2B The Wars of the Roses, 1450–1499 Part 5 Depth Study: History AQA A level Revision.

Who succeeded King Edward IV?

His son, King Edward V. King Edward V, was thirteen years old when he was supposed to take over the throne, so Richard was appointed as Lord Protector according to the wishes of King Edward IV.

Edward V was not crowned and "reigned" from April to June 1483.

The coup d’état by Richard of Gloucester: the issue of the Princes in the Tower and Richard III’s position as a usurper.

Richard of Gloucester was constantly jealous of his brother King Edward IV, who wanted to take over the throne. There is even a theory that Richard ordered his brother to be poisoned, that is, that the king was poisoned and not sick.

Shortly after his brother died, Richard declared the marriage of King Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth Woodville to be illegitimate because it had taken place in secret in 1464. Since the marriage was illegitimate, their children could not inherit it. Therefore, Richard imprisoned King Edward V (1470-1483) and Richard Duke of York (1473-1483), the sons of King Edward IV, in the tower.

King Richard III.

After stating that King Edward V and his younger brother Richard were not King Edward IV's legitimate heirs, he focused on securing his own rights. Charles Richard III took over the throne treacherously, which is why he did not have the support of many nobles and the people in general. He was different from his brother. He had a tough character and a bad temper.

During his short reign, he encountered resistance from nobles who remained loyal to King Edward IV.

King Richard III reigned from June 1483 until 1485 when he was killed at the Battle of Bosworth.

Were the sons of King Edward IV murdered?

King Edward V and Richard Duke of York disappeared a few months after imprisonment in the Tower. It is suggested that King Richard III's orders killed them.

Factional rivalries: dissensions among the Yorkist nobility.

How King Richard III took the throne in England once again led to political unrest and instability. Some nobles remained loyal to King Edward IV and believed that his sons should succeed him. At the same time, the fact that his sons disappeared further angered the public, leading to factions' formation.

Factional rivalries; the emergence of Henry Tudor.

Nobles still supported the House of Lancaster. Henry Tudor was the son of Margaret Beaufort, a descendant of John of Gaunt, the founder of the House of Lancaster, and Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond, a half-brother of King Henry VI of England. In other words, Henry Tudor appeared as the only surviving relative and possible heir of the Lancaster house.

Dissatisfaction with how Richard III took the throne in England led many nobles, especially in the south, to support Henry Tudor in taking over and becoming the new king of England.

Buckingham Rebellion.

Richard III encountered resistance from nobles who did not support him. Therefore, a section of King Edward IV's loyalists led an uprising in the "Buckingham Rebellion" against him just four months after he took the throne in November 1483.

The Buckingham Rebellion was led by Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham. His goal was to support Henry Tudor's claim to the English throne. However, this rebellion was unsuccessful as Henry Tudor's forces could not join Buckingham's army as planned due to weather conditions. Henry Stafford was captured, tried for treason, and executed.

The strengths and weaknesses of Richard III's position in 1484: the death of his wife and heir, the problem of succession

King Richard III married Anne Neville, daughter of Richard Neville and widow of Edward of Lancaster. With her, he had a son, Edward (1473-1484), who died in 1484. Shortly after, in 1485, to be exact, she died too. The king had no heir, and a succession problem arose.

The downfall of Richard III: Bosworth.

At the Battle of Bosworth Field on August 22, 1485, King Richard was killed, and the York family lost a potential heir. Henry Tudor, the only surviving potential heir of the Lancaster house, took part in this battle, took over the throne, and founded a new Tudor dynasty.

Henry Tudor had the support of the nobles who supported the House of Lancaster and also the support of the nobles who opposed the rule of King Richard III and the way he came to power.

The proclamation of a new Tudor dynasty under Henry VII.

The rule of the Tudor family marked the period between 1485 and 1603. After King Henry VII won the Wars of the Roses, the Tudor family became England's bearer of the crown.
King Henry VII ruled England from 1485 to 1509.

