Britain in Late Middle Ages

LANCASTER DYNASTY. WARS OF THE ROSES. THE TRIUMPH OF THE TUDORS. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF BRITAIN. THE ABSOLUTE MONARCHY OF HENRY VII, TUDOR.

Key words, terms and concepts:

1. Wars of the Roses

2. Indentures

3. Knights and esquires

4. Bastard feudalism

5. Vassals

6. A crest

7. Annihilation

8. Esquire

9. A printing press

10. A village common.

11. To disband baronial armies

12. Controversial arbitrary developments

13. Saint Joan of Arc

The Lancaster Kings continued campaigns in France in the Hundred Years' War: Henry V (1413-1422) was successful in his expeditions in France, HenryVIthough having been crowned to Britain and France, lost those French lands and probably Saint Joan of Arc helped the French. Henry VI's reign ended in (1422-1461), confusion, deposition and a cruel war – the Wars of the Roses, a term coined by Sir Walter Scott (1455-1485).

During the Wars of the Roses, great men attached lesser men to their service by lip indentures; the Duke of Lancas­ter had pointed the way in the late four­teenth century. When he indentured a large number of knights and esquires, most of them were retained for life in his service and in war and peace. Such bas­tard feudalism as this has been called, was quite different from feudalism. The retainer was not a vassal, who owed loy­alty to his lord and was linked to him through ties of mutual obligations. The retainer's lord was his patron, and he was his follower, wearing his livery and being maintained by him.

The Wars of the Roses began when in 1399 barons of the North supported the Lancaster who had a red rose in their crest. The Barons of the South support­ed the Yorks whose crest was decorated by a white rose. The bloody struggle for the crown and rule practically lasted for about 30 years (1455-1485) with some breaks, it was a merciless annihilation of the old aristocracy with rights and claims to become rulers, and its romantic name the War of the Roses only em­phasizes the ruthlessness by a degree of contrast.

Finally, the two dynasties had been destroyed, and a distant relative of the Lancaster family – Henry Tudor mar­ried Elisabeth of York in 1485 (the two roses united) and Henry Tudor was crowned Henry VII of England (1485-1509).

The 15th century with its baronial wars though putting brakes on the de­velopment of the economy could not stop the progress of productive forces released by the disintegration of depend­ent feudal relations in agriculture.

The 15th century saw a development of woolen textile manufacture, steel making developed (South Wales, Birmingham and Sheffield), trade develop­ment facilitated the growth of the Navy and shipbuilding.

The formation of the common na­tional language manifested itself in fic­tion and Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400) works (Canterbury Tales) and in geo­graphical, commercial, etc. books.

William Caxton (1477) brought a printing press and started book printing in England.

Since the middle of the 15th century the English language became the one working language in the whole of Eng­land.

The 15th century saw a development of folklore – ballads of Robin Hood's were dramatized on the village com­mons; singing and other musical arts, dramatic arts, portrait painting left won­derful examples for us to admire.

So, in the 15th century for all the con­flicts, the forces of progress were break­ing through, laying foundations for de­stroying feudalism, for developing capi­talism and formation of the English na­tional economy.

Questions:

1. What was the reason of the Wars of the Roses and was it a

romantic event?

2. What was the end of thisbaronial bloodshed and how was the struggle finally finished?

3. What industrial progress was achieved in the 15th century?

4. What were the great cultural achievements of that age?

5. Give a short general outline of the main political, economicandcultural eventsin the middle ages in Britain.

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