Britain's Bloody Crown: The Mad King Ep 1 of 4 (Wars of the Roses Documentary) | Timeline

Almost 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 it was one of the most turbulent and violent periods in British history known as the Wars of the Roses the shedding Bloodshed began when a bitter power struggle broke out between the Queen of England, Margaret of Anjou, and one of the country's most powerful nobles, Richard, Duke of York. Both were fighting for control of King Henry, the weakest in England. The sixth has been portrayed as a simple family feud between the royal family. houses of Lancaster and York to snatch the final prize the

crown

of England but it was not to be.

I want to show you a very different version of history, one in which the Wars of the Roses began not out of hatred but out of a noble desire. do the right thing in which the real villain is not the scheming Yorkists or the belligerent Lancastrians, but a man so weak-minded and empty that he allows a wound to open in his country that takes half a century to heal. This is Henry VI, the Mad King. Summer 1450, without Suffolk, there is no one to control trouble six and rioters storm the gates of London and lay waste to the city in an orgy of violence.

What England needs right now is a strong

king

to take control and put an end to the bloodshed, unfortunately for England that man is not Henry VI, his father Henry V is famous for beating the French in a zinc or, but this Henry has never seen a battlefield, he is shallow, pious and foolish, totally out of his depth, he should crush the rebels. Instead he tries to placate by handing them over to the corrupt and hated treasurer Lord Says who only makes things worse the rebels set up a kangaroo court here at the Guildhall the commercial hearts of the city cry and execute Lord Says and his son-in-law throw out the Duke of Suffolk and they are three of the country's main nobles murdered by an angry mob.

England is dissolving into anarchy in growing chaos. Henry abandons London for the safety of Kenilworth Castle in the Midlands, leaving the London Mare to deal with the rebels. The revolt comes to an end. Bloody climax at London Bridge, the Lord Mayor and his troops push the rebels across the river and close the city gates, but fighting continues all night into the morning of July 9th. This narrow river crossing is littered with bodies and hundreds more have floated away. On the Thames, at enormous cost, the Lord Mayor has defeated the rebels for now, it is no thanks to the

king

that Henry has run, but surprisingly there is one royal who has stayed behind his wife French Margaret of Anjou in the Kings. absence Margaret acts quickly to calm the chaos, she promises to forgive any rebel willing to give up and go home, royal forgiveness seems to work, most of the rebels disperse grateful to the Queen for saving their skins, but if anyone thinks that the Queen is shrinking.

Violeta, they will be in for an unpleasant surprise when Enrique returns to London. Any rebels who did not have the good sense to accept the Queen's forgiveness will have gathered to attract the King's attention. This is the kind of decisive behavior the country needs. It's the King, except it's not Henry being ruthless, it's Margaret, a woman taking charge is perfectly natural for 20-year-old Margaret, her mother ran the French duchy of Anjou while her father rotted in an enemy prison, Now it's your turn to step forward, imagine what it's been like. As for Margaret of Anjou, daughter of an important French nobleman married for 15 years to the King of England, it sounds great or it is until you arrive in your adopted country and discover that the new husbands are basically imbeciles, she sees it as her work, even as his duty.

Protecting the country and the royal family from her husband's terrible weakness is a matter of pride, the problem is that Margaret is not the only person who thinks that way Richard Duke of York, the King's cousin like Henry, and Margaret, a childless heir to the throne, as an experienced military man who rules Ireland for the king she has an extremely developed sense of her own importance she has decided that her job is to return home to support the king and save a country from further anarchy this is unlikely On September 27, 1450, he marches into London with 5,000 men under his banner.

York bursts through these gates. from the Palace of Westminster but at the meeting of Parliament he has come to fix things he does it like a wrecking ball dear cousin, welcome, grace, he demands that the king fire all his former advisors and Parliament appoints York in charge of the country, but Parliament tells him to leave, that it is too late, the Kings have already given the job. to someone else just 16 days earlier, Henry gave another of his cousins ​​the job of running England for him, Lord Somerset. My Lord Somerset has just returned from a disastrous French campaign in which he lost the key city of Rome and then committed the ultimate sin of fleeing.

I, his Excellency, what is this York? He is outraged. Somerset is not the solution to England's chaos for York. He is the cause. His Excellency, this man is worthy of this title and much less of the captaincy of the kingdom. One of the reasons for all the violence is the number of bloodthirsty unemployed soldiers returning from the failed Somerset campaigns. I would call this man an available coward. What a traitor. It's a serious accusation, but in York's mind it's entirely justified. This puts him on a collision course with Margaret because Somerset is the Queen's closest and most essential ally.

