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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's Illness

-Feuds between nobles

The factors that made conflict more likely bus still not certain

-Henry VIs Failure

-Enmity between York and Somerset

-Mutual Fear

The factors that created the possibility of conflict

-Public Opinion

-Henry's Recovery 1454(late)

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

-In 1453, Henry became very ill and this made him incapable of running the country as king, so he needed someone to take over as 'protector' until he was better. Both York and Somerset believed they had a claim to the throne so this made them both want to be the 'protector'.

-Feuds between nobles, Percy's and Neville's, was something that had promoted problems as they both wanted to be part of the kings 'group' and this sparked issues as they both wanted to be the kings advisors.

The factors that made conflict more likely bus still not certain

-Henry VI was not a particularly strong king in his reign and did fail in many areas, which meant York and Somerset saw this as a great opportunity to capitalize and become the Kings advisor as he did listen to any ideas and let them go ahead. They would practically have power over what happens in the country. He was never 'in power' of his country as he lost French lands and lost the faith of the public.

-Enmity between York and Somerset was high as they both wanted to be the kings advisors they would do what they could to get that power. they both felt as though they had strong claims to be the kings right hand man. So when the other got power it didn't sit well with the other.

-Mutual fear between York and Somerset would have made conflict a possibility because each one would have been afraid of what the other was going to do in retaliation of the other having power. Somerset was more powerful than York because he had the faith of the king and the king's wife in the nobility. They would both have to be ready to react to the others actions.

The factors that created the possibility of conflict

-York and Somerset had to get the backing of the public, so if the public opinion of one of the dukes wasn't high then the public would be restless as they would have wanted someone else to advise the king. Also the king needs the backing of the public, however some people agreed with his ruling because he was a man of the church, but some people did not as they thought he was weak.

-Henry recovered from illness in late 1454 so the two dukes had to prove to the king why they should be his advisor, and during his illness York lost the last battle in France so the King lost faith in him. Somerset was released from the tower of London and it was a disaster.

Henry's Recovery 1454

Henry's recovery from illness at the end of 1454 was a disaster, as it lead to conflict within six months. With Somerset being released from the Tower of London and re-entering the centre of government. he was supported by Exeter and the Percy's who wanted to end York and the Neville's power in government. York's Protectorate ended and Salisbury resigned as chancellor. If reconciliation of the Neville's to Somerset and the court, the changes in government may not have led to the outbreak of violence. Both York and Somerset had to be wary of the others plans of retaliation so they both decided to get their retaliation in first. Somerset took political action. He called for a Great Council at Leicester on May 21st 1455 but York and the Neville's were not invited. They (York and the Neville's) both saw this as the first move as having them accused for treason and decided the only way to deal with this was with force. If this were Somerset's intentions then the majority of the nobles might have stopped him. York did not wait to find this out they very quickly gathered an army together and marched to intercept Henry and Somerset. Somerset were unaware of the possibility of military clash, so he had messages sent to nobles. However few had chance to arrive before they met at St Albans, on May 22nd. Henry's recovery however wasn't a major impact as York and Somerset's feud was going to continue whether he recovered or not. It just so happened that when he got out of prison Somerset were released and he wanted them back in government, York did not like this as they believed they were the better option.

Harriss Arguments/Views on why Fighting Broke out in 1455

Harriss believes that the aftermath of the revolt saw the possibility of a decent into anarchy, which led to violence and rioting. He then talks about how the hope of reform and justice was in the hands of the judicial commission and the arrival of York from Ireland. He believed that with the arrival of York brought a threat to the king, as York believed he had a better claim to the throne than the other nobles like Somerset. Harriss talks about how he believes that the king was not strong enough to rule England and his nobility this effectively would lead to conflict as many nobles saw this as an opportunity to capitalise and become the king’s advisor. This would mean that the advisor would have power over the country as the king listened to whatever was said. Harriss also talks about how if the king been a better leader then feuds between the families may not have happened and York wouldn’t have had to constantly prove his loyalty to the king. Harriss shows the two families as being important in this period. York had the backing of the Neville’s and when York was in power as protector, the Percy’s wanted the Neville’s out of power, and them to be better than them, so they formed alliance with Somerset.

I still believe that feuds between York and Somerset was the main cause of conflict in 1455, but Harriss’ arguments have made me think about the effects that the two families had as well (Neville’s and Percy’s). also other nobles such as Warwick and Exeter had an influence because they back York or Somerset and I believe the support they had made them more confident to go into conflict with one another. Everyone eventually was fearful of each other so in theory I now think that everyone had an impact on conflict breaking out in 1455.