What problems did the nobility cause, 1445-1450?

Major nobles

Major nobles were often related to the King

Duke of Gloucester was Henry's uncle and heir presumptive (not closest blood relative)

Gloucester died in 1447 and Richard, Duke of York, replaced him as heir presumptive.

Beauforts were the other prominent noble family (major players in the Hundred Years War, wanted to gain land in France)

Buckingham and Warwick, like York: major landowners

The noble who dominated government during the 1440s = William de la Pole, Earl (later Duke) of Suffolk. Leading member in the King's household (Lord chamberlain in 1447) and therefore a favourite of the King

Resented by York as Suffolk acted as chief advisor to the King and York felt he was deliberately being snubbed by the Henry VI in not holding this position.

The duke of Gloucester

Caused problems during this period

Appalled at the Truce if Tours (1444), constant critic of the peace policy with France

1447, accused of treason and arrested, died days later (Suffolk or stroke?)

Problems of law and order

Abuses of power, especially seen in disputes over landownership

Ownership of land was essential to prosperity and wealth

An active King would have made a judgement regarding the increasing disputes over land, but Henry VI was not fulfilling this role

Some nobles hired lawyers or resorted to violence in order to obtain land they felt they had some claim to

The role of the King

Actively contributed to feuds through his ill-judged use of patronage and granting Royal favour - intelligent & effective King on the throne may have prevented could have controlled feuds and prevented war of the roses

Henry's advisors

Suffolk emerged to take on the role of lead counsellor to advise the King and even make government policy decisions for him

Could be seen as corruptly taking advantage of the king's weakness for his own aggrandisement. This view sees Suffolk favouring his own men and wasting the king's money on titles and land for himself and his supporters

Henry ignored his closest relatives (York and Gloucester) and chose to listen to the advice of Suffolk, did not reveal the loss of Maine (could not be trusted) and was associated with the humiliating losses in France

Financial resouces

Poor financial position, limited resources and heavily in debt due to financing long war with France, slump in European trade

Patronage was used poorly, usually grants titles, lands and offices in order to expand the monarch's influence by gaining the support of nobles though Henry showed a lack of judgment in his handling of patronage and was quickly taken advantage of and so he was unable to maintain a balance between the various factions and help keep order

1450 ACT OF RESUMPTION - Commons tried to persuade Henry to reverse some of his grants and so the act was passed in order to reclaim some of the gifts made by Henry though Henry made numerous exceptions which make it less successful that it should have been

Henry made grants out of personal generosity to those he liked and this led to the dominance of one faction which caused problems especially in the localities where complaints about lack of justice were heard

Financing government, especially during times of war, proved very difficult and therefore taxation was a problem for the government during this time.

Involvement in the Hundred Years War cost England more than it could afford despite the military success of Henry V to begin with. And so, Henry VI inherited a substantial debt from his father. King relied on income from the crown lands (decreased) and income from customs revenues ("plummeted")

Henry soon faced accusations of corruption and extravagance and his regime was bankrupt. By 1450, the Crown was running out of credit, debts were mounting and soldiers were unpaid.