#Remember that the Yorkists were on the brink of total defeat by the end of 1460 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

wonder-worker · 10 months

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how do you think the Lancasters stood the best chance at winning the war?

Imo, if they'd won at Mortimer's Cross or Towton, the Yorkists would be finished.

A lot of the WotR depended on military victories, tbh. We tend to get distracted by fancy discussions like "Who had the best claim?"* or Propaganda Roulette 101, but the fact remains that it was ultimately military victories that sealed the deal and got rid of opposition**. Everything else was pretty wrapping on top of the already-won or to-be-won prize.

*The most useless debate of all **The exception was Richard III's usurpation but that was a fairly unconventional and entirely unexpected usurpation, and in any case it was a military defeat that ended his reign.

#ask #wars of the roses #Remember that the Yorkists were on the brink of total defeat by the end of 1460 #The Duke of York and his second son were killed; and his heir was only 18; the King would soon be reclaimed from their grasp #If they'd lost in 1461 their cause would most likely be over #A fairly analogous example would be the Battle of Bosworth - if Richard III had won Henry Tudor's cause would be finished #(and he'd probably be dead)#If the Lancastrians had seized London they'd have a huge advantage but might also encounter some difficulties #including a potential siege and hostility from the aldermen and public. But a military victory would seal the deal #Also I think I've mentioned in some tags before but imo it's clear that the Lancastrians stood a monumentally better chance at #consolidating their power/support/reputation if they won in 1461 rather than 1471 #A 1471 military victory would result in victory but would also bring with it a whole host of other problems in terms of consolidation #(Among others: the inevitable head-on national clash between Yorkist and Lancastrian lords in terms of forfeited and restored estates #which had been postponed by Warwick but would undoubtedly take center stage once the royal family was properly established #and would almost definitely result in the eruption of widespread rivalries and resentment from the affected parties;#foreign and domestic policy with regards to the promised war with Burgundy which was very unpopular with the English patriciate; etc)#(That's not even getting into whether Warwick would survive or not and the equally complicated possibilities in either scenario #or George of Clarence: whether their victory would be before or after he switched sides and what that would mean for him)#There's also the obvious fact that Henry VI would still ultimately be King - and that can take VERY different routes depending #on the wider situation #In a completely alternate scenario if they had established themselves when Edward IV was still in exile he would be out of reach #which would over-complicate matters even further #(I'd be personally curious to know if they took any action against royal claims through the female line considering this was a HUGE #aspect of their gendered propaganda in the 1460s to try and delegitimize the Yorkist claim...Henry IV gave them an obvious precedent)#a 1471 victor would also be devastating on a personal level for everyone involved considering Henry's imprisonment and #Margaret and Edward's almost decade-long exile before it #It would be significantly more devastating for Edward IV's widow and four frighteningly young children - especially considering #that unlike Margaret or Anne Neville they lacked the active/direct connection of powerful foreign or national relatives #All in all - It's difficult to say but it's clear that a path forward in 1471 would be tremendously hard #A victory in 1461 would not only forever end the Yorkist challenge but would also ensure a far smoother aftermath for the Lancasters

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