The end of the Yorkist dynasty 1483-86

-Duke of Buckingham:
-sent a messenger to Richard at York, revealing he would help him in any way need be. Formed a camp with him. help with 'a thousand good fellows if needs be'
-forcibly married to a Woodville at age 11, hence resented them.

- Lord Hastings:
-lobbied for York's protectorate in the council
-sent letters to Richard suggesting he acted quickly to regain government control
-Thomas Grey, Marquess of Dorset:
-took possession of the Royal Treasury at the Tower
- tries to takeover and issued orders in is name, 'brother uterine to the King'

-Richard, Duke of Gloucester:
-warned everyone who disliked the Woodvilles that they were all in danger if the Woodville's gained control of the King
-fabricated rumor's of plots by the Queen's Kindred, such as dividing the King's treasure between them.
-wrote to the council professing his loyalty and his rights according to the King's will

-Anthony Woodville, Earl Rivers:
-tried to assume power as 'Uncle to the King'
-accompanies Edward to London to be coronated.
-on the route to London, Gloucester wrote and asked if they might join him en route, hence they agreed to meet at Northampton
-Buckingham and Gloucester obtained the keys of River's inn and locked all the outer days, when he escaped and asked what they were doing, they said he had turned Edward against them and arrested him

-He was respected by the northern nobility and in the war with Scotland in 1480-82, he had some success.
-When Richard found himself facing a Woodville plot bent on the destruction of himself and the Duke of Buckingham in June 1483, it was to the Earl of Northumberland and the Mayor of York that he sent for assistance.
- Their troops arrived from the north at the beginning of July conjuring up memories of the fearsome 'northern host'

-The Woodvilles were hugely unpopular with the other nobles because they were seen as high-handed, greedy and too full of their own self-importance.
-Elizabeth disliked Lord Hastings, who had been a life-long supporter of her husband and whom she blamed for his womanising and excesses
-They attempted to speed through the coronation of Edward V so that he could begin his. rule as soon as possible with the help of a council of his own choosing rather than the regency headed by Gloucester which Edward apparently decreed in his will.
-Word was sent to Ludlow of the death of Edward IV requesting that Anthony, Earl Rivers, the Queen's brother, bring Edward V to London. They did not inform Gloucester, who was in the north, of the death of his brother, presumably so that the coronation could occur before he could reach London to delay the ceremony. Lord Hastings, however, did send word to Richard advising him to go to London immediately and warning him about the actions of the Queen and what she was trying to achieve.
-Such was the unpopularity of the Woodvilles that others were not prepared to support them in their attempt to prevent Gloucester from being regent but were actively prepared to help Gloucester.

- support of a small but powerful group of men
-Hastings warned Richard that she was plotting to set up a regency council on which Richard's voice would just be one among many, the many being of course the Woodvilles.
-Buckingham hated the Woodvilles having been forced to marry one of them, Katherine. He also resented the way that he had been sidelined by Edward IV. Buckingham felt that he should have been the power in south Wales
-Richard Ratcliffe and Lord Lovell, who supported Richard out of friendship. They had worked with Richard in the north and had grown to respect and like him; they were more than happy to join forces with him.

-had Edward been of age Richard probably never would have became or tried to become King
-Edward was just 12 when he came to the throne and had a Woodville influenced upbringing. Minorities however didn't always lead to problems e.g the most successful part of Henry VI's reign was his minority, it was the issue of factional government that formed alarm as a small clique of favourites had formed around the King and governed on his behalf.
-similar concerns arose about a Woodville clique
-the allegations of illegitimacy against Edward and his father also discredited their claim to an extent and enabled Richard to seize the throne
-The fact that Edward IV himself in his second will took away all the initial power he was willing to give to Elizabeth suggests that he knew he would be dangerous

-30 April 1483– Earl Rivers, Richard Grey, and Thomas Vaughan are arrested by Gloucester and the Duke of Buckingham. Edward V’s household is disbanded and taken into custody. Gloucester and Buckingham protest their loyalty and say that they are acting against traitors who were plotting their destruction.

-4 May 1483 – Edward V’s original coronation date is deferred. o 10 May 1483 – Gloucester is appointed Protector

-18 May 1483 – the new coronation date is set for late June

-By 19 May 1483 – Edward V is moved to the Tower of London.

-10-11 June 1483 – Gloucester writes to the cities of York and Hull. York is informed of a plot organised by the queen to persuade them to Gloucester’s cause. 

-13 June 1483 – Lord Hastings, Archbishop Rotherham of York, and Bishop Morton are arrested by Gloucester. Lord Hastings is executed after being charged with treasonable conspiracy with the queen.

-16 June 1483 – Edward V’s brother, the Duke of York, is removed from sanctuary to the Tower of London. Parliament and the coronation are delayed again until November.

-22 June 1483 – the bastardy of the princes is preached.

-25 June 1483 – end of Edward V’s reign

-26 July 1483 – Gloucester is elected as king by a meeting of estates.

