Edward IV second reign

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'The Sun in Splendour': the reign of Edward IV 1471-1483

the consolidation of royal authority under Edward IV and the development of new methods of government

'Edward IV created a new monarchy in his second reign'

'Edward IV successfully consolidated his power in his second reign'

Consolidation:

Strengths:

removed any possible threat to the throne (except Henry Tudor)

he produced an heir and a spare

Executed Clarence after he spread rumours (of Elizabeth Woodville's infidelity and that Edward had been married before Elizabeth)

1471- gives all the land to people who are close to him and his family

rewarded those who supported him

Edward was less lenient in Kent and Essex where the uprisings happened.

Weaknesses:

crown was weak after the wars of the roses- land sold and lost, overmighty subjects

giving all land and power to people who also have claims to the throne

flashy and spent lots of money on new clothes

still forgave certain Lancastrians

still allowed some overmighty subject- Gloucester

Dealing with opposition:

Warwick killed at Barnet

prince Edward killed at Tewkesbury

Somerset killed after Tewkesbury

Margaret in Yorkist custody

However:

Uprisings:

Wales: Wales remained a Lancastrian stronghold in defiance of the Yorkist king. They captured and executed Roger Vaughan, a committed Yorkist. However, Lancastrian towns sure ended and offered their support after Edward passed acts of attainders. The tudors involved fled to sanctuary in France

Bastard of Fauconberg: Fauconberg (Warwick's cousin) gathered support in Kent and marched to London hoping to release Henry VI. He was denied access to the city and later executed that year.

John de Vere (1473): John De Vere [earl of oxford] fled the Battle of Barnet in 1471 and ended up in France. After an unsuccessful land in 1472, he continued plotting with Louis XI and attempted another unsuccessful landing in Essex in May 1473. In September, he captured Michael's Mount. John Fortescue was sent to deal with him after Sir Henry Bodrugan was revealed to have been helping the rebels , which ended in his surrender.

Edward's strategies:

Gloucester controlled north, he importantly controlled Henry Percy also

Gloucester given Warwick's land in North- granted a platinate essentially king of the north

confiscated lands from Clarence in the midlands, went to Hastings

married his son Richard of York to a wealthy heiress, gaining him access to Norfolk.

other son Edward, given control of welsh marches, under the control of Earl Rivers

issued royal proclamations

changed attitude towards law and order ,harsher punishment for not complying

opposition crushed- Bastard of Falalconberg uprising supressed and Falconberg executed.

by 1477 the final Lancastrian strongholds in wales had surrendered, Pembroke and Tenby

passed an act in 1468 prohibiting retaining- however was unsuccessful

Establishing systems of rule:

sun in splendour badge became the image of the king

used the church as a unifying factor

local governance

meritocracy

appointed a sheriff to curb lawlessness, had his own court

appointed JPs

finance:

John Fortescue suggests cutting royal spending

financial systems of retrenchment and rendowment

he did rendowment through: making crown lands more efficient, customs duties increased, profits of justice (fines etc), feudal dues, parliament grants.

reformed financial institutions such as the chamber which gave him more control over accounts and finances and was a more efficient system

however he was less successful in: benevolences, the failure of income tax as they didn't have the correct up to date information on people's earnings.

good credit with Italian banks and he had a massive private collection of treasures and wealth

foreign policy:

treaty of Picquigny 1475: French king paid Edward £15,000

French pension: paid Edward 10,000 a year for 7 years

however: no land gained, can't fight France again, nobility annoyed.

1473- marriage alliance between England and Scotland, Edward agreed marriage between his daughter and James III's son, this worked and brought peace between them until the 15th century.

1475 truce agreed between England and the Hanseatic league.

1475 threaty of London between Edward IV and Charles the bold against France.

New methods of government:

king's chambers: HQ of important decisions, meetings etc

jobs such as 'keeper of the wardrobe' , very high status and point of access to the king, they were essentially his accountants so he could know how much money he had quickly.

wardrobes: he was the first king to use them, became a department of state, crucial for regulating and recording the king's personal wealth and finances available to him.

the great wardrobes: clothes furs spices and other royal items

the senior wardrobe: royal officials looked after the king's personal expenditure and military affairs

the privy wardrobe: king's collection of armour and armaments

appointed his closest employees on merit rather than title or blood ties and therefore promoted the legal training of such people. eg. John Merton

centralisation: transferred the responsibility of finances away from the royal exchequer and brought in a more personal financial administration

prevented corruption and brought a more efficient bureaucracy

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factional rivalries and court politics: hostile reactions against the influence of the Woodvilles

'to what extent were the Woodvilles an asset to Edward IV's second reign'

Areas of friction in Edward's second reign:

Edward's son Richard and Anne de Mowbray were going to be married, but she died before they could marry, as they were too young. she was a very wealthy heiress and her family should have received her land but instead Edward passed an Act of Parliament in 1483 to mean that Richard (Edward) got her land instead.

rivalry between Richard of Shrewsbury and John, Lord Howard (later the duke of Norfolk). lord Howard ended up alienated, he would have been a good supporter of Edward. the Woodvilles helped facilitate this situation.

rivalry between Thomas Grey and Hastings. grey marries Cecily Bonville (a very wealthy noble daughter), Hastings is her protector and Grey did not pay him enough for her wardship. this caused a problem as he would never have been given a good marriage like her if his mother hadn't married the king.

Thomas grey was also sleeping with one of the king's mistresses, Jane Shore, causing contention. she was also Hastings' mistress at one point, Grey harmed their pride.

competition between William Hastings and Anthony Woodville (Elizabeth's brother and Earl Rivers). Hastings controlled the midlands and Woodville was given wardship of the prince of wales (Edward's son) and made the governor of his houehold. the nobility felt that this was not deserved and the honour should go to someone more deserving

Buckingham's resentment at being forced to marry Katherine Woodville (the Queen's sister). Buckingham was the king's ward and therefore Edward chose to marry him to Katherine, he was very annoyed and felt that he had married into family that is not deserving of his titles.

