transform royal finances.

- Edward had inherited a huge amount of debt from Henry VI (over £350,000) and yet he was able to die solvent.

-Edward continued his 'chamber system of finance' which saw him making the most of his Crown lands, taking in more money as scope for corruption lessened.

- The 'land revenue experiment' developed further in his second reign with the revenue of all the lands in the Crown's possession going into the chamber.

- The addition of the Duke of Clarence's extensive lands in 1478 brought a significant increase in the King's income.

- Edward's second reign saw an increase in revenue from customs duties to approximately £35,000 a year = largely due to the improvement in trade in northern Europe (the slump had ended).

- Edward improved the amount of trade England was involved in through his foreign policy = commercial treaties with France, Burgundy, and the Hanseatic League.

- This was all helped by the lack of war to disrupt trade and Edward's success in limiting instances of piracy.

- Following the Treaty of Picquigny, in January 1476, Edward and Louis XI agreed for Edward to hand over Margaret of Anjou to the King of France in return for £10,000 and her renouncing all her claims to lands and titles in England.

How successful was Edward's handling of royal finance? - The Treaty of Picquigny 1475

- The treaty with France had resulted in an annual pension of 50,000 gold crowns = made Edward able to "live of his own."

- This benefited the people of England = did not have to face any parliamentary taxation for the rest of his reign.

- Commercial aspects of the treaty benefited English merchants and producers = the treaty removed restrictions on English trade with France (huge market).

- Therefore the treaty was greatly beneficial to England.

Edward's achievements

- Edward achieved much in his domestic policy = His aims to be obeyed and to see an end to civil disturbances were accomplished.

- He was able to put the Crown on a better financial footing.

- He raised the prestige of the monarchy by being personally involved in the governance of the country and the sheer force of his personality.