Shifting Loyalties (AQA A-Level History): Revision Notes

Shifting Loyalties

York's reign as Protector

• The Duke of York did not return to England until the 8th of September 1460
• He arrives marching under the royal banner, holding his sword upright like the sword of state
• When he got to Westminster he went up to the throne and placed his hand on it as a sign of possession
• He turned to the lords, many of which were his own supporters, expecting applause, but none came
• The Archbishop of Canterbury asked if he wanted to see the king
• York stormed out, humiliated. However he could not back down and formally claimed the throne six days later in the high court of parliament
• The lords had to decide – on October 24th, the Act of Accord was passed The Act of Accord stated that Richard Duke of York had to accept Henry as his King, but when Henry died, York would be made King.

York was to Govern England as Protector. By passing this act, parliament hoped for peace with the compromise. York was promised the position of King but was not King. He had been made Heir Apparent. Henry was still in the position of monarch, but his son was not in line to the throne, making Margaret of Anjou very unhappy.

The Archbishop Bourchier refused to take part in any coronation of York, and Warwick was no longer on York's side. York's opponents felt vindicated that their suspicions had been right all along – that York's true ambition was to take the throne, and that his ambition and pride had spurred on his rebellion.

The Accord only added to the political unrest in England, as parliamentary decisions were uncertain, and parts of government-held less or no authority at all.

The influence of Margaret of Anjou

• February 1456 – Henry recovered; York's protectorate ended but was kept as chief councillor
• April 1456 – Margaret and her son Edward left London and headed for the Midlands, where she built up power and allies with enemies of York (Wiltshire, Beaumont, Exeter, Devon, and the sons of Northumberland, Clifford, and Somerset)
• August 1456 – The king joined the Queen at Kenilworth in the Midlands allowing her to exert control over him and take charge of royal appointments, placing her own supporters in positions of authority instead of York's men
• September 1456 – Laurence Booth, Margaret's private chancellor, was made Keeper of the Privy Seal
• Autumn 1456 – the shift of balance in power towards the queen increased as more of her supporters were placed in power, replacing York's men (Earl of Shrewsbury was made Treasurer, Bishop of Winchester was made Chancellor)
• Margaret's next move – was to try and persuade nobles who had not committed to one side or another to support her
• Warwick's response – he pursued a career in piracy: he attacked foreign trading ships, thus increasing his own popularity among the ordinary people but also adding to the embarrassment of the gov
• Margaret's response – demanded his resignation and summoned him to London to answer charges of attacking the Hansa Fleet

📌 What was the extent of the Neville family's power during Edward's reign?

• Blore Heath, Coventry Great Council, Ludford Bridge, Parliament of Devils, Invasion of Sandwich, Northampton, Act of Accord, Wakefield, Second St Albans, Mortimer's Cross, Towton
• Margaret, Henry and her son had fled the country, and Henry had dishonoured the Accord by having York killed
• Richard, Duke of York, was killed at the Battle of Wakefield
• Edward was a better military leader
• Elizabeth Woodville was the daughter of Lord Rivers and Jacquetta of Luxemburg
• She married Edward IV

George Neville, Archbishop of York

• Educated at Oxford
• Was Bishop of Exeter in 1458
• Present with Warwick (his brother) at the Battle of Northampton in July 1460
• Took part in the proclamation of Edward as King who confirmed his appointment as chancellor
• In 1463 he was employed on a diplomatic mission in France
• Became Archbishop of York in 1464
• After a successful rising secretly fermented by Warwick in 1469, the King fell into the hands of George
• When his brother was defeated at Stamford in 1470 by the King's forces, George took the oath of allegiance to Edward
• During the short Lancastrian restoration however he acted as chancellor to Henry VI
• Once again made peace with Edward and turned Henry over into him
• For a short time shared captivity with Henry in the Tower
• Was pardoned in April 1471, re-arrested a year later on a charge of treason
• Secretly conveyed to France and remained a prisoner there until 1475 when he returned to England
• He died the following year on the 8th of June 1476

John Neville, Marquis of Montagu, Earl of Northumberland

• Played a prominent part in the factional rivalry between the Percy family and the Neville family
• At the battle of Blore Heath John and Thomas Neville and Thomas Harrington were taken prisoner and were conveyed to Chester Castle
• After Ludlow, they were attainted
• Did not obtain their release until Warwick had returned from Calais
• John was then made Baron Montagu
• After the battle of Wakefield, he was made lord chamberlain of the household and had a seat in the privy council
• At the Second Battle of St Albans John fell into the hands of Margaret but his life was spared
• He was taken to York where he remained until the day after the Battle of Towton
• John won his first military laurels in June by raising the siege of Carlisle
• In March 1462 he was rewarded with the Garter left vacant by the death of his father at Wakefield, along with the forfeited estates of Viscount Beaumont in Norfolk and Nottinghamshire
• Edward confirmed his title. He was still kept employed in the North and helped take back Bamburgh Castle
• Appointed Warden of the East March against Scotland in 1463
• He and Warwick relieved Norham Castle and was given earldom of Northumberland and its estates
• The heiress of the Duke of Exeter, who had been designed for his son George, was married in October 1466 to Thomas Grey, the King's stepson

William Neville, Baron Fauconberg and Earl of Kent

• During York's first protectorate he was chancellor
• Not present at the first Battle of St Albans – he was on an embassy in France to Charles VII
• Was made joint constable of Windsor Castle
• Serving at Calais in 1457 under his nephew Warwick
• Remained in Calais as lieutenant in 1459 when Warwick returned to England to join the Yorkist rising