Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, was one of the most significant figures of the 15th century.
A man with close royal links, he was a giant of English politics who helped plunge his country into the bloody Wars of the Roses.
? Richard was one of the most powerful members of the royal family in the mid-fifteenth century, and until Henry VI’s son was born, many considered him the king’s rightful heir.
It was for this reason that he was invited to open parliament when Henry VI was too ill and why he was subsequently chosen as Protector of the Realm.
? However, his poor relationship with the king’s Beaufort kinsmen, ultimately led to the Wars of the Roses.
After a decade of failed attempts to reform Henry VI’s government, York claimed the throne himself, but it was his eldest son Edward IV, who became the first Yorkist king.
? Richard was born on 21st September 1411.
His father was Richard of Conisbrough and his mother was Anne Mortimer.
His mother died shortly after Richard’s birth, and his father was exEcuted in 1415, for plotting to put Edmund Earl of March on Henry V’s throne.
Despite his father’s treason, Richard was permitted to inherit the title of duke of York.
He became the wealthiest and most powerful noble in England, second only to the king himself.
? In 1424, fourteen year old Richard was betrothed to nine year old Cecily Neville.
The marriage, which took place by October 1429, meant that Richard was now related to much of the English upper aristocracy.
His twelve children with Cecily Neville are:
Anne of York.
Henry of York.
King Edward IV of England – Married Elizabeth Woodville.
Edmund, Earl of Rutland.
Elizabeth of York.
Margaret of York.
William of York.
John of York.
George, Duke of Clarence – Married Isabel Neville.
Thomas of York.
King Richard III of England – Married Anne Neville.
Ursula of York.
? In August 1453, Henry VI fell into a catatonic stupor and by March 1454, Richard was appointed protector and defender of the realm, until the king recovered.
Much of York’s time was taken up with crushing rebellion in the north of England.
At Christmas 1454 Henry VI regained his sanity.
? When Richard and his closest allies were excluded from invitations to a Great Council in the spring of 1455, they feared political reprisals.
They met the king at St Albans with an armed force, and the conflict that ensued, the First Battle of St Albans, is often considered the beginning of the Wars of the Roses.
? Richard took control of the government and reappointed protector.
However, he could not command sufficient support from other lords to carry out the reforms he considered necessary, and on 25th February 1456, the protectorate ended.
? By now the figurehead for opposition to Richard, was the queen, Margaret of Anjou, whose status had increased now that she was the mother of the heir to the throne.
An uneasy peace continued for the next few years.
Nonetheless, during the winter of 1458 tensions escalated, and by early autumn, armies had been mustered.
? On 10th October 1460, in the palace of Westminster Richard declared his right to the throne was superior to Henry VI’s.
The complex discussions that followed, resulted in a compromise called the Act of Accord, whereby Richard Duke of York became Henry VI’s heir instead of Henry’s own son, Edward.
However, Margaret of Anjou had other plans…..
? Margaret had spent time in Scotland negotiating for military support.
Other noblemen were mustering armies in the north of England to join her.
Richard took his forces northward.
He was defeated and killed at the Battle of Wakefield on 30th December 1460.
His head was staked on Micklegate Bar, wearing a paper crown, and his body buried at Pontefract.
In July 1476 his surviving sons removed his body with a great ceremonial for reburial, at the family mausoleum at Fotheringhay.
? Richard of York.
Detail from the frontispiece of the illuminated manuscript Talbot Shrewsbury Book – 1443/1445
Talbot Master.
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