How do we know about the 15th century?

Sources for the period

By the 15th century, the ‘writing of history‘ was fairly well developed, and the
works of several chroniclers survive. These typically focussed on major events,
linked to important people. Such chronicles include that of John Benet, John
Hardyng and Jean de Waurin, as well as a number of anonymous works such as
the Chronicles of London.

The letters and papers of the Paston family of Norfolk are one of the most
celebrated sources; the earliest surviving collection of family papers in England,
they document the everyday experiences of a family that rose to prosperity in
the course of the 15th century, and are a very important source for the period
of the Wars of the Roses. The letters are available to view via Project
Gutenberg.

The period saw the beginning of topographic and antiquarian history, in the work of
William Worcester, who travelled around southern England in 1478-80, recording
natural features, places and antiquities. His contemporary, the antiquarian John Rous,
had a particular interest in the trappings of status – heraldry and armour.

In addition to narrative histories and chronicles there is also an enormous volume of

contemporary documentation, ranging from correspondence and personal wills to court
proceedings as well as the official records of the crown and things like deeds, accounts
and records of transactions of various kinds which is much more informative about
everyday life. These were usually kept by landowners, including the great religious
houses, although most of the records of the latter were destroyed during the
Reformation. There are also records kept by medieval boroughs, guilds and companies
that chart the activities of towns, craft organisations and professions. Generations of
historians have used this evidence to piece together a rich picture, not simply of ‘what
happened’, but also the changing dynamics of society and the economy in the period.

Literature is another important resource, often revealing what people enjoyed and
valued, whether fiction, fact or belief, as well as insights into social behaviour,
practices and expectations. Towards the end of the period printing technology was
introduced, and we will be looking at the impact of this in more detail at a later stage.

There is also the evidence on the ground. Significant numbers of buildings survive from
the 15th century; these include not only the impressive residences of people of status,
but also the timber-framed homes of farmers, peasants and townsfolk, as well as
numerous churches which, though not necessarily built anew, were commonly altered and
added to in the period.

1
And finally there is the below-ground evidence of archaeology. Interest in below-ground
medieval archaeology is not as old as the study of historical texts, but it has produced
some very interesting insights into many aspects of the period. Studies include the
excavation of houses and study of medieval settlements, as well as the investigation of
artefacts and the remains of food waste, and the physical remains of medieval people
themselves.

Royal relationships

he Wars of the Roses are widely known as the protracted struggle for the throne of
England between two competing dynasties-- the House of Lancaster and the House of
York. The path to conflict was created by the early death of King Henry V, the famous
victor of Agincourt, who left a son less than a year old to succeed him. The long
minority of this son, Henry VI, handed the government of the kingdom to powerful
noblemen, causing much resentment among other members of the ruling elite, including
Henry's own royal kin, which erupted into outright conflict in 1455.

To understand the relationships between the combatants, it is necessary, however, go

back in time to the 14th century and the reign of King Edward III. The key claimants,
with the exception, ironically, of the final victor, King Henry VII, all trace their lineage
and their claim to the throne through his male descendants. Edward III had five
legitimate surviving sons. The eldest, known as the Black Prince. Lionel, Duke of
Clarence, Edmund of Langley, Duke of York, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and
Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester. The Black Prince died shortly before his
father in 1376, so Edward III was succeeded by the prince's son, King Richard II.

On his murder in 1399, the crown was claimed by the son of John of Gaunt, Henry of
Bolingbroke, who became Henry IV. Lionel of Clarence, Edward III's second son, had no
male heirs. Henry IV was succeeded by his own son, Henry V. Henry's title to the crown
was appropriate to the strict application of primogeniture-- inheritance through the
eldest born male heir. But he had many close relatives with an equal share of royal
blood. In the light of his perceived incapacity in 1455, Richard, Duke of York, who had
hitherto supported Henry VI, asserted his own claim to the throne. Richard was the
direct male descendant of the grandson of Edmund of Langley.

But he was also descended from Lionel, Duke of Clarence, through his mother, Anne
Mortimer. Henry Tudor, who became Henry VII, was not legitimately descended from
Edward III. The son of Henry VI's half brother, Edmund Tudor, and Margaret
Beaufort, a granddaughter of John of Gaunt's illegitimate son, John Beaufort, he
became the inheritor of the Lancasterian claim at a very late stage in the story.

2
Personalities and reputations

Here is a handy guide to the personalities involved in the Wars of the Roses:

Edward IV Driven and ambitious, Edward proved himself to be a distinguished military

commander, resolving his difficulties with a variety of approaches which varied from
the pragmatic to the brutal and vengeful. Later in life he developed a reputation for
luxury and excess, which may have contributed to his relatively early death at the age
of 41.

Henry VI Portrayed by his contemporaries as both passive and pious, he was controlled
throughout most of his reign by powerful courtiers, including his wife. He suffered
from mental health problems intermittently in the course of his reign; he was the last
king of England for whom a case for canonisation was proposed.

Richard III ‘Traditionally’ represented as a scheming and unscrupulous villain by Tudor

writers and historians, before he came to the throne he acquired a reputation as both a
skilled administrator and a brave military commander in the field.

Henry VII Reared in exile in Brittany, Henry became an experienced leader in battle.
With an early reputation for piety, later in life he acquired a strong reputation for
avarice. Skilled in political diplomacy, he is often seen as the first ‘modern’ English king.

Margaret of Anjou Seen as the archetype of a hard, scheming and ruthless queen
consort, Margaret has had a bad press from English writers, in both medieval and
modern times. Ferociously loyal to the interests of her son, she clearly possessed some
leadership and diplomatic skills, but lost her role on the political stage with his death at
Tewkesbury.

Elizabeth Woodville Her marriage to Edward IV, initially a secret, was seen as a blow
by courtiers trying to arrange a political marriage to the king, and her survival strategy
involved securing the interests of her immediate kin at court. This made her unpopular
with other courtiers, but seems quite understandable from a more distant perspective.
Her direct involvement in politics is unclear.

Richard Nevillle, earl of Warwick. Inheriting a vast estate through his wife at the age
of 20, Neville used his wealth to attempt to control the course of English political
history, A man of enormous ambition, he shifted his allegiance from York to Lancaster,
and personal disaster when he was no longer able to keep his central role at Edward’s
side.

3
Richard Plantagenet, duke of York. Richard had spent many years in the service of the
crown before his decision to try to overthrow the monarchy of Henry VI in 1455, and
his motivation and personality are hard to assess; presumably he was convinced of the
justice of his own cause.