The Player Characters

These are all in text. Information is largely from the Dictionary of National Biography and from the secondary sources mentioned in the bibliography. Eventually this will be expanded to include some important NPCs.

Those interested may examine the coats of arms by following the links. League tables are also available for those who want to know where each player stands.

Beaufort: Henry, Duke of Somerset (b.1436 k.1464) [Toby Whitty]

Arms of Beaufort, Back to Rosewar

As Earl of Dorset, Henry was badly wounded at the first battle of St. Albans. He recovered to become a major protagonist for the Lancastrian cause. In 1458, he demanded compensation for the death of his father at St. Albans. Afterwards he took part in "Loveday". After the Nevilles fled to Calais, Henry took Guisnes castle in the Calais pale in November 1459 with the help of Andrew Trollope. He got nowhere in Calais and returned to England to fight after Northampton in 1460. He helped defeat York at Wakefield and Warwick at the second St. Albans. Somerset was the principal general at Towton and after the loss, fled with the Queen to Scotland. In the summer of 1461, he went to the French Court to ask for aid for the Queen but was imprisoned by Louis XI. He was soon released but returned to Scotland without any material support. Somerset was again active in the Lancastrian campaign in Northumberland in 1462 but was forced to surrender to Warwick at the siege of Bamburgh. He does not seem to have born the Yorkists vengeance for the death of his father, unlike Clifford and Northumberland. Indeed after his capture, Edward IV went out of his way to reconcile him to the extent of reversing his attainder and for a time the two men appear to have been close. But Henry defected to the Queen late in 1463 and was executed upon his capture after the battle of Hexham in 1464.

Bourchier: Henry, Viscount Bourchier (b.1406 d.1483) [Ralph Hicks]

Arms of Bourchier, Arms of Cromwell, Back to Rosewar

Uterine brother to the Duke of Buckingham, Henry saw extensive service in France seeming neither particularly good nor bad in the field. He suffered a lot from England's reversals in France, losing considerable estates and the title of Earl of Ewe. Having married York's sister, Isabel, Henry had a lot of sympathy for the Duke of York's politics but avoided war as much as possible while showing considerable political finesse, aided by a family laden with titles. He may have been with York in 1452. York appointed him Treasurer after St. Albans but Bourchier failed to support him in 1459. However, he joined the Nevilles when they landed in 1460 and fought for the Yorkists at Northampton, becoming Treasurer again shortly after. He was at the second St. Albans with Warwick but like Warwick, he escaped. Upon the accession of Edward IV, Bourchier became a privy councillor and Earl of Essex. When Warwick rebelled in 1469, Essex remained loyal and was again Treasurer upon Edward's restoration in 1471 and remained so to his death in 1483, just before Edward's own.

Clifford: John, Lord Clifford (b.1430? k.1461) [Gordon Dove]

Arms of Clifford, Back to Rosewar

Lord Clifford succeeded a father who was a hero of the French Wars. He never forgave the Yorkists for his father's death at St. Albans despite being compensated by the Yorkists prior to "Loveday", Easter 1458. He is rumoured to have personally slain the eighteen-year old Earl of Rutland and cut the head from the Duke of York's body after Wakefield. A dashing commander, particularly of cavalry, he was killed at Ferrybridge just before the battle of Towton. He married Margaret, heiress to Lord Bromflete. His heir lead a fairytale childhood disguised as a shepherd until claiming his inheritance upon Henry VII's accession.

Courtenay: Thomas, Earl of Devon (b.1432 x.1462) [Paul Longmore]

Arms of Courtenay, Back to Rosewar

Thomas' father was an adherent of the Duke of York right up to his death in 1458, despite being imprisoned by the Duke for breaking the King's peace. His major opponent in the West Country was Lord Bonville. The Lancastrians had raised Bonville to the peerage but when young Thomas succeeded as Earl of Devon and joined the Court party, Bonville came over to York. Thomas was beheaded after being captured at Towton.

