Plantagenet - Background

Quickstart ...............................................................................2

Solitaire and Team Play

.........................................................2

On Strategy

.............................................................................3

Examples of Play ....................................................................5

Levy

.......................................................................................5

Levying a Lord ......................................................................8

Campaign

...............................................................................9

Battle

....................................................................................11

Sailing

..................................................................................14

Feed and Pillage ..................................................................14

Exile

.....................................................................................15

End Campaign .....................................................................15

Campaign History

................................................................16

Lord and Vassal Histories ...................................................23

The Lancastrians

..................................................................23

The Yorkists

.........................................................................27

The Kingmaker

....................................................................29

Prominent Houses

................................................................30

Arts of War – Notes

..............................................................31

Yorkist Events

......................................................................31

Yorkist Capabilities .............................................................36

Lancastrian Events

...............................................................42

Lancastrian Capabilities ......................................................46

Design Notes .........................................................................51

Selected Sources ...................................................................52

Credits ...................................................................................53

House of Lancaster.

..............................................................54

House of York .......................................................................55

Arts of War – List

.................................................................56

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Levy & Campaign Series - Volume IV

Background Book

P.O. Box 1308, Hanford, CA 93232

www.GMTGames.com

Plantagenet Background Book

Quickstart

START HERE if you are new to this game series! The Levy &

Campaign system can be daunting to learn because it is hard to

decide on selections during Levy before seeing at least once how

a subsequent Campaign might unfold. Below you can set up a

one-and-a-half turn scenario that makes initial Levy and Plan de-

cisions for you, then offers thoughts on Campaign strategy, so you

can jump right into Commanding your armies.

King Henry, 1459

Scenario Ia – Campaign/Levy/Campaign

Prepare

Follow sections 2.1 and 6.0 of the Rules of Play booklet to set

up Scenario Ia, Henry VI, 1459-1461, as shown on pages 20-21.

Then adjust the setup as follows, representing the first Levy (3.0)

and Plan (4.1). NOTE: If two players, DO NOT READ the other

side’s shaded sections below, as players would not know each oth-

er’s cards and strategies.

LORD MATS:

• At York’s mat, add card Y5 Thomas Bourchier.

• At March’s mat, add Y20 York’s Favoured Son.

• At Henry VI’s mat, add L15 King’s Parley.

• At Somerset’s mat, add L18 Council Member.

GAME BOARD:

• Place a Yorkist (white rose) Favour marker at Cambridge and

another at Hereford.

• Place a Lancastrian (red rose) Favour marker at St Albans and

another at Oxford.

• Slide the “IP” Influence marker on the Influence Track to box

“3” on its Lancastrian (red) side.

Next, each side creates Plan stacks of Command cards as follows

(4.1).

YORKIST PLAN: Stack facedown, top to bottom, York-York-

March-York.

LANCASTRIAN PLAN: Stack facedown, top to bottom,

Somerset-Somerset-Henry VI-Somerset.

Strategize

YORKIST STRATEGY: Yorkist Lords should try end their

turn far apart from one another. York can go north to end up in

the area around York City where, in the next turn, Salisbury can

join him. They then can March further north together, to attack

Northumberland if present and to add Favour there. March can

head north within Wales and add Favour—looking next Turn to

Levy the Welsh Lords Capability to Dominate Wales. Harlech

is then a good end spot for him.

LANCASTRIAN STRATEGY: Lancastrian Lords should

begin by stabilizing a power base in the south and to link

Somerset’s Seat, Wells, by Friendly Strongholds to London.

Henry VI can go east to Rochester while Somerset goes south-

west to Guildford. Both should then Parley. Next turn, they

should Levy Vassals and try a push to relieve Northumberland

from Yorkist pressure or to pincer the Yorkist Lords to force

them to Battle or Exile.

Start Play

Begin the Command part of the first Campaign (4.2). Refer to

“Campaign” on the foldout’s Sequence of Play page and Rule-

book sections 4.0 CAMPAIGN STEPS and 4.2 Command, pages

12-13. Flip the Yorkist’s top Command card first (because they

are the Rebel side here, 2.2.4, 4.2, 6.0). Select actions for the Lord

shown on the card. Play through that Command card. Then flip a

Lancastrian card to take actions with that Lord. Keep alternating

sides.

KEY RULES:

• To select actions, refer to the foldout’s Commands page for a

list of the possible actions and how they work. For details, see

rules 4.3-4.6, pages 13-17. Frequent Commands include March

(4.3), Supply (4.5), Parley (4.6.4), and Tax (4.6.3).

• If Enemies March near each other, consider Intercept (4.3.4). If

Lords Approach an Enemy (4.3.5) who stands for Battle (does

not go into Exile), refer to the Battle foldout page and rules

section 4.4, pages 14-16.

• Consult the End Campaign rules (4.8) and particularly Tides of

War (4.8.1). In that step, the sides earn Influence points, so these

sections provide insight into how to win the game.

Continue play through the end of Turn 2 to complete a Campaign,

then a Levy, then a final Campaign. Congratulations and welcome

to Levy & Campaign!

Solitaire and Team Play

Solitaire. Plantagenet does not include a solo system but can ac-

commodate a single player running both sides with normal rules,

ignoring aspects of hidden information such as Held Events and

Plan stacks. In addition, here is a list of alternatives to increase the

fun for a solo player:

• Play with Hidden Mats (1.5.2). Keep each side’s Lords behind

a screen to aid your focus on one side at a time and help you

forget what the other side’s Lords have Mustered.

• Select one side as your side and the other side as the opponent.

Play both sides. However, give the opposing side one extra

Command card each Campaign as compensation for your focus

on one side. After each Planning step (4.1), shuffle the opposing

side’s Plan stack of Command Cards.

• Select one side as your own side. After forming your side’s Plan

stack (4.1.2), shuffle those cards face down. For the opposing

side, do not create a Plan stack. Instead of flipping Command

cards for that side (4.2), choose any card from its deck and play

as best you can.

Plantagenet Background Book

• Skip the Planning step (4.1). Instead of flipping Command cards

(4.2), choose any card from each side’s deck and play that side

as best you can.

Teams. You also can play Plantagenet in teams. Players can

simply run each side as a committee. Or try out one of these op-

tions for greater interest:

• Distribute Lords among players, giving each player full con-

trol over that player’s Lords’ actions. Any player may play Held

Events when that player’s Lord is active in Levy or Campaign

(as appropriate to the Event). Decide Levy order and Plans (4.1)

by committee.

• Distribute Lords as above but designate one player on each side

as Leader (perhaps by whoever controls the highest Heir, 6.2.1).

The Leader Holds and plays Event cards, decides the order of

Lords during Levy, and creates that side’s Plan stack (showing

it to teammates, 4.1.2). Teams may discuss strategy only at the

outset of each Levy Phase and again at the outset of each the

Campaign Phase—not as Lords take actions.

On Strategy

by Christophe Correia, Series Developer

If you have played other Levy & Campaign games, you will find

Plantagenet has a lot of similarities. You still have Lords that

move around a map, taking different actions that the player es-

timates will bring that side closer to victory. That said, designer

Francisco “Pako” Gradaille here had to account for some specifics

of the Wars of the Roses.

Influence. The first and most notable set of changes concerns the

historically lesser importance and span of sieges during this con-

flict and their replacement by a focus on gaining influence across

the land in favor of your side’s claim to the throne. If you are

familiar with the Levy & Campaign Series, you will immediately

spot Plantagenet’s removal of both Siege and Storm actions and

the addition of the concept of Influence as the main victory con-

dition of the game.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of Influence. It is the

backbone of your strategy. Most of your choices will depend on

the current Influence situation and expected Influence situation in

future turns. Play your Lords to maximize that amount. The game

is designed to offer both players many choices at any moment on

how to maximize their side’s Influence in the short or longer term.

Will you—

• Levy Vassals to be able to Tax more Locales and field a higher

number of Troops?

• Levy Troops without Levying Vassals, to try to force Enemy

Lords into Exile?

• Avoid spending and instead maximize your “income” in Influ-

ence by spreading your Lords over the different Areas (North,

South, Wales) and Parleying only with high Influence ratings?

Contrary to most wargames, you do not always need to have the

military upper hand to win as a player. Sometimes your Vassals,

through their cost in Influence, will show you that you need to

reduce your military power. That will also happen if you gather an

army too large to be Paid over the year.

For example, if your opponent has Mustered a lot of Troops, and

you feel you will never be able to match those Forces, you can

try just to keep the field long enough for your enemies to end

their Service. Your opponent also might run out of money, and

then those Troops will start Pillaging around England, making the

populace angry at them and yielding Influence for you.

Or, if you feel your Enemies will win through Influence, you can

try to make a climactic push to break them before their victory

is achieved. During playtest, not a lot of games went to the final

turn. The game is designed so that the sides, after at one point get-

ting a lot of Strongholds to Favour their cause, will start Muster

larger armies of Troops and Transport, Tax more efficiently for

Coin, and look for decision by Battle at the best possible odds.

All options are on the table! Adaptability is key in Plantagenet.

The only thing you cannot get back are Lords who Die in battle or

at sea. A given strategy will never win by itself, and at every turn

you may need to rethink your approach, depending on who is in

England and who in Exile, as well as what is the current supply

and money situation.

Levy. As standard for Levy & Campaign, during the first turn

of each game, you will draw random Capabilities. These initial

draws are very important because, in Plantagenet, all Capabilities

attach to individual Lords, and you cannot discard Capabilities as

long as the Lord who has them remains on the map. Your random

Capabilities will probably help shape your starting Levy. Tough

choices lie ahead, and you are not likely to receive your best com-

bination available. But those Capabilities can enhance your cur-

rent Levy or add opportunities starting with your first Campaign.

Then, at the outset of each later turn, you will draw Events. As

with Capabilities, Events also tend to add opportunities (Parlia-

ment’s Truce and Blocked Ford come to mind) or allow you

to take more risks with your Lords, such as exposing them to a

superior enemy when you have Escape Ship or Suspicion in hand

to create some nasty surprises for the opponent.

During Muster, you will be faced with many choices. You should

already have in view a strategy for the upcoming Campaign. Per-

haps your Capability or Event card draws hint at one approach or

another. There are many things to consider as you look ahead to

the Campaign:

• Which Enemy Lords I can reach?

• Which of my Lords can the enemy reach?

• Can I group my Lords?

• Where are my Lord and Vassal Seats to be able to Tax them?

• Are there any Vassals that I can Levy to be able to Tax there and

strengthen my Lords? And do I even want them, given their cost

in Influence?

• Where am I currently on the Influence track?

• Who has more Cities, Towns, Fortresses? Can I get enough of

them by the end of the Campaign to add Influence in the Tides

of War step?

Plantagenet Background Book

Here is a summary of the actions available during the Levy phase.

Parley (unique to Plantagenet) allows you to tighten your grip

over England and gain Favour over Locales. With more Locales

loyal to your cause, you will Levy more efficiently, garner more

supplies, slowly gain Influence through Tides of War, and be able

to Levy Vassals where you have Favour. Certain cards like In the

Name of the King, Privy Council, and Jack Cade allow for

more efficient Parley. (Note that you also can Parley as a Com-

mand action during Campaign, a sure shot at the Lord’s Locale.)

Levy Lords into the game for new Forces, more Capabilities in

play, a greater variety of Command cards, a bigger Battle Array,

and more strategies open to you. As long as you have one Lord on

the map, you can still win! However, having a lot of Lords also

has downsides. Each Lord will need to pay that Lord’s Troops

and will cost you Influence each turn to keep in the field. Added

Lords may become juicy targets for your enemy—the limit on

Command cards per turn means that reactions to an enemy going

straight at one of your many Lords will be more difficult.

You will Levy Troops when you feel combat is coming up soon.

But beware, as the ability to obtain Coin needed to Pay them dif-

fers among Lords. For example, for the Lancastrians in Scenar-

io II, Warwick can gather three Coin per Tax Action in Calais,

while Jasper Tudor can get only one from Harlech. So, having

a lot of Troops with Warwick is usually more viable than with

Jasper Tudor. Some cards like Percy’s Power, Quartermasters,

Beloved Warwick, or The Commons allow you to Levy or Pay

your Troops more efficiently.

Levying Vassals works differently here than in other Levy &

Campaign games. In Plantagenet, either side can Levy regular

Vassals, as long as their Seat is Friendly to that side. You will

probably feel the need to Levy some if you are going to over-

power your enemy. Vassals allow you to Tax their Seat, gather-

ing more Coin for potentially bigger armies. Vassals are potent

in Battle, with as much Armour as your Retinue—perhaps more

worthy of your limited Valour Rolls than fragile Longbowmen.

And Vassals do not count as Troops, so they add combat power

for no cost in Coin or Provender (though keeping them in the field

eventually does cost Influence).

You can Levy Capabilities to help your Lords shape the map to

your advantage. If you want to augment Command, an Influence

rating, or the ability to Supply your Troops, there are Capabilities

for that. But be careful—you cannot discard Capabilities in Plan-

tagenet. Getting Capabilities to improve your Influence rating or

Command will improve your situation on the Influence front, but

it might be at the cost of defeat in Battle, especially if Enemy

Lords have taken Capabilities that give them bonuses in combat

and manage to catch your Lords off guard.

Levy Transport to get Ships when you are in Exile, a must if

you want to get back to the mainland, or additional Carts to allow

you to March with more Provender, Supply for more Provender

each action and from further away. Ships also allow to draw Sup-

ply from Ports, so even on land, they can still be useful. Overall,

Transport is important for your actions to be more efficient, to

save some precious Command.

Campaign. Once you’re done with the Levy, now it is time

to Campaign!

Check the enemy armies, can they beat you, or should you try

to beat them? Do you start first, but can’t fight King Henry VI?

You might want to get York somewhere safer, so Henry doesn’t

jump him.

As there is no Ravage in the game, there is no such strategy as

in Nevsky or Almoravid where you run through the enemy lands,

Ravage everything, and potentially win the game. Here, you have

to think carefully each move and where you will end up. A single

Locale may be the difference between your Lord being in range of

the enemy or in a safe haven.

During the Campaign, you will be faced with many strategic

questions:

• Should I group my Lords to try to force Enemy Lords into

Exile?

• Should I spread my Lords out to gain the Favour of more

Strongholds, perhaps to Dominate Wales or the North?

• Should my Lords go into Exile when an enemy Approaches me?

• Should I go for a scorched-earth strategy, drawing Supply to

Exhaust Enemy Seats and Locales?

• Should I Tax my Seat and leave for some safer place, to be able

to Levy Troops in the next Muster and come back stronger?

• How can I keep a Route open to a Port, if I have Escape Ship

Event in my hand?

Lots of questions, with many possible answers for each of them.

Here are some tips.

Always have enough Provender and Coin to Feed and Pay your

armies. If you end up Pillaging parts of England, the populace will

be very angry at you!

You can play cat and mouse to force the side who has way more

Troops to waste their actions chasing you. (Great Ships or Par-

liament’s Truce comes in handy for that.) Often, their situation

will deteriorate little by little if they don’t manage to win quickly,

as their Vassal Influence or Troops Coin upkeep costs mount.

During the scenarios, you will voluntarily Disband some Lords,

the goal being, for example, to get some Coin back onto their mats

if they are running out too quickly, or to select new Capabilities

that will be better suited to the current situation.

Battles can do huge damage. The game has been designed to rep-

licate what happened historically: sometimes Lords on both sides

of a Battle will Die. Fleeing the battlefield is no shame. (Well, it

is; but, if you end up surviving and winning, history will remem-

ber your side of the story).

Do not hesitate to go into Exile. A Lord in Exile is always better

than a Dead one. Early Death of your Marshal is difficult to come

back from. That said, if that happens to you, it is still less dam-

aging than losing Aleksandr or Hermann in Nevsky or Alfonso or

Yusuf in Almoravid.

Arc of Play. Plantagenet is overall a quick game to play per

turn, relative to earlier volumes. (On average, Nevsky may play

slightly quicker per turn than Plantagenet, Almoravid and Inferno

slightly longer.) While the first turn of your first game of Planta-

Plantagenet Background Book

genet may take some time, as players check out what actions their

Lords might take, later turns should go much quicker due to low

overall Command ratings, the absence of Call to Arms, Ravage,

and—especially—Siege, Storm, Sally, Bypass, and all that. (Note

that the summaries on the foldout aid sheet and a table at the back

of the rulebook show at a glance the requirements of each action.)

From the data we have gathered during playtesting, the longer

scenarios that last a maximum of 15 turns (three years) usually

end during the second year.

For example, in Scenario Ia “Henry VI”, the first year tends not

to be decisive—losing a Lord is survivable, and the sides are

spending most Commands Parleying Locales to earn Influence

Points in Tides of War. You might Levy Troops right away to be

able to quickly surprise your opponent and force him to Exile,

but that will put a strain on your finances, possibly bringing on

lasting problems.

During the game, there will be periodic Growth, when Locales re-

cover, and Waste, when your Lords will reset their Troops and Coin

back to starting amounts (Mercenaries and Handgunners aside).

But by the second year, Locale Exhaustion will become import-

ant. Lords will start to struggle to pay their Troops. The sides will

play games around Vassal control and Stronghold Exhaustion.

Players will try to deny each other Tax Sources, Exhausting such

Locales or putting them at risk to force a difficult choice on the

enemy—to either fight or reduce its armies. Eventually a side can

strike even when it felt weaker earlier in the game.

If the game is not decided at that stage, the third year usually

sees Levy of all the Troops a side is able to get, in order to

reach a sudden victory. Often, it is the player behind in Influence

Points who is forced to go that way. Or one side’s Troops will

start Pillaging the country and losing the population’s Favour.

Usually, players will see that coming, with their mats empty of

Coin, and look desperately for last-minute sources of money to

avoid complete collapse.

The Wars. Plantagenet features a “Wars of the Roses” grand

scenario knitting together all three periods of intense fighting

1459-1485 into a single contest. A lot of the players (me includ-

ed!) prefer to go for the longest scenario right off the bat. If you

want to do so, go ahead and start with this scenario, but I advise

allowing yourself a restart upon an inevitable mistake that you

could not have anticipated (most commonly involving Pillage).

Alternatively, first play the short Scenario Ic “Somerset’s Return”

as an introduction.

Playtime for the full-length scenario of all three Wars is about 13-

16 hours, depending on how close the Wars play out. You can eas-

ily split the game into the three sessions, for example, packing up

the game after each War and continuing some days or weeks later.

The only information you will need to record are which Heirs

Died or Shipwrecked and whether a certain Event triggered in an

earlier War.

Plantagenet’s Wars of the Roses skips some heirs, due to their

lower influence and that they would not in our judgment have

found enough support from the other nobles of the Realm. For

example, George, Duke of Clarence would have likely never

gotten the throne over the manipulations of his brothers, War-

wick, or the Beauforts.

In the Wars of the Roses scenario, the Deaths of Heirs will de-

fine the future. So, you and your opponent’s play will create your

own history of the conflict! Will Henry VI keep his throne, will

the Yorkists prevail, will Warwick seize the throne through mili-

tary might, or will the Tudors in the end gather enough support to

found a new dynasty?

Examples of Play

Here we walk through a complete turn of the game. If you would

like to follow along on your own table, set up Scenario Ia “Henry

VI” from page 20 of the Rules of Play. Insets address Levy of a

Lord and the Sail Command. These rules explanations, while not

comprehensive, should help you get going.

Levy

Arts of War. Players start the Levy phase (3.0) drawing two

cards at random from the Arts of War deck (3.1). As it is the first

turn of the Scenario, they will assign the Capabilities (lower part

of the cards) to eligible Lords (3.1.2). Each Phase of the game,

the side considered Rebel will begin and then the side considered

King will follow.

As specified in Scenario Ia “Henry VI” (6.0), the Lancastrians

are the King’s side, so the Yorkists begin. At the beginning of this

Scenario, the Yorkists have two Lords on the map. Each has their

Plantagenet Background Book

Lord card set on a Lord mat with a Retinue marker, Troops pieces,

and Assets.

Yorkist Lord Cards

The Yorkist player shuffles the Yorkist Arts of War deck and

draws two cards. The first Capability is Thomas Bourchier (card

Y5). The player may assign Thomas Bourchier to any Lord, as

shown by the “ANY” shield to the left of the Capability text. The

Yorkist gives this Capability to the Lord York—it will increase

his Command rating whenever starting at a City from 2 to 3. To

assign the Capability to York, the player tucks the card under the

bottom edge of York’s Lord mat, so that only the bottom half of

the card shows.

Yorkist Arts of War Cards

The second card is York’s Favoured Son (Y20). This Capability

may go only to either Rutland or March, as their Livery Badges on

the bottom part of the card show. Rutland is not on the map, so the

player must place this Capability with March, giving that Lord an

extra +1 to his Influence Rating and +1 to Command.

The Lancastrians also have two Lords on the map.

Lancastrian Lord Cards

Now the Lancastrian player draws two cards from the shuffled

Lancastrian deck. The first Capability is the Capability Andrew

Trollope (L19), which immediately and automatically Musters a

Special Vassal (1.5.4). The player assigns the Capability to Som-

erset, adding the Andrew Trollope Special Vassal marker to that

mat (1.5.3).

Lancastrian Lord mat with Capability card.

The second Lancastrian card drawn shows

Northmen (L16). This Capability can

only go to the Lord Northumberland, who

is not yet on the map. (His cylinder is on

the Calendar, but he cannot receive a Ca-

pability there.) So, the player returns this

card back to the Lancastrian Arts of War

deck.The next steps of the Levy Phase are

Pay (3.2) and Exiles and Vassals (3.3). As

they do not apply to the first turn, we will

skip them for now.

Muster. Next comes the Muster step (3.4). Lords, one by one,

will use their Lordship actions (from the Lordship rating printed

on their Lord card, possibly modified by Arts of War Events and/

or Capabilities). One Lord must use all that Lord’s actions before

continuing with the next Lord.

The Yorkist player is first and decides to begin with the Duke of

York. York has Lordship “3” printed on his Lord card, with no

modifications at this point. On the map, his Lord cylinder is at Ely,

a Stronghold marked with Yorkist Favour and therefore Friendly

(1.3.1). From there, he may take any Levy action listed on the

foldout’s Sequence of Play page and detailed under rules section

3.4. Were York at a Neutral or Enemy Stronghold, he could now

only Parley (3.4.1).

York’s first action will be to Levy Transport (3.4.5). As he is

not at a Port, he may only Levy Carts, adding two Carts for the

one action. Were York at a Port, he might have Levied one Ship

instead (provided he did not already have the maximum of two

Plantagenet Background Book

Ships per Lord, 1.7.3). The player adds a “Cart x2” marker to the

“Assets” area of York’s mat.

York’s second action will be to Levy Troops (3.4.4) from Ely. The

player checks the “Strongholds” table on the foldout play aid to

see how many Troops York will receive. Ely is a City, so York

will add 1 Longbowmen unit and 1 Militia unit from the pool of

unit pieces (1.6, 2.1) to the “Retinue - Vassals - Troops” area of

York’s Lord mat.

Then, the player puts a “Depleted” marker at

Ely (1.3.1), which could later flip to Exhaust-

ed, at which point Ely will no longer respond

to a Levy of Troops.

His third and final action will be to Levy

a Capability (3.4.6). The player checks

the back cover of the Background Book

for a list of card options or simply thumbs

though the Arts of War deck for the Capa-

bility the player is looking for. The player

chooses Burgundians (Y14) and puts it

under York’s mat so that only the Capabil-

ity shows. As this Lord is not at a Port, the

card’s text means that York does not yet

add the Handgunner units to his mat. At

the first moment that York enters any Port Stronghold while he

has this card, he must take the Handgunner units.

Next comes the Earl of March. March has a Lordship rating of

“2”, for two Levy actions. As he is at Ludlow, a Friendly Strong-

hold, he may choose any Levy actions from the list.

March’s first action will be to Parley (3.4.1) to obtain Favour at

nearby Shrewsbury.

