What Really Started The War Of The Roses? | Britain's Bloody Crown

nearly 600 years ago England was torn apart by a series of bloody battles for the throne in just 30 years the crown changed hands seven times tens of thousands were slaughtered it was one of the most turbulent and violent periods in British history it's known as the wars of the Roses the Bloodshed began when a bitter power struggle erupted between the Queen of England Margaret of vonu and one of the country's most powerful Nobles Richard Duke of York both were fighting for control of England's weakest King Henry V 6th it's been portrayed as a simple family feud between the Royal houses of Lancaster and York to snatch the Ultimate Prize the crown of England but it wasn't like that I want to show you a very different version of History one in which the wars of the Roses are started not by hatred but from a noble desire to do the right thing in which the real villain isn't scheming yorkis or belligerent lancastrians but a man so feeble-minded and vacuous he allows a wound to open in his country that takes half a century to heal he is Henry V 6 the Mad [Music] King [Music] [Applause] summer 1450 with suffer gone there's no one to keep a lid on trouble for Henry the 6 armed riers storm the gates of London they Rampage through the city in an orgy of violence what England needs right now is a strong King to take control and end the Bloodshed unfortunately for England that man is is not Henry V 6 his dad Henry V is famous for beating the French at aenor but this Henry's never even seen a battlefield he's shallow Pious and foolish totally out of his depth he should crush the rebels instead he tries toate them he hands them the corrupt and hated Treasurer Lord say it only makes things worse the rebels set up a kangaroo court here at the Guild Hall the commercial Heart of the City they try and they execute Lord's say and his son-in-law now throw in the Duke of suffk and that's three of the country's leading Nobles murdered by an angry mob England is dissolving into to Anarchy in the mounting chaos Henry abandons London for the safety of kennworth Castle in the Midlands leaving London's May to deal with the Rebels the Revolt comes to a bloody climax on London Bridge the Lord mayor and his troops push the rebels back across the river and lock the city Gates but the fighting goes on all night in the morning of July the 9th this narrow River Crossing is packed with bodies and hundreds more have floated away in the TS below at enormous cost the Lord mayor has put the rebels down for now it's no thanks to the King Henry may have run for it but rather a astonishingly there is one Royal who has stayed behind his French wife Margaret of onju in the king's absence Margaret acts quickly to damp down the chaos she promises to Pardon any Rebels prepared to give up and go home the Royal pardon seems to work most of the rebels disperse grateful to the queen for saving their skins but if anyone thinks the queen is a shrinking violet they're in for a nasty Shock by the time Henry returns to London any Rebels that haven't had the good sense to accept the Queen's pardon have been gathered together for the king's attention this is the kind of decisive Behavior the country needs from its king all is ready your majesty except it's not Henry being ruthless it's Margaret come [Music] on [Music] re [Music] a woman taking charge comes perfectly naturally to 20-year-old Margaret her mother ran the French duy of onju while her dad was rotting in an enemy jail now it's her turn to step up imagine what it's been like for Margaret deju daughter of a major French Noble married off at 15 to the king of England sounds great or it does until you arrive in your adopted country and find out your new husband's basically an imbecile she sees it as her job even her duty to protect the country and the royal family from her husband's appalling weakness it's a matter of Pride the problem is Margaret's not the only person who's thinking that way Richard Duke of York the king's cousin and as Henry and Margaret are childless heir to the throne as a seasoned military man who rules Ireland for the king he has an extremely well-developed sense of his own importance he's decided it's his job to come home support the king and save the country from further Anarchy this is unlikely to go down well with Queen Margaret as far as York's concerned he's absolutely the right man for the job what he's not is subtle on the 27th of September 1450 he marches into London with 5,000 men beneath His [Music] Banner York bursts through these doors to Westminster palace by parliament's meeting he's come to sort things out but he goes at it like a wrecking ball beloved cousin welcome your grace he demands that the king dismisses all his old advisers and that Parliament appoints him York in charge of the country but Parliament tells him to get lost he's too late the king's already given the job to someone else just 16 days earlier Henry gave another of his cousins the job of managing England for him Lord Somerset my lord of York somerset's just returned from a disastrous French campaign where he lost the key city of Ru and then committed the ultimate sin of running away give me your grace what is this York is outraged Somerset isn't the solution to England's chaos to York he's the cause your grace this man is be worthy of his title far less the captaincy of the realm one of the reasons for all the violence is the number of bloodthirsty unemployed soldiers returning from somerset's failed campaigns I would name this man a dishonorable coward worse a traitor it's a serious charge but in York's mind totally justified this sets him on a collision course with Margaret because Somerset is the Queen's closest and most essential Ally as a woman Margaret can't operate directly in government she needs a SE I Noble whose position she can exploit somerset's record in France doesn't exactly suggest him as a leader of men but he is the perfect proxy for Margaret so whether York Knows It or Not by attacking Somerset he's attacking the queen Your Grace