Grey de Ruthyn: Edmund, Lord Grey de Ruthyn (b.1421 d.1489) [Rob Head]

Arms of Grey de Ruthyn, Back to Rosewar

One of the most infamous turncoats of the period. Edmund served in Aquitaine before 1440. A privy councillor 1443, he spent the next decade and a half as a staunch Lancastrian. In 1457, he was falsely accused of treason by a priest but in the Parliament of Devils in 1459, publicly avowed his allegiance to the King. Nonetheless, he treacherously helped the Earl of Warwick break into the Lancastrians' earthworks at the battle of Northampton and was a Yorkist ever after. Edward IV made him Lord Treasurer in 1463 and Earl of Kent in 1465. Despite his partisanship and treachery, he died in his bed! Edmund married Katherine Percy.

Greystoke: Ralph, Lord Greystoke (b.1410 d.1487) [Tony Elbourne]

Arms of Greystoke, Back to Rosewar

Ralph supported the Lancastrians, fighting in many battles until Queen Margaret sold Berwick to the Scots. Ralph seems to have hated the Scots more than the Yorkists as he was serving Edward IV soon after his accession. He certainly gained glory against the Scots in the borders.

Herbert: Sir William Herbert (b.1423 x.1469) [Steve Bealing]

Arms of Herbert, Back to Rosewar

The first Welshman to really gain respect in England. In 1450 he was captured at the battle of Formigny but soon released. William was a close member of York's affinity for decades. A brief flirt with the Court after his capture by Jasper Tudor soon vanished when the Earl of March became King. Edward IV made William Justiciar of Wales, Steward of Brecknock and Lord Herbert in 1461. In 1468, he captured Harlech castle after it had held out for seven years and was made Earl of Pembroke. At the battle of Edgecote in 1469, the Earl of Devon quarrelled with William before the battle and withdrew, leaving him to face Robin of Redesdale alone. When the Earl of Warwick joined Robin, William's forces broke and he and his brother were captured and beheaded. He married Anne Devereux as his second wife as well as siring several bastards.

Lancaster: Margaret of Anjou, Queen of England (b.1429 d.1482) [Vic Makula]

Arms of Lancaster, Arms of Stafford , Back to Rosewar

The daughter of Rene, Duke of Anjou and titular King of Naples, Sicily and Jerusalem, Margaret was raised in the French Court and was renowned for her beauty and character. She was also very well educated. Once married to King Henry VI, she found her husband inept both in bed and on the throne. Upon the birth of her son, Edward, she was forced to take up the reins of government and did so with fair success. However she lacked tact and the ability to forgive perceived insults. Her vengeful policies alienated several major figures and the citizens of London. Even in exile, she relentlessly plotted the restoration of Prince Edward as King. Eventually, she was talked into a marriage between Prince Edward and Warwick's daughter but after the death of her son at Tewkesbury, Margaret lost her reason for living. She retired and lived in poverty with her dogs in France until her death of illness.

Mowbray: John, Duke of Norfolk (b.1415 d.1461) [Kevin Simmons]

Arms of Mowbray, Back to Rosewar

Knighted by the King in 1426, John succeeded as Duke in 1432 and attained his majority in 1436, despite serving as a privy councillor in 1434. In 1436 he saw service in France. In 1437 he was Warden of the Eastern Marches toward Scotland. In 1439, he served as one of the King's envoys to the talks at Oye. He was instrumental in the investigations of civil unrest in Norwich in 1441/2. He went on a pilgrimage to Rome in 1446. In 1447 he was an ambassador to France to discuss the surrender of Maine. He is rumoured to have been aggrieved at the Earl of Somerset being created Duke with precedence over him in 1448, which perhaps is why he became York's chief political supporter in 1450. He was commissioner for Oyer and Terminer at Norwich a year later. In 1452 he refused to face the King in arms and was instrumental in reconciling York to the King. At St. Albans, he brought his retinue into Hertfordshire but refused to join either side in battle. 1458 saw him a privy councillor again and in 1459 he remained aloof from York. At the Parliament of Devils, he swore allegiance to Henry VI but it seems he was disconcerted by the ferocity of the Court towards the rebels. When the Nevilles landed in 1460, he joined them at Northampton and the second battle at St. Albans. He officiated as Earl Marshal at Edward IV's coronation and was rewarded with the stewardship of the Forests South of the Trent but Edward decided against him in his dispute with John Paston over Caister Castle. His grace married Eleanor, sister to Viscount Bourchier, later Earl of Essex.