March must have a Route to the target—an uninterrupted chain

of adjacent Locales, including the Lord’s own Locale and the

Parley target Stronghold, that is free of any Enemy Lords and,

except for the target Stronghold, Friendly. Here, March has such

a Route, as Ludlow is adjacent to Shrewsbury and no Lancastri-

an Lords are there.

March now must check Influence (1.4.2). The player refers

to the “Influence Points” table on the foldout for the Influence

point (IP) cost. This Influence check bears a base cost of 1 IP,

plus 1 IP for the one Way (connection segment) between Ludlow

and Shrewsbury.

To succeed, an Influence check must roll equal to or less than a

Lord’s Influence rating on one die. March’s rating printed on his

Lord card is “2”. His Capability York’s Favoured Son increases

that rating to 3. The player chooses to spend 1 extra Influence

point to add +1 to the Influence rating for this check. That brings

the total cost to 3 IP, and the player must roll a 4 or less to succeed.

The player rolls a “4”. The check is just barely successful, so the

Parley places a Favour marker on its Yorkist side (white

rose) at the City of Shrewsbury. The player also updates

the Influence Track at the edge of the gameboard. As

the Yorkists started with 0 Influence points and just

spent 3 IP, they add Lancastrian IP by shifting the “IP” marker

from 0 to 3 on the Lancastrian (red) side. Then, the player shifts

the Cities marker from 0 to 1 on the Yorkist (white) side, to show

the net number of Cities Favouring either side.

March’s second and last action this Levy will be to Levy the

Vassal Shrewsbury (3.4.3), now that Shrewsbury’s Vassal Seat is

Friendly. Just as for his Parley, March needs a Route to the target

Seat (there is one), the Stronghold must be Friendly (it is, because

of the previous action), and the Vassal must be Ready (Shrews-

bury’s markers are on the map, rather than Mustered to some oth-

er Lord’s mat or waiting on the Calendar, so he is Ready).

The Earl of March again must check Influence. The cost starts at

a 1 IP basic cost, (there is no cost for the Route to

Shrewsbury). This Vassal has a Loyalty rating of 1

toward Lancaster (the red numeral at the marker’s

left, 1.5.4). That modifies a Yorkist Lord’s Influ-

ence rating by –1 to Levy this Vassal. So, the player this time

chooses to spend 3 extra IP to add +2 to March’s Influence rat-

ing for this action.

That brings the total cost in Influence points to 4 IP and the die

roll needed to a 4 or less (March’s printed Influence of “2”, +1

for the card York’s Favoured Son, +2 for the extra IP spent, –1

for Vassal Loyalty). The Yorkists must spend the IP regardless of

success or failure. The player updates the track, shifting the red

IP marker up by 4 boxes. The roll is a “4”: Shrewsbury Musters;

his markers go on March’s mat and into Calendar box 3, 2 boxes

ahead of the current turn for Shrewsbury’s Service rating of “2”.

Plantagenet Background Book

Lancastrian Muster is next. The Lancastrian player decides to be-

gin with Henry VI, who has a Lordship Rating of “2” and is at a

Friendly Stronghold (London), so can take any Levy action.

King Henry’s first action will be a Parley (3.4.1) for St Albans.

There is a Route, and the cost for the Influence check at a dis-

tance of one Way is 2 IP. The King’s printed Influence rating

is a hefty “5”. As a roll of “6” is always a failure regardless of

ratings and modifications, it makes no sense to spend added In-

fluence points here.

The player shifts the red IP

marker on the edge track

down by 2 boxes for the 2

Lancastrian IP spent. A die

roll of “3” yields a success, so Lancaster gets a Favour marker (on

its red-rose side) at St Albans and shifts the “Towns” marker from

0 to 1 on its red side.

Henry’s second action now will be to attempt to Levy the Vassal

(3.4.3) at St Albans, Essex. The IP cost is 1; Essex

has no Loyalty rating so does not modify Henry’s In-

fluence. The Lancastrian player updates the IP mark-

er on the track.

The roll is another “3”, and that success places one of Essex’s

Vassal markers on Henry VI’s mat and the other on the Calendar,

one turn ahead (box 2), as Essex’s Service rating is “1” (shown at

the right of the Vassal marker).

The other Lancastrian Lord, Somerset, next uses his Lordship

rating of “2” at the Friendly Stronghold of London.

He will first Levy Transport (3.4.5) and then Levy a

Capability (3.4.6). Somerset adds 2x Carts.

The player then selects Capability card

L18 Council Member from that side’s

Arts of War deck and tucks it under Som-

erset’s mat. The new Capability will

award the Lancastrian side +1 extra Influ-

ence point upon each turn’s Tides of War

step (4.8.1).

Levying a Lord

Levy Lord (3.4.2) is an action that a Lord who is already on the map may take during the Muster phase

to bring another Lord onto the map. The Levying Lord must be at a Friendly Locale (it may be an Exile

box), and the target Lord’s cylinder must be in the current turn’s Calendar box or to its left.

Here, the Yorkist Lord Salisbury is at Peterborough and wants to Levy

the Duke of York, whose cylinder is on the Calendar in the current

turn’s box. As the Locale that Salisbury is in is not yet Friendly to his

side, Salisbury must first use 1 of his 3 Lordship (shown on his Lord

card) to successfully Parley there (3.4.1).

His next action is to attempt to Levy York. First the player checks if

York’s Seat is free of Enemy Lords. That condition is not met, as York’s

Seat is Ely, and the Lancastrian Lord Somerset is there. The next possi-

bility is that a Seat of some other Yorkist Lord is Friendly. The City of

York, which happens to be Salisbury’s Seat, is Friendly. Therefore, the

Duke of York will be able to Muster there (3.4.2).

Salisbury must check Influence (1.3.2). The base cost is 1 Influence

point. (Unlike Parley, Levy Lord checks incur no cost for Ways.) Salis-

bury’s Influence rating is “3”. He may spend 1 extra Influence point

(IP) to get a +1 to that rating, or 3 extra IP to get +2. The player spends

the 3 IP to add +2 for a total expenditure of 4 IP and a modified Influ-

ence rating of 5. The roll is a “5”—a success.

The Yorkist player takes York’s cylinder from the Calendar and places

it at York City, finds York’s Lord card and puts

that on a spare Lord mat, then sets up York’s mat with a Retinue,

Troops, and Assets as shown on the card (1.5.3). York, just Mustered,

will not take part in the rest of this Levy Phase (3.4).

Plantagenet Background Book

Campaign

Plan. Now that the Levy phase is done, the game enters the Cam-

paign phase (4.0), which begins with flipping the Turn marker to

the Campaign side and then follows with each side creating its

Campaign Plan (4.1).

Each Calendar box shows how many Command cards each side

will use that Campaign. As we are in turn 1, each player must

stack exactly 4 cards from that side’s Command deck into its face-

down Plan.

The Yorkist player chooses these cards: York, March, March,

York. To stack them face down in the order in which they will

be played, the player arranges them in hand with Lord coats of

arms at upper left in order, left to right, then flips the stack over

(so that opponent will not know which Lords are activating until

each card is revealed).

Play order

The Lancastrian player chooses and arranges the cards Henry VI,

Somerset, Somerset, Somerset.

Play order

Command. Command actions, the heart of the Campaign phase,

comes next. The Yorkists are the Rebels in this scenario, so they

play first. The Yorkist player flips the first card of the Yorkist Plan

stack to reveal that it is the Duke of York.

As shown on York’s Command card (and

on his cylinder and Lord card), York’s

Command Rating is “2”. His Capability

card Thomas Bourchier adds +1 Com-

mand to that when he begins a Command

card in a Friendly City, and his current

location of Ely is that. York will take a

total of 3 actions on this card.

York’s first action will be to March (4.3)

from Ely to Cambridge. Since the Way

there is Highway, he can continue his

March along another Highway for no added action cost (4.3.3).

He chooses to do so to March on to St Albans.

As York reaches St Albans, the Lancastrian player decides to try to

Intercept (4.3.4) with Somerset, who is at London, adjacent to St

Albans. Somerset needs a roll equal or less than his modified Valour

of 3 (rating “2” plus 1 for Andrew Trollop). The Lancastrian

player rolls a 5 and fails, so there is no Interception. If Somerset

had succeeded, he would have entered St Albans as if before York

got there: York’s move to St Albans would have been an Approach

(4.3.5) toward Somerset, triggering either Battle or Exile.

The Yorkist player places a Moved-Fought marker on

or near York’s cylinder (or on his mat), as a reminder

that he will have to Feed at the end of this Command

card.

York’s second action on his card is to March again, from St Al-

bans to Bedford to Northampton (again using Highway to move

an extra Locale).

Finally, York takes a Forage action (4.6.2) in

Northampton. As Northampton is Neutral (and there

is no Enemy Lord adjacent), the player has to make a

roll. The roll is a “2”: York is successful in the at-

tempt, so he receives a Provender on his mat, and

Northampton gets a Depleted marker.

The Duke of York’s Command actions. NOTE: For clarity of the exam-

ple, some items such as Henry VI’s cylinder at London are omitted here.

1^st action:

March

Failed

Intercept

2^nd action:

March

3^rd action:

Forage

Plantagenet Background Book

After taking all the actions, as York Moved, he has to Feed (4.7).

He expends 2 Provender to feed his 8 Troops (Retinue and Vas-

sals do not count toward Feed requirements) and removes the

Moved marker.

Next comes the Lancastrian player, who

reveals the first card of the Lancastrian

Plan deck, which shows the Lord Henry

VI. Henry VI has a Command Rating of

“2”, so he will have two actions.

Henry VI’s first action is Supply (4.5)

from London. First, he has to check if

there is a Route to London—a chain of

Locales connected by Ways from the

Lord’s Locale to the Source, with all of

them Friendly. There is, because Henry

VI is in London, and London is marked with Lancastrian Favour.

Then, the player checks the Strongholds table to see

the amount of Provender that Henry will receive—3

Provender. Finally, the player checks that Henry has

(or can Share from other Lords at his Locale) enough

Carts to bring that Provender to him (1 per Provender

per Way travelled). As there are 0 Ways between the

Lord and London, Henry needs 0 Carts. The player

adds Provender x3 to Henry VI’s mat and places a

Depleted marker at London.

The second action will be a Tax action (4.6.3) on St Albans. Hen-

ry VI is allowed to take a Tax action on St Albans because he has

Essex, the Vassal with St Albans as his Vassal Seat, on his mat.

First, he has to check if St Albans is Friendly and there is a Route

from London to it. He then checks Influence (1.4.2). The total In-

fluence Point cost will be 1 (no cost for the Route), so the player

shifts the red IP marker down by 1.

The player rolls a “1” for a successful check and, per

the Strongholds table, adds a Coin marker to Henry

VI’s mat. That Depletes St Albans.

Back to the Yorkists, who reveal the next

Command card to be one for the Lord

March. March has a Command Rating of

“2” and a Capability, York’s Favoured

Son, that gives adds +1 Command, for a

total of 3 actions available.

March’s first action will be to March

(4.3) to Hereford and then Gloucester us-

ing a Highway. March receives a Moved-

Fought marker, as a reminder to Feed at

the end of his card.

March’s second action will be to Parley (4.6.4) in Gloucester.

This Parley immediately succeeds because Parley actions during

Campaign that target the Stronghold that the Lord occupies suc-

ceed automatically without an Influence check. The player places

Yorkist Favour at Gloucester and moves the Cities marker (al-

ready on the white Yorkist side) on the edge track up by 1 box.

March’s third action will be to Parley in Hereford. As Hereford is

adjacent to March at Gloucester, the Parley calls for an Influence

check even during Campaign (4.6.4). March’s Influence rating is a

modified 3 (“2” printed plus 1 for his Capability card). The IP cost

is 2 at a distance of 1 Way. The Yorkist player decides to spend 1

IP more to bring the Influence rating to 4, shifting the IP marker

(on the Lancastrian side) up by 3 boxes. The roll is a “2”—suc-

cessful, so the player places Yorkist Favour at Hereford City and

moves the white Cities marker up one box.

As March has moved, he now must Feed (4.7). He expends 1

Provender from his mat and removes the Moved-Fought marker.

The Lancastrians reveal their next Com-

mand Card, Somerset, who gets 2 actions.

Somerset Marches to Guildford with his

first action, then Parleys at Guildford to

place Lancastrian Favour at that City.

That shifts the Cities marker (which cur-

rently shows a Yorkist net advantage in

Friendly Cities) down by 1 box. Having

moved, Somerset Feeds at the cost of 1

Provender.

The Yorkist player reveals March’s Com-

mand card next. The Earl of March with

his Arts of War card has 3 Commands to-

tal.

His first action is to March to Oxford.

The Lancastrian Lords nearby could try

to Intercept but decline to do so (4.3.4).

He then Marches to Northampton with his

second action. He was not able to March

directly from Gloucester to Northampton

with one action because there is only a

Road, not a Highway, between Oxford and Northampton.

March’s third action Parleys for the Town of Northampton, ad-

justing the Towns marker on edge track by 1 box to 0.

March must Feed for 1 Provender, but he has no Provender on

his mat! Luckily, he is in the same Locale as the Duke of York,

so they Share (4.7, 3.2). The player must remove the Provender

needed, in this case from York’s mat.

The next Lancastrian card is another for

Somerset.

Somerset Parleys for Favour at Win-

chester, which is adjacent to him at Guild-

ford. The Lancastrians spend 2 IP and roll

a 2, a success, especially with Somerset’s

Influence rating of “5”. Lancastrian Fa-

vour (red rose) at Winchester shifts the

Cities marker by 1.

Somerset’s second action is to Supply

(4.5) from Winchester. There is a Friendly Route between Som-

erset at Guildford to Winchester. The Strongholds chart shows

that Winchester as a City yields 2 Provender. There is only one

Way segment from Winchester to Guildford, and Somerset has

4x Carts—more than enough to Transport 2 Provender along 1

Plantagenet Background Book

Way. So, Somerset gets the Provender x2 from Winchester, and

the player places a Depleted marker there. Had Somerset had

only a single Cart, this Supply action would have delivered only

1 Provender.

The Yorkist’s final card of the Campaign is for the Duke of York.

This time, York gets only his printed Command rating for 2 ac-

tions, because his Thomas Bourchier Capability only applies if

York starts in a Friendly City, but he is at Northampton—a Town.

His first action will be to March. York is a Marshal, as stated on

his Lord card and shown by the gold ring on his cylinder (1.5.1).

As a Marshal, he may choose to lead a Group March (4.3.1).

York brings the Earl of March with him to Oxford. Moved-Fought

applies to both Lords.

York’s second action will be to March again, again taking March

with him, on to London. There, the Lancastrian Lord Henry VI

stands alone, triggering an Approach (4.3.5).

First, Somerset—adjacent London at Guildford—again tries to

Intercept (4.3.4), hoping to reinforce the imminent Battle. Somer-

set rolls a “5”, greater than his Valour rating, so he fails to move.

Next, Henry VI must choose between Battle and Ex-

ile (4.3.5). The Lancastrian player decides that Henry

will not go into Exile—he will hold his ground to

fight in a Battle. Although not really needed, as the

players will choose to Array Lord mats rather than cylinders, they

put the Battle marker at London to memorialize the clash.

Battle

The Battle of London ensues (4.4). On one side, the Yorkists as

Attackers include York and March. On the other side, the Lancas-

trian Defenders have only the Forces of Henry VI.

The first step of a battle is the Battle Array (4.4.1). Defender and

then Attacker arrange the Lords for Battle, either positioning Lord

Battle Array at the outset of Round 1.

Plantagenet Background Book

mats directly or Lord cylinders on the Battle mat included in the

game. For this example, we show the mats.

Henry VI must fight at Front Center. Then the Yorkists place York

in front of Henry and March on York’s Right.

Per each Lord’s Valour rating (1.5.2, 4.4.1), the

Yorkists put 2 Valour markers on York’s Lord card

and 3 on March’s. The Lancastrian gets no Valour

markers because Henry VI’s Valour Rating is “0”.

At this point, players would be able to play Held Events that affect

the Battle, but they have none.

The sides begin the first Round of Battle (4.4.2). No Lords on

either side choose to Flee.

Lords group into Engagements, within which to fight each other.

Henry VI and York Engage, because they face each other. March

joins in that to make a single Engagement—he has no Enemy to

his Front, so he Flanks the closest Front Enemy, Henry VI. All

Hits from York and March will add together against Henry, and

York and March will resolve Protection together.

The players refer to the Forces chart to find under “Strikes” how

many Melee and Missile Hits from Enemy units their Lords

must assign to their units, and under “Protection” what Armour

or Unarmoured die-roll ranges will enable the units absorb Hits

without Routing.

The players place Hits markers on the edge

track as remainders of the number of Hits

each side has left to resolve.

As shown on the Battle sheet, the Engagement’s Strike step be-

gins with an exchange of Missiles. The Lancastrians must absorb

12 Hits (2 Hits each from 5 units of Yorkist Longbowmen, plus ½

Hit each from 4 Militia). The Yorkists simultaneously must take

6 Missile Hits.

The Lancastrian decides to take the 12 Hits first with Henry’s Mi-

litia. He has to roll “1” for any Unarmoured Militia taking a Hit to

avoid its Rout. The player rolls 4 dice for the first 4 Hits against

the Militia—“3”, “1”, “1”, and “2”. With great luck, 2 Militia still

stand. So the player continues rolling, Hit per Hit—“3”, “1”, and

“4”. The 4 militia are Routed (slid back on their mat behind the

“Routed” line) but have succeeded in absorbing 7 of 12 Missile

Hits. With still 5 Hits left to assign, the Lancastrian decides to

take them with the Longbowmen. They also have Unarmoured

Protection of 1. The rolls are three rolls of “1” and two rolls of

“6”. The 2 units of Longbowmen Rout as well, but they have done

very well to draw all the Yorkist Missiles away from Henry’s Ar-

moured units!

The Yorkist decide to have their 4 Militia take the Missile Hits.

None of the rolls are a “1”, so York’s and March’s Militia all Rout.

Of the 6 Missile Hits from Henry’s archers, 2 Hits remain. York’s

Longbowmen roll for those, and a “2” and a “3” Rout them.

The next Strike step is Melee. The Lancastrians receive 11 Hits:

3 from each Yorkist Retinue, 2 from Shrewsbury, and 1 from each

Men-at-Arms piece). (Militia also generate Melee Hits, but they

have all Routed.) The Yorkists take 7 Hits (3 from Henry’s Reti-

nue, 2 from Essex, and 2 from Men-at-Arms).

The Lancastrian begins to resolve the 11 Hits with Men-at-Arms,

who have a Protection range of 1-3. Rolling Hit by Hit, the first 4

rolls are 3 or less, but the fifth roll of “4” Routs a Men-at-Arms

unit. Henry could take the next Hit with the other Men-at-Arms,

but, if they Rout, Henry will have no more Troops pieces (only

his Retinue and Vassal counters), causing

the Lord himself automatically to Rout at

the end of Round 1—dramatically increas-

ing King Henry’s chance of Death.

So, Henry begins to receive Hits with his

Vassal Essex, who has Armour 1-4. The

next roll is a “6”—Essex Routs! Henry’s

Retinue will take the remaining Hits.

Each roll is a 4 or less, well enough that the Retinue does not Rout

this Round.

The Yorkists defend against 7 Melee Hits, also choosing first their

Men-at-Arms, first the unit that belongs to March. The first roll

is a “6”.

The Yorkist player expends one of March’s Valour

markers to re-roll. (York’s Valour markers can only re-

roll Hits on York’s Forces.) Unfortunately, the re-roll is

a “5”. Because Valour can only re-roll a given Hit once,

March cannot use another Valour marker now and the Men-at-

Arms Rout.

More rolls against the Melee Hits and, at the player’s option,

use of some more Valour ends up Routing all 3 Yorkist Men-at-

Arms units.

Round 1 ends with Henry VI standing with his Retinue and 1

Men-at-Arms unit left. The Yorkists, along with their Retinues,

have 1 Longbow unit left with York and 2 Longbowmen units and

Shrewsbury with March.

A new Round begins, following the same procedure

as the first. At outset, the Lancastrian player decides

to Flee with Henry VI. The Lancastrian Lord flips

his Retinue marker to its “Fled” side and instantly

Routs. Since all Lords of a side have Routed, the Battle ends

(4.4.3) with the Lord mats in the situation as shown in our Battle

Array illustration.

The Yorkists win the Battle. Now it is time for check for Death

of any Routed Lords—that means Henry VI only, as no Yorkist

Lords Routed. The Lancastrians could now play any Held Event

that refers to Death checks, but they have none. Lords Die on a

modified 3 or above. Henry has Fled, so he receives a beneficial

–2 to his Death Check. For him, only a roll of “5” or “6” will

mean he is Dead.

Henry rolls a “3”, modified by –2 because he Fled to a 1—he does

not Die but rather Disbands (3.2.4). Troops and Assets from his

mat return to their pools. His Lord card and Retinue are set aside

until he Musters again. His cylinder goes onto the Calendar, a

number of boxes ahead of the current turn equal to 6 minus his

printed Influence rating (in Henry’s case, 6 minus 5 for 1 box

ahead, so into box 2).

Plantagenet Background Book

Henry’s Vassal Essex also Disbands. (Vassals

Disband if they have Routed or if their Lord Dis-

bands or Dies.) Essex’s marker from Henry’s mat

joins that on the Calendar, both flipped to their

back side (naming Essex’s Seat of St Albans) and

into a box ahead of the current turn equal to 6 minus Essex’s Ser-

vice rating of “1”, therefore into box 6. Essex will not be available

to Muster again until Turn 6, at which point both of his markers

will go back to the map at his St Albans Seat.

Since the Yorkists have won a battle, they gain Influence points

equal to the sum of all the defeated Enemy Lords’ printed Influ-

ence ratings, plus 1 IP per defeated Vassal. For this Battle, Henry

VI’s Influence of “5” plus Essex there yields a total of 6 IP to the

Yorkists for their victory. The IP marker, currently on the red Lan-

castrian side, shifts down toward 0, then flips to its white Yorkist

side and shifts up again, until it has moved a total of 6 boxes,

down plus up.

The Yorkist victors check for Spoils—Assets that they might take

from the losers’ mats. Because the Battle Locale, London, is Ene-

my to the victors, they receive nothing.

Next, Lords still in the field roll for Losses—determining whether

to recover or remove their Routed Troops. Yorkists roll Protection

once for each Routed Troops piece—success slides that unit back

into the mat’s Forces area. Here, they all fail and are removed to

the Troops pool, except for one of York’s Militia units, which rolls

a “1” and so stays on York’s mat to fight other Battles.

Battle Array in Round 2 as Henry decides to Flee.

Plantagenet Background Book

Sailing

York is at the Port of Newcastle, with his mat at the outset of the Campaign as illustrated below. He will use Sail actions

(4.6.1) over multiple Command cards to land at Harlech (for purposes of illustration, instead of Marching overland).

York uses his first Command Card fully for a Sail action. York has only a single Ship marker, which can carry his 6 Forces

(Retinue plus 5 Troops), plus his 2x Carts, plus Provender x2. Therefore, to Sail, York must first discard 3 of his 5 Provender.

York’s cylinder then Sails into the North Sea. (York could have landed immediately at Lynn or Scarborough, as they are all

Ports in that same Sea, but he wants to Sail on around the coast on his next card.) York has moved and the card has ended, so

York’s Troops must be Fed (4.7). York expends 1x Provender from his Lord mat.

When his next Command Card appears, York takes another Sail action, moving cylinder from the North Sea to the adjacent

English Channel (a “Sea” in game terms) and chooses to remain there. (Instead of remaining in the Sea, he could have

moved immediately to any Port on the English Channel free of Enemy Lords.) York again must Feed, leaving no Provender

on his mat.

Finally, York uses last of his 3 pos-

sible Command cards to Sail into the

Irish Sea and then land at the Port

there of Harlech. York once more

must Feed. He has no Provender left,

so he Pillages (3.2.1, 4.7) Harlech.

