The Commons in the Wars of the Roses
This collection of articles highlights the ongoing research of our House of Commons 1461-1504 section, exploring the individuals, events and themes relating to the dramatic history of the later 15th century.
-
The town of Shrewsbury and the Wars of the Roses: The campaigns of 1459-61
Dr Simon Payling, of our Commons 1461-1504 section, explores the political allegiance of the Shropshire town of Shrewsbury during the…
-
Hugh Oldham, bishop of Exeter, ‘hath more poison in that grete fowle bely of hys then all the Bysshoppes in Englond’: scandalum magnatum in early-sixteenth century England
For the first article of 2025, Dr Simon Payling of our Commons 1461-1504 Section, explores the use of a unique…
-
A disputed election in the wake of the battle of Bosworth: the Shropshire election of 1485
Following the battle of Bosworth and Henry Tudor’s accession to the English throne, the country’s gentry who had sided with…
-
John, Lord Clifford, ‘the butcher’ and the killing of Edmund, earl of Rutland, at the battle of Wakefield, 30 December 1460
In the 15th Century, the killing of rival faction leaders were commonplace, especially throughout the Wars of the Roses. However,…
-
Parliamentary Elections in the Fifteenth Century
As the UK prepares to go to the polls for the 2024 General Election, modern politicians continue their campaigns across…
-
A King’s Sister buried in a Shropshire church: Elizabeth of Lancaster, sister of Henry IV, at Burford
For Women’s History Month, Dr Simon Payling from our Commons 1461-1504 project discusses the life of Elizabeth Lancaster, the sister of Henry IV,…
-
The Tomb of Sir Richard and Eleanor Croft in Croft Church, Herefordshire
Sir Richard Croft’s career spanned the entirety of the Wars of the Roses; he was able to adapt and maintain…
-
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…
-
‘No deed of shame so foul’: the treachery of Edmund, Lord Grey of Ruthin, and the battle of Northampton, 10 July 1460
On 10 July 1460 the Battle of Northampton was fought. This was a major battle in the Wars of the…
-
Funding the defence of the realm (or not…)
As questions of defence spending continue to be discussed in the chambers of Westminster, here Dr Hannes Kleineke, editor of…
-
Parliament and the Politics of intimidation in Medieval England
As some of our previous blogs demonstrate, Medieval parliamentarians were no stranger to acts of physical violence. However as Dr…
-
Parliament and the removal of a political leader: a fifteenth-century example
Despite Westminster’s image as the home of Parliament, throughout our project there are many examples of members gathering in other…