Hello, and thank you for joining me today for another Oak Academy history lesson.

My name is Mrs. Knox and today I'll be guiding you through all of the resources and materials that you need in the lesson.

So let's get started.

Today's lesson is part of the unit of work on the Wars of the Roses.

In today's lesson, we'll be examining what the Wars of the Roses can tell us about England in the 15th century.

There will be four useful terms that we'll use in the lesson today.

Let's have a look at those terms now.

The first word is the word rebellion, which means resistance to the government, often an armed uprising.

The second word we'll use is the word power.

Power is control or influence over others.

Thirdly, we'll use the word Plantagenet The Plantagenets were the royal house of England.

They reigned from 1154 till 1485.

The final word we'll use is the word Tudor.

The Tudors were also a royal house of England.

They reigned after the Plantagenets from 1485 to 1603.

Now today's lesson will be split into three parts.

Each part will tell us something about England in the 15th century.

Part one will tell us that England was a weak and unstable country.

The wars of the Roses, which started in 1455 and lasted over 30 years, created decades of instability in England.

During this time, the Lancastrians and the Yorkists frequently fought each other for the right to rule the country, resulting in England becoming a lawless and violent place much of the time.

Of the 60 noble families, which existed in England at the time, 30 of the lords which led these families were killed during the battles in the Wars of the Roses.

People had to shift their loyalties frequently as kings tended to reign for very short periods.

For example, the second reign of Henry VI lasted less than a year, and the reign of Richard III lasted two years.

Furthermore, both Henry VI and Edward IV lost and then regained the throne, which shows how precarious their positions were.

Additionally, the result of the crown changing hands many times meant there was less focus on English trade and England's reputation abroad was damaged.

Both of these things reduced England's global position and negatively impacted opportunities for English people.

Let's have a quick check now of your understanding.

I'd like you to answer this question.

Which of these kings were both from the House of Lancaster? Was it a, Henry VI and Edward V, b, Henry VI and Henry VII, or c, Richard III and Henry VI? Press pause now and when you're ready for the answer, press play.

Well done if you said that the correct answer was b, Henry VI and Henry VII were both from the House of Lancaster.

Here's another quick question for you.

Which of these kings were both from the House of York? Was it a, Edward IV and Edward the V, b, Richard III and Henry VI, or c, Henry VII and Edward V? Press pause again and when you're ready to hear the answer, press play.

That's right, you should have said that the correct answer was a, Edward IV and Edward V were both from the House of York.

It could be argued that the Wars of the Roses were the result of the poor leadership of the various Plantagenet kings.

Henry VI suffered with episodes of mental breakdown, which meant he spent long periods unable to make decisions.

In addition, Edward IV and Richard III were both willing to put their own ambitions ahead of English interests.

The focus of English kings was on power rather than on the interest of the people they ruled over.

Wars were expensive and this led to an increase in taxes.

Towns and cities were damaged in the fighting and many men were taken away from their families to fight.

This led to fewer men working on the land or in workshops causing production to fall.

Overall life for people in England during the Wars of the Roses got worse and it was only the fall of the Plantagenets and the rise of the Tudors, which brought greater stability.

Here's another chance to check your understanding so far.

I'd like you to answer this true or false question.

Life in England improved for people during the Wars of the Roses.

Is that true or false? Press pause now and when you're ready for the answer, press play.

You should have said the correct answer was false, but why is the answer false? Is it because a, taxes went up, towns were damaged, and people were killed, or b, the economy collapsed and England was invaded by France? Press pause to think of your answer and then press play when you're ready.

You should have said the correct justification was a, taxes went up, towns were damaged, and people were killed, and therefore, life did not improve for people during the Wars of the Roses.

Finally, in this section, we'll put our knowledge into practise by completing the sentence starter using the knowledge gained so far.

England was weak and unstable during the Wars of the Roses because.

Press pause now, complete your answer, and then press play to see what you could have written.

Welcome back.

Let's have a look at what you might have said.

England was weak and unstable during the Wars of the Roses.

Because the crown kept being passed between the Lancastrians and the Yorkist.

The nobility had to constantly shift their loyalties, and around half the noble lords were killed in the fighting to gain power.