Neville: Richard, Earl of Salisbury (b.1400 k.1460) [deceased]

Salisbury was the architect behind the Neville's rise to power. He engineered a series of brilliant marriages for his brothers, sisters, sons and daughters so that no other noble house could compete with the junior house of Neville. But this brought resentment from others, particularly the Percies who were the Nevilles' main rivals in the North. The Neville/Percy feud helped spark the violence of the Wars of the Roses. 1420/4, Richard was Warden of the West March toward Scotland. In 1425, while serving as Constable of Pontefract, he married Alice de Montacute, heiress to the Earl of Salisbury. In 1429 Richard was created Earl of Salisbury in right of his wife. He served as proxy for the Duke of Bedford at Henry VI's coronation. During 1429/30, he went on an embassy to Scotland. In 1431, he served in France. 1432/3 found Richard Warden of the West March again and rewarded with the office of Keeper of the Forests North of the Trent. In 1434, he was made sole Warden of the Northern Marches but resigned a year later. 1436 found him in France again with the Duke of York. In 1440, he was in conflict with the senior branch of the Nevilles over estates in Durham and Yorkshire in his mother's jointure. The Court intervened in Salisbury's favour and the Earl of Westmorland was permanently impoverished by this result. In 1447, Salisbury helped arrest Duke Humphrey of Gloucester at Bury St. Edmunds. In 1452, he sided with the Court against York and helped persuade York to lay down his arms at Dartford. But in 1453, he was permanently alienated by King Henry's attempt to give the Lordship of Glamorgan to the Duke of Somerset. (Glamorgan was considered part of the Earldom of Warwick.) Salisbury was also told to keep his sons in order after clashes with the Percies. Salisbury became Chancellor in York's first protectorate in 1454 but was replaced in 1455 when the King recovered. Salisbury and Warwick both fought with York against the Court at St. Albans. 1457 saw more Percy/Neville conflict. In 1458, Salisbury paid his share of the wergild for those killed at St. Albans. This was followed by "Loveday", Salisbury being paired with Somerset. At Blore Heath, in 1459, Salisbury defeated a larger force under Lord Audley but fled Ludford Bridge to Calais with his son the Earl of Warwick and the Earl of March, York's heir. Along with the other rebels, he was attainted by the Parliament of Devils. In 1460, Salisbury landed at Sandwich with Warwick. He held London for the Yorkists during the Northampton campaign. Going North with York at Christmas, he was captured at Wakefield and beheaded.

Neville: Richard, Earl of Warwick (b.1428 k.1471) [Brian Wainwright]

Arms of Neville, Back to Rosewar

Born in 1428, Richard's father, the Earl of Salisbury, secured a marriage for his heir even better than his own, young Richard becoming Earl of Warwick in right of his wife, heiress to the massive Beauchamp inheritance. When his father died at Wakefield at the end of 1460, Warwick became the biggest landholder in all England, though he spent the 1450s immured in perpetual lawsuits over Countess Anne's Despenser claims.

He'd already made his reputation as a soldier, especially at sea where his exploits as Captain of Calais and Keeper of the Seas had spread his reputation abroad, although many did not appreciate his piratical methods of conducting his offices. He was instrumental in the Yorkist victory at the first Battle of St. Albans and his defeats later in the wars seem more due to luck and in spite of charismatic leadership and intelligent tactics. Though some argue he is over-rated as a soldier, it is true an entire fleet put into port rather than face him at sea, despite odds of 4:1 in their favour.

