PLANTAGENET. Family at War.

Aristocracy in the fifteenth century.

Let us take a look at the key families and players surrounding the Plantagenet framework.
The rule of thumb was a fortune of at least £1,000 to be a baron or earl, and £2,000 to maintain dignity as a Duke.

Beaufort. Dukes of Somerset, have estates in the South West of England and to the south of London. Traditional title is of Dorset.
The family is descended from John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford, and were illegitimate, then legitimised.
Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, had a brief affair with Catherine Valois, Henry V's widow. When Lieutenant General of France he lost Rouen and Caen but persuaded Henry VIth and Margaret of Anjou to appoint him Constable of England on his return when he insisted on compensation of 10,000 marks for loss of lands in Maine when it was handed back to France.
Edmund's brother John, first Duke of Somerset, committed suicide, and left one daughter, Margaret.
Edmund's son Henry born in 1436, and son Edmund born in 1438.
Margaret Beaufort (1443-1509) was a survivor. Protected by her second husband, Stafford, but in 1471 when Stafford died she took yet another. Thomas Stanley had connections, and children, was on the lookout for status, which Margaret brought. Once married Margaret used her new found connections to protect the rights and life of her only child, to Edmund Tydor, a boy named Henry Tydor, and gain him his father's title of Earl of Richmond.
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Tydor. Earls of Richmond, Pembroke and Bedford.
Owen Tydor (1400-61), and Catherine de Valois (Henry Vth's window) had three sons.
Edmund Tydor.(1430-56)
Jasper Tydor. (1431-95)
Owen Tydor.
In November 1452, Henry VI, who had a fondness for the Tydors, recognised Edmund and Jasper as his uterine brothers.
Edmund was created Earl of Richmond, and married Margaret Beaufort, with whom he had a son, Henry.
Edmund and his brother Jasper, Earl of Pembroke and Duke of Bedford, try to remain balanced in a power struggle between Somerset and York, but loyal to Henry VI use their lands in west Wales  to support the 'Lancastrian' cause.
With the eventual defeat and death of the Beauforts, Jasper Tydor and Margaret Beaufort's son Henry, (1457-1509), heir to the earldom of Richmond, were the only opposition to York left standing. Jasper, a constant and relentless fighter for the Lancastrian faction, along with Henry find exile in Brittany in 1471, there dependent upon Duke Francis, who recognised a political advantage to his charity in aid forthcoming to him to keep Brittany out of the grasp of the French. Kept in comfortable captivity all around Brittany, though under constant threat and fear, the two Tydors were moved here and there to avoid assassination, while Francis met with Edward and Louis in equal measure, his Tydors the prize if any gain were big enough.
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Stafford. Dukes of Buckingham.
Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham (1402-60) was descended from Edward III's son, Thomas of Woodstock. Titled Duke because of lands in Wales, West Midlands and Kent, he married into the family of Westmorland Neville's, this plus links by his mother in law to the Beauforts helped his standing. Humphrey had vast resources, and deployed them to keep the peace, but when the chips were down it was to the king he was loyal. Although a moderate man he had a vicious temper, had attempted to stab Joan of Arc, and treated Cecily Neville severely when she was in his care. His son and successor was Henry Stafford.
Henry Stafford (1455-83) of the senior Stafford line and grandson of the 1st Duke who in his time had defended the Lancastrian cause, made his peace with the Yorkist's, marrying Catherine Woodville, sister of the Queen, and with an income of £3,000 a year was a wealthy magnate.
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Neville. Earls of Salisbury.
Rivals to the Percy's, Earls of Northumberland.
Senior branch of Neville family, the Earls of Westmoreland was through Ralph Neville's first marriage line to Margaret Stafford.
Richard Neville, from Ralph Neville's second marriage to Joan Beaufort, swept up the Montagu inheritance by marrying the sole heiress of the Salisbury estate, Alice Montagu and became Earl of Salisbury.
The Nevilles controlled the western Marches, Percy the eastern, but by the close of the 1440s and into the early 1450's Richard Neville challenged and surpassed all of Percy power, and effectively became the dominant force of the North.
Neville. Earls of Warwick.
Richard, the Earl of Salisbury's son, was also called Richard Neville (1428-71) twenty two years old in 1450. With two unfortunate deaths this Richard Neville inherited the massive Warwick estates of the Beauchamps to become 16th Earl of Warwick. From 1455 Warwick became interested in politics, angering Margaret of Anjou, and on also acquiring the earldom of Salisbury when his father died made him a force to be reckoned with and an upstart of a subject. 
In the 1450's the senior Percy, Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland (1394-1455) seemed content to live with Neville dominance. But his son, again a Henry Percy, Lord Egremont and 3rd earl of Northumberland (1421-61) was ambitious and inpatient with the balance of power in the northern counties. Only a strong royal hand kept these 'kings in the north' under control.
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Holland. Dukes of Exeter.