Taxes had to be increased and many areas suffered damage in the fighting.

The interests of the people were put behind the desire the Lancastrians and the Yorkists had for power.

We're ready now to move on to the second section of today's lesson.

The section will tell us that it was a dangerous business being king.

The events of the Wars of the Roses revealed that mediaeval kingship was a dangerous business.

The threat of rebellion was never far away and therefore it was necessary for a king to be prepared to lead an army into battle to gain or to maintain power.

During periods of minority rule such as that of Henry VI and Edward V, it was more likely that there would be an attempt to seize power.

In 15th century England, a person not directly descended from the king could take the throne as was seen with Edward IV, Richard III, and Henry VII.

Kingship was won and lost through the outcomes of battles such as those at Towton in 1461, Tewkesbury in 1471, and the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

Here's a quick question to check your understanding now.

Which of these three battles resulted in a change of king? A, the Battle of Barnet, b, the Battle of Tewkesbury, c, the Battle of Bosworth Field, or d, the Battle of Towton? Press pause now and when you're ready to see the answer, press play.

You should have said that the three battles that resulted in a change of king were b, the Battle of Tewkesbury, c, the Battle of Bosworth Field, and d, the Battle of Towton.

Well done if you've got all three correct.

Maintaining the support of the nobility was vital to a king's survival in 15th century England.

It was necessary to secure the loyalty of powerful allies who could enforce the laws of the king in the more distant and rebellious parts of the kingdom.

However, it was dangerous to become too reliant on powerful nobles as in the case of Henry VI and Richard, Duke of York.

York was only meant to be protector of England until Henry VI recovered from a period of poor mental health but York decided he enjoyed the power so much that he gathered an army to fight the king at the Battle of St.

Albans in 1455.

York was from the other side of the Plantagenet family and his appointment started the Wars of the Roses.

Henry was beaten and although he did eventually manage to regain control with the help of his wife, Margaret of Anjou, in the end, he lost power and his life to York's son, Edward IV.

This shows that kings constantly had to be ready to put down rebellions and only through victory on the battlefield could they prevent the crown from slipping into the hands of their enemies.

Here's another quick check now of your understanding.

I'd like you to answer this question.

What could the nobility do if they were unhappy with the king? a, start a rebellion, b, vote against him, or c, write a letter of complaint? Press pause now and then when you're ready to hear the answer, press play.

The correct answer is A.

In the 15th century, if the nobility were unhappy with the king, they could start a rebellion.

Finally, it's time to put your knowledge into practise.

I'd like you to use the words to complete the boxes.

Here are the missing words and here are the boxes you need to complete.

By using these words, you will be able to come up with a diagram which tells us the qualities needed by a mediaeval king.

Press pause and when you're ready to see the correct answers, press play.

Welcome back.

Let's have a look at the correct answers.

The qualities needed by a mediaeval king were the authority to control the nobility, to not be troubled by poor health, to have loyal allies to help control rebellious areas, to be ready to put down rebellions, to be old enough to avoid a minority reign, and finally, the ability to lead an army.

Well done if you've got all of them correct.

We'll move on now to the final part of today's lesson.

In this part, we'll discover that the English nobility had considerable power.

One noble in particular, the Earl of Warwick, was responsible for causing instability in 15th century England.

He was nicknamed the King Maker because his support could make or break the fortunes of a king.

Although he was initially loyal to the Yorkists, he switched his support to the Lancastrians due to his jealousy over the rising power of the Woodvilles.

Edward IV had married Elizabeth Woodville in secret and began issuing lands and favours to her relatives.

Warwick betrayed Edward by pledging to help Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou win back the crown for the Lancastrians.

With Warwick's support, Henry VI was briefly able to win back the crown.

This shows the power that nobles such as Warwick had in the 15th century.

Kings relied on them to provide soldiers to fight and to enforce their laws.

The nobility wanted to ensure their power and influence in England and were willing to switch their loyalties if necessary.

This meant that kings were unable to upset powerful noble lords without potentially dangerous consequences.

It's time now to check your understanding.

I'd like you to answer this question.