(Had York instead ended the Cam-

paign at sea, he would have had to

Disembark (4.8.2), on a die roll either

Disbanding permanently or landing at

a Port and having to Feed (and, unless

meeting up with a Yorkist Lord there

who could Share Provender, Pillage).

Feed and Pillage

York and March during this Command card both moved and

fought, so they must now Feed (4.7). They would need 2 Proven-

der total, 1 for each Lord. As they have none, the Yorkists must

Pillage (4.7, 3.2.1).

The Yorkist player must choose one of the Lords to Pillage Lon-

don and picks York. Per the Strongholds chart, York gets 3 Prov-

ender and 3 Coin for Pillaging London. As a penalty, the Yorkists

lose a number of Influence points equal to twice the total of Assets

gained, that is, twice 6, for 12 IP total to the Lancastrians.

London gets an Exhausted marker. Were it Neutral or

Yorkist, it would become Lancastrian in Favour. It is

already Lancastrian, so it simply remains so. Then each

adjacent Stronghold shifts one step towards Lancastrian

Favour: Oxford and Rochester go to Lancastrian Favour (adjust

the Cities marker). Guildford and St Albans are already Lancastri-

an and remain so.

Now York’s army must again attempt to Feed, drawing on its

Pillaged Provender. That consumes 1 Provender, leaving Prov-

ender x2.

Plantagenet Background Book

Then March must Feed. He cannot Pillage (London is Exhaust-

ed), but Shares (4.7, 3.2) with York, who is at the same Locale,

consuming 1 Provender from York’s mat and thus avoiding Dis-

band. (Had March not been able to Share Provender from York,

he would now have Disbanded Unfed, imposing an IP penalty on

his side, 3.2.1.)

Exile

The final card of the Campaign is Somer-

set of the Lancastrians.

Somerset March to London to Approach

the Yorkists there. The Yorkist player

judges Battle now too risky so has both

Yorkist Lords choose Exile (4.3.5).

The Yorkists first lose Influence points

equal to the printed Influence ratings of

the Lords going into Exile, plus one for

each of their Vassals. The total IP cost is

5 for York, plus 2 for March, plus 1 for

Shrewsbury, for a total of 8 IP awarded to the Lancastrians.

Somerset receives York’s and March’s Assets as if Spoils in Battle

(4.4.3)—since London Favours the Lancastrians, all the Yorkists’

Carts and Provender.

York, March, and Shrewsbury Disband (3.2.4). Their

Capability cards return to the Yorkist Arts of War deck.

York’s cylinder goes to Calendar box 2 (6 boxes minus

his Influence rating of 5, so 1 box ahead, 3.2.4), and

March’s goes to box 5, each with an Exile marker, showing that

they will later return to the map into a Yorkist Exile box (3.3.1).

Shrewsbury’s markers go facedown into Calendar box 5.

The Approach automatically ends Somerset’s Command card

(due to 4.3.5 RECOVERY). He Feeds, removing 1 Provender.

End Campaign

With

all

Command

cards expended, Tides

of War is next (4.8.1).

Both players calculate

how many Influence

points they might win

for the situation on the

map. The players con-

sult the Tides of War

list in the pink Influ-

ence Points section of

the foldout.

• There are no Lords in any of the North, South, or Wales map

Areas (1.3.1).

• There is no Domination of any of the Areas (North/South/

Wales).

• Lancastrians enjoy Favour at London for 2 IP and Favour at the

most Cities for another 2 IP.

• The Yorkists have the most Fortresses for 1 IP.

• The Towns marker is at 0, so nobody receives IP for that.

• Lancastrians get a bonus 1 IP for Somerset’s Council Member

Capability.

• Lastly, this is a “Gain Lords Influence” Turn, so the Lancastri-

ans get 5 IP for the net printed Influence ratings of all Lords on

the map.

That’s 10 IP total for the Lancastrians and 1 IP for the Yorkists,

which results in the red IP marker shifting 9 boxes (10 minus 1) in

the Lancastrian direction.

Players next check if any Lords are at Sea and must Disembark

(4.8.2); there are none. Victory (4.8.3) is not yet achieved: the

Yorkists have avoided defeat only because they have a Lord

marked Exile in the next turn’s box (5.1). Neither Grow (4.8.4)

nor Waste (4.8.5) shows on the Calendar for this turn.

Reset (4.8.6) first checks whether there are any Held Arts of War

cards that players want to discard or “This Campaign” Events that

they must discard; there are none. The players then prepare for the

next turn by advancing the marker to the next Calendar box and

flipping it to the “Levy” side. The turn is over.

Plantagenet Background Book

Campaign History

Here we relate the political context of the military campaigns de-

picted in Plantagenet.

The Wars of the Roses is the name given to a series of internecine

dynastic squabbles in England during the latter half of the 15^th

Century. The name is not contemporary with the period and did

not come into common usage until the early 19^th Century. The pe-

riod is mired in controversy. Sources are alternately very detailed

or irritatingly vague. Propaganda and spin were used at the time

and persist to this day. But why did the Wars take place, and what

happened?

History builds on history. In order to understand a period, we have

to look back, sometimes centuries, to identify the causes. For the

Wars of the Roses, we need to go back only two or three genera-

tions to see the tinder that ignited into conflict.

In 1377, 40 years into the Hundred Years War, Edward III, one of

England’s greatest kings, died. His heir had been his first-born,

Edward, known as the Black Prince, who had died a year before

his father did. The throne therefore passed to the Black Prince’s

son, who would be crowned as Richard II.

The succession was undisputed, although Richard was only 10

years old at the time. His accession to the throne was supported by

Edward III’s other four sons, the new King’s uncles. Among these

powerful men, brothers of the Black Prince, would be those who

would see the young King to adulthood, and who would also lay

the seeds of the Wars of the Roses.

The eldest brother, Lionel of Antwerp, 1^st Duke of Clarence, pre-

deceased his father. His importance is that his descendent Ann

Mortimer had married Richard, Earl of Cambridge, and they were

the parents of the future Richard of York. This gave Richard of

York a claim to the throne through his mother.

The second brother, John of Gaunt, 1^st Duke of Lancaster (sec-

ond creation), was probably the most influential individual of his

time. From his first marriage to Blanche of Lancaster among his

descendants were Philippa, who became Queen of Portugal, and

Henry Bolingbroke, who became Henry IV of England, father to

Henry V and grandfather to Henry VI. From his second marriage

to Constance of Castille came Catherine, who became Queen of

Castille. His third marriage, to Katherine Swynford, gave rise

to the Beaufort line: John, 1^st Earl of Somerset; Henry, bishop

of Winchester and later Cardinal; Thomas, Duke of Exeter; and

Joan, who married Ralph Neville, grandfather of Richard Neville,

the Earl of Warwick, the “Kingmaker”. John Beaufort was the

grandfather of Margaret Beaufort, who would give birth to Henry

Tudor, the future Henry VII.

Next in age was Edmund of Langley, 1^st Duke of York. His grand-

son was Richard, 3^rd Duke of York. This meant that York had a

claim to the throne through both of his parents, and arguably a

stronger one than that of those who claimed descent from Gaunt,

as on his mother’s side it came from a senior line, being descend-

ed from the Black Prince’s oldest brother.

Finally, there was Thomas of Woodstock, who fell into dispute

with his nephew Richard II and died in prison, before Henry

Bolingbroke seized the throne.

As you can see from the list above, most of the major protagonists

in the conflict, such as York, Warwick, Henry VI, and Somerset

were closely related by both blood and marriage, hence the period

has also been called the “Cousins War”.

As Richard II grew to adulthood, his sense of entitlement grew.

He had, for most of his life, been deferred to as King. He may

have come to resent the influence and advice of his uncles. In

asserting himself and becoming “his own man”, he alienated

his natural support base and fell to relying upon sycophants and

hangers on. His attempts to achieve peace with France cost him

territory and the backing of his more martial nobles. His inability

to produce a male heir, meaning that the throne would pass to one

of his cousins—Roger Mortimer or even John of Gaunt himself—

further added to instability.

In 1398, a dispute broke out between Henry Bolingbroke and

Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk. Richard ordered the two no-

bles to sort the matter out in a trial by combat, but then intervened

at the last moment and exiled the pair instead. When Gaunt died

the following year, and Richard confiscated his lands, Boling-

broke’s inheritance, the latter felt he had no option but to return

and claim his birth right in person.

Bolingbroke landed at Ravenspur in June 1399 and marched

south. Richard’s erratic behavior meant Bolingbroke’s return be-

came a rebellion, and Richard abdicated in Bolingbroke’s favor,

making him Henry IV. Richard II died in captivity the following

year. The problem with the accession of Henry, however, was that

he was not the most senior claimant, as his father’s older brother,

Lionel, had offspring which created the Mortimer claim to the

throne. Henry IV dealt with this issue by emphasizing the pure

male line of his descent, contrasting with the Mortimer claim,

which came through the distaff side.

Henry’s reign was not entirely smooth, and he did face rebellions.

However, he survived to die as King through natural causes, pass-

ing the throne on to his son, the famous warrior king, Henry V.

Henry V is one of the best-known English kings, not least because

of Shakespeare’s play about him. He united the country behind

his campaign to capture the French Crown and restored national

pride (as well as emptying the national treasury). There is much to

be said about Henry V, from his military exploits to his marriage

to the King of France’s daughter Catherine, and for anyone who

wants to learn more about him there are some suggestions in the

Selected Sources.

Henry VI

Henry V’s untimely death at the age of 36 left a young widow and

an infant son, Henry. The accession of Henry VI went smoothly

and was undisputed. The King’s uncles, Thomas, Duke of Clar-

ence; John, Duke of Bedford; and Humphrey of Gloucester took

control of the government. They ensured the infant Henry was

crowned King not only of England, but also of France.

Gloucester acted as Lord Protector, and continued an active

French policy, attempting to retain Henry V’s gains and maintain

Plantagenet Background Book

the claim to the French throne. Finances for the war in France

came to a large extent from one of Gaunt’s sons by Kathryn

Swynford, Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester and eventually

a Cardinal. The Cardinal often predicated his support upon the

advancement of his other Beaufort kin, moving them closer to the

Crown to become the King’s inner circle of advisors. The other

significant adviser to Henry was William de la Pole, Earl (later

Duke) of Suffolk. Suffolk, along with Cardinal Beaufort, favored

making peace with France.

Gloucester, together with Richard of York, were more inclined

toward continuing the conflict. This division at court came into

more prominence when Henry at last took over the Crown in his

own right in 1437, favoring Beaufort and Suffolk over Gloucester

and York.

In 1444, Suffolk brokered a marriage for King Henry with the

French Princess, Margaret d’Anjou, a niece of Charles VII. The

marriage settlement was not universally welcomed in England.

The main benefit to England was that it included a 23-month ces-

sation of hostilities. In exchange for this, Margaret’s dowry was

small, and England also made territorial concessions. Margaret

herself had a strong personality and an understanding of how

things were done in France. This did not necessarily sit well with

some members of the English court.

These tensions eventually led to the final downfall of Humphrey,

Duke of Gloucester. Prior to the French marriage, opponents at-

tacked him through his wife by accusing her of witchcraft. In 1447,

they accused him of treason, but he died before any trial. Suffolk

effectively replaced Gloucester as chief councilor to the King.

With Gloucester gone, leadership of the anti-French faction

passed to Richard of York. York had served two terms as Lieu-

tenant of France, 1436-1437 and then 1440-1445. Although not

important as a battlefield commander—a role he usually delegat-

ed to others—he was a skilled administrator and did a good job of

stabilizing the English position on the Continent.

He achieved this despite being starved of funds, rarely being giv-

en the required resources, and only infrequently being paid his

salary. To make up for shortfalls, he used his own funds and credit

to pay the forces under his command. To add insult to injury, the

Kingdom sent John Beaufort, 1^st Duke of Somerset (son of the 1^st

Earl), on a fully funded campaign into Gascony in 1443, while

York was struggling to pay his many troops and garrisons. Som-

erset’s uncle, Cardinal Beaufort, had arranged the funding for the

Gascony campaign and insisted on his nephew commanding the

expedition. The campaign was a disaster. Somerset returned home

and died shortly afterwards, probably by his own hand.

John Beaufort’s brother Edmund, the new Duke of Somerset, re-

placed York in France. His tenure saw wholesale losses in France.

York, meanwhile, became Lieutenant of Ireland. This appoint-

ment was commensurate with his standing as a senior nobleman

with royal blood, but it also served to keep him away from court.

Henry VI’s unsuitability to rule was creating discontent within the

Kingdom. Blame at the time fell upon his councilors: Parliament

imprisoned Suffolk before the King sent him into exile, only to

suffer lynching on the way. But there is no doubt that Henry’s

own vacillating personality and the backing of his strong-willed

Queen, who despised York and his followers, together contributed

most to the problems.

In 1450, rebels from Kent led by Jack Cade (who referred to him-

self as a Mortimer, implying a connection to York, see Yorkist

Arts of War Event Y4) briefly took London by force. Later that

year, York returned from Ireland and raised forces to confront the

King. This led to the temporary imprisonment of Somerset, the

Queen’s favorite and York’s principal rival at court. In 1452, York

raised another army to force his way into government and remove

the Beauforts. At Dartford, Henry convinced York to disband his

men, but then had him seized and made him swear he would never

raise forces against the King again.

In 1453, the King fell into catatonia after English defeat to the

French at the Battle of Castillion. A Great Council was called,

inviting Richard of York and making him Lord Protector. York

again imprisoned Somerset and brought the Neville family into

the government, appointing Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury

(father of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick) Lord Chancellor.

This polarized the court further, entrenching the Percy-Neville

feud as a fault line between red rose and white.

York and Salisbury soon proved to be more capable administra-

tors than the previous council. They restored order and started to

repair the country’s finances.

But then disaster struck. After 17 months in a catatonic state, which

saw the birth of Henry VI’s son Edward at Westminster, the King

recovered his senses. He quickly reversed all York’s measures,

threatened to prosecute him and the Nevilles, and called them to a

Great Council at Leicester, where they faced likely arrest.

The Lancastrian King Henry with Somerset set out from London

with what was mostly an enlarged court retinue, perhaps 2,000

men. A slightly larger force under York, Salisbury, and Warwick

caught up with them at the town of St Albans.

Richard of York shows Somerset the white rose.

Plantagenet Background Book

The First War

The Lancastrian forces arrayed in streets and buildings of St Al-

bans itself, with the Yorkists slightly to the east. Negotiations be-

tween the two sides ensued and lasted several hours. King Henry

refused to accede to York’s request to surrender Somerset, and

fighting finally broke out, most likely initiated by Warwick. So

started the 1^st Battle of St Albans on 22^nd May 1455, normally

regarded as the start of the Wars of the Roses.

The battle was more of a skirmish, and the losses were low on

both sides. Warwick led the attack, gaining some fame for his

bravery, and the Yorkists prevailed. The outcome was catastroph-

ic for the Lancastrians: Northumberland, Somerset, and Clif-

ford were killed, and Henry VI and the Duke of Buckingham

were injured and captured.

With Henry now in York’s custody, the Yorkist nobles professed

their loyalty to the King. Within six months, York was once more

Lord Protector, and Warwick was made Lieutenant of Calais.

There now followed an uneasy period, in which Queen Margaret

rebuilt her party and tried through King Henry to replace York’s

supporters and reduce his influence. As tensions grew, Henry VI

in 1458 forced feuding enemies such as the Percys on the one

hand and York and the Nevilles on the other to put on a public

display of reconciliation at a so-called “Love Day” in London.

By the following year, Margaret felt sufficiently strong to move

against York and his associates. York reacted in the normal way.

He called his supporters to meet him at his castle at Ludlow,

intent on once more pressing his demands of the King with a

show of force.

The Queen likewise rallied supporters, and on 23^rd September

1459, Lancastrian forces under Lord Audley intercepted Richard

Neville of Salisbury and his contingent at Blore Heath. This first

field battle of the Wars of the Roses saw a heavy defeat of the

Lancastrians after Yorkist archers brought a rare series of cavalry

charges to grief. Audley was killed, and Salisbury joined York at

Ludlow, along with Warwick and a Calais garrison contingent.

But the Lancastrians now had a full army in the field under Hen-

ry VI’s command. They met York and his followers at Ludford

Bridge on 12^th October 1459. When Andrew Trollope, com-

mander of the Calais contingent, switched sides to the King, York,

Salisbury, and Warwick secretly fled their army at night. York

took his second son Edmund, Earl of Rutland, with him to exile

in Ireland. Salisbury and Warwick took York’s first son, Edward,

Earl of March, with them to Calais.

Queen Margaret moved quickly to consolidate her victory

through what became known as “The Parliament of Devils”, held

the next month at Coventry. York and his followers were “attaint-

ed”—declared traitors by Act of Parliament—which removed all

their titles and offices and disinherited their entire families.

Backed into a corner, the Yorkist lords planned their return for

the following year. In June 1460, Warwick and his forces landed

in Kent and moved swiftly via London up the country, gaining

favor as they went. The Queen’s army moved from Coventry to

confront them at Northampton, erecting an artillery fortification

in the fields surrounding Delapré Abbey. The ensuing Battle of

Northampton, fought on 10th July 1460, is notable for several

things beyond the conflict’s only recorded use of purpose-built

field artillery fortifications. It was the last battle at which negotia-

tions preceded the fighting, the only one for which one army (the

Lancastrian) was excommunicated, and the site where the oldest

cannonball on an English battlefield has been found. Treachery

against the King, on the part of Lord Grey of Ruthin, decided the

outcome.

Henry VI was captured at the battle and many of his high-pro-

file supporters killed, but Margaret escaped. After the battle,

Henry was taken to London. Later in the year, Richard of York

returned from Ireland and laid claim to the throne. In October

1460, Parliament passed the “Act of Settlement”, naming York

as Henry’s heir and disinheriting Henry and Margaret’s son, Ed-

ward, Prince of Wales—making Margaret an even more impla-

cable foe of the Yorkists.

Yorkists controlled the government, but Lancastrians still held

great favor in the provinces. Leaving Warwick in London, York

and Salisbury went North and March to Wales to pacify the

countryside.

Disaster struck York on 30th December 1460, when he was am-

bushed near Sandal Castle at the Battle of Wakefield. York and

Salisbury were killed, as was one of York’s sons, Edmund. York

and Salisbury’s heads were placed on spikes on the gates of the

City of York, and York’s head given a paper crown. The death of

York made Edward of March the Yorkist claimant to the throne.

Margaret had now consolidated her northern power. She set off

south, accompanied by Scottish allies. (See Arts of War Event

L14 Scots.)

The Lancastrians fought two battles in February 1461, to starkly

different outcomes. In the Welsh Marches, Edward of March in

February was able to confront and destroy Lancastrian forces led

by Jasper Tudor in a notable victory at Mortimer’s Cross. Details

of the battle are scarce but record appearance of a parhelion, an

atmospheric phenomenon in which ice crystals create an illusion

of multiple suns. Edward cited the suns as an omen of victory, and

the “sun in splendour” became his livery badge (see Event Y24).

Meanwhile, Warwick had left London to intercept Margaret’s

army. Warwick arrayed facing north with St Albans behind him

and fortified his ground with all sorts of contrivances: caltrops,

pavises, and fencing. (See Event Y19 Caltrops.) But Marga-

ret’s Lancastrians turned the position through a night march 16^th

to 17^th February to approach Warwick’s defenses from the south.

(See Event Y2 & L2 Flank Attack.) This forced the Yorkists

to leave some of their prepared positions. The Lancastrians

brought superior forces to bear on a part of the Yorkist army

and overwhelmed it. Warwick fled and escaped back to Lon-

don. Henry VI was freed, found sitting under a tree. Second St

Albans was a major victory for the Lancastrians, but one they

were unable to exploit.

Although Margaret was hot on Warwick’s heels, her army was

unable to enter London, as the citizens barred the gates. Yorkist

propaganda had stressed the barbaric nature of the Queen’s Scot-

tish allies and what they would do if let loose in the city. The

Lancastrians fell back north, retiring upon Dunstable.

Plantagenet Background Book

By now, Edward of March had made his way to the capital and

was hastily crowned King Edward IV at Westminster on 4^th

March. England now had two kings.

Reunited, Edward and Warwick turned north to find and destroy

their opponents. As Henry VI and Margaret awaited news at the

City of York, the Yorkist and Lancastrian armies in late March

1461 met in what would be one of the most decisive clashes on

English soil: the Battle of Towton.

Towton. The sources disagree on the exact development of the

battle. It is often seen as two connected battles, Ferrybridge and

Towton, making a rolling conflict over a prolonged period, start-

ing on the 28^th March and finishing on the next day, Palm Sunday.

The general consensus is that the Lancastrians outnumbered the

Yorkists in the initial stages. There were eight Peers alongside the

Yorkist King, and 19 with the Lancastrians. Edward IV, War-

wick, and Norfolk (who arrived late) faced the slain Somerset’s

son Henry (now 3^rd Duke of Somerset), Henry Holland of Exeter,

and Henry Percy of Northumberland.

Somerset had a blocking force under Clifford to the south at Fer-

rybridge. These were destroyed, and Edward’s men could then

approach the main position. The Lancastrians were deployed on

the top of a plateau, waiting for the Yorkists to attack. The Yorkist

vanguard commander, Fauconberg, noticed the strength and di-

rection of the wind, deployed his archers at the front, and started a

barrage of arrows that fell in the middle of the Lancastrian ranks.

When the Lancastrians replied, their arrows fell short of the target

(see Event Y1 & L1, Leeward Battle Line). Fauconberg’s ar-

chers even gathered enemy arrows from the ground to shoot back

when they finished their own.

The volleys of arrows forced the Lancastrians to attack. They

pushed back the Yorkist forces, who were at risk of losing their

left wing. Edward IV joined the thick of the fighting, taking

charge of the situation and rallying the troops to withstand the

enemy assault.

Once stabilized, the fight went on for two or three hours. The Lan-

castrians were little by little forcing the Yorkists to fall back. But

the decisive moment came when Norfolk finally arrived and took

the Lancastrian left wing by surprise, starting a rout that spread

through the ranks and ended with a massacre.

Northumberland and Andrew Trollope fell in the battle. Henry,

Margaret, Somerset, and Exeter fled to Scotland. The Yorkist

victory left Edward IV as uncontested ruler of England.

Somerset’s Return. Edward IV, strong and handsome and

still an 18-year-old at the time of the 1461 battle, started his reign

with pardons to many of his enemies from Towton. Somerset ac-

cepted but in 1464 would spurn this peace offering.

Lancastrian opposition still carried on in the North, especially as

the Crown’s diplomacy with Scotland in 1463 threatened the Lan-

castrian sanctuary there. Edward delegated suppression of these

risings to Warwick and the Neville family, principally John Nev-

ille, Marquess of Montagu.

When Somerset in 1464 rebelled against Edward IV again, Mon-

tagu defeated him at the Battle of Hexham, ending the revolts.

Somerset fell captive after the battle and was beheaded. Shortly

afterwards, Henry VI was captured and transferred to the Tow-

er of London, putting an apparent end to the Lancastrian cause,

though his wife and heir remain free.

The First Respite. The year 1464 also saw Edward IV marry

Elizabeth Woodville, an attractive widow of Lancastrian sympa-

thies. Her father had achieved a level of notoriety by marrying

Jacquetta of Luxembourg, widow of the Duke of Bedford, a wom-

an of considerably higher social status. The Woodvilles were a

large family and gave Edward an opportunity to broaden his favor

through his wife’s relatives (see Event Y31 Earl Rivers and Ca-

pability Y31 Woodvilles).

Over the following five years Edward IV started to assert his au-

thority, much to the chagrin of Warwick, who expected not only

to be rewarded materially for his role in putting Edward on the

throne, but also to be granted political power and effectively act

as a medieval first minister.

The relationship between Edward and Warwick slowly broke

down. Traditionally this has been put down to Warwick’s opposi-

tion to the King’s marriage and his dislike of Queen Elizabeth’s

family and their increasing influence. For example, Lord Rivers,

the Queen’s father, became Lord Treasurer in 1466 (Event Y31

Earl Rivers).

