Breadth study- retaining

Henry IV

• 1399: Parliament issued a statute which allowed only the King to issue badges and only those who ranked in high positions were able to wear them in his presence

• Lancastrian Affinity were loyal to him - Henry was willing to accommodate their ambitions and financial demands

• When he landed in England, he gained the support of Richard’s retainers- allowed him to gain power

• However, did increase impact of rebellion e.g Hotspur had a small group of retainers who fought in the Battle of Shrewsbury

Henry V

• Retaining important for his campaigns in France- providing army for battle

• 12,000 men to Agincourt- no standing royal army so reliance on noblemen and their affinities to construct the core of the army

• This was the high point in the use of retaining across the time period for the king

Retaining under Henry VI

• allowed ambitious nobles such as York to defy or control the crown- e.g at Northampton York declared that he would fight for the throne - LED TO CIVIL WAR UNDER HENRY VI

• Victory for EIV at the Battle of Towton and allowed Yorkist victory- was enough to overthrow a weak king

• Allowed factionalism between York and Somerset- Somerset killed at St. Albans I

• Bastard feudalism particularly for for York and Edward meant that they had large armies who were able to challenge York

Edward IV

WoR showed that retainers could create lawlessness at a local level and national level and be used as a force against the kings- saw that maintenance was often abused.

1468- Statute prohibiting retaining except for domestic servants, estate officials and legal advisers. But law largely ineffective because it allowed the continuance of retaining for ‘lawful service’. Provided a loophole and so its role was not removed

1475- Retinues still formed the armies sent to France in 1475- brief war between France and England which was ended with Treaty of Picquiny

Henry VII

• Openly condemned retaining:

• 1487- passed a law against retaining which restricted the size of retinues

• 1504- passed a further law which required lords to present a written permission from the king to retain men- disobeying meant that nobles had to pay huge sums of money

• But still recognised their importance : e.g needed retainers to allow victory at the Battle of Stoke in 1487 and to crush rebellions e.g Yorkshire rebellion