The Late Middle Ages

The Late Middle Ages saw fighting between England and Wales and England and Scotland, with a mass colonisation of Wales, including the eradication of the Welsh language and the construction of several castles.

The monarchs of this time continued to be descended from the Normans and two branches of the family began the Cousin’s War/War of the Roses. The war ended with the beginning of the Tudor dynasty.  It is generally accepted that Edward I was the first king of the Late Middle Ages, he brought in a series of changes to eradicate corruption within local government, but this collapsed under his son, Edward II who dealt with a series of civil wars. Edward III saw peace and created a government that was much better organised than any that had come before. He also helped with creating the idea of chivalry and held many elaborate events involving knights to encourage more support and boost morale, it was this that spawned tournaments and round table events which continued into the Tudor dynasty.

There were many challenges for the leaders of this time including famine and plague. The state of the economy caused wages to soar and workloads to fall resulting in a Statute of Labourers Act which limited wages and prevented the lower classes from having access to luxury items. A poll tax was also introduced with resulted in a Peasant’s Revolt, the outcome of which saw a new class of gentry emerge and over 7000 people being executed.

By the time Richard II was deposed, the power of the major nobles had grown considerably and could control the running of the country when faced with a weak or young ruler, as was seen during Henry VI’s minority. The War of the Roses saw a savage escalation of violence between the noble factions on both sides meaning that by the time Henry VII took the throne, the government had weakened substantially and many noble lines were wiped out entirely.