-6 July 1483 – Richard III is coronated

-Children were seen shooting and playing in the garden until Easter 1484; after Easter there was much whispering among people that the King had to put the children to death however most people say the last sighting was Autumn 1483
-1647, some workmen were working on the staircase in the Tower of London, 10FT underground they discovered a box of bones
-1955: doctors examined the pictures of the bones and said they were from younger children than the princes and the stain was not caused by suffocation
-Elizabeth Woodville may have trusted Richard III, she never accused him of murder.
-But, would she have supported Henry Tudor's claim by offering her daughter to be queen if she thought her sons were still alive?
-Sir James Tyrell was executed in Henry's reign in 1502 for treason: he was tortured and confessed to the murder -During his life Sir James confessed that the Princes were smuggled abroad
-murdering the princes would have been bad for Richard III's reputation. It would have been difficult to cover up and he left Clarence's son Warwick alive, he had a better claim to the throne than Richard

-The princes did pose a threat to Richard as they could rise against him one day

-Buckingham had a lot to gain, he prospered if Richard was king and John Thomas Howard would prosper if they died as their claim to the dukedom of Norfolk was dismissed in favour of the princes

-many writers suggested at least one of the brothers survived and was potentially smuggled
-Elizabeth sent the princesses to Richard in Spring 1484, her daughters were a threat to Richard, she knew her sons were safe.
-Elizabeth of York kept a book of Richard's and signed her name under it, and Elizabeth Woodville lived til 1492 and never once accused him- this suggests some degree of support.
-Henry Tudor had more to gain by killing the princes
-Why leave Warwick alive? the logic is flawed

Stable:
-Had his supporters in key positions; Bishop of Lincoln was Chancellor, John Gunthorpe was Keeper of the Privy Seal
-Treaty of Friendship with the envoy sent by Isabella of Castille. Also had friendship with Brittany (home of Henry Tudor- he fled)
-had an army in the North, which he deployed as additional forces to keep law and order over the coronation (although- this could suggest- the fact he needs forces- he is unstable?)
-Had a wife and son, crucial for his dynasty
-During the procession, the royal family were led through the city of York, accompanied by the Mayor and Aldermen wearing scarlet robes, and they were cheered by a mass of citizens.

Unstable:
-unable to come to any treaties/agreements with Louis XII of France, who offered custody to Henry Tudor
-The very fact he had to set up 'Oyer and Terminer' proves he had resistance and opposition in the South-Eastern Counties and London
-alienation of Tudor's relatives e.g. John Welles, emphasising he had increasing fear over the looming threat
-support is most likely fear rather than genuine loyalty
-narrow power base: three magnates had most regional control: Buckingham, Norfolk and Northumberland as Lieutenant of Wales, East Anglia and the North respectively.
-Warwick is still around, with a claim to the throne.

-Divisions within the Yorkist party had been created by Edward IV’s actions, such as his favour of the Woodvilles over men of royal blood. The Woodvilles had exclusive control of Edward IV’s sons. Gloucester feared a royal minority dominated by the Woodvilles, as well as their extensive influence. Gloucester believed that the Woodvilles would oppose a decision to make him the protector or regent. 

-Emergence of Henry Tudor: Henry Tudor had been living in Brittany and was supported by the Duke of Brittany. Edward IV attempted to get the Tudors return to England by pressuring the Duke of Brittany and offering incentives. Richard III’s usurpation changed Henry Tudor’s position due to being the biggest rival for the crown. Richard sent an embassy to Brittany in July 1483.

-Insatiable appetite for reward and offended when he was denied it. Richard promised him half the earldom of Hereford though this would have to be confirmed by parliament. The letters patent for this title were never issued, suggesting the King changed his mind
-Thomas More linked the rebellion to conversations between Buckingham and John Morton, who had been placed in his custody in Brecon Castle, which inflamed the Duke's grudges against the King,
- Some argue, though it is improbable, that Buckingham planned to remove Richard Ill and become king himself, for he too was descended from Edward IlI.
-Buckingham perceived himself to be a kingmaker, He wanted to lead the rebellion that would place Henry Tudor on the throne of England, This is the outcome that Edward IV's loyal servants increasingly desired. Such loyal servants included Sir Thomas Bourchier of Surrey, Sir William Hawte of Kent whose brother had been executed at Pontefract Castle, Sir John Harcourt of Oxfordshire and Sir William Norreys of Berkshire.
-loyal servants intended to exploit persisting support for the house of Lancaster to remove Richard III, Henry Tudor, the leading Lancastrian claimant, was in exile in Brittany.

-The rebellion started in south-east England on 1l October with uprisings in Kent, followed by Sussex and Surrey during the next 10 days. Prompt action by the King's loyal lieutenant in the south, the duke of Norfolk, contained these rebels. Norfolk seized control of the bridge over the River Thames at Gravesend.
-By 18 October further rebel armies had formed in the south-west counties of Cornwall and Devon led by Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset, and two members of the Courtenay family, Edward and Walter Courtenay.
-Another rebel army gathered in the central-southern counties at two centres - Newbury, Berkshire and Salisbury, Wiltshire. Giles Daubeney was one of the leaders in this sector.
-Buckingham planned for another rising from his own power base in south Wales, but this proved unrealistic. He departed from his castle in Brecon and marched through the Forest of Dean hoping to join the Courtenays in the West Country. As soon as he left, Ricardian loyalists torched his castle. He was unable to cross the River Severn because it flooded during heavy rainfall, and because Sir Humphrey Stafford of Gtafton in Worcestershire, who remained loyal to the King, destroyed any bridges.