Henry Holland, Duke of Exeter and Earl of Huntingdon (1430-73). The Hollands had a patchy history. Henry Holland was cruel and volatile, his estate was small, income only £1002 a year. He aspired to be at the right hand of the king, but his disastrous marriage to Anne of York gave him no desire to support the Yorkist cause. Anne managed to divorce him and married a knight, Thomas St Ledger.
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Mowbray. Dukes of Norfolk.
John Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk (1415-61) was another angry man in his youth. Mowbray lands of this high placed family are distributed over 150 properties in 25 counties, an administrative nightmare. Novices in East Anglian politics where many of Norfolk's estates are situated meant their local power was limited compared with the de la Pole's, Dukes of Suffolk. Norfolk's priority in building a power base in East Anglia involves him interfering with the Norfolk gentry, creating a nuisance then offering protection. Norfolk, largely excluded from major political influence, and in his support of York, Norfolk constantly played one faction off against the other hoping to avoid embroiling himself.
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de la Pole. Dukes of Suffolk.
Rivals for power in East Anglia, the de la Pole's came from Hull's merchant class.
William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk (1396-1450) in attempting to fix Henry VI's failures paid the price with his head lying on a Kent beach.
John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk, (1442-91) a self preserver and fence sitter, a survivor of no reliability, son of the misunderstood William de la Pole. Loyal to Edward IV, even through Warwick's campaign in 1470, was consequently distrusted by the Readeption regime. Suffolk had little income from his estates in East Anglia and the Chilterns, well below the £1,000 needed for an earl, and despite his loyalty to Edward, and his marriage to Edward's sister Elizabeth he didn't profit much in land or regard from Edward and took no position on the royal council.
John and Elizabeth had eleven children, though not all lived to their majority, those that did had a claim to the throne from the Yorkist side, though apparently an irrelevance in 1471.
John de le Pole (1462-1487) eldest son of John, created Earl of Lincoln in 1467,  and knighted with Edward IV's sons.
Edmund de la Pole (1471-1513) 3rd Duke of Suffolk.
Richard de la Pole (1480-1525).
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Courtenay. Earls of Devon, they commanded respect in Devon and were rivals of the Bonville family who, all the same supported them whilst gradually becoming as rich as their overlords.
In 1437 William Bonville (1392-1461) was created Royal Steward of Cornwall, the preserve of the Courtenays. Henry VIth tried appease his mistake by giving Thomas Courtenay, 5th earl of Devon (1414-58) the same post. The Bonville and Courtenay families went to war, looking for powerful allies in the local power struggle, a fight continued by son Thomas Courtenay, 3rd earl of Devon (1431-61).
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Woodville.
The Woodvilles were a family of not much significance.
Richard Woodville was made Baron Rivers in 1448 and Earl Rivers in 1460. He died in 1469, was not irrelevant, but his family was well down the ranks. His father had never been knighted, but had played a prominent role in certain events. Richard Woodville, a committed Lancastrian in the 1450's, was Seneschal of Gascony in 1450, Lieutenant of Calais in 1454, but his final rise to power was by marrying Jacquetta of Luxembourg, the widow of the Duke of Bedford in March 1437, a scandal at the time. Richard Woodville, and Anthony Woodville (1440-83) his son, fought for Henry VI at Towton, but the marriage of Richard's daughter, Elizabeth Woodville transformed the families fortunes.
After the bloodletting of the Readeption, Anthony Woodville was elevated to Earl Rivers,(2nd). Anthony, brother to Elizabeth Woodville, was a famous jouster who wore a hair shirt and went on many a pilgrimage and crusade. He never played any central role Edward IV might have had in mind for him, going on crusade at a crucial point and showing more interest in serving God and the Renaissance than fulfilling any political role. In 1473 he was appointed Tutor to Edward's son and heir, Edward, residing at Ludlow, there helping him manage his affairs and education.
Elizabeth Woodville's sons by her first marriage were Thomas (1455-1501) and Richard Grey (1457-83).
Thomas became Marquess of Dorset, acquiring land by marriage to Cecily Bonville, heir to the Bonville and Harrington lands in the North and South West to bolster his title. The Bonville's war with the Courtenay's had rubbed out the Bonville male line so Cecily Bonville held the fortune. The marriage fuelled resentment of the Woodvilles as power grabbing relations of the crown. Thomas (Dorset) was not sufficiently intelligent to ride the complex political landscape he found himself embroiled in.
The younger brother Sir Richard Grey, 14 years old in 1471, did not enter public life until 1482 when Edward IV increased his stepson's status, sharing lands of the Duchy of Exeter, and giving him the lordship of Kidwelly in Wales. He was also made Constable of Chester. In 1483 Richard was with his uncle Anthony Woodville, Lord Rivers in Ludlow.
Lionel Woodville (1454-84) was another of Elizabeth's brother's born in 1454. He became Bishop of Salisbury much later.