The Woodvilles:

Asset:

Elizabeth's mother had ties with the Burgundians, helping them secure their foreign alliance.

their role in prince Richard's marriage secured Edward the 1483 act of parliament which took Anne De Mowbray's land to the crown.

allowed Edward to share land, marriages and power with a family who were not only loyal to him but were not already part of the small inter-married nobility that had previously existed.

problem:

their high marriages were a lot better than they could have previously got, this angered the nobility

their role in Richard's marriage caused resentment from the Howards.

previously Lancastrians= hate from the nobility.

Thomas Grey's marriage to the Marquess of Dorset (Cecily Bonville) angered Hastings

Rivers' promotion was felt to be undeserved.

Clarence V Gloucester 1471-1474:

-On Edward's accession, Gloucester received confiscated lands in the North, and Clarence - in the South.

-Gloucester marries Anne Neville. Clarence fears he will have to give up Warwick's land as Richard may now have a marital right to it. Clarence attempts to 'hide' Anne Neville. Gloucester rescues her.

-In 1472: Edward brings the brothers together to settle the matter.

-The feud develops in 1473 and an Act of Resumption takes their land off them. The both receive generous patronage after Warwick' widow was declared 'legally dead'.

-Edward forbade Clarence from marrying Mary of Burgundy as she had a good claim to the English throne. This angered Clarence.

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change and continuity in English society during a decade of peace: trade and the economy, social mobility, the regions

'how far did English society change over Edward IV's second reign'

'trade and the economy experienced the biggest change, in English society, over Edward IV's second reign' ATOTV

'Edward IV is responsible for the marked social change over his second reign'

trade and the economy:

political stability: England was affected by an economic slump until 1480, which was not helped by the political instability of the country, the efforts of Edward IV to bring stability to the country after 1471 were highly beneficial to England's merchants.

in the last few years of Edward's reign the Merchant Adventurers' Company's trade was restored to the levels seen before the civil wars, by 1480s the merchant Adventurers were far more prosperous than they had ever been.

the Hanseatic merchants' trade fluctuated a lot and Hanseatic trade was at a halt until 1475 because of its dispute with Edward. as soon as relations were restored however so was the trade

he wool trade was the most significant trade from England and fluctuations in it had a bearing on the rural economy of England and throughout the 15th century the trade was steadily declining, but it was still the foremost branch of English trade. between 59-62 the exports of wool fell to their lowest levels in the entire century. however, after this the average rose to higher than before, this is largely thought to be due to the Yorkist policy of providing good security for Calais, this ensured a safe base or English merchants on European mainland. (59-62 average wool stacks exported were 5000, by the end of Edward's reign it was 10,000. doubled.)

social mobility:

the black death in the mid 1300s had caused a huge drop in the population and therefore meant that lots of land was available. it also meant that those with non-landed wealth could buy into land, raising their social status.

lots of 'new men' in Edward's reign. the Paston family rose through the ranks, they made wise land purchases and strategic marriage alliances that saw them rise to the peerage.

social mobility in urban areas was also possible, an individual could rise up using their craft skills, legend of Dick Whittington shows this as he achieved his fortune.

'Edward IV is responsible for the marked social change over his second reign' ATOVT

argument: yes although he wasn't responsible for all social mobility

para 1: Edward was responsible for the change in the economy and trade

England was affected by an economic slump until 1480, which was not helped by the political instability of the country, the efforts of Edward IV to bring stability to the country after 1471 were highly beneficial to England's merchants.

the Hanseatic merchants' trade fluctuated a lot and Hanseatic trade was at a halt until 1475 because of its dispute with Edward. as soon as relations were restored however so was the trade

Edward repaired the wool trade: the average wool export rose to higher than before the wars, this is largely thought to be due to the Yorkist policy of providing good security for Calais, this ensured a safe base or English merchants on European mainland. (59-62 average wool stacks exported were 5000, by the end of Edward's reign it was 10,000. doubled.)

para 2: Edward was responsible for social mobility

Edward's meritocracy system meant that he directly appointed members of the gentry to positions of high office.

John Dynham: agreed to provide safe haven and passage on his modest Devonshire lands to Yorkist lords fleeing their defeat at the battle of Ludford bridge in 1459. Edward made him lord chancellor of Ireland in 1460 and was created Baron Dynham in 1467, he became a prominent figure in Edward's government.

John Morton: a lawyer who was made master of rolls in 1473 and Edward sent him on various diplomatic missions to Hungary and elsewhere. he was eventually tasked with drafting Edward's will in 1483.

Edward chose to appoint men suited to these tasks rather than members of the nobility who would have previously done it, for example, Suffolk and Norfolk were never given roles in Edward's government.

Edward created 37 new earldoms in his years as king.

para 3: social mobility was already happening

the black death meant that social mobility was inevitable as new land and wealth became available to the few who survived.

more schooling and education meant people from the countryside could now better themselves.

men managed to acquire new status through trade, William De La Pole was a merchant who made a fortune in trading wool, wine and giving out war loans. future generations of the De La Pole family were integral in the government of Yorkist and Lancastrian kings. under Edward, Suffolk was John De La Pole.

the Paston family also enriched themselves from peasant farmers, seen in the famous paston letters

Edward did have an 'inner circle' and as he became more aware of the need to supress rebellions in his second reign, he made sure that his family and closest friends held almost all of the power and land in England, such as Gloucester and the Woodvilles.