Explain why Richard, Duke of Gloucester seized the throne in 1483. [12 marks]

Authors Avatar by blueconstellation (student)

Explain why Richard, Duke of Gloucester seized the throne in 1483. [12 marks]

From 1471, under Edward IV, England had enjoyed a relatively peaceful reign free from the battles of the Wars of the Roses, but on the 9th of April he died. As Edward V was only 12, Richard, Duke of Gloucester became Lord Protector. But by the 26th of June Richard had advanced to the position of King of England. Between these two dates, there were several reasons why Richard had become the new king by the end of the six weeks: primarily, the ambitions and work of Richard III, Edward IV’s early death and the role of the Woodvilles.

Both Richard’s political ambitions and the tactics he used contributed toward why he succeeding in gaining the throne. It is possible Richard could have taken advantage of Edward IV’s new will, made in the last few days of his life, making the changes Edward made in his last days appear to now say he would become Lord Protector, meaning Richard would secure more power over England. Richard III claimed Edward V was illegitimate since Edward IV had been previously betrothed to Lady Eleanor Talbot, therefore making his marriage to Elizabeth Woodville unlawful. This meant neither Edward V nor Richard, Duke of York, could become king. Richard had also put Edward, Earl of Warwick, who was next in line to the throne, in prison. This meant there were fewer heirs in between Edward IV and himself. Richard had the backing of the Duke of Buckingham, so if he became king, he had enough support to fight potential opposition. This let Richard be more ambitious with his plans. Richard had the Duke of Hastings executed for treason. This was because Hastings had appeared eager to put Edward V on the throne and give the Woodvilles a lot of power. He had John Morton, Bishop of Ely at the time, and Thomas Rotherham, Archbishop of York imprisoned while Lord Stanley was temporarily detained at his home as all three had backed Elizabeth Woodville’s attempts to grapple some power over Edward V away from Richard. On the 22nd of June, he commissioned Friar Ralph Shaw to preach about the illegitimacy of Edward V and his brother and say Richard should rule as Lord Protector. This could have been to convince the general public of his claim. Richard had might have felt jealous of Edward V, which is why he seized the throne from him. Richard had spent lots of effort helping Edward IV beat the House of Lancaster, watched him have a relatively long reign, but was now seeing a 12 year old boy becoming king. Perhaps he felt it was time for him to be king as he had waited much longer than Edward V. Further evidence for Richard’s political ambitions being a factor was through his possible culpability of the murder of the Princes in the Tower after the summer of 1483. Removing the princes completely would have reduced the chance of an uprising against Richard, keeping him in control of England more securely.

Join now!

Edward IV’s sudden death and the youth of Edward V gave Richard III an easier opportunity to gain power in the confusion after Edward IV’s death and the vagueness of the laws surrounding the rule of a minor. Edward IV’s death was sudden and unexpected. He fell ill in March of 1483 and died the next month. Before Edward changed his will, Elizabeth Woodville would have gained custody of the princes with a Regency Council, but now, Richard III had primary custody. Edward IV did not have time to fully publicize the terms of his new will. This may ...

This is a preview of the whole essay