However, Warwick was perhaps not an easy man to like and if he had a fault, it was a lack of restraint. These faults, plus Edward IV's intransigence led the two men to conflict in the late 1460s and to Warwick's incredible shift of allegiance to Queen Margaret. Having given 'the Kingmaker' Edward his throne, he now took it away and brought back Henry VI in the 'readeption', justly earning his epithet 'Kingmaker'.

But Warwick's luck ran out for good when Edward returned and beat him at Barnet with perhaps equal skill and certainly better luck.

Percy: Henry, Earl of Northumberland (b.1421 k.1461) [Tim Dale]

Arms of Percy, Back to Rosewar

Knighted in 1426, his first service was in 1439 as Warden of the East March. About this time, he married Eleanor, heiress to Lord Poynings. In 1448, he invaded Scotland and burnt Dunbar. The Scots retaliated and burnt Alnwick and Warkworth. The King ordered him to invade Scotland where he was defeated by the Earl of Ormond and captured. Henry VI recompensed him for his ransom upon his release. In 1451, he was joint ambassador to Scotland to sue for peace. He succeeded to the Earldom upon his father's death at St. Albans in 1455. Later that year he fought James II in alliance with the Earl of Douglas. 1456/7 saw the continuance of the Percy/Neville feud. In 1458, Northumberland received compensation for his father's death from the Yorkists and took part in "Loveday". At the Parliament of Devils, in 1459, he was appointed Keeper of the Forests North of the Trent and Constable of Scarborough. After Northampton, he plundered the Yorkists estates in Yorkshire and Durham. When York came North to retaliate, Northumberland helped defeat him at Wakefield. In 1461, he helped raise troops for the Queen and beat Warwick at the second battle of St. Albans. He was killed at Towton commanding the van of the Lancastrian army.

Roos: Thomas, Lord Roos (b.1427 k.1461)

Arms of Roos, Back to Rosewar

Thomas spent his childhood as a ward of the Crown, obtaining the livery of his lands in 1446. He was perhaps the Lancastrians' staunchest adherent, never once wavering in his allegiance. He was with Henry VI at York when news of Towton arrived. With such supporters as could escape the battlefield, they fled North to Scotland. Thomas died later that year. His lands remained attainted until 1485 when Henry VII restored his heir.

Humphrey Duke of Buckingham (b.1403 k.1460) [Neil Coates]

Arms of Stafford, Back to Rosewar

Born in 1402, Humphrey's father died fighting for the new King Henry IV at the Battle of Shrewsbury. The old Earl of Westmorland bought his wardship, marrying him to his daughter, Anne, binding him closely to the junior branch of the Nevilles and the Lancastrian dynasty, for Anne's mother was Joan Beaufort, aunt to the King.

Humphrey served in France in 1420/21,receiving his knighthood from Henry V himself. After the King's death, Humphrey joined the Council, rapidly achieving a prominence held until just last year. In 1426, he reconciled Bishop Beaufort of Winchester to the King's uncle, Humphrey Duke of Gloucester. However, his service as Lieutenant of Normandy, Constable of France and Governor of Paris from 1430 to 32 led him to oppose Gloucester's self-serving policies and he's been a supporter of the Court ever since.

Staunch loyalty and tireless service in France won reward in 1444; King Henry VI, now in his majority, creating him Duke of Buckingham. Humphrey's, appointment to the chair of the commission to try the Cade rebels at Rochester in 1450 and as Warden of the Cinque Ports and constable of Dover and Queenborough was tacit confirmation of the Court's faith in his loyalty and ability.

Through the turmoil of the next few years, he remained a resolute supporter of the King, despite his faults, but also sought to moderate extremism on both sides, reconciling York to the Court on more than one occasion. During King Henry's insanity he did his best to preserve the administration intact and supported York as Protector, personally presenting the newborn Prince Edward to his cataleptic father in an attempt to rouse him from stupor. With the renewal of hostilities in 1459, Humphrey seems finally to have lost all patience with York and voted at the Parliament of Devils to attaint all the Yorkists, possibly helped in his decision by his bitter land dispute with the Earl of Warwick. When the Nevilles invaded in 1460, the Queen turned to Humphrey to command her army and so it was he who led at Northampton. Unfortunately, Grey de Ruthyn's treachery made a mockery of any attempt to fight and Humphrey died defending his King like the true soldier he was.

