l6z
Constitutional History.
[chap.
Proposaisof to aid the king in remedying this, and urged that the king’s
the duke υf „ 1 . -∣ ∏ . , _1
York. Oincers should be instructed to arrest and commit to the Tower
all such persons as were so noised or indicted, of what estate,
degree, or condition soever they were, there to abide without
bail until they could be tried in court of law. Henry declined
to take the advice of the duke without consulting the council.
The main proposition the king met with a promise to appoint a
sad and substantial council, of which the duke was to be a mem-
ber 1. The duke then urged the calling of a new parliament ;
and on the 5tl1 of September a summons was issued convening it
on November 6. So much having been conceded, he went to
Fotheringay, whence he conducted negotiations with his friends,
and attempted to influence the elections in the counties2. His
chief allies were the Nevilles, the earl of Salisbury his brother-
in-law, and the earl of Warwick his nephew; the duke of Nor-
folk 3, John Mowbray, also was inclined to support him in his at-
The alarm tempt to make himself influential in the council. How far his
Henry an<ι designs really went it is impossible to say : no doubt the court
to the duke⅛ believed that he was an accomplice of Cade, who had asserted his
" β claim to be one of the chief councillors; he too was the only per-
son who had had anything to gain by the death of Gloucester and
Suffolk ; but there was little evidence as to the latter crime, and
he was not really suspected of conniving at the former. He was
himself throughout his career very cautious in stating any claims
of his own. At this moment he appeared only as the guardian
of order and demanded reform of abuses in the government.
Parliament Theparliament met on the 6th of November4, and cardinal
of Ncnem- . ,
ber 1450. Kemp in bis opening speech stated the urgent necessity of national
defence, and of putting down the local tumults. The French
were threatening invasion ; Calais was in imminent danger.
1 The remonstrance is in Stow, p. 385, and among the Paston Letters,
i. 153 ; the answer is given (after Holinshed) by Mr. Gairdner ; ib. introd,
p. Ixii.
2 W. Wore. p. 769. The dukes of York and Norfolk chose the persons
who were to be elected in Norfolk ; Paston Letters, i. 160, 161, 162.
3 John Mowbray Succeededhisfather in τ432 and was Confirmedinthe
dukedom in 1444. His mother, KatIiarine Neville, was sister to the eaιl
of Salisbury, and his ʌvife, Eleanor Bourchier, was sister to archbishop
Bourchier and half-sister to the duke of Buckingliam. He died in 1461,
4 Rot. Pail. v. 210.
XVIIi.] Struggle of York and Somerset. 163
The election of speaker at once showed that York’s attempt to
influence the elections had been successful1 ; the choice of the
commons fell on Sir William Oldhall, his chamberlain and
counsellor, one of the allies who had been only prevented by
arrest from meeting him when he landed. The proceedings of Disputes
the session were begun by an altercation between the two York and
dukes, the one supported by the commons, the other by the s°meraet∙
court and council2. During the session parliament was su-
preme; Somerset was arrested on the ɪst of December, his
equipage being plundered by the mob3. On the 18tlι the
parliament was prorogued4 ; and immediately after Christmas
Somerset was made captain of Calais5. When the parliament
met again, January 20, 14gι, the struggle was renewed. Henry Petition for
plucked up spirit to reject a petition that Suffolk might be of the king's
declared a traitor ; but he was obliged to receive another7 in
which the commons demanded that he should remove from
court the duke of Somerset, the duchess of Suffolk, the lord
Dudley, the bishop of Lichfield, and the abbot of Gloucester8,
with several knights and gentlemen. The king refused to ιienry⅛
dismiss the lords, but consented to the removal of the rest for сезя'оп.'0”
a year. This was itself no small triumph ; Dudley and the
abbot of Gloucester were excluded from the council ; and Somer-
set’s position became still more critical. Thomas Yonge, the
1 Rot. Part. v. 210; Paston Letters, i. 163.
2 W. Wore. p. 769.
3 Dec. 2 ; Gregory, p. 195 ; Clir. Giles, p. 42. Dec. ɪ ; Fabyan, p. 626.
4 Rot. Parl. v. 213.
5 W. Woic. p. 770. Henrywas at Greenwicliat Christmas. Gregory
says that in February 1451 the king and the dukes of Somerset and
Exeter were at Canterbury, ‘ where were dampnyde many men of the
captayne ys men for hyr ryoyng, and for hyr talking agayne the kynge,
Iiavynge morefavyrunto the duke OfYorketheiineuntothekynge Gregory,
p. 196. Henry punished ‘ the stubborn heads ’ but spared the poor people ;
Hall, p. 222. The judges however commissioned for Kent were the duke
of York, Ioid Bourchier, Sir John Fastolf, and others; Paston Letters, i.
186. A general pardon was issued May 18 ; Rymer, xi. 286.
6 Rot. Parl. v. 226. ’ lb. v. 216.
s Reginald Bowlers, abbot of Gloucester, vas en old servant of Henry,
of great piety and learning. He became abbot in 1437, had refused the
bishopric of Llandaff in 1440, and had been a member of the council since
1443 ; Mon. ʌngl. i. 536 ; Beckington’s Letters, i. 31 ; Ordinances, v. 269
sq. The bishop of Lichfield, Wilbam Booth, was the subject of a satirical
poem printed in Exo. Hi t. p. 357 ; Wiight, Pol. Songs, iɪ. 225.
M 2