Historie of the arrivall of Edward IV

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The Historie of the Arrivall of Edward IV. in England and the Finall Recouerye of His Kingdomes from Henry VI. A.D. M.CCCC.LXXI is a chronicle from the period of the Wars of the Roses. As the title implies, the main focus of the work is Edward IV's arrival in England in 1471 to reclaim his crown. On 2 October 1470, King Edward had fled to Flanders in the face of a rebellion by Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. [1] Warwick set up as a puppet king   Henry VI, whom he had himself previously helped depose. On the continent Edward received support from Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and on 14 March 1471 he landed at Ravenspurn in Yorkshire, and started making his way south. [2] On 14 April Edward defeated Warwick at the Battle of Barnet. Warwick was killed and Edward's reign was secured. [3]

The author of the Arrival is unknown, but he identifies himself as a servant of Edward IV. For this reason the chronicle is written from a perspective sympathetic to King Edward, but this also allows the author a unique perspective. He claims that he experienced some of the events described first hand, and learned the rest from people closely involved. [4] The work was also written shortly after the events, and for these reasons it is considered the most authoritative source on the period, more so than e.g. the Croyland Chronicle or the works of Polydore Vergil. [4] The chronicle exists in two versions; in addition to the full, official one there is also an abridged version in French. This version was sent to the citizens of Bruges, the city where Edward had resided in exile, in appreciation of their hospitality. [4]

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Events from the 1470s in England.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wars of the Roses</span> Dynastic civil war in England (1455–1487)

The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The wars were fought between supporters of the House of Lancaster and House of York, two rival cadet branches of the royal House of Plantagenet. The conflict resulted in the end of Lancaster's male line in 1471, leaving the Tudor family to inherit their claim to the throne through the female line. Conflict was largely brought to an end upon the union of the two houses through marriage, creating the Tudor dynasty that would subsequently rule England.

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Sir James Harrington of Hornby was an English politician and soldier who was a prominent Yorkist supporter in Northern England during the Wars of the Roses, having been retained by Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury, who was brother-in-law to the head of the House of York, Richard of York. He was the second son of Sir Thomas Harrington, who had died with the king's father at the Battle of Wakefield in December 1460. James himself had fought with Salisbury at the Battle of Blore Heath in 1459, where he had been captured and imprisoned by the Lancastrians until the next year. He was a significant regional figure during the reign of King Edward IV, although the early years of the new king's reign were marred by a bitter feud between him and the Stanley family over a castle in Lancashire. On the accession of King Richard III in 1483, he was appointed to the new king's Household, and as such was almost certainly with him at the Battle of Bosworth Field two years later. It is likely that he fell in battle there, although precise details of his death are now unknown.

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References

  1. Ross, Charles (1997). Edward IV (new ed.). New Haven, London: Yale University Press. p. 153. ISBN   0-300-07372-0.
  2. Hicks, Michael (1998). Warwick the Kingmaker. Oxford: Blackwell. p. 307. ISBN   0-631-16259-3.
  3. Ross (1997), pp. 1678.
  4. 1 2 3 Bruce, John (8 May 1838). "Historie of the Arrivall of Edward IV, in England and the Finall Recouerye of His Kingdomes from Henry VI. A.D. M.CCCC.LXXI". Richard III Society. Archived from the original on 14 October 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2008.

Further reading