Issues, however, ran deeper than that. Warwick favored a pro-

French foreign policy. Edward was naturally drawn to Burgundy

as an ally against England’s traditional enemy. Edward also pro-

moted men who owed their advancement entirely to him, men

such as William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, and Humphrey Staf-

ford, Earl of Devon (see also Event Y29 Dorset and Capability

Y29 Stafford Branch). These men received lands and offices

coveted by Warwick himself. Edward’s fiscal policies also meant

that he benefitted from trade at the expense of some of Warwick’s

traditional allies in the merchant community (see Lancastrian Ca-

pability L30 Merchants).

Warwick’s Rebellion

Things came to a head in 1469. Warwick had managed to suborn

Edward’s brother, George Duke of Clarence who at that time was

regarded as heir to the throne as Edward was yet to have a son.

Warwick, who had only daughters, was keen to marry his eldest,

Isabel, to Clarence, and Clarence was happy to agree. Alas Ed-

ward did not. Having married an English woman, he now needed

his siblings to make foreign marriages to build alliances. He had

already married his sister Margaret to Charles of Burgundy in

1468, and further diplomatic opportunities beckoned.

Open rebellion broke out in 1469. A series of risings in the north,

under the mysterious “Robin of Redesdale” (Event L31 Rob-

in’s Rebellion), finally provoked Edward IV to respond rath-

er than rely upon local leaders. While he was gathering forces,

Warwick left for Calais with Clarence and Isabel, who were

then married by George Neville, Archbishop of York. Warwick

then returned with an army, aiming to catch Edward between

his forces and those of Redesdale, which were actually led by a

loyal Warwick retainer.

Fearing the worst, Edward summoned Pembroke and Devon to

come to his aid. These two ran into Redesdale’s forces at Edgcote

Plantagenet Background Book

on the 24^th July 1469. With neither Warwick nor Edward pres-

ent this was like a play with the lead actors absent. Redesdale’s

men prevailed, Devon fleeing before the battle. Pembroke was

captured during the fighting and executed several days later, on

Warwick’s orders. Edward IV was captured shortly afterwards as

support deserted him.

Warwick’s attempts to rule with Edward as a puppet failed. With

Edward incarcerated, Warwick went on a killing spree, dispos-

ing of his “enemies”, notably Lord Rivers, but come September,

Warwick needed King Edward to enable him to raise forces to

suppress rebellions, and Edward took the opportunity to return to

London and announce he was back in control. Publicly he claimed

that he was reconciled with Warwick and Clarence, but privately

among his household it was said that this was not the case.

The following year a revolt in Lincolnshire prompted Edward to

leave London with his army to crush the rebels. Traditional ac-

counts, including the official version written by one of Edward’s

scribes, claim that the rebels were organized by Warwick and

Clarence. More recent research suggests that this might not have

been the case, and Edward was taking the opportunity to deal with

his troublesome over-mighty noble and brother.

With the rebels defeated at the Battle of Losecote, 12^th March

1470, and Edward hot on their trail, Warwick and Clarence fled

to France. Here, with the help of Louis XI, Warwick arranged an

alliance with Margaret d’Anjou, sealed by an agreement to mar-

ry his second daughter, Anne Neville, to Henry VI and Margaret’s

son Edward, Prince of Wales.

This unfortunately side-lined Clarence, who was now realizing

the error of his ways. Getting the deal was not an easy matter for

Warwick, however. Margaret made him stay on his knees in her

presence for half an hour before deigning to speak to him. Even

with the agreement in place, Margaret did not fully trust Warwick.

Warwick and Clarence next staged a full-scale invasion with the

help of the French and the Lancastrian allies they had in England.

Creating a diversion in the north, they landed in Dartmouth and

Plymouth at the head of two armies.

Edward IV was in the north, dealing with the bush wars insti-

gated by Warwick’s associates in that region, but found himself

trapped by an army led by Montagu. He realized he had insuffi-

cient time to raise a full-sized army to deal with the problem and,

desperate, fled to Burgundy with his brother Richard, the Duke of

Gloucester (and future King Richard III), and what he could save

of his retinue.

Once in Burgundy, Edward and Gloucester started gathering re-

sources and allies to come back to England. Warwick’s alliance

with France to put Henry VI back on the throne served in this

case to aid Edward. If both England and France were hostile to

Burgundy, then the Duke of Burgundy had a problem (see Event

Y23 Charles The Bold).

Meanwhile, Warwick freed Henry VI from the Tower and on

3^rd October 1470 reinstated him as King of England in what was

known as the “Readeption”. Margaret was still wary of Warwick,

however, and had remained in France. Henry VI was very weak

mentally and incapable of governing, the perfect King for a man

like Warwick.

Edward IV, with the backing of the Burgundians, landed in Ra-

venspur at the head of a small army. This was a symbolic moment,

as it had reminiscences of Henry Bolingbroke’s return, over 70

years before. As with that return, Edward also initially claimed

to be coming back to recover his legitimate inheritance. But, as

allies gathered around him, it became clear that he was there to

recover the throne.

Edward’s forces increased as he journeyed south. Clarence, to-

tally disaffected with Warwick, came back to the fold, and his

brothers received him with open arms. Edward and Gloucester

were careful enough, though, not to give Clarence any command

in the forthcoming battles. Edward entered London on 12^th April

and paused only long enough to lock Henry VI back in the Tow-

er of London before heading off to fight Warwick. Edward had

a narrow window of opportunity while Margaret and her forces

remained in France, most likely trapped by contrary winds. Here

was an opportunity for King Edward to defeat his enemies one

at a time.

Edward found Warwick near Barnet, deploying close to him

in the evening dark. The following day, 14^th April, with the

battlefield shrouded in heavy mist and despite being outnum-

bered, Edward attacked. The two armies were offset, with both

left flanks being overlapped. Oxford held the Lancastrian right

flank for Warwick and broke Hastings on the Yorkist left. Ox-

ford’s men pursued the defeated Yorkists into Barnet, before a

few returned to the battle. Richard of Gloucester on the Yorkist

right was pushing back the Lancastrian left, causing the battle

lines to turn counterclockwise.

Edward then was the beneficiary of an amazing piece of luck. As

Oxford’s men began to return to the field from their pursuit, Mon-

tagu’s fellow Lancastrians mistook the star of Oxford’s banner for

Edward IV’s “sun in splendour” badge. They started to shoot ar-

rows at the returning men. Oxford’s forces, shouting “treachery”,

counterattacked. One of Warwick’s retainers murdered Montagu

for fear he was about to change sides. Exeter, who had command-

ed the Lancastrian left, also lay dead. As Warwick’s army col-

lapsed, one of Edward’s men slew the Kingmaker himself.

Edward IV had disposed of his one-time mentor, and now had

to turn his attention to the remaining Lancastrian threat. Mar-

garet and Edward, Prince of Wales, had landed at Weymouth

(near Dorchester) on the same day as the Yorkist King’s victory

at Barnet. Refreshing his forces, Edward IV headed off to the

West Country.

He tracked down Margaret’s army at Tewkesbury on 4^th May

1471. Although the armies were smaller than at Barnet, King Ed-

ward was again outnumbered. In addition to Margaret and the

Prince of Wales, Edmund Beaufort of Somerset was present

and commanded the army. Edward IV was again supported by

Gloucester and Hastings.

The battle opened with a Yorkist advance, and Somerset respond-

ed by trying to turn the Yorkist left flank, passing his men along

a concealed path. As the Lancastrians emerged, the two broth-

ers Edward IV and Gloucester forced them back and a concealed

force of cavalry, placed by Edward before the battle started, at-

tacked them in the flank and then pursued them. The rest of the

Lancastrian army broke and fled.

Plantagenet Background Book

Edward IV defeats Warwick at Barnet, 1471.

Prince Edward was captured and killed, as was Somerset. Mar-

garet herself was captured and sent to join her husband in the

Tower. The remaining Lancastrian resistance crumbled. Jasper

Tudor fled to the Continent. Forces under Thomas Neville, the

Bastard of Fauconberg, failed in their attempt to seize London.

He was captured shortly afterwards and executed.

Edward had won.

The Second Respite. The remaining years of Edward IV’s

reign were more or less peaceful. He now had a male heir, also

named Edward, to be followed soon by another, named Richard.

These were placed mainly in the care of his wife’s family, the

Woodvilles, as they prepared for their roles as royal adults. Ed-

ward put the country’s finances on a more solid footing and be-

haved as an English king was supposed to, for example, by invad-

ing France in 1475, although this campaign ended with the French

King, Louis XI, paying off the English to withdraw.

Alas, Edward IV’s relationship with his brother George, Duke of

Clarence, never really settled down, and the King executed him

in 1478 after another act of rebellion.

One of Edward IV’s last acts of foreign policy was to order an

invasion of Scotland in 1482, under the command of Richard of

Gloucester. The campaign was in support of a rival claimant to the

Scottish throne. Although this aspect failed, the English did regain

control of Berwick upon Tweed, which Margaret d’Anjou had

gifted to Scotland in exchange for support against Edward in 1461.

Much to everyone’s surprise, Edward died in 1483, at barely the

age of 40, probably due to overindulgence. He had become in-

dolent as he became older and enjoyed the pleasures of the flesh.

Another theory is that he caught pneumonia while fishing, some-

what ironic given all the risks he had run in combat when younger.

The succession should have been straightforward. Although a mi-

nor, his son Edward was a healthy 13-year-old, who would reach

his majority in five years (see Event Y33 Edward V). Edward IV

had put in place clear guidance for what was to happen should he

die before his son was old enough, with Richard of Gloucester

as Protector of the Kingdom and his wife’s family the Woodvilles

accorded a role in raising the Princes and in government.

What happened next is controversial and divisive even today.

Gloucester seized the young Prince Edward while on his way to

London, taking him out of the control of his mother’s family. His

motives are open to interpretation. His brother had entrusted him

with the Protectorate, and he may have had reason to think that

the Woodvilles were about to stage a coup. Alternatively, he may

already have had in mind what would be his first step on the road

to seizure of the throne for himself.

Gloucester had the young Prince brought to London and placed in

the Tower, soon to be joined there by the Prince’s younger brother.

The Tower at this time served two distinct roles. It was a prison

for high-ranking prisoners, but it was also a luxurious royal palace

where kings traditionally had stayed before their coronations.

Plans for the coronation of Edward V were delayed, then put on

hold. Then a clergyman suggested to Gloucester that his broth-

er’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville was bigamous, rendering his

children illegitimate and therefore making Richard of Gloucester

himself the heir to the throne.

On 3^rd July 1483, Richard was crowned King. Neither young

Prince was seen outside the Tower again, and their disappearance

is one of history’s abiding mysteries.

My Kingdom for a Horse

Richard III’s coronation seemed to show a nation united be-

hind a strong, adult ruler, but all was not well. Even before his

coronation, Richard had taken steps to remove likely opposition,

executing his deceased brother Edward’s close friend Hastings

and temporarily imprisoning the wealthy Thomas Stanley. As

well, he had the senior male members of the extended Woodville

family executed.

One of Richard’s chief supporters in his seizure of the crown

was Henry Stafford, 2^nd Duke of Buckingham (grandson of the

Lancastrian-loyalist 1^st Duke of Buckingham; see L34 Buck-

ingham’s Plot). But, married to a Woodville, Buckingham by

the end of July was in discussions with Henry Tudor’s mother,

Margaret Beaufort (see Event L35), and by October Buckingham

was in open rebellion. Troops under Henry Tudor were unable to

leave France to join him, due to contrary winds. Yorkists crushed

the rebels and executed Buckingham.

The following year saw Richard III attempt to consolidate his

hold on the realm, but behind the scenes Edward IV’s Queen,

Elizabeth Woodville, and Henry Tudor’s mother, Margaret Beau-

fort, were arranging the deal that would unseat Richard. A mar-

riage of Edward’s oldest daughter to Henry Tudor, would unite the

Houses of York and Lancaster on the throne (see Capabilitity L32

Two Roses). In England, the remnants of Lancastrian supporters

joined with Yorkists who now regretted backing Richard intent on

his overthrow. Henry Tudor would return to England, backed by

Plantagenet Background Book

French troops and money (see Capabilities L34 Piquiers and L36

Chevaliers).

Henry Tudor’s invasion started in early August 1485, when he

set sail from Harfleur. He was accompanied by Jasper Tudor and

had the services of an experienced French commander, Philibert

de Chandeé (see Capability L33). Landing in Pembrokeshire, he

moved northeast before cutting across eastward through Shrews-

bury, toward the English Midlands, gathering support as he went.

Richard III positioned his army centrally, in Nottingham, and

his supporters marched to join him from London and the North.

Troops under Thomas (2^nd Baron) Stanley and his brother Wil-

liam Stanley also made their way to the battlefield.

Thomas Stanley was husband to Margaret Beaufort and thus

Henry Tudor’s stepfather. Richard held Thomas Stanley’s son,

Lord Strange, as a hostage, to guarantee the father’s good conduct

and support. While historians have widely derided the Stanleys

as turncoats and fence-sitters, it seems unlikely that they were

intending to do anything other than turn on Richard III once the

time was right.

Bosworth. The two armies met at Bosworth on 22^nd August

1485, for one of the most important battles in English history. The

site has been subject to the most intensive archaeological work on

any English battlefield in recent years, which has added greatly to

our understanding of the battle, although the evidence is still open

to interpretation.

What seems most likely is that Henry Tudor attacked Richard

III first. The two sides clashed, the Yorkist vanguard led by Nor-

folk and the Tudor’s center led by Oxford, while Thomas Stan-

ley and William Stanley held off.

During a small break in the fight, the French, who were concealed

behind or near Oxford’s lines, attacked Norfolk from the flank

with their 22 foot-long pikes (L34 Piquiers). Richard’s rear sup-

ports were unable to react due to the terrain. Northumberland,

seeing that the Stanleys had joined the Lancastrian side, started

to flee.

Norfolk was destroyed, and Richard III could either flee and

save his life or try a last desperate maneuver. No one can call him

a coward, as he chose the latter. Mounting his horse, and accom-

panied by his bodyguards, he charged through the battlefield in

search of Henry Tudor, hoping to kill him and win the battle with

one stroke of a sword.

Seeing Henry and his bodyguards behind Oxford’s battle, Rich-

ard attempted to end the fight with a decisive cavalry charge,

something that had not been tried in the Wars of the Roses for

over two decades (see Capability Y32 Final Charge). Skirting

the marsh that protected Henry’s right flank, Richard headed for

his enemy. The King, first with his lance and then with his battle

axe, fought his way through the men around Henry until he was no

more than a sword point away from the pretender. But then Wil-

liam Stanley’s troops came crashing from the back of the battle-

field. The melee that followed cut down Richard and his followers.

Richard III fell as he fought on foot beside his dead horse, sur-

rounded by enemies. Forced to his knees, his helmet ripped off,

repeated blows to the head killed him, bringing the Plantagenet

dynasty to a bloody end.

After Bosworth, Henry Tudor was crowned King of England.

He followed through on marrying Edward IV’s daughter Eliz-

abeth, thus merging the York bloodline with his and uniting the

two Roses.

The Tudor dynasty had begun.

The death of Richard III during the battle of Bosworth.

Plantagenet Background Book

Lord and Vassal Histories

Here we briefly discuss the lives of historical figures depicted in

the game as Lords and Vassals. As a convention, we refer to no-

bles by their titles, except where other names better distinguish

them. See also the House of Lancaster and House of York family

trees, pages 54 & 55.

The Lancastrians

Henry VI Plantagenet, King of England

Henry was born on 6^th December 1421, the only son

of King Henry V and Catherine of Valois, daughter

of Charles VI of France. Henry VI in 1422 succeed-

ed his father as the third King of England (and

claimant to the French throne) from the Lancastrian branch of

the Plantagenets, after Henry IV and Henry V. Until the new

King’s coming of age, a Lord Protector (Humphrey, Duke of

Gloucester) and a regency council of Henry’s uncles (Henry V’s

brothers) governed the country.

Henry VI was pious, shy, and averse to conflict, so when he

took up the reins of government in 1437, he allowed a few noble

favorites to dominate his court, first Suffolk, then after Suffolk’s

death, Edmund Beaufort, 2^nd Duke of Somerset. Suffolk’s ar-

rangement of a royal marriage to the French Margaret d’Anjou,

along with Henry’s less aggressive policy toward France relative

to that of his father, stirred conflict among the nobles and divid-

ed the court itself. An anti-French party led by Gloucester, later

succeeded by York, on one side opposed a party around the new

Queen on the other.

Henry VI suffered from bouts of mental illness or catatonia.

During the first one, in 1453, York was named Lord Protector.

And—perhaps ill-suited to a king in these times of division—

Henry always sought to negotiate rather than resort to resolution

by arms, as can be seen in his response to Jack Cade’s rebellion in

1450 and during the confrontation with York a bit later.

When armed conflict nevertheless came, the Yorkists proved the

greater military leaders. After the Battle of Towton and Yorkist

victory, Henry VI fled to Scotland and spent some years there in

exile before his capture and imprisonment in 1464.

Indeed, Henry VI was captured and freed multiple times after bat-

tles in the Wars of the Roses and even reinstated to the throne for a

few months in 1471, upon Edward IV’s exile to Burgundy. Henry

VI finally died 21^st May 1471, captive in the Tower of London.

Margaret d’Anjou, Queen of England

Margaret (Marguerite) was born 23^rd March 1430, the

daughter of René, Duke of Anjou, and Isabella of

Lorraine. She was a cousin of King Louis XI of

France, and when she married King Henry VI in

1445, she became Queen of England (and nominally Queen of

France) until 1461, and again from 1470 to 1471. Margaret and

Henry had only one son, Edward, born in 1453. (See Edward of

Westminster, below, and Arts of War Capability card L26 Ed-

ward – Prince of Wales.)

Margaret’s French family included several women who had ex-

ercised power in politics, administration, and war, so she found

it difficult to adapt to an English court that expected her to play a

secondary role. That, and Henry VI’s reticent personality, quickly

led her to become involved in the power struggle between the

two factions of the court: the Duke of Gloucester’s party, which

wanted to keep Henry V’s policy fighting France, and Cardinal

Beaufort’s party, which sought a negotiated exit from the Hundred

Years War. She favored the latter agenda and thus became an en-

emy of Gloucester and, after his fall, of Richard Plantagenet, the

Duke of York.

Margaret d’Anjou, Queen of England

Highly active at war, Margaret accompanied armies on campaign

and took command when Henry VI was imprisoned or unwell.

(See Capability L17 Margaret takes the reins.)

After Towton, she had to endure hard exiles in Scotland and

France. She had little hope of recovering the throne until Louis

XI arranged an alliance between her and the Earl of Warwick,

by then known as “Kingmaker”. In 1471, Margaret returned to

England at the head of a Lancastrian army to confront the Yorkist

King Edward IV.

The Battle of Tewkesbury saw the defeat of her army and the

slaying of her son. She was imprisoned in the Tower of London,

briefly with her husband, who died a few weeks later. Louis XI

ransomed her in 1475, and spent her final seven years near Anjou,

where she died in 1482.

Henry Beaufort, 3^rd Duke of Somerset

Henry Beaufort, born 26^th January 1436, was the son

of Edmund of Somerset and Eleanor de Beauchamp

and inherited the ducal title. The new Duke of Som-

erset had been present on the field upon his father’s

death at First St Albans in 1455, cementing his hatred of York and

the Nevilles and his enthusiasm for the Lancastrian cause.

Plantagenet Background Book

Somerset stepped into the forefront of military leadership for the

rest the first War of the Roses, commanding Lancastrian armies in

several campaigns. (See Capability L28 Loyal Somerset.)

Appointed Captain of Calais in 1459, Somerset sailed there but

was refused admittance to the city by Warwick’s supporters.

He tried unsuccessfully to besiege Calais, and spent some time

fighting skirmishes around it, until the Yorkists defeated him and

forced his return across the Channel.

During Somerset’s absence, the Yorkists had won at Northamp-

ton. But Somerset then defeated them at Wakefield in late 1460

and Second St Albans in 1461. Sadly for the Lancastrians, Somer-

set lost against Edward of March at the Battle of Towton later that

year and had to flee to exile in France.

Somerset sought Edward IV’s pardon and briefly became loyal to

the Yorkist King. But in 1464 he rebelled again, campaigned for

the Lancastrians near the Scottish border in the North, met defeat

at the Battle of Hexham, and there was beheaded.

Edmund Beaufort, 4^th Duke of Somerset

Edmund Beaufort and Eleanor de Beauchamp’s

named their second son Edmund, born two years af-

ter his more famous brother Henry. Succeeding Hen-

ry as Duke of Somerset, Edmund became an import-

ant figure for the Lancastrians in the period of Warwick’s rebellion.

Imprisoned in the Tower of London, Edmund missed the 1460-

1461 Lancastrian victories of Wakefield and Second St Albans

and their defeat at Towton. He was released in 1462 when his

brother reconciled with Edward IV.

After his brother’s rebellion and death, the younger Somerset

joined Margaret d’Anjou’s court-in-exile at Coeur. There he

spent some time fighting for Charles, who later became Duke

of Burgundy.

When Warwick and Margaret d’Anjou became allies, Edmund of

Somerset, alongside the Duke of Exeter, started raising troops for

the Lancastrians. He joined Margaret and the Prince of Wales as

they finally disembarked in England in 1471.

Somerset commanded the Lancastrian army at the Battle of

Tewkesbury. After the Lancastrian defeat, Somerset sought shel-

ter in a nearby abbey, whence the victors removed him by force

and—dispensing the same punishment as befell his brother—be-

headed him.

Henry Holland, 3^rd Duke of Exeter

Henry Holland was born 27^th June 1430 to John Hol-

land, the 2^nd Duke of Exeter, and Anne Stafford and

inherited the ducal title when his father died in 1447.

Exeter’s character has been described as cruel, sav-

age, and unpredictable. In 1447, the soon-to-be Duke of Exeter

had married Richard of York’s daughter Anne. However, during

the Wars of the Roses, he fought against his Yorkist father-in-law

and remained loyal to the Lancastrian cause.

Exeter commanded Lancastrian troops at the victories of Wake-

field in 1460 and Second St Albans in 1461 and the defeat of Tow-

ton in 1461. He joined Margaret d’Anjou in her exile in France

and returned to England when she allied with Warwick. He com-

manded the Lancastrian left at Barnet, where he was wounded

and captured.

Exeter received a royal pardon from Edward IV. In 1475, he

volunteered for Edward’s expedition to France. (See Capability

L29 High Admiral.) On the return voyage, Exeter fell over-

board and drowned.

Humphrey Stafford, 1^st Duke of Buckingham

Humphrey Stafford was born in December 1402, the

son of Edmund, 5^th Earl of Stafford, and Anne of

Gloucester, a granddaughter of King Edward III.

(Yorkist Lord Humphrey Stafford, who became Earl

of Devon, was a distant relative.)

Humphrey Stafford was a military commander during the Hundred

Years War, having joined King Henry V’s campaign in France in

1420. After his elevation as Duke of Buckingham and the death

of his mother, he became one of the wealthiest and most powerful

landowners in England (see Capability L22 Stafford Estates).

During the reign of Henry VI, he usually acted as a conciliator

and peacemaker between Gloucester’s and Beaufort’s factions in

court. Upon war against Henry VI, Buckingham joined the King’s

side and served him faithfully.

Buckingham was near the King during First St Albans and was

captured by the Yorkists. A feud with Warwick made him an even

more clear supporter of Henry VI and Margaret d’Anjou.

Buckingham fell on 10th July 1460 at the Battle of Northampton,

while acting as the King’s personal guard.

Henry Percy, 3^rd Earl of Northumberland

The Percys had ruled estates in northern England

since the Norman Conquest. Henry Percy was born

25^th July 1421. His father Henry was the 2^nd Earl of

Northumberland, and his mother Eleanor was of the

House of Neville. (See also Capability L14 Percy’s Power.)

The younger Henry Percy was appointed Warden of the Eastern

March in 1440 and was very active in multiple border conflicts

with Scotland. In 1448, he with his father and Sir Robert Ogle

invaded and ravaged Dunbar and Dumfries.

