Our period in history reaches as far as the War of the Roses, marked by the beginning

of the Tudor dynasty. In our second term, after the winter holidays, we will analyse the

same periods but from a different perspective. We are going to deal with literature.

The last king we discussed about was Richard II who was involved in the Peasants’

Revolt. Then, when we dealt with the execution of Joan of Arc at the stake, we

mentioned Henry IV, who persecuted heretics and burnt them. His heir to the throne

was Henry V who increased Lollards’ executions. The Lollardy was a pre-Protestant

Christian religious movement. It was initially led by John Wycliffe, a Roman

Catholic theologian who was dismissed from the University of Oxford in 1381 for

criticism of the Roman Catholic Church. It was the beginning of the Reformation in

England. The rule of Henry VI marked the end of the Hundred Years’ War. The

monarchs before Henry IV belonged to the cadet branch of the Plantagenets called

York. A cadet branch was an arm of the main line that was made up only by the

younger sons of the family tree. From Henry IV onwards, the monarchs belonged to

another cadet branch called Lancaster. Both cadet branches, the York and the

Lancaster constituted two of the main Royal Houses of the Plantagenet dynasty. It

goes without saying that both houses wanted to rule England. Therefore, the civil war

known as The War of the Roses broke out. It was a war between relatives who wanted

to seize power.
The War of the Roses

Henry VI had been defeated by the French in the Hundred Years’ War. He was married

to Margaret of Anjou, a French lady hated by her people. Henry had periods of

insanity. His mental health cheated him on many occasions. He belonged to the

Lancaster House. His wife was a domineering woman. She wanted to rule her husband

and the country. She proved to be a curse for England. She was known as the She-

Wolf of England. The royal couple had no children, therefore there was a protector or

tutor to be in charge of the government during the periods of insanity of the king.

Being the king mentally ill, the House of York claimed the throne of England. This

caused a civil war that lasted 30 years (from 1455 to 1485).

The War of the Roses was a series of wars between the Houses of Lancaster and York.

The nobility was divided into two sides: the Lancastrians and the Yorkists. The war

was not a constant fight that affected the whole country and its population, but a

series of battles between supporters of both houses. The red and the white roses were
not used at the time of the war. It was William Shakespeare who made the badges

popular in his history play Henry VI. The White Rose was the badge of the York House,

and the Red Rose was the Lancaster’s. The House of York was headed by Richard, duke

of York, and the House of Lancaster was led by Henry VI. It was a war of cousins

against cousins, supporters against supporters, brothers against brothers.

Many members of both houses were imprisoned in the Tower of London. Some were

murdered, some others disappeared. The war ended with Henry Tudor proclaimed

king of England. He belonged to the House of Lancaster. He married Elizabeth of York,

who became his queen consort. So, both houses united under the new-born House of

Tudors which became a strong and centralized monarchy. The beginning of this

dynasty marked the end of the medieval period in England. The system of Feudalism

deteriorated since more power was given to merchants and the number of casualties

in the nobility contributed to the decay of the system. Henry Tudor became King Henry

VII.
 ELIZABETH OF YORK

HENRY TUDOR

In order to keep law and order in England, he introduced a series of rules and norms:

 During the War of the Roses, many barons had built their own private armies.

So, he passed the Act of Livery and Maintenance which banned private armies.

Any baron who disobeyed this law was put to trial. If they were found guilty,

they had to pay large fines.

 Poor people could take their complaints to the Court of Requests where they

could get legal help.

  He created a council, his Parliament, which he summoned every time a new tax

or law should be voted or approved.

 He created the Councils of Marches to keep remote parts of England under

control. These councils were made up of Justices of Peace that travelled around

the country.

 When he became king, the Royal Treasure was empty. So, he raised money by

making the barons pay taxes. If a baron’s son was knighted or a daughter got

married, he had to pay taxes on knighthood or marriage.

 He also imposed taxes on imports and exports.

He did not want costly wars. In 24 years, he fought just one war and it lasted 3 weeks.

To keep peace with other countries, he used marriage alliances. He married his son

Arthur to a Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon, and his daughter to James of

Scotland. So, he maintained peace and traded with both countries.

He made Parliament stronger by creating a new lower class: the house of commons.

The Parliament therefore was made up of two houses: the house of Lords (bishops and

barons) and the house of Commons (merchants and professionals).

Henry was peacefully succeeded by his son, who became Henry VIII

----------------------------------------------

Well, the Tudors have finally arrived! And with them, Henry VIII, his six wives, and the

English Reformation!!!!

But what happened in the so-called New World in the meantime?