richard iii and henry tudor and bosworth

richard iii notes

when did edward iv die

9th april 1483

when did earl rivers meet richard and buckingham at stony stratford (just outside northampton)

29th april 1483

rivers, richard grey and thomas vaughan arrested by richard and buckingham on what date

30th april

31st april 1483 who takes sanctuary in westminster abbey

queen elizabeth, sons richard of york and marquis of dorset

edward v’s coronation postponed on what date

4th may 1483

richard requests military support from north on what day

10-11th june

lord hastings arrested and executed on what day

13th june

richard of york removed from sancturary and placed in tower with edward v on what day

16th june

illegitimacy of princes preached in london on

22nd june

date of coronation of richard iii

6th july

potential reasons why richard iii usurped edward v

ambition for power as king that developed after edward iv’s death or in may/june

fear of losing northern lands

belief england needed him as king to provide stability and order

fear of attack from woodvilles

why was richard iii able to take the throne?

strength - support from significant nobles like buckingham and howard who backed his claim to be king, added credibility and made potential enemies hesitate - northern support - rumours of arrival of richards northern army alarmed london and intimidated opponents of ric iii

weakness of opponents - woodvilles had little power and arrest of earl rivers killed any chance of leading opposition to ric iii

surprise - had loyalty to ed iv, until mid-june he took every opportunity to show support to ed iv, the events in june were very fast - no time to organise opposition, violence of his actions - execution of hastings, unexpected violence paralysed potential enemies

evidence of ric iii killing prices in tower

evidence of ric iii not killing princes in tower

dissapearance of princes impact on ric iii’s position

weakened support for him, especially in south/west of england.

support in north remained unaffected tho

some members of nobility continued to support him despite the rumours he’d killed the princes

richard iii’s position as an usurper

based claim on crown on claims of prince being illegitimate, and apparent illegitimacy of ed iv

ric iii’s actions led to increase in opposition from woodvilles

ric was an usurper and bound to face attempts to overthrow him, but tried to prevent this by making son edward the prince of wales

buckingham’s rebellion

after ric’s usurption, country and court divided once again. sept 1483 - rebellion started to stir in south, rebellion not surprise to ric iii - only surprising that buckingham and other close allies were involved, was a huge blow to his cause

henry stafford, duke of buckingham - who

instrumental in putting ric iii on throne, close supporter and ally of ric iii, one of the most powerful noblemen in england - maybe considered overmighty noble

bukcingham’s rebellion - where

in 3 main centres - south west, south central and south wales

buckingham’s rebellion - when

sept/nov 1483

buckingham’s rebellion - who

buckingham, henry tudor, margaret beaufort, ed iv’s wife elizabeth, grentry and nobles, thomas grey, sir thomas st leger

what happened during buckingham’s rebellion

why did the rebellion fail

difficult to coordinate rebellion across south - some took no action, waiting for others to join them, while henry tudor’s fleet had been delayed and scattered by a storm, and he soon realised he was too late and returned to brittany. ric iii was also prepared and was warned by spies

impact of buckingham’s rebellion

weakened ric iii by showing his unpopularity and showing henry tudor as an alternative king. ric iii lost his close advisor and supportor buckingham. weakened ric iii’s position in south by removing nobility in south

emergence of henry tudor showed compeition for throne and henry tudor was mostly unknown, which meant ric iii was dealing with an unknown enemy

rebellion motivated by dissaperance of ric of york and edward v, which could make the rumours seem more truthful and turn people agaisnt ric iii

ric iii’s relationship to nobility - northerners in south and its impact

ric iii’s relationship to nobility - rivalry w/northern lords

ric iii’s relationship to nobility - little support

strengths of ric iii part 1

part 2

weaknesses of ric iii

dependant on a few nobles who could be considered over-mighty, lost support of many nobles, cold personality - less likely to win people over, seen as ruthless due to rumours he had killed in wife in 1485 - limited responses to ric iii’s call for arms

who was henry tudor

nobody until this point in 1485. succeeds taking the throne from richard iii establishing a new ruling dynasty on england and ending the wars of the roses

henry tudor’s claim to the throne

connected by beaufort line - female line, supposedly illegitimate. but by the time 1485 came he was the only male Lancastrian w/ a connection to the throne left. yorkist claim to throne also weakened due to ric iii being a usurper, so ht had a chance

since ed iv had recovered the throne, where was henry tudor

remained in exile w/ uncle jasper tudor in brittany

rebellion 1483

henry tudor sailed from where he was exiled to take part in the failed rebellion. it failed but helped his cause - many rebels joined him in exile

1484 what did ric iii do and what did ht do in response

ric iii negotiated deal w/ duke of brittany, agreed to send ht to britain in return for archers

ht went to france, welcomed by french king charles viii

when was the battle of bosworth

22nd august 1485

events of the battle

henry tudor won, killing ric iii during the battle

battle started early moring

was on marshy terrain, meaning ht and army had to charge across it to get to ric iii and his army

stanley brothers had been watching the battle, having not joined a side yet. however when ric iii attacked ht directly, stanley brothers saw that ric’s attack was faltering as henry’s french mercenaries defended ht, so attacked ric iii’s troops from behind

why did henry tudor win the battle of bosworth

impact of stanley brothers during battle of bosworth

their intervention on the side of henry tudor was decisive.

henry tudor’s army

mainly tenant farmers - lightly armed archers and spearmen. mercenaries armed w/ swords sheilds and pike. made up of nobles, knights and squires.

ht was disadvantaged - much smaller army, ht also has less military and leadership experience than ric iii.

ric iii’s army

make up of army similar to ht’s army. better equipped, more cavalry and troops were well-rested. had heavy artillery. ric iii had considerable military experience. also had time to prepare defences, occupying high ground on ambion hill w/ marshland protecting them.

had advantage over ht

why did ht begin dating his reign from 21st aug 1485

anyone on ric iii’s side would be seen as a traitor, guilty of treason - can do acts of attainder on them

why did ht choose 30th october for his coronation date, right before the 1st meeting of parliament

could never be claimed taht parliament gave him throne, less chance of potential opposition from parliament, also shows how he took throne himself

why did he not mention his pledge to marry elizabeth of york during this confirmation of his claim to the throne

claims throne in his own right - not reliant on wife

why did ht repeal ric iii’s proclamation

declared eliza of york illegitimate - new king couldn’t marry illegitimate women

what day are ht and eliza of york married on

18th jan 1486

edward, eral of warwick is captured and put in tower of london - why

erase possible claims/threats to throne

why was only one of ric' iii’s followers (william catesby) executed

shows leniency, gain loyalty and support from ric’s side

henry tudor strengths

triumphed in battle, removed unpopular ric iii, didn’t owe throne to kingmaker (took it for himself)

ht weaknesses

seen as foreigner and a stranger due to years in brittany - likely spoke little english, which didn’t help either. took throne by violent means, little backing from nobility. if throne could be taken so easily, it could be taken away just as easily. potential threats to throne - clarence’s son edward earl of warwick, john de la pole - earl of linclon - named as ric iii’s heir. these threats cannot be ignored