Henry had married Eleanor Poynings, from an important near-

by rival family, and taken the title of Lord Poynings. Marriage

ties, however, did not prevent the Percy’s major feuding with the

Poynings and also with the Nevilles, against whom Henry even

fought a battle, at Topcliffe in 1453.

In the Wars of the Roses, Henry Percy was one of a generation

of nobles who, like Henry Somerset and John Clifford, saw their

Lancastrian fathers killed at the First Battle of St Albans in 1455.

As the new Earl of Northumberland after his father’s death, he

became a diehard Lancastrian.

Northumberland led the central battle (troop formation) at Wake-

field in 1460 and took part at Second St Albans in 1461. At the

Battle of Towton, on 29^th March 1461, he commanded the Lancas-

trian vanguard. There, he was fatally wounded or slain outright.

(See also Yorkist Lord Henry Percy, 4^th Earl of Northumberland—

he was the son of this Henry Percy.)

Plantagenet Background Book

George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence

George was the sixth son of Richard of York and Ce-

cily Neville, born in Dublin on 21^st October 1449, in

between his brothers Edward and Richard, each of

whom would become King of England. George was

made Duke of Clarence and appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland

when Edward became King in 1461.

Clarence fell under the influence of Warwick the “Kingmaker”

and married Warwick’s oldest daughter Isabel Neville against Ed-

ward IV’s wishes. When Warwick rebelled against the King, Clar-

ence sided with his father-in-law, joining him in France. When

Warwick’s rebellion in 1470 restored Henry VI as King, Clarence

became the next in line to the throne after Henry and Margaret’s

son Edward, Prince of Wales.

But Warwick then had his other daughter, Anne, marry Prince Ed-

ward. Clarence soon suspected that his faith in his father-in-law

was misplaced. He reconciled secretly with his brother Edward.

When Edward IV defeated Warwick at Barnet in 1471, the King

restored his brother Clarence to royal favor and made him Great

Chamberlain.

As Richard of Gloucester, Clarences’ younger brother, had mar-

ried the widowed Anne Neville, Clarence and Gloucester together

had to share Warwick’s inheritance. This situation created tension

between them. Clarence was made Earl of Warwick and Earl of

Salisbury, but it seems that that was not enough for him, especial-

ly after the death of his wife Isabel in 1476 from complications of

childbirth. Clarence never recovered from Isabel’s death, which

made his behavior increasingly erratic.

In 1478, he was imprisoned and privately executed in the Tower

of London for a supposed plot to kill King Edward.

Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke

Jasper Tudor, born in 1431, was the son of Owen Tu-

dor and Catherine de Valois—and thus half-brother

to King Henry VI.

Jasper Tudor’s father Owen was a descendant of

Ednyfed Fychan, Llywelyn the Great’s renowned Chancellor,

and that gave Jasper added status in Wales. (See Capability L25

Welsh Lord.)

Young Jasper and his brother—sons of Henry V’s widow—

were competitors to Henry, so his court at first kept them away.

But in 1442 it took them in, educated them, and gave them

military positions.

In 1452, Jasper Tudor was recognized as a legitimate

half-brother to the King and created Earl of Pembroke. Jasper

lost the title to the Yorkist William Herbert when Edward IV

attained the throne in 1461, briefly regained it in 1471, and

then lost it again.

Jasper had considerable military expertise, although the only two

major battles in which he took part were Mortimer’s Cross, where

he lost to Edward IV, and Bosworth.

In 1471, after the Lancastrian defeat at Tewkesbury, Jasper fled

to Brittany with his nephew Henry (who later would become

Henry VII). There, at Chateau de Suscinio, they created an

armed camp, where they planned their invasion of England with

the help of the French.

After a failed invasion attempt in 1483, they had to leave Brittany

and go to Charles VIII’s court. There, they prepared for a sec-

ond invasion. This one was successful—in 1485, they landed near

Pembroke and met Richard III at Bosworth, defeating his army

and killing him.

As Jasper’s nephew Henry Tudor became King Henry VII, Jasper

was finally fully restored as Earl of Pembroke and created Duke

of Bedford, taking possession of Cardiff castle. He lived until 21^st

December 1495.

Henry Tudor

Henry Tudor was born 28^th January 1457. He was the

son of Edmund Tudor, 1^st Earl of Richmond and

half-brother to Henry VI, and Margaret Beaufort,

daughter of John Beaufort, 1^st Duke of Somerset,

niece or cousin of various other Somersets, grandniece of Cardi-

nal Beaufort, and great-granddaughter of John of Gaunt, 1^st Duke

of Lancaster. (See also Event L35.)

Henry’s mother provided him a claim to the English throne

through the House of Beaufort. After the death of Edward, Prince

of Wales, in 1471, Henry Tudor became the senior Lancastrian

male (though his matrilineal claim was stenuous).

From 1470, Henry was under the protection of his uncle, Jasper

Tudor, who went into exile with him to Brittany and helped to

prepare the Tudor invasion of England, unsuccessfully in 1483

and then again in 1485, culminating in the Battle of Bosworth

at which the Lancastrians (by this point, the Tudors) defeated

Richard III.

Henry was crowned as Henry VII, founding the Tudor dynasty.

He married Elizabeth of York, Edward IV’s eldest daughter, unit-

ing the feuding Lancastrian and Yorkist dynasties. He reigned for

24 years and died in April 1509, succeeded by his son, whose cor-

onation as Henry VIII the long-lived Margaret Beaufort attended

shortly before her death.

John de Vere, 13^th Earl of Oxford

John was born 8^th September 1442, the second son of

John de Vere, 12^th Earl of Oxford, and Elizabeth

Howard, a first cousin of the Duke of Norfolk. In

1462, his father and eldest brother were accused by

treason by the Yorkist John Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester, and be-

headed a few days later. Following Edward IV’s conciliatory pol-

icies with Lancastrians, John was allowed to succeed his father as

Earl of Oxford.

In 1469, Oxford joined Warwick’s rebellion against Edward IV.

When Henry VI was restored, Oxford was appointed Lord High

Constable of England, and, from that position, he tried, con-

demned, and executed Tiptoft. (See also Oxford and Worcester,

under Prominent Houses, page 30.)

In April 1471, Oxford led Warwick’s right wing at Barnet, de-

feating Hastings and pursuing the Yorkist left from the field. As

Oxford’s men began to return to the battle array, allied troops mis-

took them for an attack from the rear by Edward’s men and shot

Plantagenet Background Book

arrows at them. Oxford’s troops counterattacked, and the friend-

on-friend fighting contributed to a Lancastrian collapse.

After this defeat, Oxford went to Scotland and then to France to

engage in privateering. Oxford spent a few years as a prisoner

near Calais, but when Richard III ordered his transfer to England,

he was found to have escaped.

Oxford commanded the archers and vanguard on the winning

side at Bosworth in 1485. After Richard’s defeat and Henry VII’s

coronation, Oxford became one of the most powerful men under

Tudor reign. He died childless in 1513, after a life full of fighting

and adventure.

Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales

Born in 1453, Edward was the royal heir and only

son of Henry VI and Margaret d’Anjou. He accom-

panied his mother into exile to France and, after her

alliance with Warwick, in December 1470 married

Anne Neville. He sailed with the Lancastrian army that invaded

England in April 1471 and several days later was killed at the

Battle of Tewkesbury. (See also Capability L26 Edward –

Prince of Wales.)

John Clifford, 9^th Baron Clifford

Born in 1435, son of Thomas Clifford and Joan Da-

cre, he saw his father slain at First St Albans in 1455

and became a loyal Lancastrian, intent on revenge.

(See Capability L21 My Father’s Blood.)

For a time, he joined Northumberland in the north, helping him

in his feud with the Nevilles. After the Battle of Northampton

in 1460, Clifford started a raiding campaign, and his ravaging of

York’s and Neville’s estates forced them to march north to deal

with the trouble.

Clifford was a commander at the Battle of Wakefield that defeated

York, and most believe that he killed Edmund of Rutland, York’s

son, as Rutland fled. He also played an important part in the Bat-

tle of Second St Albans. He was slain in 1461 in the skirmish at

Ferrybridge the day before the Battle of Towton.

John Neville, 1^st Marquess Montagu

Salisbury’s third son John was born in 1431. Less fa-

mous than his eldest brother, Warwick, he was of a

more martial nature. (See L23 Montagu.)

He was one of the main actors during the Percy-Nev-

ille feud in the 1450s and took part in the Battle of Blore Heath

against the Lancastrians. Montagu, along with his brother Thom-

as, was imprisoned until 1460.

Montagu was present at Second St Albans, where he was cap-

tured again and not released until Edward IV’s victory at Towton.

After that, Montagu was briefly created Earl of Northumberland

but soon was stripped of that position in favor of Henry Percy.

During the start of Warwick’s rebellion, Montagu began loyal to

Edward IV but soon turned against the King and went over to his

brother’s side.

At Barnet in 1471, Montagu took charge of the center of War-

wick’s army and was cut down while fighting to give his brother

time for a last attempt to flee.

Sir Andrew Trollope

Andrew Trollope was born into a family of Durham

dyers. He spent most of his military career in France

as a man-at-arms. By 1442, he was serving under Sir

Richard Woodville, and by 1455 he was made Master

Porter of Calais. Trollope sailed with Warwick to England in

1459. But at the Battle of Ludford Bridge, he defected to Henry

VI’s side, dealing a blow to the Yorkists, who had to flee.

Sir Andrew kept fighting alongside the Lancastrians and be-

came a valuable strategist and tactician for them. Prince Edward

knighted him at Second St Albans. At the Battle of Towton in

1461, Andrew Trollope shared command of the vanguard with

Northumberland and there was killed. (See also Capability L19

Andrew Trollope.)

Thomas Stanley, 2^nd Baron Stanley

Born in 1435, son of Thomas Stanley, 1^st Baron Stan-

ley, and Joan Goushill, the younger Thomas Stanley

was a magnate of great wealth and power across the

northwest of England, based around Lancaster and

Chester.

Thomas Stanley managed to remain in favor with the various kings

during the Wars of the Roses. But Richard III came to distrust him

due to his marriage to Henry Tudor’s mother, Margaret Beaufort,

and demanded Stanley’s son, Lord Strange, as a hostage. At the

Battle of Bosworth, Thomas Stanley finally stood against Richard

III. The King issued orders for the murder of Lord Strange, but

they were not carried out.

The Stanleys’ intervention pushed the balance of the battle in fa-

vor of Thomas’s stepson, Henry Tudor, who later lavishly reward-

ed him. King Henry VII created Thomas Stanley the 1^st Earl of

Derby in October 1485. Thomas Stanley lived until 1504. (See

also Stanley, under Prominent Houses, page 30, and Capability

L35 Thomas Stanley.)

Thomas Stanley after the Wars, as Earl of Derby.

Plantagenet Background Book

The Yorkists

Richard Plantagenet, 3^rd Duke of York

Born 21^st September 1411, Richard was descended

from the warrior King Edward III by both his parents.

Richard’s father was the son of Edmund, Duke of

York, Edward III’s fourth son. Richard’s mother was

the great granddaughter of Edward III’s second son, Lionel of An-

twerp.

In the reign of Henry VI, York joined the party of Henry’s uncle,

the Duke of Gloucester, which favored the continuation of the

Hundred Years War. York was appointed Lieutenant of France in

1436. There, he displayed his capabilities as administrator and

organizer but was not favored by the Crown. Backing Gloucester,

he opposed the marriage of Henry VI to Margaret d’Anjou. When

Gloucester in 1447 fell in disgrace and died, York took charge of

the opposition party.

After multiple royal slights in favor of York’s rival, the Earl of

Somerset, and the corresponding loss of influence, York rebelled

against Henry VI. The powerful Neville family joined York.

York became Lord Protector for a brief period after the Yorkist

victory at First St Albans that Henry VI became catatonic. After

the reversal at Ludford Bridge in 1459, York fled to Ireland, re-

turning to England in 1460 at the head of an army. Failing in an

attempt to be crowned, he did succeed in appointment as Henry

VI’s successor.

On 30th December 1460, Richard of York fell in the Yorkist de-

feat at the Battle of Wakefield and ended up with his head on a

spike at the gates of York.

Edward Plantagenet, 7^th Earl of March

Richard of York’s eldest surviving son

Edward was born at Rouen in Norman-

dy, 28^th April 1442, by Cecily Neville,

daughter of Ralph Neville, 1^st Earl of

Westmorland. Edward probably grew up at Ludlow Castle on the

Welsh Marches.

Edward in 1459, at the age of 17, had to flee England with his

father’s allies, the Nevilles, after the Battle of Ludford Bridge. He

went with them to Calais and returned one year later to march into

London and lead one of the three Yorkist divisions at the Battle

of Northampton.

After the death of his father in 1460, Edward of March became

the leader of the Yorkist faction. He defeated the Lancastrians at

Towton and was crowned King Edward IV.

Edward married Elizabeth Woodville, a factor in the King’s fall-

ing out with his long-term ally, friend, and mentor, Richard Nev-

ille, the Earl of Warwick. This conflict erupted into a Yorkist civil

war in 1469. The Lancastrians subsequently joined forces with

Warwick, and Edward IV briefly had to flee to Burgundy.

Edward returned to England once more in 1471, landing at Raven-

spur (as Henry Bolingbroke had done more than 70 years earlier).

From there, he gathered an army and defeated Warwick at Barnet

and the Lancastrians at Tewkesbury. King again, Edward IV spent

the next 10 years defeating the occasional revolt, organizing a

half-hearted invasion of France, fathering sons, and enjoying the

pleasures of a king’s life.

Edward IV died on the 9^th of April 1483, possibly of pneumonia

caught while fishing and aggravated by his fondness for food and

drink. He left his son Edward, a minor, as his successor, with his

brother Richard of Gloucester as Lord Protector.

Richard Neville, 5^th Earl of Salisbury

Richard Neville was born in 1400 in Durham to

Ralph Neville and Joan Beaufort. He married Alice

Montagu daughter and heiress of the 4^th Earl of Salis-

bury. Through her inheritance, Richard as the next

Earl of Salisbury became one of the wealthiest and most influen-

tial nobles in England.

Richard of Salisbury was appointed Warden of the West March-

es (based in Carlisle) in 1420, traditionally a perch of the Percy

family. This increased the tensions between the Percys and the

Nevilles, the two most powerful families in the North of England.

The feud resulted in multiple skirmishes, and the Court had to

intervene.

Salisbury was brother-in-law to Richard of York. After the Lan-

castrians favored the Percys, Salisbury joined York’s party and

became the latter’s strongest ally, taking part in the Battle of First

St Albans. When York became Lord Protector, Salisbury was ap-

pointed Lord Chancellor—appointments overturned shortly after-

ward, when Henry VI recovered from his catatonia.

In 1459, the Yorkists rebelled again, and Salisbury marched for

Ludlow to rendezvous with his son Richard of Warwick and with

York. He defeated an intercepting force of Lancastrians at the bat-

tle of Blore Heath. After the rout at Ludford Bridge, he fled with

his son and with Edward, the Earl of March, to Calais.

Salisbury returned to England in 1460 and joined forces with

York. He died after Wakefield on the 30th of December—cap-

tured and beheaded while trying to escape, Salisbury shared Rich-

ard of York’s fate, his head put on a pike alongside his ally’s over

the gates of York.

Edmund Plantagenet, 1^st Earl of Rutland

Richard of York and Cecily Neville’s second son, Ed-

mund, was born 17^th May 1443. We know little about

his life, probably because he was absent from many

of the main events of the Wars of the Roses and died

young. Nevertheless, his figure is important as the brother and

next in line of succession to the future King Edward IV.

During York’s tenure as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Edmund was

appointed Lord Chancellor of Ireland. During the first War, Ed-

mund of Rutland was the son most often at Richard of York’s side,

while Edward spent more time with the Nevilles.

In October 1459, Rutland at the age of 16 stood alongside his

father and elder brother at the Battle of Ludford Bridge. Rutland

fled with York to Ireland, while the elder son Edward of March

went with the Nevilles to Calais.

On 2^nd December 1460, Rutland was among the nobles and troops

that his father with Salisbury led out of London to confront the

Lancastrians in the North. On 30th December, Rutland fought in

Plantagenet Background Book

the Battle of Wakefield and was killed trying to flee the field—his

head placed alongside those of his father York and Salisbury at

the gates of York.

William Herbert, 1^st Earl of Pembroke

“Black William” Herbert was born in 1423, son of

Welsh nobleman Sir William ap Thomas and Gwlad-

ys ferch Dafydd Gam, the daughter of a Welsh war-

rior who died at Agincourt. William Herbert too took

part in numerous battles in France over the final years of the Hun-

dred Years War. He was taken prisoner after the Battle of Formi-

gny in 1450, freed, and knighted at Christmas of that year.

William ap Thomas up to his death in 1445 had been an ally of

Richard of York. The younger Sir William at the outset of the

Wars of the Roses held loyal to King Henry VI. But, when the

Yorkists returned from Calais in 1460, Black William followed

in his father’s footsteps to join the Yorkist cause. He represented

Hereford in the Parliament later that year and fought effectively

for Edward of March at Mortimer’s Cross.

After Edward IV ascended to the throne in 1461, the King reward

William Herbert with several key positions within Wales. Impor-

tantly, Herbert replaced Jasper Tudor as Earl of Pembroke and

became known as Edward IV’s Welsh “master lock”.

In the second War, Pembroke led a Royal army of Welshmen on

campaign against Warwick. (See also Capabilities Y25 Pembroke

and Y30 Captain.) Warwick’s rebels caught and defeated Pem-

broke and the Earl of Devon at the Battle of Edgcote on 24^th July

1469, capturing Pembroke there. Warwick several days later exe-

cuted him along with Pembroke’s brother Richard.

Humphrey Stafford, 1^st Earl of Devon

Humphrey Stafford was born in 1439 to Catherine

Chidiock and William Stafford, belonging to a cadet

branch (male descendants of younger sons) of the

Earls of Stafford, who later became Dukes of Buck-

ingham. (This Humphrey thus was only a distant relative of the

Lancastrian lord, Humphrey Stafford, 1^st Duke of Buckingham.)

Through inheritance, he became a dominant magnate in the south-

west of England, particularly in Dorset.

Humphrey proved a loyal Yorkist, and Edward IV knighted him

at Wakefield in 1461. Over the following years, he was appointed

steward of the Duchy of Cornwall, constable of Bristol, and keep-

er of Dartmoor. He served Edward IV faithfully and succeeded

in turning an area that had been strongly Lancastrian into a more

favorable region for the Yorkists.

In this process, Humphrey progressively took control of the Earl-

dom of Devon from its old holders, the Courtenays (who had been

Lancastrian supporters). In 1469, Stafford received the title of

Earl of Devon, previously being Baron Southwick.

But Devon was able to enjoy the Earldom for only three months.

That year, he went to help Pembroke quell Warwick’s rebellion

and took part in the Battle of Edgcote on 24^th July. He initially was

able to flee but was captured later and executed on 17^th August.

(See also Devon, under Prominent Houses, page 30, and Event

Y29 Dorset and Capability Y29 Stafford Branch.)

Henry Percy, 4^th Earl of Northumberland

The staunch Lancastrian Henry Percy, 3^rd Earl of

Northumberland, killed at Towton in 1461, left a son

Henry, born 1449 by Eleanor Poynings.

After the Yorkist victory in 1461, the younger Henry

Percy was imprisoned and even briefly lost his title in favor of

John Neville. But Henry finally swore fealty to Edward IV in 1469

and recovered his titles. The restored Earl of Northumberland be-

came an important member of the court and held key posts in

northern England, such as Warden of the East and Middle March-

es, a traditional appointment for members of his family. (See also

Capabilities Y27 Percy’s North and Y37 Percy’s North.)

In 1485, Northumberland commanded the Yorkist reserve at Bo-

sworth, but he failed to commit his forces to the battle—possibly

treason in favor of Henry Tudor. After the battle, Northumberland

was arrested, but he then swore allegiance to the new King and

was allowed to return to his old posts.

Northumberland was slain in April 1489 by rioters protesting high

taxation in Yorkshire.

Richard Plantagenet, Duke of Gloucester

Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, bore

Richard of York 12 children. The elev-

enth, also named Richard, was born on

2^nd October 1452 at Fotheringhay Castle

in Northamptonshire.

When his father fell at the Battle of Wakefield in 1460, young

Richard was sent into exile in the Low Countries. After Towton in

1461, Richard came back to take part of his older brother’s cor-

onation as King Edward IV, where Richard was appointed Duke

of Gloucester.

During Edward IV’s reign, Richard of Gloucester became a trust-

ed supporter of his brother the King. He was a key combatant at

Barnet and Tewkesbury, leading a wing in each battle. After that,

he kept receiving appointments and responsibilities, taking part in

an invasion of France in 1474 and leading an English army in an

invasion Scotland in 1482.

Upon the King’s death in 1483, Gloucester was appointed Lord

Protector of the Realm. However, shortly afterward, he had him-

self crowned King Richard III, usurping his young nephews Ed-

ward and Richard.

Richard III’s brief reign was marked by multiple rebellions that

he repressed harshly, such as one by the Duke of Buckingham

in 1483, and by the threat of a Tudor invasion with the help of a

French army.

When Henry Tudor’s army finally landed in August 1485, Richard

III raised an army and, together with Northumberland and Nor-

folk, went to meet the invaders. On 22^nd August 1485, the two

opposing forces met near Bosworth, where Richard met defeat

and death as he led a desperate charge to reach Henry and kill him.

Richard III is one of the most controversial figures in English his-

tory, with as many supporters as detractors. His real personality,

the reasons for his actions, and even which actions were really his

doing are all still shrouded in mystery.

Plantagenet Background Book

John Howard, 1^st Duke of Norfolk

John Howard was a descendant of English royalty

through both sides of his family, born about 1425 to

Sir Robert Howard and Margaret de Mowbray, eldest

daughter of Thomas de Mowbray, 1^st Duke of Nor-

folk. (As an added curiosity, John Howard was the great-grandfa-

ther of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard.)

Howard was strongly Yorkist and was knighted by Edward IV at

the Battle of Towton on 29^th March 1461. After that, he started re-

ceiving appointments in service of the King, usually as constable

or sheriff. In 1468, he was made Treasurer of the Royal House-

hold. He bore the royal banner at Edward IV’s funeral in 1483.

Later that year, Richard III made John Howard the 1^st Duke of

Norfolk (third creation, the death of John de Mowbray having

made extinct the first creation and King Richard invalidating the

second). (See also Norfolk, under Prominent Houses, page 30.)

Loyal to Richard III, the new Norfolk led the vanguard of the

King’s army at Bosworth Field on 22^nd August 1485. According

to the Ballad of Lady Bessy, Sir John Savage slew Norfolk in sin-

gle combat. There is an alternative story that Norfolk fell when a

Lancastrian arrow struck him in the face.

William Hastings, 1^st Baron Hastings

Born in 1431 to Sir Leonard Hastings and Alice Cam-

oys, William Hastings became a close friend and

courtier of Edward Plantagenet.

Hastings served King Edward IV as Master of the

Mint and Lord Chamberlain and helped him during Warwick’s re-

bellion and against the Lancastrians after the Readeption of Henry

VI, commanding wings at the Battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury

in 1471. (See also Capability Y24 Hastings.)

Appointed Lieutenant of Calais that year, Hastings’s power and

influence continued to grow. By the time of Edward IV’s death in

1483, Hastings was one of the most powerful men in England. But

in June of that year Richard of Gloucester (soon to be Richard III)

executed him under a charge of treason.

The Kingmaker

Richard Neville, 16^th Earl of Warwick

Salisbury’s first son, named Richard like

his father, was born 22^nd November 1428

by Alice Montagu. With the younger

Richard’s marriage to Anne Beauchamp,

he became Earl of Warwick and added access to the Beauchamp

and Despenser inheritances to that of Salisbury and Montagu.

Richard of Warwick soon became even richer and more influential

than his father.

