Gloucester’s
claim to the
regency.
Gloucester
made Pro-
tector xn the
absence of
Bedford.
The names
of the coun-
cil chosen,
Dec. 1422.
too Conxfifι∣fional JIittory. [chap.
the present parliament re-nominated his father’s chancellor and
treasurer’. It was not until the twenty-seventh day of the
session that Gloucester’s position was definitely settled. He
claimed the regency as next of kin to the young king and
under the will of Henry V2; the lords, having searched for
precedents, found that he had no such claim on the ground
of relationship, and that the late king could not without the
assent of the estates dispose of the government after his death ;
they disliked too the names of regent, tutor, governor, and
lieutenant. He had to submit, and on the əth of December
the king3, by assent and advice of the lords spiritual and
temporal and by assent of the commons, constituted the duke
of Bedford protector and defender of the realm and of the
church of England and principal counsellor to the king, when-
ever and as soon as he should be present in England, the duke
of Gloucester in that event being the chief counsellor after
him ; he further ordained that the duke of Gloucester should
occupy the same position so long as Bedford was absent, should
be the protector and defender of the kingdom and church, and
chief counsellor to the king. This act of parliament, in which
the influence of bishop Beaufort may be confidently traced4,
was followed by letters patent containing the formal appoint-
ment ; and Gloucester at once accepted the responsibility. By
a further act5 the protector was empowered to exercise the
royal patronage in the administration of the forests, and the
gift of smaller ecclesiastical benefices ; the greater prizes being
reserved for him to bestow only by advice of the council. The
members of the council were then named : Gloucester as chief ;
five prelates, the primate, the bishops of London, Winchester,
Norwich, and Worcester ; the duke of Exeter ; the earls of
March, Warwick, Marshall. Northumberland, and Westmore-
’ Kot. Karl. iv. 171, 172. 2 lb. iv. 326.
^ lb. ɪv. 174, 175 ; Kymer. x. 261 ; Wals. iɪ. 346.
* According to Hardyng, Beaufort led the opposition, p. 391, ‘for cause
he was so noyous with to dele ; ’ ‘ the bishop of Winchester by perlyament
was Chaunceller and hiest governour of the kynghis persone and his greate
socour ; his godfather and his father’s erne, and Bupportour was moost of
all this reahne ; ’ p. 392.
5 Kot. Iiarl. iv. 175; Ordinances, iii. 14.
xv∏ι.j The Protectorate. ɪθɪ
land-; thɑ lords Fitz Hugh, Cromwell, Hungerford, Tiptoft,
and Beauchamp1. This body, in which every interest was Powers of
t IiIT , ι zv∙ the council,
represented, and every honoured name aɪipears, accepted office
under five conditions, which still further limited the powers of
the protector ; they were to appoint all officers of justice and
revenue ; they were to have the disposal of the wardships,
marriages, ferɪns, and other incidental profits of the crown ;
nothing at all was to be done without a quorum of six or four
at least, nothing great without the presence of the majority;
whilst for business on which it was usual to ask the king’s
opinion the advice of the protector was required : the fourth
article secured secrecy as to the contents of the treasury, and
the fifth provided that a list of attendances should be kept.
The commons added an article to prevent the council from
encroaching on the patronage belonging to existing officers of
state2. On the 18th of December the grant of the subsidy on SuppUes
wool and of tunnage and poundage was made3. It was agreed
that all Lollards imprisoned in London should be handed over
to the ordinaries to be tried4 : no important legislation was
attempted, and neither parliament nor convocation was troubled
by anything like direct taxation. The arrangements for the
regency were completed by the council in the following Feb-
ruary ; the protector was to receive an annual salary of 8ooo
marks5.
331. From the very first months of the new reign appeared GioucebWs
symptoms of divided counsels. Bedford was hard at work on tr⅛Sm
the fabric of alliances which Henry had founded ; Gloucester
was intriguing and aspiring to make a principality for himself.
In April, 1423, Bedford at Amienss concluded an offensive and
defensive alliance with the dukes of Burgundy and Brittany,
cementing the league by a double marriage, and himself
espousing a sisteχ∙ of duke Philip. In March7 Gloucester
had celebrated his marriage with Jacqueline of Hainault, the
l Rot. Parl. iv. 175 ; Ordinances, iii. 16. ~ Rot. Parl. iv. 176.
3 lb. iv. 173. 1 lb. ɪv. 174.
5 OriIinances, iii. 26, 27; Rymer, x. 268.
’ April 17 ; Rymer, x. 280, 281.
Stevenson, Wars in- France, i. p. liɪ.