-Buckingham hid and Morton fled to Flanders. Buckingham was betrayed to the sheriff of Shropshire, tried and then executed in Salisbury market place on 2 November.
-Richard had contained the rebels in the south east, and subdued the Welsh uprising. His army marched into Wiltshire, where the rebels
scattered into sanctuary or fled. Dorset and Daubeney both chose to escape to Tudor's court. -Richard Ill entered Salisbury unopposed on 28 October.

-Henry Tudor took the opportunity to launch his claim for the throne on the back of the popular uprisings. 
-The outcomes of the rebellion were disastrous for Richard Ill
- Henry Tudor had now emerged as a credible rival, because he was seen as the Yorkist household's replacement for Edward IV's sons. Christmas Day 1483, Henry Tudor made a public promise to marry Edward's daughter, Elizabeth of York, if he was crowned King of England.
-Richard had to bills his own base of support: developed structures by handing more land and responsibilities to local gentry e.g. he rewarded Viscount Lovell by extending the lands he held in Thames Valley

-Planted loyal Northerners in the Midlands and South. Sir Richard Brackenbury, from Durham, Constable of the Tower, and deeply implicated in the princes' murder was appointed sheriff of Kent. Sir Richard Ratcliffe, an eminent northerner, was given extensive lands in Devon that immediately made him a great landowner. Such plantations caused deep resentment and in 1485 would prove to be politically disruptive.
-97 people were attainted and lost their lands and their heirs were disinherited. Most of those attainted were southern gentry
-In 1485, Tudor would be able to rely on the support of southern gentry in his bid to usurp the throne.

Positive/Strong:
-asserted more control: 97 Southerners attained and Northerners planted in loyal positions
-contains the rebels, has not been overthrown
-Unsuccessful: Tudor sails back
-Removal of Buckingham, a Warwick parallel: overmighty monarch
-still had foreign support of Isabella of Castille and Brittany

Negative/weak:
-already limited power base is further reduced by Buckingham's death and betrayal
-Henry Tudor emerges know as a serious threat, promising to marry Elizabeth of York
-further fueled Southern discontent: 97 attained are 97 new enemies that will move toward Tudor. Grey/Dorset fled to Tudor's court

- ( + ) In early 1484, an Act of Parliament secured Richard’s position as king and declared any other claims as illegitimate

- ( + ) Richard had strong allies in his immediate circle, such as Norfolk, Viscount Lovell, Lord Scrope of Bolton, and Lord Zouche. 

- ( - ) Impacts of the Buckingham rebellion - It promoted another claimant to the throne, Henry Tudor and further weakened Richard’s position as many of the rebel leaders fled abroad alongside Henry Tudor, such as the Marquess of Dorset and other leading members of the gentry. Richard’s greatest ally, Buckingham, had betrayed him. 

- ( - ) The nobility remained distant and increased the political uncertainty of Richard’s reign. Richard’s power-base among the nobility was small. Northumberland resented Richard due to not restoring the Percys to their dominance. Lord Stanley’s loyalty was uncertain due to his marriage to Margaret Beaufort.

- ( - ) Dynastic insecurity – Richard had no living brothers, and only one legitimate son, Edward. The death of Edward, his only heir, in April 1484 affected the security of Richard’s position. Richard's wife, Queen Anne, died in March 1485 and did not produce another child. Richard had prioritised marrying into a great inheritance, rather than maintaining a male line. There were rumours that Richard wanted to replace his queen by marrying his niece. The lack of a male heir reinforced Henry Tudor’s position. Richard named the Earl of Lincoln, his nephew, as his heir.

- ( - ) Impacts of the Buckingham rebellion - It promoted another claimant to the throne, Henry Tudor and further weakened Richard’s position as many of the rebel leaders fled abroad alongside Henry Tudor, such as the Marquess of Dorset and other leading members of the gentry. Richard’s greatest ally, Buckingham, had betrayed him. 

- ( - ) The nobility remained distant and increased the political uncertainty of Richard’s reign. Richard’s power-base among the nobility was small. Northumberland resented Richard due to not restoring the Percys to their dominance. Lord Stanley’s loyalty was uncertain due to his marriage to Margaret Beaufort.

- ( - ) Dynastic insecurity – Richard had no living brothers, and only one legitimate son, Edward. The death of Edward, his only heir, in April 1484 affected the security of Richard’s position. Richard's wife, Queen Anne, died in March 1485 and did not produce another child. Richard had prioritised marrying into a great inheritance, rather than maintaining a male line. There were rumours that Richard wanted to replace his queen by marrying his niece. The lack of a male heir reinforced Henry Tudor’s position. Richard named the Earl of Lincoln, his nephew, as his heir.