may I take my leave York's absolutely certain that he should be in charge Margaret's absolutely certain she should be in charge even though both want the best for the country their good intentions threaten to tear it apart after parliament's rejection York storms out of London and begins to gather troops near Dartford just down river from the capital if he didn't look threatening before he certainly does now he demands that Somerset be put on trial and to keep the peace h agrees but only if York disbands his army well that's fine by York he starts sending his soldiers home he doesn't need him now he's one York goes to the king's tent ready to take somerset's place in charge of England Your Grace instead he finds Somerset still at the king's side it's a trap I would name this man a traitor Somerset keeps the top job at the king's side it doesn't go so well for York York's forced to ride back through the Streets of London between his captors effectively a prisoner he's brought to the great medieval Cathedral of Old St Paul's he's forced to kneel before the king to swear a very public oath of Allegiance and to acknowledge that any more treasonous Behavior will see him banged up for good it's appallingly humiliating for the Highborn Duke of York and worst of all he probably realizes that it's all his own fault with York back in his box and her man's Somerset in position Queen Margaret's got it all under control in Spring 1453 after 8 years of anxiety and ridicule Margaret finally fulfilled s the most basic duty of queenship she becomes pregnant if she produces a boy her position and her power as mother of the heir to the throne will be unbreakable Fortune is at last smiling on Henry's troubled rain but it's too good to last new troubles are brewing for Henry 200 miles away England has been at war with France for more than a 100 years and in Henry's Reign it's been one disastrous campaign after another he's lost champagne Normandy Britany now there's just one significant part of the vast plantagenet Empire left gany discover the past with exclusive medieval documentaries and adree podcast presented by world-renowned historians from history hit watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device download the app now to explore everything from our series on medieval Pleasures to the notorious Knight's Templar the princes in the tower and the Battle of Hastings immerse yourself in the captivating stories of this remarkable era by signing up via the link in the description excellent Majesty Henry is with a Hunting Party when the latest news comes from France it's not good his arm's been routed at the Battle of Cason giny has fallen What It's the final collapse of a 300y old Empire that once controlled hold more of France than the French the greatest Legacy of the plantagenet dynasty has been snuffed out on Henry's watch Henry collapses into a catatonic stuper let him breathe let him breathe nothing can Rouse Henry from his senseless trance not even the birth of his son Prince Edward 2 months later Queen Margaret tries to keep a lid on the state of the king hoping desperately that he will wake up Margaret and Somerset can't enforce any decisions without a conscious Monarch's seal of approval a power vacuum is developing at the heart of government the queen needs to fill it and fast Margaret's first move takes place in October 1453 here at Westminster Abbey when she appoints Somerset as Godfather to the new Prince now with the King conspicuous by his absence this is a powerful statement if there are any doubts that Somerset is the Queen's man well there isn't any more but this is more than just a show of solidarity with her Ally This is a power play by Margaret she's planning to govern England using the authority of the baby Prince for that Margaret needs the backing of the Nobles so she gets Somerset to call a great counsel to acknowledge the baby Prince as air to the throne and sideline the Duke of York the previous Heir at the same time unsurprisingly York's not invited but Margaret's plan backfires spectacularly York's allies in the council insist that he attends my lords I greet you well and when he arrives he refuses to debate the status of the new prince instead he has one of his closest supporters denounced Somerset as a traitor again this time there's no pliable King for Somerset to hide behind and York knows it York's move is staggeringly audacious with one deaf blow York has neutered both Somerset and Queen Margaret Somerset is banged up in the Tower of London Queen Margaret is suddenly isolated from [Music] Power desperate to claw back control she does something completely outrageous there's evidence of it here at the British library in a rare 500y old document the queen publishes a bill of five articles and they're recorded in this contemporary document the first is that she desireth to have the whole rule of this land she wants to appoint the chancellor and the treasurer and all the officers of State she wants to decide who gets to be a bishop and she wants to have sufficient livelihood assigned her for the king and the prince and herself that's a sensational List of Demands it amounts to all the power of a king you have to admire her she doesn't do things by halves to Margaret this makes perfect sense she sees nothing particularly strange in a woman taking power after all she's seen her mother do it for years but that was in a duche in France she's talking about an entire country and she's completely misjudge the reaction of the English Nobles the idea of being governed by a woman and even worse a French one is way more than they can stomach Margaret's ideas are kicked out of the door with the King still senseless there's only one option left to govern the country on the 27th of March 1454 York finally gets what he wants he's made protector of the realm and to begin with he makes a pretty decent fist of creating an inclusive government he stamps s out some long running bloody Noble feuds in the north and bring some desperately needed stability to the country now this all proves to York who's not a man short