Category: Richard III

The Commons in the Wars of the Roses, 15th Century History, Local History, Military history, Richard III

A Yorkist Family during the Wars of the Roses: the Devereuxs of Weobley in Herefordshire

Dr Simon Payling, of our Commons 1461-1504 section, explores the fortunes of one particularly loyal Yorkist family during the Wars of the Roses. For leading landowning families ready to commit themselves to one side or the other, the Wars of the Roses offered both hazard and opportunity. In terms of the latter, that commitment needed to be whole-hearted, but not necessarily consistent. So frequent were the … Continue reading A Yorkist Family during the Wars of the Roses: the Devereuxs of Weobley in Herefordshire

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The Commons in the Wars of the Roses, 15th Century History, Henry VII, History of Parliament Trust, Legal history, Medieval, Religious history, Richard III

A last roll of the dice? Richard III’s pardon to John Morton, 16 August 1485

On 16 August 1485, King Richard III issued a pardon to an old adversary, John Morton, bishop of Ely. Dr Hannes Kleineke, editor of our Commons 1461-1504 project, explores the issue that Morton posed to Richard and why he felt the need to offer Morton such an elaborate pardon. On 9 August 1485 Henry Tudor, titular earl of Richmond, landed on the Welsh coast near Milford Haven … Continue reading A last roll of the dice? Richard III’s pardon to John Morton, 16 August 1485

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The Commons in the Wars of the Roses, 15th Century History, Medieval, Military history, Parliamentary Life, Richard III, Speakers of the House

‘It was the dissimulation of this one man that stirred up that whole plague of evils which followed’: William Catesby, Speaker in the Parliament of 1484, and the accession of Richard III

On 25 August 1485 William Catesby, Speaker of the House of Commons, was executed. But what brought about the downfall of this once influential Member of Parliament? Dr Simon Payling from our Commons 1461-1504 project explores… In his account of the accession of Richard III, written in the 1510s, Sir Thomas More assigned a pivotal role to an unlikely candidate, William Catesby, a lawyer educated … Continue reading ‘It was the dissimulation of this one man that stirred up that whole plague of evils which followed’: William Catesby, Speaker in the Parliament of 1484, and the accession of Richard III

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Medieval, 15th Century History, Health and Medicine, Henry VII, Local History, Richard III, The Commons in the Wars of the Roses, Tudor

What might have been: The Sweating Sickness and the Representation of the County of Cornwall in Henry VII’s first Parliament of 1485-6

In today’s blog, Dr Hannes Kleineke, editor of our Commons 1461-1504 project, looks back to 1485, when a sudden epidemic impacted on the membership of Henry VII’s first parliament… By the time Henry VII overcame Richard III at the battle of Bosworth and claimed the English throne, changes of dynasty or even ruler followed an established pattern. Having successfully asserted a claim to the throne … Continue reading What might have been: The Sweating Sickness and the Representation of the County of Cornwall in Henry VII’s first Parliament of 1485-6

Hannes Kleineke2 Comments
The Commons in the Wars of the Roses, 15th Century History, Medieval, Richard III

Richard III and the Parliament of 1484

As Richard III is today reburied in Leicester Cathedral, Dr Hannes Kleineke, Senior Research Fellow on the Commons 1422-1504 section, discusses the importance of Richard’s only Parliament… As the bones of King Richard III are laid to rest at Leicester this week, there has been much renewed debate over the kind of King he might have been, had he reigned for longer. Richard’s apologists in … Continue reading Richard III and the Parliament of 1484

Hannes Kleineke3 Comments
The Commons in the Wars of the Roses, 15th Century History, Henry VII, Medieval, Military history, Richard III

The battle of Bosworth: consequences for winners and losers

The battle of Bosworth took place on this day in 1485. Dr Charles Moreton, senior research fellow of the Commons 1422-1504 project, discusses the contrasting consequences for parliamentarians on both sides of the battle… At the battle of Bosworth the last Plantagenet King, Richard III, met his death. For some leading parliamentarians who had taken up arms on his behalf it also marked the end, … Continue reading The battle of Bosworth: consequences for winners and losers

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