henry vii - war of the roses, battle of bosworth

when was the wars of the roses

1455-1485/7

what was the result of the war of roses

henry vii became king, beginning the tudor dynasty

what 2 sides fought in the war of roses

house of lancaster vs house of york

what is a usurpation

when the throne is seized without authority or in opposition to the rightful heir of succession

what does ‘deposed’ mean

when someone is removed from power

what is a minority rule

a period when the ruler is a minor or child (under 18)

who did henry steal the crown from

richard of york (house of york)

what is bastard feudalism

feudal system which has become corrupted → created instability in society

what did the war of roses have to do with bastard feudalism

when nobles had their own private + loyal armies, this created instability and violence, which eventually contributed to revolutions → nobles had more power, so the king had less

what house was henry vii from

house of lancaster → but by marrying elizabeth of york, he created the tudor dynasty

how was society structured at the time

feudal hierarchy → maintained by social theories such as the “Great Chain of Being”

what was the “great chain of being”

the commonly accepted belief that society had been ordered by god into a strict hierarchy of ranks (1579) → constantly reminded of this within church

what laws were used to help make clear distinctions between social classes

sumptuary laws → e.g. only the most senior nobles could wear cloth of gold or silver thread, silks or satin

what were the 3 hierarchies within society

the nobility (rural), the church, and urban

what was the nobility/peerage

the highest ranks of the rural hierarchy → dukes, earls, barons

what were they responsible for (3)

• running the kings gov (central + regional)

• crushing rebellions

• advising king on policy

church hierarchy

pope → archbishops → bishops → priests

urban hierarchy

merchants (bankers, entrepreneurs, importers etc.) → craftmen → paupers etc.

as capitalism emerged…

merchants + new professions emerged, which the king couldn’t take away

who was richard of york (as a king)

unpopular, rumours of him killing his nephews still circulate now

richard and his nobility

he avoided giving his nobility too much power → caused resentment

despite this, what was clear by 1485

many people supported richard

what was another rumour that made him unpopular

the rumour he wanted to marry his niece, elizabeth of york (after his wife, anne neville, died)

how did his gov operate

very well, he had good understanding

how was his justice system (3)

• passed some legislation

• parliament seen as wise and beneficial

• more popular with the poor people, as he protected their rights and made unusual efforts to provide legal remedies for the poor

how stable was richard before the battle of bosworth (5)

• overall pretty stable

• killed all enemies except henry vii

• financial situation very secure

• popular with his people and lords

• however, some of his allies deserted him to join henry vii

events leading up to the battle of bosworth (5)

• henry left france (after being in exile) and gained support of french king, charles VIII

• charles lent henry 600 francs and 800 mercenaries

• richards position less stable at this point

• henry also had support of Rhys ap Thomas

• mystery of princes in the tower led to more uncertainty around richard’s position

when was the battle of bosworth

22nd august 1485

what happened at the war (4)

• richards army of 10,000 assembled at the top of ambien hill

• battle was inconclusive until richard decided to charge at henry

• henry was protected by his allies (5000 men assembled from different countries)

• richard killed

what were the most important factors in henrys victory (4)

• support from welsh e.g. Rhys ap Thomas

• support from french e.g. 800 mercenaries

• richard’s rash decision to charge into Henry’s army failed, leading to his death

• support from noblemen e.g. sir william stanley, 3000 men