The Northeast of England in the era of the Wars of the Roses (using the example of the Paston family)

Abstract

The subject of the study is the participation of the English small-scale provincial nobility in the events of the Wars of the Roses (1455-1485) and their behavior patterns in the context of a dynastic conflict, using the example of the fate of John Paston from Norfolk County (northeast of England). Special attention is paid to how the relationship between the average nobleman and his neighbors was built, the circle of his acquaintances, the degree of involvement in national politics, personal conflicts and motives. Both the general patterns characteristic of the fate of most representatives of the privileged class of the XV century are considered, as well as the specifics that distinguish the region specifically studied and the personalities of interest to us in comparison with data from other counties (primarily the south-west of England). The main source is the fundamental family archive "Letters of the Pastors", which contains invaluable information on the English history of the period we are interested in. The research is based on the principles of historicism and scientific objectivity and is based on the problem-chronological principle. Analytical, comparative historical and dialectical methods are used in the analysis of historical sources. Due to the fact that the study is built around the biography of a particular person, the events of the epoch we are interested in are considered from the perspective of microhistory. Within the framework of the study, the working hypothesis developed by the author in other articles ("John Trevelyan and the Wars of the Roses", "English provincial Nobility and the Wars of the Roses", "The political struggle of the era of the Wars of the Roses in the light of English parliamentary legislation") on the evolution of the policy of the royal power in relation to the provincial nobility is being tested. At the initial stage of the Wars of the Roses, the Lancastrian party is the first to move to form the ranks of its supporters in the counties, which, using the example of Norfolk, leads to a conflict between John Paston and Lord Molanes, a prominent supporter of the Lancaster dynasty. The fact that Paston did not become an active Yorkist turned into difficulties for him at the next stage, when King Edward IV switched to a policy of reconciliation of warring factions, which is why the nobles, who remained neutral during the conflict, found themselves at enmity with both supporters of the Yorks and former Lancastrians reconciled with the new dynasty.