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Why did fighting break out in 1455?

Initial Hypothesis
"The immediate factors or events that turned the possibility of conflict into a reality"

-Henry VI's recovery (late 1454)

-Feuds between nobles

'''"The factors that made conflict more likely but still not certain" ''' -

-Henry VI's failure

-Henry VI's illness (1453-1454)

-Enmity between York and Somerset

"The factors that created the possibility of conflict"

-Public opinion

-Mutual fear (1455)

Evidence to support the hypothesis
"The immediate factors or events that turned the possibility of conflict into a reality"

->Feuds between nobles: When the king is in need of advice and support, the nobles are there to help guide the king to benefit themselves (sometimes) and the kingdom. For the government to function well and efficiently, nobles have to be in agreement, however when they are constantly feuding with one another, the government found it hard to function properly and create effective decisions that benefit the kingdom. As well as this, with nobles feuding, the king would of found it harder to control them as they would be going against each other. Nobles such as the Percy's and the Neville's, both of which wanted to be part of the kings main advisors which caused more issues between them.

-> Henry VI's recovery (late 1454): Before Henrys recovery, the Duke of Somerset was imprisoned and the Duke of York had more involvement and was no longer outcasted. When Henry recovered, the Duke of Somerset was released from the Tower of London and became part of the centre of government once again. Somerset was supported by Exeter and the Percys. This meant that the Duke of York, along with his supporters, Richard Neville Earl of Warwick and William Neville Earl of Kent, were outcasted. Both York and Somerset became wary of each other as they both wanted the same goal so they had to get their retaliation in before the other. Somerset chose political action first by calling for the Great Council at Leicester (May 1455), however York and the Neville's saw this as the first move as they were not invited as well as they were accused of treason. This turned the possibility of conflict into a reality because both were afraid of the other attacking to gain position in government, which made them become wary of those around them, as well as each other.

"The factors that made conflict more likely but still not certain"

-> Henry VI's failure: During Henry's minority, Henry was successful. This was because the council of nobles ruled England until Henry turned sixteen. Quarrels between nobles were set aside to put the kingdom first so there was an overall successful rule. However, when Henry turned 16, failure came his way. Henry was never successful as he was childlike, unable to take decisions and uninterested in war as well as government. This lead to French land being lost and law and order back in England decreasing. In 1450 rebellion struck because people were angry with Henry's lack of interest and failures. this made conflict more likely as hints of conflict were appearing but not enough to cause the start of the War of the Roses.

-> Henry VI illness: Before Henry VI became ill, he was already a 'useless' king. Henry took little part in make decisions that ruled the country as he has been called a religious man (hence why Blacman wanted him canonised). In 1453, Henry VI was declared mentally incapable and unwell which meant that a protector would take over until Henry was declared well. Both the Duke of York and the Duke of Somerset believed they had a claim within the kings close advisors to become his protector until Henry was recovered. Both knew that the other would be a problem when they try to take control and the title so they wanted rid of the other. This links in with enmity between York and Somerset as well as feuds between nobles because this disagreement escalated in 1455. At this point Somerset had regained power alongside the king which meant that York was willing to battle against the king in order to regain power, which would of been seen as treason. Therefore Henry VI's illness was the starting gun between York and Somerset which led to what many say starts the War of The Roses, the battle of St Albans.

-> Enmity between York and Somerset: York and Somerset both wanted to achieve the same goal; to be main advisor to the king. They both believed that they were better suited as they both believe that they were more closely related to the king. York (having served twice - 1436-7 and 1440-5 and with some distinction as the king's military commander in France) was mortified when he was removed and replaced by Somerset, which began the enmity between the two. York was suspicious of Somerset as he suspected him of having 'kingly ambitions' as he was grandson of John of Gaunt (son of King Edward III), this suspicion remained while Henry remained childless. York was appointed lieutenancy of Ireland in an effort to silence him as he was pressing the king to settle at least part of the debt or employ him in some meaningful role as he was owed over £38,000. Somerset was in the kings inner circle of advisors which made him wary of York as it was known that York believed he was a better fit for the role.

"The factors that created the possibility of conflict"

-> Public Opinion: Most of the public was against Henry VI due to his lack of involvement in general runnings of the kingdom. However they didn't hold much power to take action but instead gave York the chance to raise an army against Henry VI as he would gain much support. This left the possibility of conflict lingering in the air.

->Mutual Fear: Mutual fear between York and Somerset again created possibilities of conflict. Somerset was powerful in comparison to York as he was in the position of protectorate of henry, the position which York was interested in as he believed he was more entitled than Somerset. Both men were suspicous of each other and were fearful of who would make the first move, which added to the chance of war. Due to this, it is argued that 1455 was a result of the fear between the two.

Noble feuds and their impact
Noble feuds became an immediate factor that turned the possibility of conflict into a reality. During 1453, the absence of effective kingship led to nobles quarrelling over land which turned into localised fighting. However, this was over all unimportant at the time. The most significant feuds gave links to their sides at St Albans, it is noted that sides grew out of the feuds, so those who supported each other in the feuds were likely to be on the same side or those who were against the same nobles were likely to be on the same side. Nobles began turning on each other, becoming corrupt and taking sides. If there was an effective kingship, the quarrels would of been appealed to him to decide. The feuds between nobles would of blinded their judgment so the decisions made would of been for their own gain which would be against the other. The neville family had involvement in two important feuds. One of which involved Richard Neville - Earl of Warwick, and Somerset were rival claimants to inherit lands in Glamorgan. At the time, Warwick held the land but Somerset ordered him to hand them over. When Warwick refused, this opened the first breach between the nevilles and somerset. Feuds between nobles had a large impact on the possibility of conflict. Nobles had important roles in helping guide the king. They had a large impact for many reasons. One would be that nobles had support from those living on their land and became popular which made them more appealing to the common person. In contrast to this, those who were against the common people lost popularity because they were seen as corrupt. This could be seen with Suffolk, who was highly disliked which in the end, lead to his murder.

Harriss' Argument/views
At first, Harriss' first key point is made using Cades rebellion which lead to York being fearful of the threat of mob violence, which could be seen, in Harriss' eyes, that York believed he almost needed to step in, in the eyes of the people. This lead to the first stepping stone into anarchy. Later on, Harris mentions how the arrival of York from Ireland lead to the King being threatened. This is because of Yorks claim to the throne as Heir apparent as Henry had no children at this point - a much larger claim than other nobles such as Somerset and Exeter. This was seen as 'mutual fear' as stability was extremely important to the nobles, as they wanted to keep their position and if England had a strong rule and was running peacefully, the nobles would keep their wish. As Henry's main concern was to keep England running smoothly, York found this irritating and later became resentful towards the king and his advisors. One of Harriss' arguments includes that if there was a stronger King in power, then the feuds between nobles would of been less serious or none existent, such as rival families the Nevilles and the Percys. After reading Harriss' writing, he interprets many ideas that caused fighting but he keeps to the arguments between York and Somerset, as they are a key factor.

Overall, my opinion on the cause of conflict breaking out in 1455 have not been changed by Harriss' arguments and views. This is because i believe i had very similar views to Harris as i believed that the feud between York and Somerset influenced many things such as mutual fear between the nobles. However, i have began to think about how the feud and mutual fear was affected by other people such as the Nevilles and the Parcys, who essentially fuelled the the feud.