Why did the Earl of Warwick betray Edward IV? Was it because a, Edward IV confiscated Warwick's lands? B, Warwick became jealous of the power of the Woodvilles? Or c, Margaret of Anjou forced him to support Henry VI? Press pause and when you're ready for the answer, press play.

You should have said the correct answer was b, Warwick became jealous of the power of the Woodvilles.

Similarly, the power and influence of Richard of Gloucester is an example of how those with powerful positions in English society sought to advantage their own interests.

Although Gloucester had previously shown loyalty to his brother, Edward IV, following his death, Gloucester seized the opportunity to make himself protector and ultimately King Richard III of England.

To do this, he had to declare his own nephews, Prince Edward and Prince Richard, illegitimate.

He perhaps even had a hand in their murder.

The instability in England prior to these events meant nobody in England was surprised at his actions.

Here's a final check of your understanding now.

Who did Richard of Gloucester betray to become Richard III? Was it a, his father, b, his brothers, or c, his nephews? Press pause now and when you're ready for the answer, press play.

That's right, you should have said that the correct answer was c, Richard of Gloucester betrayed his nephews to become Richard III.

It can be concluded that England was an unstable place in the 15th century where arguments about who should rule periodically broke out between the House of Lancaster and the House of York.

This prevented England from prospering and resulted in a power struggle, which eventually ended with the fall of the Plantagenets and the rise of the Tudors.

Henry Tudor's victory over Richard III at Bosworth Field ended the Wars of the Roses.

He was from the House of Lancaster but married Princess Elizabeth from the House of York.

Thus, finally uniting both the Lancasters and the Yorkists.

Here's a bonus check now of your understanding.

Which of these men united the House of York and the House of Lancaster? Was it a, Henry VII, b, Henry VI, or c, Richard, the Duke of York? Press pause now and when you've got your answer, press play.

That's right.

You should have said that it was Henry VII who united the House of York and the House of Lancaster.

In our final task today, I'd like you to explain the role of each of the following people in causing instability in 15th century England.

The people are Henry VI, Edward IV, and Richard III.

Try to write one paragraph per monarch.

You could use the starter sentence to begin your first paragraph.

England during the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century was an unstable place.

This was mainly due to the monarchy.

For example.

Press pause whilst you complete your paragraphs and then when you are ready to see what you could have written, press play.

Welcome back.

Let's have a look at what you might have written in your paragraphs.

England during the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century was an unstable place.

This was mainly due to the monarchy.

For example, Henry VI was considered a weak leader at the time as he suffered from poor mental health.

This caused instability because he struggled to control the country and had to hand power to a relative, Richard of York.

York was a powerful and ambitious lord who wanted to stay in power even after Henry VI had recovered.

If Henry VI had been stronger, he would've been able to crush York's challenge but instead, he was defeated and only later with the help of his wife, Margaret of Anjou, did he manage to regain the throne.

Edward IV also contributed to the instability in England during the 15th century due to his failure to control the nobility.

He started to give unfair advantage and power to his wife's family, the Woodvilles, which caused his former ally, the Earl of Warwick, to become jealous.

This resulted in Warwick deciding to betray Edward by helping Henry VI to regain the English throne.

Edward IV should have realised the importance of keeping the support of the powerful noble, Warwick.

His failure to do this led the throne to change hands yet again, contributing to the instability in England.

Richard III also contributed to the instability in England during the Wars of the Roses due to the actions he took to make himself king.

He betrayed his nephews, Prince Edward and Prince Richard, and declared them to be illegitimate so he could seize power for himself.

Perhaps due to the instability in the years leading up to this, Richard III thought he could get away with this.

The conflict and the violence of the previous years meant nobody was surprised by his actions and it is possible that he literally got away with murder.

We've reached the end of today's lesson.

Let's have a summary now of what you should have learned.

England was unstable during the Wars of the Roses.

Only a strong warrior king was able to maintain power.

Henry VI was unable to control the nobility, which led the Yorkists to seize power.

Edward IV upset the powerful nobleman, the Earl of Warwick, which led to further instability.

And Richard III's actions also created instability and further arguments about who should rule England as he declared his nephews illegitimate and took the throne from them.

Well done on all of your hard work in our lesson today.

I hope you feel confident that you've met your learning objective, and I look forward to you joining me in a future history lesson.