When Warwick’s father Salisbury joined York’s rebellion, War-

wick went along. It is possible that Warwick was the first to attack

at First St Albans, earning him a certain reputation for bravery.

His victory over the King’s army at Northampton in 1460, where

Henry VI was captured, increased Warwick’s fame.

After York and Salisbury died at Wakefield, Warwick faced the

Lancastrians at the Second Battle of St Albans. Disastrously de-

feated (resulting in Henry VI’s release), Warwick was able to flee

and meet up with Edward of March after the latter’s victory at

Mortimer’s Cross.

Warwick was with Edward, by then King Edward IV, at Towton.

With the Lancastrian defeat, Warwick became the second most

powerful man in the Kingdom.

After some years, Warwick started losing influence over the King,

leading him to rebel. He forged an alliance with King Edward’s

brother, George of Clarence, through Clarence’s marriage to War-

wick’s eldest daughter. In 1469, Warwick captured Edward IV, but

had to release him shortly afterward. After the Battle of Losecote

in early 1470, Warwick fled to France. He then allied with his old

enemies: Margaret d’Anjou and the Lancastrians.

Warwick returned to England in September 1470, forcing Edward

IV to flee to exile Burgundy. Warwick released Henry VI from

the Tower and crowned him again—gaining Richard Neville the

nickname “Warwick the Kingmaker”.

After Edward IV’s return, the Yorkist King confronted his old

friend at Barnet in 1471. Warwick’s army outnumbered Edward’s,

but a thick mist worked against the Lancastrians. Warwick lost the

battle and was killed while trying to flee.

A Shakespearian depiction of Warwick’s fall at Barnet.

Plantagenet Background Book

Prominent Houses

Beaumont

William, 2^nd Viscount Beaumont (1438-1507) was a

strong Lancastrian supporter. He fought at Northamp-

ton, Towton, and Barnet and survived all, a rare

achievement—then joined Henry Tudor to fight again

on Bosworth Field.

Bonville

The Bonvilles, led by William 1^st Baron Bonville, were

a powerful family of landowners in southwest England.

They had a long-standing feud with the Courtenays (see

Devon below) and would support whoever would aid

them in that conflict. That placed them in the Yorkist camp.

Devon

The Courtenay family traditionally held the Earldom

of Devon. The Courtenays supported Lancaster, so

Edward IV rewarded the Yorkist Humphrey Stafford

with the title. (See Yorkist Lord Humphrey Stafford,

1^st Earl of Devon, page 28.) Following Henry VII’s coronation,

the Earldom was recreated for the Courtenays.

Dudley

John Sutton, 1^st Baron Dudley (1400-1487), briefly

Lieutenant of Ireland, fought in battles of the Hun-

dred Years War and the Wars of the Roses. First a

Lancastrian and councilor to Henry VI, Dudley

switched allegiance to the Yorkists before Towton. His title passed

to his grandson, who was elected Knight of the Garter early in

Henry VII’s reign.

Essex

Henry Bouchier, 1^st Earl of Essex (1406-1483),

fought as a Yorkist at Second St Albans and Towton.

His brother Thomas, Lord Chancellor of England

(1404-1486), sided with Lancastrian or Yorkist as the

winds blew and, as Archbishop, crowned Edward IV, Richard III,

and Henry VII.

Fauconberg

Warwick’s uncle William Neville, Earl of Kent and by

marriage 6^th Baron Fauconberg, served as a member of

York’s council during Henry VI’s second period of in-

capacity, fought on the Lancastrian side at First St Al-

bans, then commanded the Yorkist vanguard at Towton. After Ed-

ward IV’s victory, Fauconberg was appointed Lord Admiral.

Norfolk

John de Mowbray and his son, also called John, were

the 3^rd and 4^th Dukes of Norfolk, respectively. While

the father took York’s side and was instrumental in

Edward’s victory at Towton, his son was less active

in the struggle. After Edward IV’s death in 1483, Richard III cre-

ated John Howard the Duke of Norfolk (see Yorkist Lord John

Howard, 1^st Duke of Norfolk, page 29), which is the creation that

survives today.

Oxford

John de Vere and his son of the same name were the 12^th

and 13^th Earls of Oxford, respectively. The father, a

member of the Duke of York’s council while York was

Lord Protector, initially did not take sides but later sided

with Margaret d’Anjou. His son was more strongly Lancastrian,

fighting alongside Warwick at Barnet and Henry Tudor at Bosworth.

(See Lancastrian Lord John de Vere, 13^th Earl of Oxford, page 25.)

Shrewsbury

John Talbot, 2^nd Earl of Shrewsbury, was killed at the

Battle of Northampton. His son, John Talbot, 3^rd Earl

of Shrewsbury, fought alongside the Lancastrians at

Towton. But Edward IV then reconciled with Shrews-

bury, who held back from supporting Warwick and the Lancastri-

ans at Barnet and Tewkesbury.

Stanley

The Stanleys dominated the area around Cheshire and

Lancashire. They succeeded in surviving the changing

factions in power during the Wars of the Roses. They

usually waited to see who was going to be the winner

before picking a side. Both William and Thomas Stanley were at

Bosworth, where they turned on Richard III and sided with Henry

Tudor. (See Lancastrian Special Vassal Thomas Stanley, page 26.)

Suffolk

William de la Pole was Henry VI’s main councilor

and was lynched in 1450. His son John de la Pole, 2^nd

Duke of Suffolk was married to Elizabeth of York,

Richard of York’s third daughter. That made Suffolk

Edward IV’s and Richard III’s brother-in-law. Nevertheless, Suf-

folk generally managed to steer clear of the Wars of the Roses. It

seems he was equally distrusted by both sides and received re-

wards from either.

Westmorland

Warwick’s cousin Ralph Neville, 2^nd Earl of West-

morland, spent most of his life fighting against his

own family to secure his inheritance. Westmorland’s

brother John Neville, Lord of Raby, fought for the

Lancastrians was killed at Towton. Westmorland had an impor-

tance inheritance, so the Percys, Warwick, and Richard of

Gloucester all tried to control him in one way or another. Howev-

er, while Yorkists and Lancastrians each courted Westmorland, he

did not involve himself much in the wider issues raised by the

Wars of the Roses. Contemporaries thought him mentally unfit

and so appointed multiple guardians to take care of him.

Worcester

John Tiptoft, 1^st Earl of Worcester, was known as the

“Butcher of England” due to the harsh methods he

used to repress the Lancastrians after Edward IV took

the throne. He served as Lord High Treasurer, Lord

High Constable of England, and Lord Deputy of Ireland. He made

an enemy of Oxford, who executed him after Henry VI’s Readep-

tion. After John’s death, his minor son Edward became Earl of

Worcester but remained under guardianship the rest of his short life.

Plantagenet Background Book

Arts of War – Notes

This section details each side’s Arts of War Events and Capabil-

ities with their texts, tips on implementing them, and historical

background. The back of this booklet lists the Arts of War decks’

card titles at a glance.

Yorkist Events

(top half of card)

All Scenarios*

*NOTE: The “Wars of the Roses” grand scenario assigns specific

cards to its sub-scenarios (6.3).

Y1. Leeward Battle Line

Hold: Play in Battle to halve all Missile hits (round up) to Friend-

ly Lords, unless Enemy Leeward Battle Line

Tips. Play this card at the Event step after Battle Array (4.4.1).

Halve all Missile Hits taken by the playing side, first adding any

from other cards, then cutting to half the total, rounded up. If both

sides play this Event, neither card has effect. The Attacker may

wait to see whether the Defender plays the Event before deciding

whether to play it.

History. Armies that could position their archers to shoot with the

wind had a huge advantage, as Fauconberg showed at the Battle

of Tewkesbury. The Yorkist archers were able to range the Lan-

castrians, while the latter’s arrows fell short. Yorkists reportedly

were even able to recover some of the enemy’s fallen arrows and

shoot them back.

Y2. Flank Attack

Hold: Play to Intercept without rolling and become Attacker in

that Battle

Tips. The Holding side may play Flank Attack when attempting

Intercept by the normal rules (4.3.4, including by a Marshal or

Lieutenant). Neither side may play this Event while Event Y12

Parliament’s Truce is in effect. If a side plays Flank Attack,

do not roll for Intercept—it succeeds automatically and then oc-

curs in the usual way.

History. During the Wars of the Roses, most of the fast move-

ments of the armies were in the context of trying to reach the bet-

ter defensive position before the enemy. As this is a war in which

most battles were won by the attacker, this maneuver did not tend

to yield the desired results. There are some exceptions though,

as at Edgcote, where Warwick’s army was able to intercept and

attack a Yorkist one and put it on the defensive.

Y3 & Y9. Escape Ship

Hold: Play upon Death check if Yorkist Route (4.5.1) to Port for

any Routed Yorkists to go into Exile instead

Tips. Play at the end of a Battle, before rolling for Death (4.4.3),

only if the playing side is at or can trace an overland Route to a

Friendly Port per Supply rule 4.5.1. The Defender must decide

and play any Events relating to Death checks before the Attacking

side does. The playing side may select any of its Routed Lords au-

tomatically to apply the Exile procedure (4.3.5) instead of the roll.

The effect occurs even if a side played Blocked Ford before that

Battle. Escape Ship may combine with Capability Y8 England

Is My Home to result in regular Disband of the affected Lord.

History. Most of the Lords losing a Wars of the Roses battle died.

They knew the stakes were high, so some of them had plans for

fleeing the field as soon as they saw the tide turn. But they were

not able to go back to their own estates immediately. Scared of the

more than possible persecution by their enemies, they often fled to

a foreign country where they had friends and allies.

Y4. Jack Cade – Rebel leader calls himself a Mortimer

This Levy Yorkist Lords in or adjacent to Yorkist Dominated Ar-

eas each add 2 free successful Parleys

Tips. Upon this turn’s Muster (3.4) by this side, determine which

if any Areas this side Dominates (has Favour in all that Area’s

Locales, 1.3.1, 4.8.1). All this side’s Lords within those Areas as

well as all its Lords in any Locales adjacent (linked by a Way) to

a Locale within such an Area must take two Parley Levy actions

by the usual rules (3.4.1) except without spending any Influence

points or Lordship and succeeding without rolling. The Capability

on this card will not be available for Levy this turn, as the player

will not discard the card until the end of the Levy phase (3.1.3).

History. Jack Cade’s rebellion, probably orchestrated by York

(who benefited from it), started in Kent and grew until the rebels

captured London. Smaller such rebellions were common, and par-

ties made good use of them. The south favored York heavily, and

he was able to leverage that into more influence over the kingdom.

Y5. Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind

Hold: Play in Battle for participating Yorkist Lord to check Influ-

ence. Success Disbands 1 Lancastrian Lord at Battle with lower

Influence rating

Tips. Play at the Event step after Battle Array (4.4.1). Then choose

one Friendly Lord and one Enemy Lord. The Friendly Lord must

have a higher Influence rating than the Enemy (1.5.2, including

modifications by other cards). The Friendly Lord checks Influ-

ence (1.4.2). If the Check is successful, Disband that Enemy Lord

(3.2.4). The Disband does not cause any loss of Influence points.

The Disbanded Lord will not take part in the Battle—Reposition

accordingly in Round 1 (4.4.2).

History. Gloucester speaks the Event’s title line in Shakespeare’s

Henry VI part III. Treason is one of the main features for which

we know the Wars of the Roses. Changing sides was less common

than indecisiveness, which this Event represents. The political

machinations of certain Lords were enough to make other nobles

decline to take part in some battles, as may have happened with

the Earl of Northumberland at Bosworth.

Plantagenet Background Book

Y6. Seamanship

This Campaign Yorkists may Sail for just 1 Command action

Tips. With this Event, Friendly Lords may Sail by the usual rules

(4.6.1) but spending just one Command action instead of an en-

tire Command card to do so. They may combine Sail with other

actions on the same card such as March, Tax, Supply, Parley, or

more Sailing. The Capability on this card will not be available for

Levy this turn, as the player will not discard the card until after

this Campaign (3.1.3).

History. Multiple armies from foreign countries fought in the

Wars of the Roses. Both Yorkists and Lancastrians shipped to and

disembarked armies in England. Knowing where and when to dis-

embark had huge importance in the future success of a campaign,

as when Edward IV sailed from Burgundy to land at Ravenspur or

the Nevilles landed at Dover from Calais.

Y7. Yorkists block Parliament

This Levy Lancastrians may not Levy Vassals except by Event

Tips. This card blocks the Levy Vassal action for Lancastrians this

turn, even from a Capability such as L32 Two Roses and for Spe-

cial Vassals such as L35 Thomas Stanley. However, Lancastrian

Events that enable Vassal Levy—L7 For trust not him, L35

Margaret Beaufort, and L37 The Earl of Richmond—super-

sede Yorkists block Parliament and allow Vassal Levy accord-

ingly. This card’s Capability is not available this Turn (3.1.3).

History. Yorkists were constantly trying to get a hold on the

English Parliament. Even during York’s rebellion, he took great

pains to get his fellow nobles’ approval and was very disappoint-

ed when the Parliament rebuked him. Nevertheless, the Yorkists

were able politicians and multiple times were able to block the

nobles from taking any action against them.

Y8. Exile Pact

This Campaign Yorkist Lords may use a Command action to

place their cylinder into a Friendly Exile box (at no Influence cost)

Tips. This Event during the coming Campaign will allow volun-

tary Yorkist Exile without Approach by an enemy. At the cost of

one Command action, an Active Yorkist Lord can go directly to a

scenario-designated Exile box with no effect on Influence points,

Assets, or Vassals.

History. Exile was usually the consequence of a lost or averted

battle. Nevertheless, in some instances, Lords chose to leave the

country to regroup and gather forces, as was the case with Edward

IV and his 1470s exile to Burgundy.

Y10. Tax Collectors

Each Yorkist Lord may immediately conduct a Tax action to re-

ceive twice the usual Coin

Tips. Any of these immediate Tax actions are voluntary. Any on-

map Yorkist Lords may take the Tax actions regardless of loca-

tions, but the action must comply with the usual Tax procedure

and consequences (4.6.3)—such as an Influence check and select-

ing, tracing to, and Depleting a qualifying Stronghold—except

that the Lord obtains double the usual Coin.

History. The scarcest resource in the Wars of the Roses was mon-

ey. Lords ended up with huge loans to repay at the end of the

conflict. Yorkist had a special ability to get the money they needed

just in time, as Edward did in 1461 and 1471, when he was able

to secure loans to build the army needed for Towton and Barnet/

Tewkesbury, respectively.

Y11. Blocked Ford

Hold: Play upon Approach to prevent Exile (all Lords there Bat-

tle)

Tips. This Event, played at the moment of Approach by either

side (including as a result of Intercept, 4.3.4), forbids any Lords

there choosing Exile before Battle (4.3.5). Blocked Ford does

not affect Escape Ship. When Capability L15 King’s Parley can-

cels an Approach, Yorkists may not play Blocked Ford. Lan-

castrian play of Blocked Ford prevents use of Capability Y8

England Is My Home.

History. Lords going to exile was a common occurrence during

the Wars of the Roses. But to be able to flee from a field of battle

required having an open route to escape, and there were multiple

instances when a Lord was caught in the process, as what proba-

bly happened to Warwick at Barnet.

Y12. Parliament’s Truce

Hold: Play to prohibit all Approach and Intercept for the rest of

this Campaign

Tips. Play this Event at any moment during a Campaign. It for-

bids Approach and Intercept for both sides for the remainder of

the turn, including by Event Y2/L2 Flank Attack or by Capa-

bility L29 High Admiral. Return the card to its deck upon Reset

(4.8.6).

History. Yorkists used their influence in Parliament to further

their agenda, as when York became Lord Protector in 1453 and

stopped skirmishes amongst nobles.

Y13. Aspielles – Yorkist spies

Hold: Play to inspect all Lancastrian Held cards and 1 Hidden

Lancastrian Lord mat (1.5.3)

Tips. This Event can be played at any moment, even in the middle

of a Battle. If using the Hidden mats option (1.5.3), the side play-

ing the Event may select any one Enemy Lord’s mat to inspect.

History. Spies and saboteurs were com-

mon during the time. As the Wars of the

Roses was not a war of conquest, there

were sympathizers of both sides in all cit-

ies and towns, and information flowed,

albeit not fast.

Plantagenet Background Book

Scenarios Ia, Ib, & Ic

Y14. RICHARD OF YORK – Lord Protector

This Levy Yorkist Influence ratings +1 for Parley

Tips. The +1 increase to all Yorkist Lords’ Influence ratings (not

just York’s) affects Parley Levy actions (3.4.1) only, not Levying

Lords, Vassals, or Troops. This card’s Capability is not available

this Turn (3.1.3). Discard the card at the end of Levy—it will not

affect Parley during the ensuing Campaign (4.6.4).

History. Lord Protector was a temporary title given to a lord who

sat in the governing council and had the duty to defend and pro-

tect the realm, usually while the King was a minor, ill, or absent.

Richard of York was Lord Protector three times—from March

1454 to January 1455, from November 1455 to February 1456,

and again from October 1460 until his death. The first two ap-

pointments happened when Henry VI was ill, the last one when

Henry was under the custody of York and Warwick.

Y15. London for York

If Yorkist Favour at London, add a second Favour there – London

changes Favour only by Event or Pillage

Tips. If there is a single Yorkist Favour marker at London, put a

second Yorkist Favour marker on it. If this Event

occurred earlier, and there are already two Yorkist

Favour markers at London, London for York has

no effect. The double Favour markers mean only

that London is immune to Lancastrian Parley actions (3.4.1, 4.6.4)

unless enabled or aided by Events such as L17 My crown is in

my heart or L18 Parliament Votes. London otherwise Favours

Yorkists normally, such as for Tides of War (4.8.1). Pillage (3.2.1)

can remove or reverse Favour at London normally, removing both

Yorkist markers.

History. London tended to favor Yorkists during all the Wars of

the Roses. Margaret d’Anjou felt so unloved there that she per-

suaded Henry VI to move his court to Coventry. One exception

was Warwick’s rebellion against Edward, when London seemed

to prefer the Kingmaker.

Y16. The Commons

This Levy each Yorkist Levy Troops action may add up to 2 Mi-

litia extra (from pool)

Tips. Each time in this turn’s Levy phase that a Yorkist Lord takes

the Levy Troops action, he has the option to add two Militia piec-

es in addition to any other Troops normally received (like those

provided by the Stronghold or any other Event or Capability), so

long as Militia pieces remain in the pool (1.6). This card’s Capa-

bility is not available this Turn (3.1.3). Discard The Commons at

the end of Levy—the Militia remain.

History. The common populace was not heavily invested in the

Wars of the Roses. Commoners seemed to fare as well under one

side as under the other, although there was a tendency to favor

Yorkists, probably because Richard of York’s protectorate, re-

stored order and lowered taxes (or, at least, did not increase them).

Y17. She-Wolf of France – Queen without dowry

Shift each Yorkist Vassal’s Calendar marker 1 box right

Tips. When this Event occurs, identify which Vassal markers on

the Calendar are Yorkist. Shift those Vassal markers each one Cal-

endar box to the right (delaying Pay or Disband of each by one

turn, 3.2.3). The status of the Lancastrian Lord Margaret does not

affect this Event.

History. Margaret d’Anjou was unloved since the first day the

English new about her marriage to Henry VI. She didn’t bring any

dowry (on the contrary, concessions were made to France), was

French and had a strong character that made her very different

from Catherine, the mother of Henry and wife of Henry V whom

people deeply loved.

Y18. Succession – Richard declared Henry’s heir

This Levy 1 Parley action by each Yorkist Lord costs less by –1

Influence point and automatically succeeds

Tips. Each Yorkist Parley action during this turn’s Levy phase

(only) costs one Influence point less total, to a minimum of zero

and always succeed rather than rolling. Succession does not af-

fect the cost of any Parley Levy actions that other cards already

reduce to zero Lordship cost or “free”. This card’s Capability is

not available this Turn (3.1.3).

History. Richard of York sought to use his influence to become the

heir to a childless Henry VI in 1451 to 1452. He nearly achieved

it then. Finally, in 1460, the Parliament passed the Act of Accord,

which recognized York and his heirs as Henry VI’s successors.

Y19. Caltrops

Hold: Play in Battle to add +2 Melee Hits against the Enemy each

Round

Tips. Play after Battle Array (4.4.1). Each Melee step of each

Round, Caltrops causes two extra Hits against the Lancastrians.

The Yorkist player distributes the two added Hits among Engage-

ments, the Lancastrians among Lords and Forces within an En-

gagement.

History. Although the use of caltrops in some battles is more than

probable, the one where it was recorded is Second Saint Albans.

Warwick prepared a very well defended position, although his

strategy was thwarted when the Lancastrians came from an un-

expected side. Nevertheless, caltrops had a substantial effect on

the enemy army.

Y20. Yorkist Parade

Hold: Play if London Friendly and York or Warwick there. This

Levy Yorkist Influence ratings +2

Lords. York and Warwick.

Tips. Play the Event at any time that London Favours the York-

ists. If played during Campaign, the card stays played and the

Event takes effect only during the following turn’s Levy; the

card’s Capability will not be available until thereafter (3.1.3). This

Event increases all Yorkist Influence ratings by two for all purpos-

es during that Levy phase. It does not affect Tides of War “Gain

Lords Influence” (4.8.1).

Plantagenet Background Book

History. London was the biggest, richest, and most influential city

in England. Yorkists took the most advantage of this as leverage to

project their power across the rest of the kingdom.

Y21. Sir Richard Leigh – Yorkist Mayor of London

Remove Lancastrian Favour from London or, if neutral, place

Yorkist Favour there

Tips. This Event occurs even if there is a Lancastrian Lord pres-

ent in London.

History. Sir Richard was a member of the Grocers’ Company, at

the time the most important of the 12 Guilds and trade associa-

tions that guided London. He served as Sheriff of London 1452-

1453 and Mayor 1460-1461 and 1469-1470. He favored the York-

ists at the start of the two more decisive periods of the first half

of the war.

Y22. Loyalty and Trust

This Levy any 1 Yorkist Lord has Lordship +3

Tips. Select any one Yorkist Lord for the increased Lordship rat-

ing. The +3 is in addition to any other Event or Capability that

could modify this rating. This card’s Capability is not available

this Turn (3.1.3).

History. Followers look to their lords for good lordship—taking

care of their needs and helping them in their quarrels. In turn,

followers rewarded lords with loyalty and trust (that then went

both ways).

Scenario II

Y23. Charles The Bold – Edward IV’s brother-in-law

Add 1 Coin and 1 Provender to each Yorkist Lord on map

Tips. All Yorkist Lords on map—those in Exile boxes but not the

ones on the Calendar—each receive the Assets.

History. Charles the Bold was the Duke of Burgundy from 1467

to 1477 and a strong ally to the Yorkists, as he was married to

Margaret, the sister of Edward IV. He (or maybe she) was one of

the main sources of foreign help to Edward, as apparent during his

exile to Burgundy in 1470.

Y24. Sun in Splendour

Hold: Play in Levy if Edward IV on Calendar (even as Exile) to

Muster him at any Friendly Locale free of Enemy Lords

Lord. Edward IV.

Tips. Play at any moment of a Levy phase (including immediately

after drawing the Event card) that Edward IV’s cylinder is any-

where on the Calendar. Automatically Muster him per the usual

rules (3.4.2) but at any Friendly Locale of the Yorkist player’s

choosing where no Lancastrian Lord, either a Stronghold with

Yorkist Favour or a scenario-designated Yorkist Exile box. If

Mustered ahead of the Muster segment (3.4), he will be able to

take part in it with his Lordship. Discard this card at the moment

played—the Capability on it is immediately available for Levy

(3.4.6).

History. Edward’s banners showed the Sun in Splendor, a sym-

bol he had chosen after the parhelion (solar optical phenomenon)

seen before the Battle of Mortimer’s Cross in 1461. Edward went

into exile in 1470, but he soon saw that as a mistake. His support

in England was stronger than he thought, so he rushed back and

disembarked at Ravenspur.

