How effective was Edward IV's domestic government from 1471?

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                31/10/03

How effective was Edward IV’s domestic government from 1471?

Opinion has been divided about the effectiveness of Edward IV and his government during his second reign. Commynes, his contemporary criticised the gluttony and idleness of Edward. On the other hand, JK Green in the 1870s believed he was so effective that he and his government had established a “New Monarchy” of enhanced powers on which the Tudors later built. Christine Carpenter regards Edward IV as the most effective king since Edward I, which infers that his government must have been effective. Yet, J.R. Lander saw him as “a compound of dissipation and ability” and Charles Ross (1980) regarded his achievements as a ruler as “a mixed bag”. One also has to remember that whatever the achievements of his government, he was the first King whose designated successor failed to secure the throne since Henry I and two years after his death, his dynasty (for which he fought so hard) was at an end. This suggests a lack of effectiveness.

        

Edward’s domestic government can be split into different parts, starting first with how effectively he coped with law and order in his second reign.

In comparison with Henry VI’s reign and his first reign there were no major rebellions, inferring that he controlled law and order effectively. From 1450 to 61 there were many rebellions, Cade’s revolt in 1450 and Yorkist rebellions in 1452, 1455, 1459 and 1460. From 1461 to 70 (his first reign) there were 2 rebellions by Warwick and the rest of the Lancastrians were dealt with. However there were no uprisings, except a small revolt by the Earl of Oxford in 1474. This implies that Edward was seen to be too strong a king to try and rebel against. His law and order policies therefore, in that respect were effective.

Edward also dealt with nobles who caused serious trouble for the crown effectively, Oxford was imprisoned and died in 1478 and Clarence, who had rebelled against Edward with Warwick in 1469, was executed in 1478. Clarence was even Edward’s brother – which showed that no man could get away with treason, not even flesh and blood.

        The reasons that uprisings against the crown were not a problem to Edward in his second reign may have been because of his care at building up a strong law and order regime. Edward’s attention to building an “elite” Yorkist nobility kept him strong; he placed his brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester, in the north and this stopped the feuding of Percy, Neville and Stanley.

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JK Green’s view that Edward established a “New Monarchy” on which the Tudors later built is shown when he reinstated the Council of Wales of the Marshes in the 1470s (which was made for his son, the future Edward V). This was increasingly used as a regional branch of the royal council and given more and more powers and administrative tasks. Richard III set this council up in the north in 1484 and then Henry VII again instated the Council of Wales in 1480s and another in the north from 1489.

These councils were made permanent from 1530s to the ...

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