on vanity that he was right all along he really is the best man for the job trapped by the state of her insensible husband Margaret is powerless aided by his close allies like the Earl of wari York is the man of the hour he must be feeling pretty smug my Lord what news then on Christmas Day 1454 it all blows up in York's face Henry wakes [Music] up [Music] [Music] [Music] e Queen Margaret's Ally Somerset is back in Pole Position behind the throne and the queen is back on top exactly where she wants to [Music] be York is furious as far as he's concerned somerset's a coward and a traitor and he has no business running England but York has bigger problems he's fallen out with the queen and he's put Somerset in the tower you can expect them to repay the compliment so he has a choice he can retire quietly to one of his castles in the north and sulk and pray that Somerset and the queen don't come for him or he can strike at them first for a bullheaded man like York that's no choice at all what York does next is perilously close to treason he raises an army and marches South towards London the moment the queen hears she sends Somerset North to head him off raising troops as he goes on May the 22nd 1455 the two sides meet here at St [Music] Auburn's York has around 3,000 men with him he has one simple aim take out the Queen's man Somerset and gain control of the king [Applause] Somerset is Hol Up in the town he's managed to throw together an army of just 2,000 but he has the king with him it's certainly not because Henry can contribute anything to the battle but whoever possesses the king can claim to be fighting for the good of the realm they exchange messages with York clearly trying to talk their way out of trouble the trust between the two sides is virtually non-existent the only thing that's going to stop York is if the king hands Somerset over well that's never going to happen negotiations are going nowhere oric the choices are few it's York's closest Ally wari that makes the first move move in the first battle of what will become known as the wars of the roses yor and War's men make light work of the barricades they storm through the narrow streets cutting down the King's Men Defenders are taken totally by surprise York's men capture the king and secure him in the abbey York has just one target now [Music] Somerset under the medieval rules of War a Highborn Noble like Somerset expects to be taken prisoner it's Somerset sir where do we take him that doesn't work for York somerset's not the only great Noble to die at York's hands Lords Clifford and North umberland are also slaughtered York is Victorious somerset's dead he has has Henry in his possession secured here at St Auburn's Abbey but he's crossed a very big red line he's attacked the king's Army he's killed three of the country's senior Nobles and along the way he started a blood Feud with their relatives that last for 30 [Music] years it's a bloody turnaround considering that York's original plan was to bring peace and stability he's done exactly the opposite whatever York May believe there's no way back from this level of carnage Your Grace the King after the battle York and his allies war and Salsbury come here to meet the king they fall to their knees before him and profess their loyalty all they ask in return is that he makes them his advisers and of course he agrees but it's not like he has very much Choice Henry V 6th has now become a puppet passed from hand to hand and whoever holds the king rules England yor gets himself reappointed Lord protector but his position is legally tenuous for a start Henry's clearly not incapacitated this time and when York starts giving away all the best jobs to his allies it's obvious that this is a narrow click not a Unified Government this will be his downfall no Grace the first test comes after just four months my lords I petition you all for your good assistance in restoring The Fortunes of the royal coffers years of fruitless war in France has left the king broke as Lord protector York has the unwelcome job of trying to raise more money for the sake of our most noble King I beg all of his loyal servants to affirm this cause he must ask the Lords in Parliament to pass an order your grace that would force them to sign over some of their land to the king it would be an unpopular move at the best of times and the slaughter of St Orbin means York is increasingly isolated i n i nay n Nay n hey hey n his order is kicked out of parliament this is incredibly frustrating for York he's the protector he should be running things but without the support of parliament he's effectively powerless forced into a humiliating climb down York resigns the protectorate and heads North everything he did here at St Orbin all the blood that was shed it was all for nothing technically Henry is now back in full control of the country which given his track record is a little surprising here at the bodian library in Oxford there's a book that makes it Crystal Clear what's really going on this is the brute Chronicle one of the earliest printed books in British history published just a few years after Henry V 6's Reign it's almost an eyewitness account of the time this is a passage describing events in 1456 barely 6 months after York left London and it gives us very clear idea about what people in England thought about their King so it says here the governance of the realm stood most by the queen and her Council and then a bit further down it is to be noted that every Lord in England at this time Durst not disobey the queen for she ruled peaceably all that was done about the king and that leaves us in no doubt it's Margaret wearing the trousers in the marriage but more importantly ly running the country and actually she does a pretty good job which shouldn't be surprising because both York and Margaret share the same aim stabilizing England but their Mutual hatred has gone too far controlling England is no longer enough for the queen she wants York out of the way permanently and she's more than happy to do the job herself acting in the name of her husband