Y25. Owain Glyndŵr – Welsh hold rebel in memory

This Campaign no Lancastrian March or Sail to any Strongholds

in Wales

Tips. This card takes precedence over any other Event or Capa-

bility enabling March or Sail. It forbids March or Sail into any

Stronghold in Wales even for Lancastrian Lords already inside

Wales. This card’s Capability is not available this Turn (3.1.3).

History. Wales was in a constant struggle to be free from English

rule. Owain was probably the last great rebel. He led the Welsh

people on a war with England that lasted from around 1400 to

1409, having its high point between 1403 and 1406.

Y26. Dubious Clarence – The weakest brother

If Edward IV on map, he may check Influence to Disband Clar-

ence

Lords. Edward IV and Clarence.

Tips. This Event has effect if both Edward IV and Clarence cylin-

ders are at any Strongholds or Exile boxes. The Influence Check is

at the option of the Yorkist player. If successful, Disband Clarence

per 3.2.4 (no Influence point penalty).

History. The brothers Edward became Edward IV, Richard be-

came Richard III, and Edmund died at Wakefield. The only broth-

er who did not show any martial talents or good lordship was

Clarence. With a weak personality, he easily fell prey to War-

wick’s influence to rebel and then to Edward’s to come back to

the flock.

Y27. Yorkist North

Gain 1 Influence point for each Yorkist Stronghold and each York-

ist Lord in the North

Tips. Immediately add one Yorkist Influence Point for each

Stronghold in the North Area (1.3.1) with Yorkist Favour plus an-

other one for each Yorkist Lord in a Stronghold within the North.

Even if the Influence total then exceeds the Victory Threshold

(5.2), play continues because the Victory Check happens at the

end of the Campaign phase.

History. The North became a critical area for the Yorkists when

they got the support of the Percys during Warwick’s rebellion and,

later, when they had the Lancastrians exiled to Scotland. Lots of

the Yorkists’ defensive efforts centered on the North.

Y28. Gloucester as Heir

This Levy Gloucester may Parley +3 times for 0 Lordship

Lord. Gloucester or Richard III.

Tips. At the Yorkist player’s option, Gloucester (or Richard III in

the full-length scenario) if on map at the outset of Muster (3.4)

takes up to three Parley actions that do not spend Lordship (in

addition to any that he may take with his Lordship). The add-

ed Parley Levy actions otherwise follow the usual rules (3.4.1),

Plantagenet Background Book

including Influence cost and rolls. This card’s Capability is not

available this Turn (3.1.3).

History. Until the birth of Edward, son of Edward IV, Gloucester

could be considered his brother’s heir. As such, his influence over

the rest of the nobles was stronger.

Y29. Dorset – The Staffords’ lesser branch

This Campaign Devon at Exeter Parleys for no Influence cost and

automatic success

Lord. Devon.

Tips. The Event does not affect Parley during the Levy phase

(3.4.1) and only affects Devon’s Campaign Parley actions once

he is at the City of Exeter. His Parley Commands from there cost

no Influence points and all succeed without rolling but otherwise

follow the usual rules (4.6.4) such as costing Command actions

and remaining limited to Exeter and adjacent Strongholds Wells,

Dorchester, Launceston, and Plymouth, extended to other Ports

on the English Channel if Stafford has or Shares a Ship. This

card’s Capability is not available this Turn (3.1.3).

History. Humphrey Stafford, Earl of Devon, had a strong influ-

ence over Dorset and the southwest. He was a loyal ally to Edward

and was appointed Steward to the Duchy of Cornwall as well.

Y30. Regroup

Hold: Play in Battle for a Lord once to roll each of his Routed

Troops’ (modified) Protection for them to recover

Tips. If the Yorkists play this card after Battle Array (4.4.1), they

may at any one moment of the Battle choose a Lord. All that’s

Lord’s Routed Troops—wooden unit pieces, not Retinue or Vas-

sals—roll for Protection. If successful, immediately slide them up

out of the Routed section of their mat—they are no longer Routed

(but can Rout again normally). If failed, there is no effect, they

remain Routed.

History. Some leaders were able to rally their troops and bring

them again to the front line of the battle. As Warwick showed at

Second Saint Albans and Barnet, it was not easy. But, as Edward

showed in Towton, it was possible.

Y31. Earl Rivers – Woodville family head

Add up to 2 Militia to each Yorkist Lord on map

Tips. Adding Militia is optional and may include Yorkist Lords in

Exile boxes (but not any on the Calendar). Added Militia may not

go beyond those available in the pool (1.6).

History. Richard Woodville was the head of the Woodville fam-

ily. He served as Lieutenant of Calais and Warden of the Cinque

Ports. Initially a Lancastrian, he became the most solid support-

er of Edward IV when his daughter Elizabeth Woodville married

Edward. He was appointed Earl Rivers less than two years later.

As Lord Treasurer and Constable of England, Richard was able to

quickly raise troops in almost any place.

Scenarios III & III(B)

Y32. The King’s Name is a tower of strength

This Levy Gloucester (not Richard III) may cancel each success-

ful Lancastrian Levy action by paying 1 Influence point

Lord. Gloucester.

Tips. This turn, after any successful Lancastrian Levy Action

(3.4.1-3.4.6)—Parley by Levy action, Levy Lord, Levy Troops,

Levy Vassal, Levy Transport, or Levy Capability—the Yorkist

player may opt to pay one Influence point to cancel the result

of the action. Any Influence point cost that the Lancastrians in-

curred during the action remains, but any Depletion or Exhausted

incurred is reversed. This card’s Capability is not available this

Turn (3.1.3).

History. Richard III speaks the Event’s title line in Shakespeare’s

Richard III. The influence of Richard when he was Lord Protector

and the English nobility had yet to fear him was far reaching. The

legitimacy of Edward VI was without doubt, and a Lancastrian

rebellion would not have an easy time taking hold.

Y33. Edward V

This Levy Gloucester (not Richard III) has +3 Lordship

Lord. Gloucester.

Tips. The +3 Lordship is in addition to any other Event or Capa-

bility that could modify this rating. This card’s Capability is not

available this Turn (3.1.3).

History. Richard as Duke of Gloucester and Lord Protector was

the most powerful man of the Kingdom. His nephew Edward V,

who at the time was 12 years old, was still years away from being

able to wrest away any power from him.

Y34. An honest tale speeds best being plainly told

Through end of this Campaign (including in Levy), each Lancas-

trian Parley costs +1 extra Influence Point

Tips. From the moment this Event occurs until the end of the turn,

each Lancastrian Parley action costs one more Influence point

than it otherwise would. That means that even actions that would

have cost zero Influence, such as a Parley Command targeting the

same Stronghold as the Lord (3.6.4) or Parley using Events such

as L17 My crown is in my heart, now cost one Influence Point.

This card’s Capability is not available this Turn (3.1.3).

History. Queen Elizabeth speaks the Event’s title line in Shake-

speare’s Richard III. The last phase of the Wars of the Roses saw

an amount of propaganda dwarfed only by that of Henry VIII’s

period. Richard, having learned from Warwick, was a master in

that field.

Y35. Privy Council

This Levy all Yorkist Influence ratings +1

Tips. Increase all Yorkist Lords’ Influence ratings by one from the

moment this Event occurs until the end of the current Levy phase.

This card’s Capability is not available this Turn (3.1.3).

Plantagenet Background Book

History. The nobles that surrounded Richard gathered a lot of

power. They filled the void left by great figures as the Duke of

Buckingham, who was executed after his rebellion in 1483.

Y36. Swift Maneuver

Hold: Play in Battle. Whenever a Lancastrian Retinue Routs, if

desired, immediately end the Round

Tips. If the Yorkists play this card after Battle Array

(4.4.1), they may end any Rounds of the Battle at the

moment that any Lancastrian Retinue (not Vassal or

Troops unit) Routs and go directly to Lord Rout step

(4.4.2). The interruption of the usual sequence can skip remining

Hits, skip more Engagements, and so on.

History. Richard III may be loved or hated. But it is difficult to ar-

gue against his bravery. His behavior in Scotland, in naval battles,

at Barnet and Tekewsbury, and in his final charge at Bosworth

show as much. Bosworth, if successful, would have changed the

outcome of the battle.

Y37. Patrick de la Mote – Chief Cannoneer, Master Founder

Hold: Play in Battle for Yorkist Culverins and Falconets to add

2 dice of Hits (not just 1 die)

Tips. Play after Battle Array (4.4.1). Capability cards Y1 and Y2

Culverins and Falconets in that Battle add two extra dice of

Missile Hits on the first Round instead of just one die.

History. Richard III was very interested in the use of cannon and

other gunpowder weapons on the fields of Battle. He hired experts

from the Continent and used a considerable part of his funds to set

up foundries for making cannons. Patrick de la Mote was appoint-

ed the Master Founder.

Yorkist Capabilities

(bottom half of card)

All Scenarios

Y1 & Y2. Culverins and Falconets

At start of Round 1 of Battle, this Lord may discard this card to

add 1 die roll of Missile Hits

Lords. Any.

Tips. After both sides decide on playing any Events and before

Round 1 of a Battle, Defender then Attack decide whether to ex-

pend their Culverins and Falconets, if any there. Use of the

card on Round 1 only rolls a die upon that side’s Missile Strike

step and adds that number (from one to six) extra Missile Hits

then discards the card.

History. Artillery was still in its first stages of development in the

15^th Century. Cannons were little more than a metal tube support-

ed by a wooden frame. Precision was problematic and accidents

common. They were useless in rain and very hard to reposition

during a battle. So, they were mostly used at the beginning of

battles to create a bit of chaos in the enemy lines and add some

extra casualties.

Y3. Muster’d my soldiers Gather’d flocks of friends

Each Battle at a Friendly Stronghold, this Lord adds 2 Men-at-

Arms and 1 Longbowmen. Remove them after Battle

Lords. Any.

Tips. If the Lord with this Capability is in Battle at a Friendly

Stronghold, at the outset of the Battle Array phase (4.4.1), add two

Men at Arms and one Longbow Troop pieces to that Lord’s mat.

Upon Aftermath (4.4.4), remove those Troops (only, not the card).

If the Lord is left without any Troops, the Lord Disbands (1.6).

History. Warwick speaks the Capability’s title line in Shake-

speare’s Henry VI. Local troop support was not very common in

this war. Most men in an army came with nobles’ retinues and

Commissions of Array. Nevertheless, some Lords were popular

enough to be able to gather extra troops from the surrounding

areas—some of them from minor nobility, as in this Capability, in

other cases from the general populace.

Y4. We done deeds of charity

Each Tides of War, this Lord may pay 1 or 2 Provender (may

Share) for +1 Influence point each

Lords. Any.

Tips. Once during each Tides of War phase (4.8.1), a Lord with

this Capability may discard one Provender (including Shared

from another Lord, 1.5.3) to add one Influence Point for that side

or two Provender for two Influence points.

History. Edward IV speaks the Capability’s title line in Shake-

speare’s Richard III. Plunder and sacking in any place in England

had negative consequences for the side doing it—loss of prestige

and enmity of the people. On the other hand, periodic bribes to

towns, such as sharing the spoils of nearby battles, could give a

boost to the image of a faction’s Lords.

Plantagenet Background Book

Y5. Thomas Bourchier – Archbishop of Canterbury

This Lord starts in any Friendly City Command +1.

Lords. Any.

Tips. “Command +1” means, for example, that a Lord with Com-

mand rating “2” instead could take three Command actions on his

card (1.5.2, 4.2.1). The effect only applies if this Lord, at the start

of his Command Card, is located at a Friendly City (not Town,

Fortress, Special Locale such as London, or Exile Box). The add-

ed Command applies for that Lord’s entire Command card, even

if he moves away from the Friendly City.

History. Cities had cathedrals associated with them, and Church

collaboration was essential for some aspects of waging the Wars

of the Roses. Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, was

made Lord Chancellor during York’s stint as Lord Protector in

1456, and crowned Edward IV five years later, who in return

helped him become a cardinal in 1473. He was a clear supporter

to the Yorkists during the Wars of the Roses.

Y6. Great Ships

This Lord’s Ships count double for Sail and Supply and connect

all Ports of all Seas

Lords. Any.

Tips. This Lord’s Ships—including when other Lords use them,

but not other Lord’s Ships that this Lord might use

(Sharing, 1.5.3)—in a Sail action can each take 12

Forces units, plus four Provender, plus four Carts

(4.6.1). This Lord’s Ships also can add two Proven-

der each when Supplying from a Port (4.5.1). As well, these Ships

(even when Shared) render all Port Strongholds and Exiles Boxes

as at one Way distance for Parley, Supply, and Tax—as if all on

the same Sea (1.3.1 Seas And Ports). This Lord Levies Ships

normally (3.4.5).

History. During the 15^th and early 16^th Centuries, the term “great

ship” denoted the largest carracks of the fleet. Although the term

is best associated with the ships built during the reigns of the first

Tudor kings, it was already in use at the time of the Wars of the

Roses and even before. Examples included the Holigost of Henry

V and Warwick’s great ship, whose wreck was found at Newport.

Y7. Harbingers

This Lord’s Supply actions draw twice the usual Provender

Lords. Any.

Tips. For any Supply by this Lord, calculate the number of

Provender that it would add to the Lord’s mat (4.5.2)

and place double that amount. The increase is manda-

tory. The effect is cumulative with other cards that

affect Supply actions, such as Y6 Great Ships. Har-

bingers does not affect Forage (4.6.2).

History. In the late 1300s, “harbinger” meant a person sent ahead

of a main party to seek lodgings, often for royalty or a campaign-

ing army. They were the ones in charge of making sure that the

place where the army was going to stay would have all the right

conditions for a camp and available supply at hand.

Y8. England is my Home

When going into Exile, this Lord instead Disbands to the next

Calendar box

Lords. Any.

Tips. Whenever this Lord would go into Exile (including by

Event Y3 & Y9 Escape Ship), he instead Disbands per 3.2.4, but

placing his cylinder automatically into the next turn’s Calendar

box instead of rolling for its position. There is no Influence point

penalty. The Blocked Ford Event prevents use of England Is

My Home.

History. Some lords chose to risk staying in England when on

the losing side of a battle rather than going into exile in a foreign

country.

Y9. Barricades

At Friendly Strongholds, this Lord’s Men-at-Arms have Armour

1-4 and Longbowmen and Militia have Armour 1-2

Lords. Any.

Tips. The effect applies regardless of who is the Attacker, when-

ever the Stronghold where this Lord Battles is Friendly. Long-

bowmen and Militia become Armoured Troops. The modification

does not apply when rolling for Losses (4.4.3).

History. There were no relevant siege battles in the Wars of the

Roses, the largest clashes having been field battles. But, in some

battles, one side made use of towns nearby to set a better defen-

sive position, as in the two St. Albans battles. And the most used

maneuver was barricading the streets of the town.

Y10. Agitators

This Lord can use a Command action to Deplete an adjacent Neu-

tral or Enemy Stronghold or flip Depleted there to Exhausted

Lords. Any.

Tips. At the cost of one Command action each, this Lord could

Deplete and/or Exhaust multiple qualifying Strongholds on the

same Command card. He can combine these actions with other

Commands such as March. The actions add no Assets or Troops.

The presence of Lancastrian Lords does not affect this Capability.

History. Both sides used propaganda extensively and successful-

ly, an innovation from preceding wars. Depletion and Exhaustion

represent the difficulty of extracting resources from areas where

the war had already taken its toll. The use of agitators to prevent

the enemy from getting that extra batch of troops or carts with

bread was common during the Wars of the Roses.

Y11. Yorkists Never Wait

This Lord Marches alone (not in a Group) on Road as if Highway

Lords. Any.

Tips. This Lord can use one March Action to move two Ways if

each is either Highway or Road (4.3.3). A Marshal or Lieutenant

with other Lords would have to leave them behind on Road to use

this benefit. The Capability does not affect March along Paths.

History. In terms of armies, technology, and tactical knowledge,

the opposing sides in the Wars of the Roses were very similar.

Plantagenet Background Book

Nevertheless, there were a few differences, and one of them was

that, in general, the Yorkists lords were able to move and react

a bit faster than the Lancastrians, as during the Tewkesbury and

Towton campaigns.

Y12. Soldiers of Fortune

When Levying Troops, this Lord may pay 1 Coin to also add 2

Mercenaries (from pool)

Lords. Any.

Tips. Soldiers of Fortune is the only way in the game that Mer-

cenary units enter play. This Lord when Levying Troops (3.4.4)

may expend one Coin (including Shared, 1.7) in order to add two

Mercenary units in addition to the Troops that the Lord would

otherwise receive. The Lord must meet all the usual requirements

and costs of the Levy Troops action. Receive exactly two Merce-

nary units, or only one or zero if that is what currently remains in

the pool of unit pieces (1.6). Note that the card will remain with

the Lord until Disband (1.9.1), even after no Mercenaries remain

in the pool.

History. Armies during the Wars of the Roses were mostly profes-

sional, either the retinue of one noble (and thus, received an eco-

nomic benefit from their allegiance) or earning a stipulated wage.

However, mercenaries existed, as in all the medieval wars, though

not as numerous and not used as much as in other countries.

Y13. Scourers

This Lord’s Forage actions always add +1 extra Provender

Lords. Any.

Tips. This Lord’s Forage actions each add one more Proven-

der than they otherwise would, even if the Forage action is not

successful (in which case, it would add one Provender instead

of none and would still not Deplete the Locale). The increase is

mandatory. Scourers does not affect Supply (4.5).

History. The supply of the armies was very important, as in this

civil war there was almost no pillaging. Armies counted on being

able to forage to complement their supply trains, so having a good

team of scourers (those in charge of the task of foraging) was

essential.

Scenarios Ia, Ib, & Ic

Y14. Burgundians

This Lord at any Port adds 2 Handgunners (once, maximum)

Lords. York or March.

Tips. Burgundians (Capabilities Y14 & Y23) is the only way

in the game that Handgunners units enter play. The first moment

(only) that this Lord is at any Port Stronghold (not Exile box,

1.3.1, and regardless of Favour at the Port), including upon Levy

of the card if he is already at a Port, he must add two Handgunners

units to his mat, no Levy action required. Note that the card will

remain with the Lord until Disband (1.9.1), even though he will

receive no further Handgunners, even if some are Lost.

History. Although there were multiple handgun artisans in En-

gland, the main provenance of black powder weaponry was the

continent. And handgunners from Burgundy and the Holy Roman

Empire were especially appreciated. As Burgundy was usually the

ally of the House of York, handgunners mostly appeaed on the

Yorkist side.

Y15. Naval Blockade

This Lord at a Port cancels Lancastrian actions using Ports on that

Sea unless a roll of 1-2

Lord. Warwick.

Tips. Whenever Warwick with this Capability is at any Port

Stronghold (not Exile box, 1.3.1, and regardless of Favour at the

Port), roll a die immediately after any Lancastrian action taken

that uses a Port on the same Sea—that action only occurs on a

roll of 1 or 2. Such actions can include Parley, Levy Ship, Supply,

Sail, and Tax (3.4.1, 4.6.4, 3.4.5, 4.5, 4.6.1, 4.6.3). If the action

requires an Influence check (1.4.2), the Lancastrians may wait to

see the Naval Blockade roll before paying Influence and rolling

the check. The Lordship or Command cost for the action point is

spent, regardless of the result of the roll. Naval Blockade im-

pedes neither use of a Stronghold itself that happens also to be

a Port, nor card effects that require a Port, such as Heralds or

French Troops.

History. Warwick was a clever politician and probably a good ad-

ministrator and brave fighter (although not a good tactician). One

of his other talents tends to be overlooked, though: he was an ex-

cellent pirate—the terror of foreign fleets in the English Channel.

Y16. Beloved Warwick

This Lord can Levy Troops for 5 Militia (from pool) instead of the

Stronghold’s listed Troops

Lord. Warwick.

Tips. This Capability enables Warwick to Levy five Militia units

instead of the Troops provided by the Stronghold. He must meet

all the usual requirements and costs of the Levy Troops action.

If he opts for the Militia, he must take the full five units, until

exhausting the pool. He may do so for several Levy actions for ad-

ditional Militia. Militia received are limited to the pieces available

in the game (1.6). Note that the card will remain with Warwick

until Disband (1.9.1), even after no Militia remain in the pool.

History. As evident upon Warwick’s return from Calais in 1460,

commoners well appreciated him. He probably was the most char-

ismatic lord of the time and cleverly used propaganda to enhance

his image even more. During that return from Calais, and many

times later, commoners flocked to his banners helping him in-

crease his armies significantly.

Y17. Alice Montagu

This Lord’s Vassals have +1 Service and are immune to For

trust not him

Lord. Salisbury.

Tips. When Salisbury with this Capability Musters a Vassal, place

its counter on the Calendar one box to the right of where it would

usually be placed per 3.4.3 (unless already beyond box 15, 2.2.3).

Lancastrians may not use Event L7 For trust not him against

Salisbury’s Vassals.

Plantagenet Background Book

History. Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, was married to Alice

Montagu. This let him come into greater estates than usual for a

third son or from a second marriage. These acquisitions made him

the Lord with the most nobles under his patronage in all England

and thus one of the most influential.

Y18. Irishmen

This Lord in Ireland or at Port on Irish Sea can Levy Troops for 5

Militia (from pool) total, no Depletion or Exhaustion

Lords. Rutland or York.

Tips. This Lord when Levying Troops (3.4.4) while in the Ireland

box or at any Port Stronghold on the Irish Sea may add five Militia

units instead of the Troops that the Lord would otherwise receive.

He may do so for several Levy actions for five Militia each. When

he does so, the action does not Deplete or Exhaust the Locale. The

Lord must meet other requirements for the Levy Troops action,

including that the Locale not be already Exhausted. If he opts for

the Militia, he must take the full five units, until exhausting the

pool. Militia received are limited to the pieces available in the

game (1.6). Note that the card will remain with the Lord until Dis-

band (1.9.1), even after no Militia remain in the pool. Y6 Great

Ships does not alter this Capability’s requirement that the Port

used be on the Irish Sea.

History. After the battle of Ludford Bridge in 1459, Richard York

and his son Edmund Earl of Rutland fled to Ireland. There, they

gathered troops and came back to England in 1460. That was pos-

sible because York was still the Lieutenant of Ireland (1447-1453

and 1455-1460) and was backed and appreciated by its Parlia-

ment.

Y19. Welshmen

Each Tides of War, Yorkists Dominate Wales with this Lord and

3+ Friendly Strongholds there

Lords. York or March.

Tips. Each Tides of War step (4.8.1), when this Lord is at any

Stronghold within Wales and at least three Strongholds within

Wales have Yorkist Favour, the Yorkist earn the Influence point

for Domination of Wales. In other words, the presence of the

Lord with this Capability in that Area reduces the requirement for

Domination from Friendly Favour in all its Strongholds to Favour

in just three.

History. Edward was Earl of March, in charge of the Welsh

Marches and well-loved there. Although Wales in general was

against any English king, and, if they had any sympathy, it was to

the Lancastrians, the Marches favored Yorkists for their success in

defending them from their neighbors’ incursions.

Y20. York’s Favoured Son

This Lord has Influence +1 and Command +1

Lords. Rutland or March.

Tips. Rutland or March with this Capability increase the value of

that Lord’s Influence and Command ratings each by one.

History. A probably false rumor circulated about the legitimacy

of Edward. Some historians have seen possible evidence for truth

of the rumor in a hinted preference by Richard for Edmund. This

Capability is for the player to decide who will be York’s heir and

thus, get a boost on confidence and political power.

Y21. Southerners

Each Tides of War, Yorkists Dominate the South with this Lord

and 5+ Friendly Strongholds there

Lords. March, Rutland, or York.

Tips. See Capability Y19 Welshmen. Southerners works the

same way for the Area, Lords, and number of Strongholds stated.

History. Although their main strongholds were in the area around

York and Ely, Yorkists and Warwick were very appreciated in the

South and especially in Kent, where they were able to raise con-

siderable support for their rebellion.