Humphrey, Lord Stafford of Southwyk (b.1439 k.1469) [Simon Aalders]

Arms of Stafford of Southwyk, Back to Rosewar

Humphrey was ten when his father, Sir John Stafford, died leading the king's household against Wat Tyler's rebels. His family never seems to have received recognition for the sacrifice. This may be the reason why Humphrey threw in his lot with the Yorkists as soon as he came of age, fighting at Towton. This support quickly gained him recognition in the form of estates in the West Country and the office of High Steward of Cornwall in 1460. In 1461, Edward IV created him Lord Stafford of Southwyk. After this, he seems to have done little of real note but he did keep the West Country loyal to the Yorkists and served as Ambassador to Brittany in 1468. Early in 1469, he engineered the execution of the last Courtenay Earl of Devon and gained the title himself in May despite being denounced in Parliament for 'covetous rule'. With the outbreak of Warwick's rebellion, Humphrey and William Herbert Earl of Pembroke quarrelled over lodgings in Banbury and Humphrey withdrew from the following day's battle at Edgecote. Robin of Redesdale won the battle and Pembroke was executed. Humphrey tried to escape to sea but the citizens of Bridgewater captured him on August 17^th and he was 'cut shorter by a head'.

Stanley: Thomas, Lord Stanley (b.1435 d.1504) [Michael Carter]

Arms of Stanley, Back to Rosewar

In 1454, Thomas was a squire to the King. He married Eleanor Neville, daughter of the Earl of Salisbury. He succeeded his father as Lord Stanley in 1458. Unlike his father, his politics were ambiguous. In 1459, he kept aloof from Blore Heath despite being ordered to join Lord Audley by the Court. In 1460, he fought with the Lancastrians at Northampton but survived and a year later Edward IV made him Chief Justice of the County Palatine of Chester. Between 1462 and 1475, he had a dispute with Lord Scrope over the ownership of the Isle of Man. During Warwick's rebellion in 1470, he again avoided commitment but took Hornby castle for the Crown after Henry's readeption. Nonetheless, when Edward IV returned to power in 1471, Stanley was made Steward of the Household and in 1475 served with Edward in France. In 1482, he fought with Duke Richard of Gloucester in Scotland but also married Margaret Beaufort and so gained an interest in her son, Henry Tudor. In 1483, Edward IV died. Stanley was wounded in the scuffle in the council chamber when he and Hastings were arrested. Hastings was butchered but Stanley was soon released due to Richard III's fears that his sons would raise Cheshire and Lancashire in rebellion. He carried the mace at Richard's coronation and remained Steward of the household. When his wife was involved in Buckingham's rebellion, he remained aloof and afterwards locked her away and helped bring down the Duke of Buckingham. For this he was made Constable of England. Richard sent him as an envoy to Scotland in 1484 but in 1485, Richard demanded his son, Lord Strange, as a hostage. When Henry Tudor landed at Milford Haven, Stanley refused to stop him marching through Wales, claiming illness. At Bosworth, he remained aloof until the battle was decided but crowned Henry afterwards. When Richard tried to threaten him with the death of his son, Stanley replied, "I have other sons!" In 1486, Henry VII created him Earl of Derby and he served at the coronation as Constable of England. He became High Steward of the Duchy of Lancaster and Keeper of the Forests North of the Trent. Later he became godfather to Prince Arthur. In 1495, Henry VII visited him at Knowsley for a month. He died in his bed!