As a woman, Margaret cannot operate directly in the government; she needs a high-ranking noble whose position she can exploit. Somerset's record in France doesn't exactly suggest him as a leader of men, but he is Margaret's perfect representative, so whether York knows it or not. Not attacking Somerset, he is attacking the Queen. Can I say goodbye? York is absolutely certain that he should be in charge. Margaret is absolutely sure she should be in charge even though they both want what's best for the country. His good intentions threatened to destroy him after Parliament's rejection. The York Storms outside London begin to gather troops near Dartford, just downriver from the capital.

He didn't seem threatening before, he certainly does. He now demands that Somerset be judged and the peace kept. Henry agrees, but only if York disbands his army. Well, that's fine, by York, he starts sending his soldiers home. He doesn't need it. Now he is one. He goes to the Kings tents ready to take Somerset's place in charge of England. His excellence instead finds Somerset still on the Kings' side. He is a trap. I would consider this man a traitor. Somerset retain the top spot in the Kings' side. He doesn't do so well at York. York is forced to travel back through the streets of London among his captors; effectively, he is a prisoner who he has taken to the great medieval cathedral of Old St..

When Paul is forced to kneel before the king to take a very public oath of loyalty and acknowledge that any more treasonous behavior will leave him beaten forever, it is appalling that Lee is humiliating to the noble Duke of York and, worst of all, he will probably realize that it is all his fault with York back in his box and his man Somerset in position Queen Margaret has everything under control in the spring of 1453 after eight years of anxiety and ridicule Margaret finally does the duty most basic of royalty and becomes pregnant if she has a child her position and her power as mother of the heir to the throne will be unbreakable.

Fortune is finally smiling on Henry's troubled reign, but it is too good to last. New problems are brewing for Enrique. 200 miles away, England has been at war with France for over a hundred years and during Henry's reign there has been one disastrous campaign after another he has lost champagne Normandy Britain now only a significant part of the vast Plantagenet Empire remains Gascogne Henry is with a hunting party when the latest news arrives from France it is not good the situation of its army been defeated in the Battle of Castile Gascony has fallen it is the final collapse of a 300 year old Empire that once controlled more of France than the French the greatest legacy of the Plantagenet dynasty has been extinguished under Henry's watch Henry collapses into a catatonic stupor nothing Not even the birth of his son, Prince Edward, can shake Henry out of his senseless trance two months later.

Queen Margaret tries to keep the King's condition under control, desperately hoping he will wake Margaret up and Somerset is unable to enforce any decision without a seal of approval from the monarch aware a power vacuum is developing at the heart of the government the Queen needs to fill it. and quick Margaret's first move takes place in October 1453 here in Westminster Abbey when she names Somerset as godfather to the new Prince now with the king visible by his absence, this is a powerful statement if there is any doubt that Somerset is the Queen's man, well, that's it, but this is more than just a show of solidarity with her ally, this is a power play on the part of Margaret who plans to rule.

England uses the baby Prince's authority for that. Margaret needs the backing of the nobles, so she gets Somerset to call a Great Council to recognize the baby Prince as heir to the throne and, at the same time, unsurprisingly leave out the Duke of York in the previous air. . York is not invited Margaret's plan fails spectacularly York's allies on the council insist that he serve my lords as we do well and when he arrives he refuses to debate the new prince's status instead he makes one of his closest supporters denounce Somerset as a traitor again. this time there is no docile king for Somerset to hide behind York knows it York's move is astonishingly bold with a deadly blow York has castrated both Somerset and Queen Margaret Somerset is struck in the Tower of London Queen Margaret she finds herself suddenly isolated from power desperate to regain control she does something completely scandalous there is evidence of it here in the British Library in a rare 500-year-old document the Queen publishes a five-article bill and recorded in this contemporary document The first is that she wanted to have the entire government of this land, she wants to appoint the chancellor and the treasurer and all the officials of the state, she wants to decide who will be bishop and she wants to be allocated enough support for the king, the prince and herself. , that's a sensational list of demands.

For all the powers of a king you have to admire her. She doesn't do things halfway to Margaret. This makes perfect sense. She doesn't see anything particularly strange about a woman taking power after everything she's seen her mother do for years, but that was kidnapping. in France she is talking about an entire country and has completely misjudged the reaction of the English nobles, the idea of ​​being ruled by a woman and, worse still, a French woman, is much more than they can bear. Margaret's ideas are expelled from the duel with the king. meaningless there is only one option left to rule the country March 27 14:54 York finally gets what he wants, he has been appointed protector of the kingdom and to boot he makes a pretty decent punch by creating an inclusive government that eliminates for a long time . - lead

bloody

disputes between nobles in the north and bring some stability that the country desperately needs.