Henry VII and his marriage to Elizabeth of York.

On the advice of his mother, King Henry Tudor wanted to end the Wars of the Roses by marrying the daughter of King Edward IV, Elizabeth of York. This was a marriage of interest at first, but according to some historical sources, Elizabeth of York and King Henry Tudor fell in love.

When he was proclaimed King Henry VII, he cemented his claim to the throne by marrying Elizabeth of York.

Yorkist opposition to Henry VII.

After he took power, Henry VII had many opponents who still supported the House of York. His goal was to consolidate his power and establish peace by marrying the eldest daughter of King Edward IV, Elizabeth of York.

Margaret of York, sister of King Edward IV and King Richard III, was the biggest threat to King Henry VII because she financed the rebellions against him the most.

Yorkist opposition to Henry VII: Lovell's Rebellion.

Lovell's Rebellion was one of the first rebellions against King Henry VII in 1486. Francis Lovell started the rebellion but was joined by Sir Humphrey Stafford and Sir Thomas Stafford, which is why this rebellion is known as Stafford and Lovell's Rebellion.

The rebellion was motivated by the desire to overthrow King Henry VII and restore Yorkist rule. However, this rebellion was unsuccessful. Viscount Francis Lovell managed to escape, but Humphrey Stafford was executed.

During the reign of Henry VII, what two pretenders threatened his rule?

Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck.
Simnel and Warbeck pretended that the son of Richard of York was the son of Edward IV.

Yorkist opposition to Henry VII: defeat of the Pretender Lambert Simnel at Stoke.

Lambert Simnel was the boy whom the House of York envisioned as a potential heir to the English throne from the House of York. He was introduced as Richard of York, and in 1487, he started the rebellion at Stoke. The rebellion was supported by Margaret of York, the sister of King Edward IV and King Richard III.

King Henry VII managed to suppress this rebellion.

Yorkist opposition to Henry VII: Yorkshire Rising.

The Yorkshire Rebellion was a popular uprising in 1489 in Yorkshire, England. The people were dissatisfied with the country's political and economic situation and, most of all, with the new taxes that King Henry VII imposed on them to finance the war in France.

Although he succeeded in putting down the rebellion, King Henry VII had to deal with tax policy.

Attempts to maintain the Yorkist cause: Margaret of Burgundy, the Earl of Warwick and the Pretender Perkin Warbeck

The Yorkists still aimed to regain their throne. For example, Margaret of Burgundy, the sister of King Edward IV and King Richard III, was the biggest threat to King Henry VII because she financed the rebellions against him the most. She became the chief promoter of Henry VII's pretender, Perkin Warbeck, and his predecessor, Lambert Simnel.

Warwick was involved in several unsuccessful attempts to regain the throne. He was executed in November 1499 after impersonating Richard, Edward IV's child, in an attempt to seize the throne. Warbeck's rebellion lasted between 1491 and 1499, and Perkin Warbeck was also executed.

The end of the Yorkist challenge: defeat of Warbeck and his Scottish and Cornish allies; the execution of Warbeck and Warwick

This is related to Warbeck's rebellion, which lasted between 1491 and 1499. After being defeated in this battle, his predecessor, Warbeck, was executed in 1499 as the 1st Earl of Warwick, who supported him in his efforts to take the throne.
The defeat marked the end of Jokastic challenges to regain power.

The impact of the Wars of the Roses on English society by 1499: trade and the economy; central authority and the regions

The impact of the Wars of the Roses on English society until 1499 was more or less good. There were ups and downs in trade and the economy. King Henry VII tried to establish economic stability, but his raised taxes led to political instability and uprisings in certain regions of England (remember the Yorkist uprising).
Considering how King Henry VII came to power, he needed to win over the nobility because not all nobles supported him, and some even organised their army. He appointed nobles whom he trusted to rule in local governments. He organised it so no one could become too powerful, but he rewarded the nobles for their loyalty.
The regions did not develop equally. The South was more rural, while the North was more developed.