Power-Brokers and the Yorkist State, 1461-1485

The reigns of Edward IV and Richard III have long engendered fascination and debate, not least concerning the extent of the authority and power of key individuals surrounding the court at the time. This book examines the most influential men and women at the centre of their regimes: the political power-brokers. They served the king in matters of diplomacy, warfare, court ceremony, local government, and the attempt to keep order amid the ongoing crisis of kingship sparked by the Wars of the Roses. Their close royal association to the king led to rapid increases in their power and fortune. Among their ranks are well-documented figures such as the tragic "Kingmaker", Richard Neville, earl of Warwick, and the steadfast baron William, Lord Hastings. This volume however is also concerned to bring to the forefront lesser discussed figures, including Sir Thomas Montgomery, Edward's close friend whose career was remade by the Yorkist usurpation, and Sir John Fogge, one of the leading men of Kent who prospered under Yorkist rule, yet risked everything by rejecting Richard's right to rule. Grounded on extensive archival research, this book offers a more detailed and nuanced image of the influence the power-brokers wielded and their place in the Yorkist state. It analyses the manifestation of their power and the manner in which they exercised their influence publicly and privately; and establishes their importance in the foundation, maintenance, and downfall of the Yorkist dynasty. ALEXANDER BRONDARBIT gained his PhD from the University of Winchester; he is now an Academic Planning Analyst at the University of California, Santa Cruz.