Now all this shows York, that he is not a man lacking in vanity, that he was right from the beginning and that he really is the best man for the job trapped by the state of his callous husband Margaret is powerless with the help of her allies close as the Earl of Warwick York is the man of the moment you must be feeling quite smug my lord what news then on Christmas Day at 2:54 p.m. everything explodes in York's face Henry wakes up Queen Margaret Sal looks that Somerset has returned to the first position behind the throne and the queen is back on top exactly where she wants to be.

York is furious as far as he is concerned. Somerset is a coward and a traitor and he has no business ruling England, but York does. If you've fallen out with the Queen and put Somerset in the tower, you can expect the compliment to be returned, so you have a choice, you can retire quietly to one of your castles in the north and sulk and pray for that Somerset in the Queen is not coming for him or may attack them first for a stubborn man like York. That has no choice. What York does next is dangerously close to betrayal.

He gathers an army and marches south toward London, just as the Queen learns that she is sending Somerset north. to prevent him from gathering troops as he advances on May 22, 1455, the two sides meet here at St. Albans York has about 3,000 men with him. He has a simple goal: eliminate the queen's man, Somerset, and gain control of the king. Somerset is hidden. in the cityHe managed to gather an army of only 2000 people, but he has the King with him. It is certainly not because Henry can contribute anything to the battle, but whoever possesses the King can claim that he is fighting for the good of the kingdom.

They exchange messages. with York clearly trying to get out of trouble, trust between the two sides is practically non-existent. The only thing that will stop York is that if the King delivers Somerset well, it will never happen. The negotiations are going nowhere. Silly options are few. The closest to York. warwick ally taking the first step in the first battle of what will be known as the Wars of the Roses The men of York and Warwick make light work of the barricades that ran through the narrow streets cutting off the king's men the defenders are taken Completely by surprise York's men captured the king and secured him in the Abbey.

He will now only have one goal. Somerset, according to the medieval rules of war, a high-born noble like Somerset expects to be taken prisoner. Somerset sir, where do we take that not working for York Somerset? He is not the only great nobleman to die at the hands of YorkClifford and Lorde's Northumberland are also massacred York is victorious Somerset is dead He has Henry in his possession secured here in St. Albans Abbey but he has crossed a very large red line He has attacked the The king's army has killed three of the most important nobles in the country and along the way they started a bloody feud with their relatives that will last 30 years, it is a bloody change considering that York's original plan was to bring peace and stability, he has done exactly Otherwise, regardless of what York believes, there is no turning back from this level of carnage that adorns the king after the battle York and his allies carried a can Salisbury come here to meet the king, kneel before him and profess their Loyalty, the only thing they ask in return is that he make them his advisors and of course he accepts, but that is not the case. has many options Henry VI has now become a puppet passed from hand to hand and whoever has the King rule England York is re-elected Lord Protector but his position is legally tenuous to begin with Henry is clearly not incapacitated this time and when York begins giving away the best jobs to allies it is obvious that this is a narrow click not a unified government this will be your downfall erase the first test comes after only four months my Lords I ask you all for your good help to restore the fortunes of the royal coffers , years of fruitless war in France, have left the King bankrupt.

Does Lord Protector York have the unwanted job of trying to raise more money for the good of our most noble King? I beg all your loyal servants to affirm this cause, you must ask the Lords of Parliament to pass an order that would force them to cede part of their lands to the king, it would be an unpopular measure at best and the massacre of Sant Albans It means York is becoming more isolated. No, he's fine, hey, hey, hey. his order is expelled from Parliament this is incredibly frustrating for York he is the protector who should be running things but without the support of Parliament he is effectively powerless forced into a humiliating relegation York resigns from the Protectorate and heads north everything he did, rats and ovens all the blood that was spilled was for nothing, technically Henry now has full control of the country again, which given his track record is a bit surprising.

Here in the BOD Lien Library in Oxford there is a book that makes it very clear what is really happening. Herein lies the Brute Chronicle, one of the first printed books in British history, published only a few years after Henry VI. It is almost an eyewitness account of the time. This is a passage describing the events of 1456, just six months after York left London. gives us a very clear idea of ​​what people in England thought about their king, so here it says that the government of the kingdom was largely in the hands of the Queen and her council and then, a little further down, it is worth noting that all the Lords of England at this time This time I did not dare to disobey the Queen because she peacefully governed everything that was done regarding the King and that leaves us no doubt that it is Margaret who wears the pants in the marriage but More importantly, she runs the country and she actually does a pretty good job, which should be no surprise because both York and Margaret share the same goal of 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 is more than happy to do the job herself. Acting on behalf of her husband and her son, she raises an army to defeat York. Margaret's troops marched north, but reached York here at this Ludlow Castle on October 12 at 2:59 p.m. This time Margaret outnumbers York two to one. She travels with her army and, like everyone else, brings the king to gain legitimacy. York sends messages to the king claiming to be his faithful subject, but in reality it is a little late for all that, orders are sent in the king's name demanding that York go to bed. she lowers her arms and gives up, that's obviously not going to end well for York, as expected, she refuses from up here on the battlements.

