How Did Henry Vi Lose The Power In Medieval England

During the rule of the feeble minded King Henry VI and the genius Queen Margaret of Anjou, there was civil unrest in Medieval England due to whom should be the heir to the throne. Henry VI suffered mental breakdowns and so Richard, Duke of York, exploited his claim on the throne garnered by his ties with previous King Henry V. Henry VI and previous kings of England where from the Lancastrian family this meant this was the first instance of non York conformation. This set the beginning of the War of the Roses, based on the questionable rulings and the extreme power of the high nobility in England creating a power struggle between Lancaster and York. Thus it prompted for many changes that would ultimately benefit England in the long run, through …show more content…
Let’s rewind this back a bit, it was Henry VI who set of the unbalance since at the time he was suppose to be King, he was too young. This meant a regent was appointed over him. His family ruled like an oligarchy. This is a primary reason that so many nobles questioned who should be king of England. Because of the power struggle between Lancasters and Yorks, the nobility would also lose power. It was during the reign of Henry V that the commons exerted a larger influence over England. The commons refers to not the peasants of Medieval England but the landowners and knights as well as noblemen.(Knights of the Shire) These commons were the first to have a say in the taxation of their land. Under Henry VI, son of Henry V, it was decided to limit the voices of some by mandating only those whose land was worth over 40 shillings a year could be represented. Although this was a tyrannical decision it also meant that laws were being made by the king/parliament and having a record kept of them. (Wording) The Clerks of Parliament were created to keep the record of these laws that would later be known to be the Original Acts according to the “The Evolution of Parliament” (1) from Living Heritage. Another factor was that the houses wanting to gain the crown needed the will of the people. At the time it is when Westminster Abbey’s importance shifts. The Abbey was a meeting place …show more content…
It is the influence it still holds of Knights in armor, Kings and queens and absurdity (brutality) on the stories told today such as the hit fantasy series “Game of Thrones” by George R.R. Martin who has stated he is most closely inspired by the events of the War of the Roses. [Tharoor, Ishaan. “How Game of Thrones Drew on the Wars of the Roses.” The Guardian, ] The war also inspired William Shakespeare, and it should be noted that it was Shakespeare who first referred to this War as being between roses in one of his plays when each House was seen choosing a white rose or red rose. It also helped that the metal part printing press was brought and used to make literary works readily available. It began in 14__,(same time as Blank) printing famous works of literature such as Geoffrey Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales” and “The Morte D'arthur” from [Moore, Andrew. “Short History of English Literature.” Short History of English Literature,]. Moore adds to the list of literature of Tudor Lyric poems that followed the medieval works once Henry Tudor took the mantle of King. (Who ended the War of the Roses.) It wasn’t until Henry VIII who did his own Poetry that it became popular. This general time of prosperity under the Tudor dynasty would lead to the basis of innovation for literature. Thea certain model of Swoppet knights were inspired by the Knights of the Shire during the war of the Roses.