Why Did Civil Strife Breakout in 1455?

Why Did Civil Strife Breakout in 1455?

Many issues troubled England between 1451 and 1455 which in the end led to civil strife breaking out. These issues can be broken down into three main categories. Henry VI, York and noble feuding, they were all reason for the strife and the chaos that reigned over England. By assessing the three issues and deciding which are the most important and prominent I can see the real reason why civil strife did break out and who was responsible. Henry’s weak rule and York’s hunger for power lead to a feud between the two. Both were very powerful with many rich and powerful friends. By the 1450s, many considered Henry incapable of carrying out the duties and responsibilities of a king. The increasing discord at court was mirrored in the country as a whole, where noble families engaged in private feuds and showed increasing disrespect for the royal authority and for the courts of law. With so many powerful people taking control and getting involved it escalated to the first battle of St Albans in 1455.
Firstly I will look at King Henry’s part in the problem; he was flawed in three main areas: Patronage, Personality, France and Finances. He has been a poor leader since he had taken power in 1437 and hadn’t distilled any confidence in the people. He thought nothing of war and only sought to keep what was already his and seemed to have no ambition or drive. He was described as a very bland person, unlike his father. He lost vast amounts of land in France and was very reliant on the rest of his party, especially Somerset. This meant he was incredibly unpopular with the people; they looked for a strong, powerful, prosperous king and found none of these characteristics in Henry. Henry had a lot of power in that he could give out titles, power and money in the form of patronage. Stereotypically the nobles only wanted power and lived for titles, this was enforced through the way Henry ruled. He was very selfish and unfair in the way he distributed it, his friends did very well but...

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