The men of York can clearly see the royal banner flying in that field over there which tells them that the king himself is with his army taking on the king directly and risking betrayal is a step too far for some of them. In the middle of the night, a portion of York's troops desert on the night of October 12, realizing that they are now hopelessly outmatched. York decides that discretion is the better part of the value he wields. because it is not enough for Margaret to have her enemies fleeing from her; She wants to destroy them completely, so on November 14, 59, she convinces Parliament to pass acts of impeachment against York and his allies.

These acts strip them of lands and titles and their families. expelled from the nobility forever, making it a legal death, but he is still one step away from total victory because, while York himself remains alive, he remains a very dangerous man. Margaret should have killed him, the king is taken back to London in the custody of York's Ally Warren with Queen Margaret, now in hiding, it is safe for York to return to England, but he knows it is only a matter of time before Margaret returns to take control of her husband and the policy of the Kingdom of York, its Triforce, has also not worked to stop the Queen he needs. 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 can do it that King York has made his decision he is going to take the crown on October 10, 1460 York bursts into the painted chamber of Westminster with his sword extended before and demands that Henry's crown be taken from him and handed over to him.

Even his closest allies are horrified, but the truth is that York has a genuine claim. Henry VI is only on the throne because his grandfather took it from the rightful king Henry's grandfather wisely usurped the throne and if that had not happened York's claim to the throne would be as strong as Henry's because they are both descended from Edward III the right and a state of the crowns of the kingdoms of England and 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 risk a Civil War by deposing an anointed king it takes two weeks for Parliament to make a decision.

York doesn't get the crown, but he gets the best option: he will become Lord Protector for the third time with Henry as a captive, he will basically rule the country and when Henry dies, York or his children. taking the throne is not a bad deal for York but for everyone else it is a complicated commitment and practically all it guarantees is that the bloodshed will not stop for Margaret this is intolerable her son Prince Edward is effectively disinherited since the return Margaret of York has been hiding in Scotland, but now writes to her allies in England asking for support.

She must know that York's first son and, after all, to her, Edwards is the only remaining opposition to York's claim and she is York's sworn enemy. York holds all the cards he has. heir to the throne again has the King under his control and is Lord Protector all he needs now is Margaret wasting no time York heads north to bring the Queen these are the remains of Sandal Castle, the fortress of York nearby from Wakefield how do you get here On December 21, 1460, fresh from his success in London, with his confidence and importance brimming, he set out after Margaret's so quickly that he had only six thousand soldiers with him.

York's was reached again as he watches from the sandal walls. castle, it is clear that he has grossly underestimated the strength of support for Margaret; In fact, when he closes the castle gates, a huge army is gathering against him. Outnumbered two to one, with fewer staff and fewer supplies, York spends a meager Christmas practically besieged in Sandal, but all he has to do is wait for reinforcements on December 30. York lets his self-confidence wash over him one last time. One of the search parties for him is attacked. Now what he must do is wait for reinforcements to arrive before retaliating, but sit back.

His hands have never been one of his strong points. York walks through many doors in search of attackers with a little less pride and a little more caution. York could have taken the throne. It takes Margaret's men less than an hour to capture him. They mock York with a bloody paper crown and then take revenge on the Queen. His head is stuck on a post and displayed above the mikkel gates here in York with the paper crown still in place. Margaret's final victory over York should end the violence, but it may. If the rivalry between York and Margaret has torn deep divisions across England, the fires of hatred will continue to burn for decades, so who is the real villain here?

Is she Margaret of Anjou, a woman desperate to prevent her husband's government from collapsing and save her son? place or is it Richard Duke of York, a man who begins with honorable intentions to save England, in truth I believe that neither of them was trying to protect England from the real culprits, the weak-minded Henry VI, it is his weakness that forced the people to around to try to shore up the kingdom for himself, making enemies of each other and kicking off the decades of bloodshed we now call the Wars of the Roses the next time York's son Edward takes the crown with the great his father's ally, Warwick, at his side. but the kingmaker turns rebellious and plunges the country into even more bloodshed.