The War of the Roses, Richard III, and the Rise of the Tudors: Assignment

Henry V(5th): A Member of the House of Lancaster 1387-1413-1422

He spend most of his Kingship campaigning in France his most notable victory being the battle of Agincourt where he beat the French during the 100 years war.

Henry VI(6th): 1422-1461 and 1470-1471 The son of Henry the 5th who was crowned King of France and England at a young age, the 100 years war was lost during his reign and due to his mental illness the House of York had a claim at the throne. This started the War of the Roses.

Edward IV(4th): 1461-1470 and 1471-1483

Edward obtained the throne in 1461 finally placing a member of the York family on the throne, in 1470 he was forced to flee to Holland but in 1471 he returned and defeated the Lancastrian army. He had Henry the 6th executed that same year.

Edward V(5th): He was 12 years old when his father Edward the 4th died and he was next in line for the throne. However en route to his coronation he was detained by Richard the 3rd and confined to the tower of London. His coronation was cancelled and he was murdered soon after.

Richard III(3rd) 1483-1485

The brother of Edward IV, when his brother died he takes control of his heirs and supposedly imprisons them and crowns himself King, the heirs are killed soon after and Lancastrians will say that Richard had them murdered.

Henry VII(7th): 1485-1509

The first tudor King, after his father Henry the 6th was killed Henry became the head of the Lancastrian family and in 1485 he marched North and defeated Richard the 3rd at the battle of Bosworth. This is the start of the tudor dynasty. He defeated several other Yorkist attempts and married Elizabeth of York to try and unite the rival families.

Shakespeare portrayed Richard as deformed and villainous because after Henry VII took the throne people were likely encouraged to slander Richard and anyone who spoke too highly of him might have been singled out. Also Shakespeare lived under descendants of the tudors which probably meant that if he portrayed their version of events as false it would be noted.

Ricardians and Lancastrians: The Ricardians support the version of Richard's life which favors Richard and impicates the Tudors. Lancastrians as the murderers of Edward V while the Lancastrians support the theory that Richard murdered his nephews and took the crown for his own. No one knows what really happened to the young King.

Traditionalist sources use the histories of the tudors which some argue can be biased In the way of Richard 3. For example they portrayed Richard the 3rd as a hunchback and villain of few morals. Revisionist sources are sources that believe the traditional sources are not fully true and that they may be biased in a Lancastrian view point.

The source from Vergyl Polydore in the Anglica Historia is a Lancastrian source. I believe this because of the way Richard and his plot are referred too. The text wants us to believe that Richard took the young Prince Edward captive and that he even acknowledged it himself as a wicked deed. It implicates him to having thoughts of taking over the throne. "Richerd, whose mynde partly was enflamyd with desire of usurping the kyngdom."(Vergil Polydore). It also mentions him as drawing up plots, cloaking and being suspicious in general which makes me believe that the Author is Lancastrian as Richard is portrayed as a stereotypical villain.

The 2nd source from Horace Wallpoole is a Ricardian source. I believe this because Wallpoole  defends the apparent slander of Richard's appearance by Lancastrian sources. He brings up the Countess of Desmond and her opinion of Richard. "The old countess of Desmond, who had danced with Richard, declared he was the handsomest man in the room except his brother Edward"(Horace Wallpoole) Although he admits that he believes Richard had shoulder problems he blames Lancastrian historians for allowing the idea that Richard was a deformed man to take hold of popular opinion.

Richard Poem

I now lay dead, upon the field, blood all around

My loyal soldiers routed by wicked Henry and his men,

Even my crown is nowhere to be found.

My kingship and my very head lay on the ground.

This is the story of what happened to my Crown.

When my brother Edward perished his young son was to become King,

I stopped his coronation and confined him to the tower.

From here I convinced the realm that his child was illegitimate and a bastard in disguise

And I was the rightful King of England and its court.

So now the throne was mine and I held it for some time.

The power of the realm was in the palm of my hand.

But the rumors of the Lancastrians were weakening my hold.

My court was not iron loyal, the looked out for themselves.

This would come back to bite me, as you will see for yourselves.

It was at Bosworth Field where I was smote down.

