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The Historical Background of Shakespeare’s History Plays

Explore the origins, phases, and key events of the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) and the Wars of the Roses (1455-1485) that provide the historical backdrop for Shakespeare's history plays.

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The Historical Background of Shakespeare’s History Plays

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  1. The Historical Background of Shakespeare’s History Plays The Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453) and the Wars of the Roses (1455-1485)

  2. The origins of the Anglo-French conflict • Canute (1016-1035) • 1066: the Norman Conquest The first Hundred Years’ War, 1159-1259 • Henry II’s (1154-89) AngevinEmpire: Normandy, Anjou, Brittany, Aquitaine • Richard I (1189-1199) • King John’s (1199-1216) defeats • Henry III’s (1216-1272) failures

  3. The aims of Edward I (1272-1307): the defence of Gascony and the conquest of Wales and Scotland • The Franco-Scottish alliance, 1295-1560 • The fiascos of Edward II (1307-1327): 1314: defeated by the Scots (Bannockburn) 1324: defeated in Gascony 1327: dethroned

  4. The succession crisis in France

  5. Edward III (1327-1377) 1327: palace revolution by Isabella and Roger Mortimer 1328: Anglo-Scottish peace treaty 1330: Mortimer’s execution 1333: Edward’s war against David II, King of Scotland – David escapes to France 1336-37: Philip VI’s invasion plan and confiscation of Gascony

  6. The phases of the Hundred Years’ War 1. 1337-1360 2. 1369-1396 Henry IV (1399-1413) 3. 1415-1429 Henry V (1413-1422) 4. 1429-1453 Henry VI (1422-61)

  7. The English victories of the first phase 1340: Sluys – the French fleet is destroyed 1346: Crécy • the first use of cannon in Europe • the debut of the archers – the longbow 1347: capture of Calais 1356: Poitiers – the Black Prince’s success 1360: the Treaty of Brétigny

  8. The second phase: French advantages and English difficulties • The Fabian tactics of Charles V (the Wise) • 1372: victory of the Franco-Castilian fleet • 1376: death of the Black Prince • 1377: death of Edward III • Richard II (1377-1399) • 1381: the Peasants’ Revolt (taxation, social and religious tensions – John Wycliffe, Lollardy, John Ball)

  9. 1399: the beginning of the Wars of the Roses? • government by John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster • 1382-86: Richard II begins to rule • 1386-88: Parliament’s revolt led by the Duke of Gloucester • 1389: the king regains power with the help of John of Gaunt • 1397-1398: Richard II’s revenge – execution of leading barons; exile of Henry Bolingbroke • 1399: the fatal mistake

  10. Richard II • The timespan of the Shakespeare play: 1398-1400 • The disputebetween Henry Bolingbroke and Thomas Mowbray • Richard’s death: killed by Exton (starved to death in reality?) • Henry IV wishes to repent in the Holy Land

  11. Henry IV (1399-1413) • 1400-1408: rebellion of Owen Glendower, Edmund Mortimer and Henry Percy (Hotspur) – Shrewsbury (1403 – Henry IV, end of Part 1) • after 1408: the king’s illness; the ambitions of the easygoing Prince of Wales;Falstaff; struggle within the Royal Council; the growing influence of the Beauforts; Chancellor and Archbishop Thomas Arundel forced to resign (1410-1412)

  12. Henry V (1413-1422) • 1415: siege of Harfleur; dysentery • Battle of Agincourt • French difficulties, English advantages: madness of Charles VI; civil war in France; England’s alliance with Burgundy; capture of Paris • 1420: Treaty of Troyes (Henry marries Catherine of Valois; the dauphinis excluded from the succession)

  13. Henry VI, Part 1 • 1422: Henry V’s funeral • 1429: siege of Orléans, Jeanne d’Arc (Joan la Pucelle) • The barons pick white and red roses (a false representation) • 1435: the end of the Anglo-Burgundian alliance (not Joan of Arc’s achievement) • Henry’s planned marriage to Margaret of Anjou(it is not the Earl of Suffolk who captures the French princess)

  14. Henry VI, Part 2 • 1445: the wedding of Henry and Margaret of Anjou; the Duke of Gloucester (the king’s uncle) is removed from power • 1450: Suffolk is dismissed; Jack Cade’s rebellion in Kent (it is not Richard, Duke of York who incites him) • 1455: conflict between Richard and Somerset; the first Battle of Saint Albans; Somerset’s death • (1453-1454: Richard’s regency during the king’s incapacity)

  15. Henry VI, Part 3 • 1455: agreement between the king and Richard – after Henry’s death, the House of York comes to the throne • 1460: the Battle of Wakefield –Margaret of Anjou and Clifford are victorious, Richard dies • 1461: the Battle of Towton – Yorkist victory,Edward IV (1461-70, 1471-83) proclaimed king • Growing conflict between Warwick the Kingmaker and Edward

  16. The Wars of the Roses: three separate wars 1. 1455-1461 (until 1464 in the north) Causes: the mistakes and illness of Henry VI; defeat in France 2. 1469-1471 Caused by Warwick’s dissatisfaction 3. 1483-87 Caused by the ambitions of Richard III

  17. Henry VI, Part 3 Warwick, the dissatisfied nobleman : • The anti-French policy of Edward IV • 1464: Edward marries Elizabeth Woodville Autumn, 1470: Warwick invades England, Edward escapes to Holland, Henry VI returns to the throne Spring, 1471: Edward returns, Warwick dies, the Prince of Wales and Henry VI are murdered (Richard’s deed?)

  18. Richard III • A hunchbacked monster? 2012: he really had a twisted spine • 1472: marries Anne Neville (Warwick’s daughter, the Prince of Wales’ widow) • 1478: Edward IV has the Duke of Clarence executed for high treason (it is not Richard who has hisown brother murdered) • 1483: Edward IV dies at the age of 40, Edward V is only 12

  19. Richard III Richard’s mistakes: • The execution of Chamberlain Lord Hastings • Declaring the two sons of Edward IV illegitimate • Having the two princes murdered (James Tyrrell?) – the Duke of Buckingham’s revolt 1485: the Battle of Bosworth, Henry VII’s (Richmond’s) accession to the throne and marriage to Elizabeth of York

  20. Shakespeare’s historical distortions • Factual mistakes • Invented events • Upsetting the chronological order of events Shakespeare’s interpretation: • There was persistent bloodshed in England for decades • The conflict started as early as 1399 • Richard III’s demonic figure – symbol of the whole ‘dark’ period

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