Talbot: John, Earl of Shrewsbury (b.1401 k.1460) [Terry Crook]

Arms of Talbot, Back to Rosewar

Son of the heroic first Earl of Shrewsbury by his first wife, Maud Neville; John served in France under his father and the Duke of York in 1434 and 1442 and in Ireland as Lieutenant from 1446 until replaced by York in 1451. The battle of Chatillon in 1453 marked the end of England's aspirations in France and possibly the start of the Wars of the Roses; it also saw the death of John's father and triggered King Henry's madness. York appointed John joint Keeper of the Sea in 1454 and the two men seem to have worked amicably with each other until the Battle of St. Albans. Though he raised troops for the King, John was not present. He resigned his office in the aftermath and seems to have been a staunch Lancastrian ever after. The Queen appointed him to replace Viscount Bourchier as Treasurer in October 1456 and he served until his brother-in-law, the Earl of Wiltshire, replaced him two years later. John remained a devoted member of the Lancastrian Court until his death with his brother at the Battle of Northampton on the 10^th of July 1460.

Tiptoft: John, Earl of Worcester (b.1428 k.1470) [Bill Sellars]

Arms of Tiptoft, Back to Rosewar

John was known as the "Butcher of England" and yet he was famed for his scholarship. Unusually for an eldest son, John was educated at Balliol College, Oxford. He succeeded to his father's title of Lord Tiptoft in 1443 and was made Earl of Worcester six years later. In 1452, he helped pacify York and reconcile him to the King. He was appointed Treasurer in April. 1454/7 found him aboard ship as Keeper of the Seas and in 1456/7 he was Deputy Lieutenant of Ireland to York. In 1457, he went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. On the way back, he carried Henry VI's profession of obedience to Pope Calixtus III, remaining in Italy until 1461. He returned to England in the Spring and immediately became a staunch Yorkist. Edward IV made him Justiciar of the Principality of Wales for life and Constable of the Tower of London. From 1462 to 1467, he was Constable of England. He tried the Earl of Oxford and his son and condemned them to a brutal death. He was again Treasurer in 1462/3 and 1463 saw him campaigning in the North with Edward IV. He was Chancellor of Ireland in 1464 and served as envoy to the Duke of Brittany. In 1467 he was Deputy of Ireland again, this time to the Duke of Clarence and in 1470 became Lieutenant in his own right and again Constable of England, suppressing the Lincolnshire revolts with his customary brutality. Upon the readeption, Worcester hid but was captured and tried by the Earl of Oxford who was made Constable for the trial. He met his beheading with dignity and asked the headsman to strike three blows for the Trinity. A great scholar, Worcester collected, read and wrote many books. Caxton published his translations of Cicero's "De Amicitia" and Buonaccorso's "Declarations of Nobleness" in 1481. Caxton regarded him as a great man and wrote a moving eulogy for him but many men detested him, both high and low, for his extreme callousness and sadism.

Tudor: Jasper: Earl of Pembroke (b.1431 d.1495) [Steve Dunn]

Arms of Jasper Tudor , Arms of Sir Owen Tudor, Back to Rosewar

From an early age, Jasper was educated by priests at Barking Abbey. In 1449 he was knighted and in 1453 Henry VI created him Earl of Pembroke with precedence ahead of all other Earls aside from his brother, Richmond. Despite a friendship with the Duke of York, he fought with the Court at St. Albans but worked well with York subsequently. In 1456 he became the ward of his brother's twelve-year-old widow. After the birth of her son Henry, he married her to Sir Henry Stafford, son of the Duke of Buckingham. In 1457, as Justiciar of Wales, he captured Sir William Herbert and suppressed other Yorkist sympathisers but in a humane fashion. He was at the Parliament of Devils in 1459. In 1460, he took Denbigh castle for the King. The Queen joined him there after Northampton. The Earl of March defeated him at Mortimer's Cross in 1461 but he escaped. He may finally come to have hated the Yorkists when they beheaded his father after this battle. In 1462, he took part in the invasion of the North then joined the Queen in France. In 1468, he landed in Wales but could not relieve Harlech, being beaten back by the Herberts. He returned to France. Jasper landed with the Earl of Warwick, in Devon, in 1470. He received all his old titles and offices upon Henry VI's readeption. When the Yorkists returned, he recruited in Wales but missed Tewkesbury and fled with Henry Tudor to Brittany. He made a brief excursion to Dorset during Buckingham's rebellion in 1483 but returned to Brittany when it collapsed. In 1484, Richard's machinations with the Duke led to Jasper and his nephew fleeing Brittany for France. In 1485, Jasper landed with Henry at Milford Haven and fought at Bosworth. Henry VII made him Duke of Bedford, Justiciar of South Wales and Lieutenant of Ireland. In 1486, he helped suppress the Lovel/Stafford revolt near York. In 1487, he fought at the Battle of Stoke. In 1492, he fought in France and was made Earl Marshal. He died in bed! He married Catherine Wydeville after returning to England but had only a single, illegitimate, daughter.

