1440 - 1449 (10 Year Overview)
 
Main Key People Battles Construction
RulerCountryStart of ReignAge at 1440
Henry IVEngland1422?
1445 Apr 23Marriage of Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou 
1447 Feb 23Death of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester 
James IIScotland1437?
Charles VIIFrance1422?
1444 AprTreaty of Tours 
1449 MarFougeres captured by the English 
War of the Roses
1447Edmund Beaufort appointed lieutenant of France
  Edmund Beaufort was appointed lieutenant of France. Richard of York had wanted to be re-appointed to the position. Edmund and Richard became rivals in the battles of the War of the Roses.
Henry VI and Joan of Arc
1440Harfleur captured by the English
  The English under the command of Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, captured the port town of Harfleur on the northern coast of France.
1441SummerDuke of York in Normandy
  Although Richard, Duke of York, had been appointed governor of France and Normandy he did not go until reports from Rouen in Normandy of French attacks persuaded him to do so.
1442Calais relieved by Edmund Beaufort
  The English who were under siege inside Calais were resupplied by Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset. For his actions Beaufort received the title Earl of Dorset.
1444AprTreaty of Tours
  A peace treaty signed between Henry VI of England and Charles VII of France. The treaty resulted in five years of peace between the two countries and included the arrangement of marriage between Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou.
1449MarFougeres captured by the English
  Several years after the Treaty of Arras, after which the conflict between England and France had subdued, an English force attacked and took over the town of Fougeres in Brittany. This sparked the resumption of the war between the two countries.

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People who played important roles in this time period
Beaufort, Edmund (2nd Duke of Somerset)
Edmund Beaufort was a Lancastrian supporter of King Henry VI of England. Beaufort's early military career was a great success, relieving Calias and capturing Harfleur from the French. But failing to prevent the the loss of Anjou, Maine and Normandy to the French his career ended badly. Back in Engla (more...)

Richard (Duke of York)
Background

Richard was the father of two Kings of England; Edward IV and Richard III. Richard was descended from Edward III via his son Edmund of Langley, but also from the daughter of Lionel Duke of Clarence, another son of Edward III. (See a family tree to understand this.) Richard was t (more...)

EDWARD (IV, Earl of March and King of England 1461-1470, 1471-1483)

Origins

The only king to have two separate reigns: 1461-1471, 1471-1483. Edward was born on April 28th in Rouen in Normandy. His father was Richard Duke of York, the great-grandson of Edward III. In 1447 Richard's chance of becoming the next king of England increased when Henry's IV unc (more...)

Margaret (of Anjou)
Margaret of Anjou was the wife of Henry VI. The marriage between the two was arranged as part of the Treaty of Tours in 1444 between Henry and Charles VII of France. Henry and Margaret were married in 1445. They had one child, Edward, who was born in 1453. Queen Margaret led the fight for the Lancas (more...)

Humphrey (Duke of Gloucester)
Humprey, Duke of Gloucester, was the son of Henry IV, king of England and the brother of Henry V, king of England. In 1422 Henry V died leaving a son as heir to the English throne. Also called Henry, the young boy was less than a year old. Humphrey and his older brother John, Duke of Bedford were se (more...)

Pole, William de la (Duke of Suffolk)
William de la Pole was a powerful member of the inner circle of advisers of Henry VI. His dominance came to an end in 1450 when he was accused by Parliament of being the cause of the country's problems and was imprisoned. Henry VI allowed him to be banished rather than executed but as William left t (more...)

Neville, Richard (Earl of Warwick, 'The Kingmaker')
Richard was a member of the powerful Neville family. His grandfather Ralph Neville had married the daughter of John of Gaunt (the son of Edward III) and his father gained the title Earl of Salisbury when he married Alice the previous Earl of Salisbuy's daughter. Richard himself married Anne Beaucham (more...)


Battles that took place in this time period

No battles found for this time period in the current database.

Building work undertaken in this time period
Herstmonceux Castle 1440
Construction of the brick Herstmonceux castle took place around this time.

Tattershall Castle 1440
Construction of the brick tower at Tattershall took place around this time.


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