I charged at Henry, noble Knights in tow

Risking it all in a glorious charge to cut off the head

Of the snake called Henry

 But I was betrayed by the House of Stanley,

Surrounded I fell in a circle of dead, my gallant fight over at last.

My crown, my body and my army lay dead

In a pool of blood.

And so ended my heritage, the Plantagenet dynasty of the throne

I had failed and now my story will be known.

Henry Poem

I am the victor I am the King

I have smote evil Richard upon my double edged blade.

The throne is finally mine after so many long years.

Here is my story and how this came to pass.

As a child I lived in Exile and fear of Yorkist power

I was the last heir to Lancastrian claims.

My relatives lay dead on distant battlefields afar.

And so my family fled.

From Wales to France I was forced to flee,

My family and its supporters with me,

14 years in Wales and 14 in France,

Learning how to rule and how to command,

Waiting until the time was right to seize my crown again

As I grew older I contemplated kingship

My desire was to become King and visit my vengeance,

Upon whose fault it is that I was exiled,

The Yorkists, their hands stained in my family’s blood.

So I waited, until the Yorkists were weak

Seizing the moment I brought my army back to the homeland.

I met Richard the 3^rd at Bosworth Field and against all odds he was slain.

Foolishly he allowed himself to be surrounded and destroyed by my gallant knights

I skillfully recruited the Lord Stanley to my side and his troops attacked Richard from behind.

Richard was killed fleeing from the battle like the coward he is and his crown was now mine.

Now I am the king and so began my dynasty, the dynasty of the tudors.

The effects of the black plague on European society

The effect of the black plague on European Society

The Black or Bubonic plague was a terrible pestilence that swept across Europe from the east. Carried by fleas lodged onto black rats the plague spread by boat across no less than the entire European continent. The plague went on to kill some 25 million Europeans, a perfect killing machine the plague changed medieval society as they knew it. Religion, the iron standard by which many set their faith was suddenly looking rusty; people lost their faith in divine protection. No one was safe from the plague. From serf to nobleman, the population cowered from fear of catching it themselves. The social order was changing, laborers realizing that their labor was now more valuable than ever demanded wages and the Jews were now being persecuted across Europe; the plague blamed on them. The black plague changed much of European society during the 1300s.

The people of Europe faith in their church and even their god was weakened by the plague. We can see evidence of this all over according to the Jewish history sourcebook the pope himself confined himself to his rooms and always had a fire burning as some sort of “disinfectant”.  The Church itself was unable to state the reason for such a plague other than it was the will of God and even high ranking clergymen were being taken by the sickness. The Church itself started to seem very artificial to some people.

One reason people could come up with for the plague was the Jews. The Jews were persecuted all across Europe on claims that they had poisoned the water of major cities and towns thereby spreading the plague. In the Jewish history sourcebook we see accounts that Jews were taken and tortured until they confessed to the crimes they were accused of. The Jews were used as a scapegoat for the plague by many and they were burnt and exiled all across Europe due to this injustice.

The sheer number of people who died during the plague caused many laborers to realize that their labor was now in short supply. They began to demand wages and payment for their labor. For many, including the King of England and his court this was punishable by imprisonment. In the ordinance of laborers we see evidence of an attempt by the King to prevent laborers from taking their share of the profits. However, this was in vain. If a worker demanded pay and was denied there were plenty of other men who were happy to pay them in order to get the harvest in. The plague created and idea in the common people’s mind that they could in fact be paid for their work rather than live in poverty for their entire lives under their lord.

                The effects the black plague had on society changed the social order and the people’s faith in their religion. Europe would never be the same after the terrible pestilence.

Scotland: William Wallace and Robert the Bruce

The Declaration of Arbroath was a document that declared the independence of the Scottish nation to the pope and urged him to acknowledge Scotland as a nation and to convince Edward the 2^nd to cease hostilities with Scotland. The Flores Historiarum was an English account of history written my monks at Westminster. Both these sources can help us understand what the English thought of the Scots during the 14^th century and what the Scots thought of themselves.

The English monks wrote in the Flores Historarium that Scottish heroes like William Wallace and Robert the Bruce were cowardly and murderous. For Wallace they portrayed him as a nightmare figure.

