I
The earl of Warwick, known as the "kingmaker," was the most famous
man in England for many years after the death of Henry V. He lived
in a great castle with two towers higher than most church spires.
It is one of the handsomest dwellings in the world and is visited
every year by thousands of people. The kingmaker had a guard of
six hundred men. At his house in London meals were served to so
many people that six fat oxen were eaten at breakfast alone. He
had a hundred and ten estates in different parts of England and
no less than 30,000 persons were fed daily at his board. He owned
the whole city of Worcester, and besides this and three islands,
Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney, so famed in our time for their cattle,
belonged to him.
He had a cousin of whom he was as fond as if he were a brother.
This was Richard, duke of York, who was also own cousin to King
Henry VI, the son of Henry V.
One evening as the sun was setting, and the warders were going to
close the gates of the city of York for the night, a loud blast
of a horn was heard. It was made by the sentry on the wall near
the southern gate. An armed troop was approaching. When they drew
near the gate their scarlet coats embroidered with the figure of
a boar proved them to be the men of the earl of Warwick. The earl
himself was behind them. The gate was opened.
Passing through it and on to the castle, the earl and his company
were soon within its strong stone walls.
"Cousin," said the earl of Warwick to the duke of York as they sat
talking before a huge log fire in the great room of the castle,
"England will not long endure the misrule of a king who is half
the time out of his mind."
The earl spoke the truth. Every now and then Henry VI lost his
reason, and the duke of York, or some other nobleman, had to govern
the kingdom for him.
The earl of Warwick added: "You are the rightful heir to the throne.
The claim of Henry VI comes through Lancaster, the fourth son of
Edward III--yours through Lionel, the second. His claim comes through
his father only--yours through both your father and mother. It is
a better claim and it is a double claim."
"That is true, my cousin of Warwick," replied the duke of York,
"but we must not plunge England into war."
"Surely not if we can help it," replied the earl. "Let us first
ask for reform. If the king heeds our petition, well and good.
If not I am determined, cousin of York, that you shall sit on the
throne of England instead of our insane sovereign."
A petition was soon drawn up and signed and presented to Henry.
It asked that Henry would do something which would make the people
contented.
The king paid no attention to it. Then a war began. It was the
longest and most terrible that ever took place in England. It lasted
for thirty years.
Those who fought on the king's side were called Lancastrians, because
Henry's ancestor, John of Gaunt, was the duke of Lancaster. The
friends of Richard were called Yorkists, because he was duke of
York. The Lancastrians took a red rose for their badge; the Yorkists
a white one. For this reason the long struggle has always been
called the "War of the Roses."
In the first great battle the Red Rose party was defeated and the
king himself was taken prisoner.
The victors now thought that the duke of York ought to be made king
at once. However, a parliament was called to decide the question,
and it was agreed that Henry should be king as long as he lived,
but that at his death the crown should pass to the duke of York.