The Woodvilles were constantly resented for their seats on the King's council and their influence over King Edward IV.
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de Vere. Earls of Oxford.
Lands concentrated in Essex, with an annual income of only 500 pounds are not high ranking.
John de Vere, Earl of Oxford (1408-62) allied himself to the Mowbrays and against the de la Pole dukes of Suffolk with little success because of it. John de Vere arrived late for battle of Northampton, another fence sitter who received his dramatic reward in 1462.
One of the oldest families in the peerage, but never the richest, reaching back to Aubrey de Vere and the conquest, the senior line was of Earls of Oxford.
During the 'Wars of the Roses', the de Vere's took a partisan approach, rather than hedging like the Stanleys. The de Vere's were Lancastrians, supporters of Henry Tydor. John de Vere and his son Aubrey were executed by Edward IV in 1461 for treason.
John de Vere (1442-1513) 13th Earl of Oxford fled into exile after the defeat at Barnet where he commanded one wing of Warwick's army.
In 1473, John de Vere was stripped of his Earl of Oxford title, for his activity in trying to foster rebellion and capturing St Michael's Mount. At the time England had no appetite for rebellion against York, and de Vere was captured.
In 1478, John de Vere, while held in the castle of Hammes, in the Pale of Calais, leapt into the moat in a failed attempt at escape or suicide.
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Clifford.
The Clifford power base was in the West Riding of Yorkshire and Cumbria, a long established family loyal to Percy and Neville alike.
Thomas Clifford (1415-55) does build strength and influence, but the rise of the Salisbury branch of Neville and the Clifford rivalry with Percy's and the Neville's earls of Westmoreland line confused matters somewhat. Throughout all this manoeuvring Salisbury was Clifford's main enemy and drove most of his actions.
In 1454 Clifford supposedly joined an alliance with Egremont and Exeter though there is no recorded opposition to York.
John Clifford (1435-61), Thomas Clifford's son was then driven by desire for vengeance when his father died at St Albans.
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Stanley.
The Stanley estates are in Cheshire, where the family have a violent history. In 1376 the Stanley brothers forced entry in to Thurstaston Hall and murdered Thomas Cloxton. Outlawed, John Stanley was hired for the war in France, and in so doing held off the law and made his fortune. He finished up the titular King of Mann.
Thomas (1433-1504) and William Stanley (1435-95) are grandsons of John Stanley.
Thomas Stanley the eldest, an out and out turncoat, at Blore Heath as a Lancastrian stalwart he watched on while Audley was slaughtered.
William Stanley was in the battle, and fled with Edward after Ludlow.
After Northampton Thomas switched allegiance to York.
Through this period the Stanleys ruthlessly defended and enhanced their holding in Cheshire and Lancashire and when Thomas was called in front of the king for the murder of John Butler, Edward could do nothing, not wanting to jeopardise their support for his regime. The Stanley brothers also made Gloucester's position in the Northwest very tentative.
Thomas Stanley married Margaret Beaufort in 1472, but still the Stanley power base rendered them essential for Yorkist rule, as untrustworthy as they were.
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Hastings.
William Hastings (1430-83), close to Edward IV from the start, including their extra marital affairs with Jane Shore. Edward valued his good opinion on all matters.
More said of him being an 'honourable man, a good knight and a gentle loving man, and in passing well beloved'.
In resuming his office as Chamberlain of England, a post allowing constant access to power, to the king Edward, and as affable as he reportedly was, all of this allowed Hastings special access and privilege. Hastings was a facilitator for many people, who therefore kept him close and in good favour. Religious houses made him steward, barons sent him gifts, including Richard, Earl Rivers and the Duke of Clarence who made Hastings his Chief Steward. King Louis of France gave him a pension of 2,000 crowns, Charles Duke of Burgundy gave him 1,000 ecus. Hastings was courted and honoured even by the king.
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Percy.
Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, with estates generating £3,200 plus offices of £800.
Edward IV brought the Percy's down for their support of Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou, finalising their demise in 1469 with Henry Percy ensconced in Fleet prison and John Neville given the Earldom of Northumberland. The north however was difficult to rule without the Percy's, so Henry had to be restored. John Neville rebelled, but the Percy's we're back.
Gloucester however was wealthier and had more land, Richard and Henry tried hard to get along in their governance of the north but in 1474 were called to attend King Edward, the result of an indenture between them. Although Percy retained some influence he was forced to accept Gloucester's supremacy which appeared to solve the situation.
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Bourchier.
Earl of Essex and Archbishop of Canterbury. Both brothers were supporters of York but content to play their role under the rule of either faction.
Henry Bourchier (1408-1483), a supporter of York after the battle of St Albans in 1455, was made Treasurer of England buy Edward IV, then Earl of Essex in 1461.
Thomas Bourchier (1411-1486) was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury in 1454, and Chancellor in 1455.