“ William Wallace, an outcast from pity, a robber, a sacrilegious man, an incendiary and a homicide, a man more cruel than the cruelty of Herod, and more insane than the fury of Nero. . . a man who burnt alive boys in schools and churches, in great numbers”(Flores Historarium)

Robert the Bruce is shown to be a traitorous murderer who kills John Comyn because Comyn did not agree to his plan to overthrow the English oppression of Scottish lands. Now this may be true however the text remembering the event seems to be very biased in the favor of John Comyn, it also makes out Bruce to be an ungodly man as John Comyn is written to be “pious” and Robert “wicked”. This source show us that the English did not believe the Scots to have any claim at independence as their heroes who lead the revolutions are shown to be horrible, ungodly men unfit to rule Scotland.

From the Declaration of Arbroath source we can learn the Scottish opinion of their English rulers and of their own nation. In the declaration the Scots make a number of debatable points. They say that the Scots have been masters of their own land for centuries fighting off invaders from overseas like Vikings. They also make a point that their nation had been independent under previous Popes and that Edward the 1^st schemed and made unjust claims to the Scottish lands. They believe that they themselves are the true and rightful rulers of Scotland and that they are pious enough that the pope should grant them this grace.

“Therefore it is, Reverend Father and Lord..., you will look with the eyes of a father on the troubles and privation brought by the English upon us and upon the Church of God. May it please you to admonish and exhort the King of the English, who ought to be satisfied with what belongs to him since England used once to be enough for seven kings or more, to leave us Scots in peace”(The Declaration of Arbroath)

Notes 9/8/10 Plantaganet Family

• Henry 2
• Richard the lionheart
• John(signs magna carta)
• Henry 3(King John's son)
• Edward 1 Hammer of the Scots(1300 son of Henry the 3rd conquered Wales and was most successful against the scots) (Scottish heroes, William Wallace and Robert the Bruce)
• Edward 2
• Edward 3
• Richard 2
• Henry 4
• Henry 5(defeats french ultimately)
• Henry 6
• Edward 4
• Edward 5
• Ricahrd 3

AP Euro History H/W 9/8/10

1. The reign of Henry the 2nd suggests that future english foreign relations will not be successful due to Henry's aggressive and submissive foreign policy during his reign. By forcing foreign kings to submit to english rule he is setting the standard that future english foreign politics will continue for generations. There will be much conflict due to this methad because foreign kings may be reluctant to submit.

2. I believe the common conception of Richard as "good" and John as "bad" to be true. Although John had many unlucky misfortunes this does not change the fact that he conspired not once but twice in order to backstab his own family.

3. The magna carta actually bouund the King to a set of laws which was the 1st time this happened in Britis history. The king now had to treat his subjects better and listen to their complaints. The barons now had more power and the king less.

My Histories:Thucydides Style

Brian Cadden


AP Euro History

9/6/10

My History: Thucydides Style

According to his birth certificate Brian Liu Cadden was born on October 4th 1994 at 03:63 PM to parents named Stephen Patrick Cadden and Wen Min Cadden. He was born in Baltimore Maryland in the GBMC hospital. The document is certified by the Maryland department of health and mental hygiene. He weighed 7 pounds and 4 ounces. This is his life.

Brian and his parents lived in Maryland until barely a month after he was born when his father received a job off for a job in New Jersey. The Cadden family moved to New Jersey in the winter of 1994. 2 years later Brian’s sister was born. She was named Erin Min Cadden. The Cadden family lived in New Jersey until 1999. In 1999 Brian’s father received a job offer to work in London U.K. The Cadden family moved to the United Kingdom in August of 1999. A visa in Brian’s passport signed by British custom officials proves this. In London Brian went 1 year to St. James public school and 2 years to the American Community School. They lived in Surrey in a house called Venabu. While living in England the family visited many places in Europe and England.

(Brian and his Sister Erin in Bath, U.K)

(Brian at the Vatican)

In 2002 Brian’s father received a job offer to work in Oslo Norway. So, the Cadden family moved to Oslo. In Oslo they lived at Furutoppen 2A. Brian and his sister attended Oslo International School. In Norway they learned to Ski and met many people although the family never did learn to speak proper Norwegian. They left the country after 3 years after Brian’s father took a job in South Korea.