Vere: John, Earl of Oxford (b.1408 k.1462) [Duncan Sellars]

Arms of Vere, Back to Rosewar

A staunch member of the Court faction. Knighted in 1426, he paid a fine of £2000 for marrying Elisabeth Howard without licence. He had livery of his lands the same year. In 1435 he went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The next year he served in France at the relief of Calais. 1439, he served as an envoy at Oye with the Duke of Norfolk and in 1454 was a privy councillor. He arrived late for the battle of St. Albans, having to come from Suffolk and Essex where were the majority of his estates. After Edward IV's accession, he was arrested with Aubrey, his eldest son, for conspiring to land troops on the East Coast. Both were hung, drawn and quartered at the sentence of the Earl of Worcester.

Wydeville: Richard, Lord Rivers (b.1405 k.1469) [vacant]

Arms of Wydeville, Back to Rosewar

Knighted in 1426, he fought in France from 1429 until his capture in 1435. He was with Suffolk in 1435/6. In 1436 he illegally married Jacquetta of Luxembourg, the Dowager Duchess of Bedford, paying a £1000 fine a year later. In 1439, he served under Somerset and Talbot at Meaux. He fought in a joust at Westminster in 1440. 1441 saw him again in France, this time under York at the relief of Ponthoise. In 1448, he was created Lord Rivers. In 1450 he helped suppress Jack Cade's rebels and was appointed Seneschal of Aquitaine but was delayed and never sailed. Between 1451 and 1455, he was Lieutenant of Calais under Somerset. He was at "Loveday" in 1458 and shortly after chaired an inquiry into Warwick's piracy. After the Yorkists fled, he was appointed to guard the fleet gathering at Sandwich but was surprised early in 1460 and captured. He was released after being humiliated by the Nevilles. He fought at Towton for the Lancastrians in 1461 and fled with the King to Newcastle but, by 1464, Edward IV had secretly married River's daughter and Wydeville influence became dominant at the Yorkist Court. In 1466, he became Treasurer, was created Earl Rivers and his many sons and daughters were married throughout the nobility, including his eighteen year old son to the sixty-seven year old Duchess of Norfolk! Rivers was made Constable of England in 1467 and Wydeville influence ousted the Nevilles from Court. In 1468, there was violence between Warwick and Wydeville partisans. When Warwick rebelled, Rivers was captured at Chepstow and beheaded at Kenilworth.

York: Richard, Duke of York (b.1411 k.1460)

