AS History₇₀₄₁

This option provides for the study in depth of a period in which the English monarchy suffered instability and the country was subjected to a range of political, economic and social pressures. It develops concepts such as authority, hierarchy, faction and legitimacy. It also encourages students to reflect on the sources of power within a state, causes of political breakdown and the impact of dynastic instability on the ‘common people’.

The Fall of the House of Lancaster, 1450–1471

The origins of conflict, 1450–1459

• English society and politics in 1450: the weakness of Henry VI’s rule; baronial factions; Cade’s rebellion; the loss of Normandy
• The impact on English politics of the emerging power and influence of Richard of York
• The outbreak of war: the first Battle of St Albans and the balance of military power in 1455
• The uneasy peace: the influence of Margaret of Anjou; factional rivalries and their impact on English society

The War of the Barons, 1459–1461

• The renewal of war: York’s flight into exile; the emergence of Warwick ‘the Kingmaker’; the capture of Henry VI at Northampton
• Filling the political vacuum: the rule of Richard of York as Protector of England
• Shifting loyalties and the Lancastrian revival: Wakefield; the second Battle of St Albans; the death of York and the restoration of Henry VI
• Proclamation of Edward IV as King; Yorkist victory at Towton; the strengths and weaknesses of the Yorkists by 1461

The triumph of the Yorkists, 1461–1471

• The personal rule of Edward IV and the political impact of his marriage to Elizabeth Woodville
• Factional rivalries: Warwick ‘the Kingmaker’; attempts to restore Henry VI; Margaret of Anjou; Edward, Prince of Wales
• The crushing of the Lancastrian cause: Barnet and Tewkesbury; the destruction of the Lancastrian nobility
• The impact of the baronial wars on English society by 1471: the weakening of the aristocracy; the impact on trade and the economy