According to a visa in an old passport Brian first entered South Korea in June of 2006. The family lived in the capital city Seoul in a neighborhood called U.N village. The neighborhood consisted of many expatriates living in Korea and a few rich Koreans. In Korea Brian and his sister attended Seoul Foreign School. They kept up with their skiing and from Korea visited various countries in Asia.

(Brian and his Dad at the great wall)

(Brian and his mother skiing in YongPyong Korea)

Brian and his family lived in Korea for 2 years. After his Father’s contract was finished he chose to take a job back in Oslo. And so the family moved back to Oslo yet again. They lived in a new house, Furulundsvein 1C and they went to the same school. Brian met many of his old friends from before and made new ones.

(Brian and his Sister in top of a mountain in Norway)

(Brian fishing in a mountain Fjord)

When his father’s contract was finished in Norway the family was sad to leave. They moved back to Baltimore M.D where they were from and now live in Perry Hall. Brian goes to John Carroll High school and Erin to St. Josephs. They are in their second week of school.

My History:Herodotus Style

Brian Cadden


AP Euro History

9/6/10

My Histories: Herodotus Style

The life of Brian Cadden began on the 4th of October 1994 say his parents Wen and Steve Cadden. I heard them say that he was born in the GBMC hospital in Baltimore M.D. They then proceeded to tell me the story of his life in a nutshell.

After Brian was born they had lived in Bel Air for 1 month however this period would be short lived due to the fact that his Father got a job in New Jersey. They then told me they had moved to New Jersey and bought a house in which Brian lived for 4 years. Brian’s grandmother Judy recalled to me he always loved to play with cars and watch t.v. When Brian was 2 his sister was born. She was named Erin. When Brian was 4 years old his father tells me they moved to England due to his job in shipping. They lived in a small town near London called Surrey. Brian attended 1 year of a British public school and 2 years of an American school there says his mother. When interviewed his old teacher Mr.Haughler said he seemed to be a pretty bright kid who liked to read and play outside. Brian’s parents had a hard time adjusting to the different country. His father called it “culture shock” but he said in the end it was a great experience to have.

When Brian was 7 years of age his father got a job in Oslo, Norway. Him and his family moved to Norway and lived in the capital city Oslo. In Norway he attended Oslo International School. One thing Brian loved to do in Norway was ski said his Father. Brian took regular skiing lessons along with his sister at a ski resort in Oslo. Also during their time in Europe Brian and his family visited many different countries and made many friends. “We’ve practically seen all of Europe”, his father said to me. Brian and his family lived in Norway for 3 years and were unhappy to leave. I asked a couple of his friends, they said he liked to play basketball and videogames.

When Brian was 10 him and his family moved to South Korea and lived in the capital city of Seoul. They lived in a neighborhood filled with non-Koreans and Koreans called U.N village. Brian and his sister went to a school called Seoul Foreign School. In Korea he and his family had many hard times and many good times his father told me. The Korean culture is so different from how any inexperienced “westerner” could perceive it. His father had a hard time working with them due to these differences. One of Brian’s friends Axel Hagman told me that In Korea if you have blonde hair you will be the target of staring eyes and hands wanting to touch your hair. This is just one of the things that they do. On the other hand they made a lot of close friends that they are still in touch with today. Brian’s family stayed there for 2 years.

When his father’s contract was finished in Korea he received an offer to return to Norway. Happy to go back Brian and his family returned to Norway for the 2nd time. His mother said that it was a lot easier this time because they knew how to get around. Back in Norway Brian met some of his old friends and made a lot of new ones when he went to the same school: Oslo International School. The school had improved a lot in the 2 years since they had been there and Brian and his sister had a great 3 years said both his parents. His homeroom teacher Mr. Alleume told me Brian managed pretty good grades and did quite well in school in general. By the end of 3 years Brian and his sister were very unhappy at the prospect that they were leaving Norway and heading back to the United States.

This past summer they have been settling in and getting themselves on their feet after the move. They are living in a condo they own in Perry Hall until they buy a house. Erin is attending St. Joseph’s and Brian is attending John Carroll High School. He is now heading into his second week of his new high school.

My first post

First post