and son she recruits an army to take York down Margaret's troops March North and a catch up with York here in his castle at lllo on the 12th of October 1459 this time Margaret outnumbers York 2 to one she travels with her Army and like everyone else she brings the king along for legitimacy York sends messages to the king claiming to be his faithful subject but really it's a bit late for all that orders are sent in the Name of the King demanding that York lay down his arms and surrender that's obviously not going to end well for York unsurprisingly he declines from up here on the battlements York's men can clearly see the Royal Standard fluttering in that field over there that tells them the king himself is with his army taking on the king directly and risking treason is a step too far for some of them in the middle of the night a chunk of York's troops defect on the evening of October the 12th realizing he's now hopelessly outgunned York decides that discretion is the better part of valor he runs for it but it's not enough for Margaret to have her enemies on the run she wants to destroy them totally so in November 1459 she persuades Parliament to pass acts of attainer against York and his allies these acts strip them of lands and of titles and their families are expelled from the nobility forever so it's legal death but it's still one step short of total Victory because while York himself remains alive he's still a very dangerous man Margaret should have killed [Music] [Music] him [Music] the king is brought back to London in the custody of York's Ally Warick with Queen Margaret now in hiding it's safe for York to return to England but he knows it's only a matter of time before Margaret returns to take control of her husband and the kingdom York's tried politics he's tried Force neither have worked to stop the queen he needs to do something radical York marches to London not under his own arms of the House of York but under the arms of England only one man is allowed to do that the king York has made his decision he's going to take the crown on the 10th of October 1460 York storms into the painted chamber at Westminster his sword held out before him and demands they take the crown from Henry and give it to him even his closest allies are horrified but the truth is York does have a genu in claim Henry V 6th is only on the throne because his grandfather snatched it from the rightful King Henry's grandfather unright wisely usurped the throne and if that hadn't happened York's claim to the throne would be just as strong as Henry's because both of them are descended from Edward III the right and estate of the crowns of the Realms of England and of France belong to Richard Duke of York Parliament is thrown into chaos if they side with Henry York has troops stationed outside armed to the teeth if they side with York they risk Civil War by deposing an anointed king it takes two weeks for Parliament to make a [Music] decision [Music] York doesn't quite get the crown but he does get the next best thing he will become Lord protector for the third time with Henry his captive he's basically running the country and when Henry dies York or his children will take the [Music] throne it's not a bad deal for York but for everyone else it's a messy compromise and pretty much all it guarantees is that the Bloodshed won't stop for Margaret this is intolerable her son Prince Edward is effectively disinherited since York's return Margaret's been hiding out in Scotland but now she writes to her allies in England asking them for support she must know that York's coming for her son and for her after all Ed Edward's the only remaining opposition to York's claim and she's York's sworn enemy York is holding all the cards he's air to the throne again he's got the king in his control and he's Lord protector all he needs now is Margaret wasting no time York heads North himself to bring in the queen these are the remains of sandal Castle York's stronghold near Wakefield now York arrives here on December the 2st 1460 fresh from his success in London with his confidence and his self-importance brimming over but he set off after Margaret so fast he has just 6,000 troops with him York's overreached himself again as he looks out from the walls of sandal Castle it's clear he's massive ly underestimated the strength of support for Margaret in fact by the time he closes the castle Gates a huge Army is gathering against him York's outnumbered 2 to one outmanned and under supplied York spends a meager Christmas virtually besieged at sandal but all he has to do is wait for reinforcements on December the 30th yor lets his self-confidence get the better of him for the last time one of his foraging parties is attacked now what he should do is wait for reinforcements to arrive before retaliating but sitting on his hands has never been one of York's strong points York sets off down many gates Lane in pursuit of the attackers [Applause] attack with a little less pride and a little more caution York might actually have taken the throne it takes less than an hour for Margaret's men to capture him they mock York with a blooded paper [Music] [Music] [Music] crown then they take the Queen's Revenge [Music] his head is stuck on a pole and displayed above the mckel gate here in York with the paper crown still in place Margaret's final victory over York should end the violence but it can't the Rivalry between York and Margaret has torn deep divisions across England the fires of hatred will keep burning for decades so who's the real villain here is it Margaret of vonu a woman desperate to stop her husband's rule from collapsing and to save her son's rightful place or is it Richard Duke of York a man who begins with honorable intentions to save England in truth I think it's neither both of them were trying to protect England from the real culprit the feeble-minded Henry V 6th it's his weakness that forced the people around him to try and Shore up the kingdom for him making enemies of each other and kickstarting the Decades of Bloodshed that we now call the wars of the Roses [Music]