To What Extent Was Effective Royal Government Re-Established

To what extent was effective royal government re-established in England in the years 1471-83? In the years 1471-83, little was done to challenge Edward IV’s restoration of authority. An example of this was that in Edward’s second rain he looked build a strong web of law and order and to make sure that no mighty magnates were able to rise up and challenge him. This shows that Edward was looking to cement his royal authority by dividing the land of powerful nobles to his allies and his family.

This shows how he was the most powerful person in the country and nobles, no longer had the resources to challenge him. However this did annoy some of the most powerful nobles as they felt that they were being punished. They would have also lost a portion of their income as a result of this although they had nothing wrong, excepted for posing a slight danger to the king. This system also only worked whilst Edward was alive as the people that were given the land by the king had no alliances with the people that lived on the land. This then led to a big issue that no one knew what was rightfully theirs.

Although whilst Edward was alive this system did restore the royal authority and the authority of the law, when he died all the land that he controlled diminished in power as the system only worked due to the noble alliances to Edward IV. Royal authority also increased to what it had been previously as during the years previous to Edwards second reign, 1470-1471, Henry VI was weak in his royal authority and his control over the population was very low as the change in the monarchy would have caused turmoil within the country.

However when Edward regained his crown; due to an alliance with the Duke of Burgundy who provided soldiers, money and ships to invade England, he killed Henry and his son, the Prince of Wales. This meant that there was no longer an obvious Lancastrian Challenge to the throne and monarchy. This shows how Edward has restored royal authority by eliminating all opponents to his kingship. However there was a challenge to his throne and his authority from within his own family. George duke of Clarence who rebelled in 1474 and again in 1478. The first rebellion led to him being attainted whereas the second led to his death.

By punishing George Duke of Clarence so harshly Edward IV was imposing the law and restoring royal authority and showing his people that he was able to govern well. The second reign of Edward the Iv restored royal authority as he was able to live off his own. This was unlike in his first reign where he was tax people more than the regular amount due to funding being needed to go to war with France. This shows how taxing was unpopular as the Lincolnshire Rebellion started over tax and this undermined his authority as it showed that the people had lost respect for the king.

However Edwards resolved this problem as in 1475 King Edward the IV and Charles the Duke of Burgundy make a secret agreement, this agreement is to invade France as soon as possible. The two men decide to join their armies together to make and English Burgundian army. The king of France does find out about this deal and send a message to the Scottish to invade England to act as a deterrent to them invading. This is where Edwards Strong web of Power and authority comes into good use and action as he has placed his brother, Richard duke of Gloucester in York for two main reasons.

The first was to stop and feuds between the Neville and Percy family and the second, and most important, was to stop the Scottish from invading England. Another key example of Edward restoring royal authority was him arranging the marriage of Cecily Neville to the heir of the Scottish throne. The king of France however now knows that the English Burgundian army are coming and he starts to panic. Edward attacked France in 1475 however the king of France was quick to agree and sign the treaty of Picquigny in 1475. This treaty meant that France paid Edward ? 5,000 to go home and take his army with him. Also France paid an annual pension of ? 10,000 If Edward stayed out of France. This Treaty further enhanced Edward’s and England’s security and showed how he was supporting himself and not having to tax the people. All this money led to more security within the monarchy and helped restore Edwards’s authority. However this again leads to the same conclusion as his web of power as when Edwards’s rain is over this financial support and security is no longer available and Edward had spent all this money as fast as it came.

In turn this left so security or support for his son Edward V in 1483 where he could have used this money to buy back power and claim his place as king from his uncle Richard III. From this alliance also came the marriage of Elizabeth, Edwards’s oldest daughter, to the Dauphin of France. This is a key example of Edward using foreign policy to restore his authority and provide England again with security and strong allies. In conclusion Edward re-established royal government and authority to England in his second reign in the years 1471-1483.

His first established strong and reliable alliances throughout England therefore helping him govern and maintain law over the whole of England. This was reinforced when he succeeded in diminishing the power of the mighty magnates by splitting their lands. This was accomplished and gave him full control with no threat of an opposition. He also looked to sort out any people that were causing him problems and enforced the law, killing Henry VI, Edward, Prince of Wales and George Duke of Clarence.

This left no one that could oppose his position directly. However his failure to make England secure from ambitious others fell short as he created a mighty magnate out of his closest male relative, Richard the III. This did not come to the surface however until 1483 when Edward Died and Richard used his power to prolong Edward V’s coronation and take power for himself. Overall however in the majority of his reign Edward did re-establish government and royal authority and was respected by the people and had the financial support to live off his own.