Richard's father was beheaded for treason on the eve of the Agincourt campaign, 1415. Richard became a ward of the King, Henry V. In 1425, he became the ward of the Earl of Westmorland and was knighted a year later. Richard was summoned to Court as Duke of York in 1428. His first public office was Constable of England for a trial by combat at Smithfield. He escorted Henry VI to France for his coronation as King of France and remained abroad for two years. In 1432 he was rewarded with full livery of his estates and titles. He was now the richest man in the realm with lands in almost every county. His titles included Duke of York and Earl of March, Rutland, Cambridge and Ulster. He served in the 1434 Great Council at Westminster and in 1436 replaced the late Duke of Bedford as Lieutenant General in France but resigned a year later due to the non-payment of wages for himself and his troops. In 1438, the Privy Council pawned the Crown Jewels to pay him. Also in that year, he married Cecily Neville, daughter of his warden and sister to the Earl of Salisbury. In 1440 he went back to France as Lieutenant General and stayed for five years. In 1443 he concluded a peace with the French only to see it destroyed and Brittany alienated by Somerset with the troops and cash that should have been York's. In 1445, he escorted Margaret of Anjou to the Channel before his recall later that year. In 1447, he was Steward of the Forests South of the Trent. Later that year, he was made Lieutenant of Ireland as a form of exile. He delayed his departure as long as possible but was forced to leave in 1449. Short of cash, in 1450 York landed and marched on London, breaking into the King's chamber to demand an audience over his expenses. The King granted him his demands but in 1452, York and Devon were again in arms. They were reconciled to the King at Dartford. In 1453, the King's madness led to York's first protectorate in 1454. York replaced the Court faction in government with the Nevilles and the Earl of Worcester and arrested the dukes of Exeter and Somerset and Lord Egremont for breaking the King's peace. The Court backlash in 1455 after Henry's recovery pushed York and the Nevilles into open warfare at St. Albans where York regained the ascendancy. Then Henry relapsed and York became Protector again. In 1456, he was again displaced upon the King's recovery and in 1457 he was reappointed Lieutenant of Ireland. At "Loveday" in 1458, York was paired with the Queen after paying compensation for the dead at St. Albans. In 1459, the Court's machinations drove York and the Nevilles into conflict yet again but Andrew Trollope's treachery at Ludford Bridge forced York to flee to Ireland. York returned in 1460 after the battle of Northampton. He made his way to London and laid claim to the Throne but was rebuffed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and other lords there. In a negotiated settlement, York was recognised as the heir to Henry VI. Prince Edward was set aside. At Christmas, York went North to suppress Lancastrian activists but was killed at the battle of Wakefield.

York: Edward, Duke of York and Earl of March, Cambridge and Ulster (b.1440 d.1483) [Robert Stevens]

Arms of York, Back to Rosewar

Charming and charismatic, Edward was only 18 when he campaigned with his father in 1459. After the rout of Ludford Bridge, he fled to Calais with the Neville earls of Warwick and Salisbury and landed with them at Sandwich in the summer of 1460.

It was Edward’s arrangement with Lord Grey de Ruthyn that won Northampton for the Yorkists in July and, after his father’s death at Wakefield and Warwick’s defeat at St. Albans, Edward became the leader of his father’s faction. Possessing qualities and advantages unknown to Richard of York, Edward successfully claimed the throne and then defended his claim at Towton to become King Edward IV.

Edward proved an able king but a breakdown in relations with the Earl of Warwick led to renewed war and the ‘Readeption’ of Henry VI in 1470/71. Though Edward’s mishandling of affairs in the late 1460s undoubtedly led to the renewal of civil war, his adroit landing and victories at Barnet and Tewkesbury effectively destroyed Lancastrian opposition and the rest of his reign was trouble-free.

Although a very capable ruler and generally well-loved by his people, Edward was not averse to some very nefarious behaviour; aside from the gluttony and lechery excessive even for a monarch of the time, he also extorted money payments called ‘benevolences’, twisted and diverted inheritances to provide for his family and definitely engineered the trial and execution of his brother, George Duke of Clarence, in 1478.

The big scandal of Edward’s life was his secret marriage to Elizabeth Wydeville in 1464; one of the things that poisoned his relationship with Warwick. Their children and Elizabeth’s many brothers and sisters gave Edward considerable support during his lifetime but on his death, friction between the Wydevilles and his surviving brother, Richard Duke of Gloucester, led to the deposition of his heir and probable murder of both his sons, the famous Princes in the Tower.

Despite the disaster that befell his line after his death, his reforms of Royal administration became the basis for the Tudor revolution, and Edward can arguably lay claim to be the first ‘modern’ king.

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