Y22. Fair Arbiter

This Lord at a Friendly Locale has Influence +1 and Lordship +1

Lord. Salisbury.

Tips. Whenever Salisbury with this Capability is in a Friendly

Locale (including an Exile box, 1.3.1), his Influence and Lordship

ratings each increase by one. He could start the Levy phase in a

neutral Stronghold, for example, take a Parley action to turn that

Stronghold Friendly, and then use the added Lordship and Influ-

ence that same Levy Phase.

History. During his stint as Lord Chancellor in 1455, Richard

Neville, Earl of Salisbury, was able to advance the interests of his

followers greatly, improve his position in the Percy-Neville feud,

and show his capacity as an efficient administrator.

Scenario II

Y23. Burgundians

This Lord at any Port adds 2 Handgunners (once, maximum)

Lords. Edward IV, Gloucester, or Richard III.

Tips and History. See Capability Y14.

Y24. Hastings

This Lord Levies Special Vassal Hastings (free), adds 2 Men-at-

Arms units, and has Command +1

Lord. Edward IV.

Tips. When Edward IV gets this Capability, place the Hastings

Special Vassal marker plus two on Edward IV’s mat.

See rule 1.5.4 regarding Special Vassals. The Com-

mand benefit applies as long as Edward IV retains

Hastings. If Hastings Disbands, discard this Capa-

bility; there is no effect on the two units.

History. Hastings was one of the closest friends to Edward IV.

He lost part of his influence when Elizabeth Woodville became

Queen, but he was there for Edward during Warwick’s Rebellion,

helping him raise and organize troops.

Plantagenet Background Book

Y25. Pembroke

Each Battle in Wales, this Lord adds 2 Longbowmen. Remove

them after Battle

Lord. Pembroke.

Tips. This Lord at any Battle within during Battle Array (4.4.1)

must add two Longbowmen to his mat’s Forces. Upon Aftermath

(4.4.4), remove the added units (if any remain) to the pool, re-

gardless of Battle outcomes. If that leaves this Lord without any

Troops, he Disbands (1.6, 3.2.4).

History. Pembroke was an important castle and town that helped

control the south of Wales. It wavered in its support from the Lan-

castrians to the Yorkists, but during 1461 and up to 1469 it was

held by William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, a loyal Yorkist.

Y26. Fallen Brother

If Clarence is Dead or Shipwrecked, this Lord has Influence +2

and Lordship +1

Lord. Gloucester or Richard III.

Tips. Only Gloucester (or Richard III in the full-length scenar-

io) can obtain this Capability, and it only increases his ratings if

Death (4.4.3) or Shipwreck (4.8.2) has permanently Disbanded

the Lancastrian Lord Clarence.

History. Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was the youngest of the

brothers and thus he was after George, Duke of Clarence, in the

line of succession. Although he was already a very influential

Lord in the Court because of his good performance in battle and

lordship, his brother’s execution in 1478 considerably increased

Richard’s influence.

Y27. Percy’s North

Each Battle in the North, this Lord adds 4 Militia. Remove them

after Battle

Lord. Northumberland.

Tips. See Capability Y25 Pembroke. Percy’s North works the

same way for the Area, units, and Lord stated.

History. Henry Percy was the Warden of the Marches and had

strong support in all the frontier with Scotland. The Marches

were able to raise troops fast and react to Scottish incursions with

speed. They were also useful during Warwick’s rebellion and the

return of the Lancastrians.

Y28. First Son – Edward, son of Edward IV

Each Tides of War, Yorkists add +1 extra Influence point

Lord. Edward IV.

Tips. Each Tides of War (4.8.1) that Edward IV is on map (even

in an Exile box) with First Son, add one Yorkist Influence point

to the edge track.

History. As soon as Edward had a son, the latter became the heir

to the throne (except for the brief time that Henry VI was rein-

stated), and the influence of the King grew because he then had

secured the succession by having a male heir.

Y29. Stafford Branch – Duke of Buckingham’s family

Exeter and adjacent Strongholds add 1 more Provender or Coin

than usual to this Lord’s Supply or Tax

Lord. Devon.

Tips. Whenever Devon with Stafford Branch draws Supply

from or Taxes the Stronghold of either Exeter, Launceston, Plym-

outh, Wells, or Dorchester as a Source, add one extra Provender if

Supply (only) or one extra Coin if Tax (only). Add no extra if the

Supply uses a Port Source and Ships (4.5.2).

History. Humphrey Stafford, in a lesser branch of the Stafford

family and a distant cousin of the Lancastrian Duke of Bucking-

ham with the same name, was one of the most trusted support-

ers of King Edward. Stafford showed a great capacity for turning

the sympathies of places under his supervision and reversed the

sympathies of the strongly Lancastrian southwest to support the

Yorkists.

Y30. Captain

This Lord is a Marshal in any Locales where no Friendly Marshal

or Lieutenant

Lords. Northumberland or Pembroke.

Tips. The Locale may be an Exile box (1.3.1, for group Sail,

4.6.1). The effect is blocked the instant that a Yorkist Marshal or

Lieutenant is at the same Locale with this Lord.

History. Most of the clashes of the Wars of the Roses consisted of

small battles with few lords rather than big battles such as Towton

or Tewkesbury. In those smaller battles, such as Edgcote, the main

leaders of the factions were not present. Instead, one of the lesser

leaders there (Pembroke at Edgcote) would have full command

of the army.

Y31. Woodvilles – Powerbrokers under Edward IV

This Lord Levies Troops without Depleting or Exhausting Strong-

holds

Lords. Edward IV, Devon, Gloucester, or Richard III.

Tips. A Lord with this Capability Levies Troops with the usual

restrictions and effects—including a Friendly Stronghold that is

not yet Exhausted—except that the action neither Depletes nor

Exhausts the Stronghold. Thus, this Lord can Muster Troops mul-

tiple times from the same Stronghold.

History. The Woodvilles joined the ranks of England’s most

powerful families when Elizabeth Wood-

ville married King Edward IV. Queen

Elizabeth’s father, Richard Woodville,

was appointed Lord Treasurer and Con-

stable of England. That enabled him to

muster troops quickly from all around the

country.

Plantagenet Background Book

Scenarios III & III(B)

Y32. Final Charge

As Richard III (not Gloucester) this Lord’s Retinue once per Me-

lee Strike may suffer +1 Hit to add +3 extra Hits against Enemy

Lord. Richard III.

Tips. Only Richard III, not Gloucester, may Levy this Capability.

At the beginning of each Melee Strike phase, the

Yorkist player can opt for Richard III’s Retinue to

receive one added Hit in order to increase the total

number of Melee Hits that the opponents in the same

Engagement receive by three.

History. “A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!” If Richard

really said those words, they had the meaning of wanting a horse

not to get away but to keep on charging against Henry Tudor.

Richard was brave and intended to solve the battle with a head-to-

head fight with Henry, but Talbot cut his charge short.

Y33. Bloody thou art, bloody will be thy end

When this Lord as Richard III (not Gloucester) wins a Battle, skip

Death checks. All Routed Lancastrian Lords Die

Lord. Richard III.

Tips. Only Richard III, not Gloucester, may Levy this Capability.

The effect applies only when the Yorkists win a Battle that in-

cludes Richard III (even if he Routed). As the effect skips Death

checks (4.4.3), it moots any modifier to the Death Check and

blocks any card of either side that says “upon Death check”, such

as L3 Escape Ship or L36 Talbot to the Rescue. The effect of

Bloody thou art is mandatory: Routed Yorkists Disband nor-

mally (3.2.4) and Routed Lancastrians Die.

History. The Duchess of York (Queen Elizabeth) speaks the Ca-

pability’s title line in Shakespeare’s Richard III. During his rule,

Richard III became famous for the ruthlessness with which he

treated his enemies. To the degree that he was able, all were killed

in battle or executed, none was spared.

Y34. So wise, so young

Each Tax by this Lord as Gloucester adds +1 extra Coin. Discard

if Richard III

Lord. Gloucester.

Tips. This Capability adds one extra Coin each time Gloucester

takes a Tax action, even if the Tax action is not suc-

cessful (the attempt would yield one Coin instead of

none). Discard the Capability if Gloucester becomes

Richard III per scenario special rule (6.0) or Succes-

sion (6.1-6.3).

History. Richard speaks the Capability’s title line in Shake-

speare’s Richard III. The Duke of Gloucester showed very ear-

ly his skills as administrator. Although Richard was young, his

brother Edward IV gave him many responsibilities and valued

him highly.

Y35. Kingdom United

Each Battle in the North, South, or Wales, this Lord as Gloucester

adds 3 Militia. Remove them after Battle. Discard if Richard III

Lord. Gloucester.

Tips. Only Gloucester, not Richard III, may Levy this Capability.

See Capability Y25 Pembroke. Kingdom United works the same

way for the Areas, units, and Lord stated. Discard the Capability

if Gloucester becomes Richard III per scenario special rule (6.0)

or Succession (6.1-6.3).

History. Richard had lands all around England. He had received

Warwick’s inheritance through his wife, Anne Neville, and add-

ed it to the numerous lands awarded by his brother Edward IV

during his reign. He had been Lord Warden of the Marches; he

was Duke of Gloucester, and he had estates in the South. The

name of the Capability plays on the term United Kingdom to refer

to this spread of Gloucester’s influence in the less central areas

and also how the kingdom would probably have been more united

against Henry Tudor if Edward V was still king.

Y36. Vanguard

In Battle, this Lord may choose his Engagement to be the only one

fought in Round 1

Lord. Norfolk.

Tips. If the Yorkist player decides so after the Battle Array (4.4.1),

the first Round of a battle with Norfolk and Vanguard will con-

sist exclusively of the Engagement (4.4.2) that includes Norfolk.

(There is no effect if the Battle has only one Engagement.)

History. Richard placed Norfolk in the vanguard at Bosworth.

Had he been successful (a considerable feat, in the circumstanc-

es), there would not have been a Tudor dynasty.

Y37. Percy’s North

Each Battle, this Lord with a Route (3.4.1) to Carlisle adds 2 Men-

at-Arms. Remove them after Battle

Lord. Northumberland.

Tips. See Capability Y25 Pembroke. Percy’s North works the

same way for the units and Lord stated, but for any Battle Locale

from which the Yorkists can trace a Route to the City of Carlisle

as per 3.4.1, as if a Parley Levy action from the Battle Locale but

regardless of the Battle Locale’s Favour.

History. The power of the Percys resided in the North, and they

felt uncomfortable when fighting far from their home. That was

especially true when Richard called Henry Percy to help him

against Henry Tudor, as the battle took place very near the center

point of England.

Plantagenet Background Book

Lancastrian Events

(top half of card)

All Scenarios

L1. Leeward Battle Line

Hold: Play in Battle to halve all Missile hits (round up) to Friend-

ly Lords, unless Enemy Leeward Battle Line.

Tips and History. See Yorkist Event Y1.

L2. Flank Attack

Hold: Play to Intercept without rolling and become the Attacker

in that Battle.

Tips and History. See Yorkist Event Y2.

L3. Escape Ship

Hold: Play upon Death check if Lancastrian Route (4.5.1) to Port

for any Routed Lancastrians to go into Exile instead

Tips and History. See Yorkist Event Y3 & Y9.

L4. Be sent for to return from France with speed

This Levy Muster Lancastrian Exiles from anywhere on the Cal-

endar

Tips. The Lancastrian player may treat any or all Lancastrian

Lords marked Exile on the Calendar as if they were in the current

Turn’s box. Each chosen Lord Musters to a scenario-designated

Exile box (3.3). This card’s Capability is not available this Turn

(3.1.3).

History. Henry VI speaks the Event’s title line in Shakespeare’s

Henry VI part III. Lancastrians were almost always ready to come

back from exile at the first sign of weakness from the Yorkists.

They kep their supporters and resources prepared for an invasion,

such as Margaret d’Anjou’s in 1471.

L5. Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind

Hold: Play in Battle for participating Lancastrian Lord to check

Influence. Success Disbands 1 Yorkist Lord at Battle with lower

Influence rating

Tips and History. See Yorkist Event Y5.

L6. Seamanship

This Campaign Lancastrians may Sail for just 1 Command action

Tips and History. See Yorkist Event Y6.

L7. For trust not him

Hold: Play in Battle for a participating Lord to attempt to Levy

(3.4.3) a regular Enemy Vassal at Battle onto the Lord’s own mat

Tips. Play this card at the Event step after Battle Array (4.4.1).

The Lancastrian player chooses a Lancastrian Lord and a regular

Yorkist Vassal (not a Special Vassal) who are taking part in that

Battle. The Lord chosen immediately attempts to Levy the Vassal

(3.4.3), ignoring Routes and Favour of the Vassal’s Seat. The cost

in Influence points is only for the Influence check and modifiers

(1.4.2). If successful, move the Vassal marker from the Yorkist

mat to that Lancastrian Lord’s mat and shift that Vassal’s marker

on the Calendar to a box as if newly Levied.

History. Queen Elizabeth speaks the Event’s title line in Shake-

speare’s Henry VI part III. There were not many instances of no-

bles changing loyalty in the field of battle, but the most notable

ones are probably Andrew Trollope and Thomas Stanley, both go-

ing from the Yorkist side to the Lancastrians.

L8. Forced Marches

This Campaign lone Lancastrian Lords (not Groups) March on

Road as if Highway

Tips. With this Event, Lancastrian Lords can use one March Ac-

tion to move two Ways if each is either Highway or Road (4.3.3).

A Marshal or Lieutenant with other Lords would have to leave

them behind on Road to use this benefit. The Event does not affect

March along Paths. The Capability on this card will not be avail-

able for Levy this turn, as the player will not discard the card until

after this Campaign (3.1.3).

History. Although Yorkists were generally able to react faster

than Lancastrians, there were some instances when fast move-

ment by Lancastrians enabled them to gain important victories, as

at Edgcote and Second St Albans.

L9. Rising Wages

This Levy Yorkist Lords must pay 1 Coin per Levy Troops action

Tips. For Yorkist Lords to Levy Troops (3.4.4), they must first

spend one Coin per such action (they may Share, 1.5.3). That pen-

alty applies even if Levying Troops via Event or Capability that

requires a Levy Troops action, such as like Y16 Beloved War-

wick or Y18 Irishmen. Card L9’s Capability is not available this

Turn (3.1.3).

History. The armies of the Wars of the Roses were composed

of soldiers who received a wage. And during the war’s duration,

there was a significant inflation in costs. There were some instanc-

es when Yorkist had difficulties in raising troops because of the

lack of funds.

L10. New Act of Parliament

This Campaign Yorkist Parley takes entire Command card

Tips. Any Yorkist Parley during the coming Campaign (4.6.4)

requires all that Lord’s actions on the Command card (instead of

just one action). The Event does not affect Parley during Levy

(3.4.1). Card L10’s Capability is not available this Turn (3.1.3).

History. Although Yorkists were generally more apt at getting

what they wanted from Parliament (or forcing it), Lancastrians

were occasionally able to make it work for them.

L11. Blocked Ford

Hold: Play upon Approach to prevent Exile (all Lords there Bat-

tle)

Tips and History. See Yorkist Event Y11.

Plantagenet Background Book

L12. Ravine

Hold: Play on an Enemy Lord in Battle. Round 1, ignore that

Lord for Engage and Strike

Tips. Play this card at the Event step after

Battle Array (4.4.1). Then choose one

Yorkist Lord there. Conduct the first

Round of Battle (only) as if his place in

the Battle Array were empty. As a remind-

er, place this card beneath the top edge of

that Lord’s mat, then remove it after

Round 1.

History. When Henry Percy arrived at

Bosworth, Thomas Stanley was watching

him from an elevated position. Moving to

his scripted position in the battle meant giving him the flank, and,

as his loyalty was not clear, he stood there, blocked from taking

part in the clash.

L13. Aspielles – Lancastrian spies

Hold: Play to inspect all Yorkist Held cards and 1 Hidden Yorkist

Lord mat (1.5.3)

Tips and History. See Yorkist Event Y13.

Scenarios Ia, Ib, & Ic

L14. Scots

Each Lancastrian Lord on map may add up to 1 Men-at-Arms and

1 Militia to his or her mat

Tips. Each Mustered Lancastrian Lord (even if in an Exile box)

has may opt immediately to receive one Men-at-Arms and/or one

Militia unit (until the pool runs out, 1.6).

History. After Henry VI’s capture by the Yorkists, Margaret and

Somerset secured the help of the Scots and got an army. As they

brought them all the way south to St Albans, panic swept through

all middle and south England.

L15. Henry Pressures Parliament

Yorkists lose 1 Influence point per Vassal they currently have

Mustered

Tips. Count all the Mustered Vassals on Yorkist mats (including

Special Vassal Hastings). Subtract that number of Yorkist Influ-

ence points total.

History. One of the few instances when Henry VI’s power over

the Parliament was felt was in December 1459, when York, War-

wick, and Salisbury suffered attainder. Their lands were returned

to the king and their lives were forfeit. Their loss of political pow-

er after this was great, although not definitive.

L16. Warden of the Marches

Hold: Play upon Death check in the North. Move any Routed

Lancastrians to a Friendly Stronghold there instead of rolling

Death or Disband

Tips. Play the Event only in a Battle at a Stronghold in the North

Area (1.3.1), before rolling for Death (4.4.3). Any Lancastrian

Lords who Routed may choose before rolling (only) instead to

move their cylinder to a Friendly Stronghold in the North (other

than the Battle Locale). If there is no such Stronghold, the Event

has no effect. Lords who move keep their Assets, Capabilities,

and Unrouted Troops. If left without Troops, they Disband (1.6).

History. The position of Wardens of the Marches historically be-

longed to the Percys. Though there were some short periods when

the Nevilles were able to steal it from them, all the decades spent

as protectors of the North against Scottish incursions let the Per-

cys create a strong net of allies and supporters there.

L17. My crown is in my heart

This Levy Henry VI may Parley twice for 0 Lordship (with Influ-

ence checks)

Lord. Henry VI.

Tips. During this Levy (only), Henry VI may optionally take two

additional Parley actions, for the usual Influence point costs and

Influence checks required (3.4.1). This Event allows Parley on

London even if Event Y15 London for York has placed double

Favour markers there. The Event has no effect if Henry VI is not

on map and does not affect Parley during Campaign (4.6.4). This

card’s Capability is not available this Turn (3.1.3).

History. Henry VI speaks the Event’s title line in Shakespeare’s

Henry VI part III. Henry VI was so pious and good mannered that

even at the height of Yorkist rebellion, Yorkists could not argue

that he was evil. Even his staunchest enemies could not help but

listen to what he had to say.

L18. Parliament Votes

This Levy 1 Parley action by each Lancastrian Lord costs less by

–1 Influence point and automatically succeeds

Tips. During this Levy (only), each Lancastrian Lord may reduce

the cost of any one Parley action taken by one Influence point,

and that Parley succeeds without rolling an Influence Check. (An-

nounce use of the option before rolling.) This Event allows Par-

ley on London even if Event Y15 London for York has placed

double Favour markers there. The Event does not affect Parley

during Campaign (4.6.4). This card’s Capability is not available

this Turn (3.1.3).

History. Just before the Battle of Ludford Bridge, Henry VI

seemed to have the parliament again in his favor and was able

to enact hard measures against the rebels. That was short lived,

however, as York and Warwick upon their return from exile took

control of the nobles.

L19. Henry’s Proclamation

Yorkists shift all their Vassals’ Calendar markers to the current

Turn box

Tips. All Yorkist Vassal markers on the Calendar immediately

move to the current Turn box (then discard the card). Pay or Dis-

band (3.2.3-.4) will affect those Vassals this Levy.

History. The Acts of Attainder against York, Warwick, and Salis-

bury in 1459 made some of the nobles rethink their allegiances in

the conflict and brought them closer to the Lancastrian faction.

Plantagenet Background Book

L20. Parliament’s Truce

Hold: Play to prohibit all Approach and Intercept for the rest of

this Campaign

Tips. A player can use this Event at any moment during a Cam-

paign (only), including at the moment of an Enemy March trig-

gering an Approach (4.3.5) or an Enemy Intercept. Use of the

Event forbids (and cancels) all Approach and Intercept by both

sides for the rest of the Turn.

History. After the Battle of Ludford Bridge, Henry VI briefly re-

covered his influence among the nobles and was able to stop their

skirmishes and petty conflicts for a few months.

L21. French Fleet

This Campaign Yorkist Lords may not Sail

Tips. This Event forbids Sail for Yorkists during this Turn’s Cam-

paign, even if another card, such as Event Y6 Seamanship would

enable it. This card’s Capability is not available this Turn (3.1.3).

History. French help was essential to the Lancastrians during the

war. Part of that consisted of raids along the coast and the use of

French ships to block Yorkist naval movement.

L22. French Troops

Add up to 2 Men-at-Arms and 2 Militia to a Lancastrian Lord at

a Port

Tips. This Event is optional, not mandatory. The Lancastrian

Player may immediately choose one Lancastrian Lord at a Port

Stronghold (regardless of Favour, but not an Exile box), and add

zero, one, or two Men-at-Arms plus zero, one, or two Militia units

to that one Lord’s mat, within those available in the pool (1.6). If

no Lancastrian Lord is at a Port, the Event has not effect.

History. French King Charles VII “the Victorious” showed his

son, Louis XI, the way to keep England off Continenal soil:

feed its internal struggles. The fact that Margaret d’Anjou was

Charles’s niece and Louis’s cousin made it natural for the French

Crown to provide help to the Lancastrians. (See also Events L27

L’Universelle Aragne and L30 French War Loans and Capa-

bility L37 Madame La Grande.)

Scenario II

L23 & L24. Warwick’s Propaganda

Select 3 Yorkist Strongholds. For each, Yorkists either pay 2 Influ-

ence points or remove Favour

Tips. The Lancastrian player must immediately select any three

Strongholds with Yorkist Favour (or all of them if fewer than three.

They may include Special Strongholds (London, Calais, Harlech).

For each Stronghold selected, the Yorkist player chooses either to

lose two Influence points or to remove that Yorkist Favour mark-

er. Adjust Stronghold markers on the edge track accordingly.

History. Warwick saw himself as a Renaissance Prince. As

such, he made use of the most modern techniques of influenc-

ing the common people and the bourgeoisie. Propaganda be-

came one of his main weapons, enlarging his figure and gath-

ering popular support.

L25. Welsh Rebellion

Remove 2 Troops from each Yorkist Lord in Wales OR, if no

Yorkist Lords there, 2 Yorkist Favour from Wales

Tips. If there is any Yorkist Lord cylinder on the map within the

Wales Area (1.3.1), the Lancastrian player chooses and returns to

the pool any two wooden Troops units (not Retinues or Vassals)

from each such Yorkist Lord in Wales. If that leaves any Lords

without Troops, they immediately Disband (1.6, 3.2.4). If there

are no Yorkist Lords in Wales, the Lancastrian player chooses and

removes two Yorkist Favour markers from Wales (or one if only

one is there). Adjust Stronghold markers on the edge track ac-

cordingly. The Event has no effect if there are no Yorkist Lords or

Favour markers in Wales.

History. Although Pembroke was able to pacify the south of

Wales, the influence of Jasper Tudor was greater, and the presence

of English troops resented. This made Wales a dangerous place

for Yorkist armies.

L26. Henry Released

If London Favours Lancastrians, add 5 Lancastrian Influence

points

Tips. This effect is immediate and can happen multiple times in a

game. The Event has no effect if London has Lancastrian Favour

or no Favour marker.

History. The highest moment of Warwick’s rebellion, whence

came his nickname “Kingmaker”, was Henry VI’s release from

the Tower of London. Henry was King again for a few months,

and Warwick increased his hold on the Kingdom.

L27. L’Universelle Aragne – Louis XI of France, a

cunning King

Select 2 Yorkist Mustered Vassals. Their Lords check Influence

for each—failure Disbands the Vassal

Tips. The Lancastrian player chooses any two Vassals Mustered

to Yorkist mats. They may include Special Vassal Hastings. For

each one, the Yorkist Lord that has the Vassal on his mat must

make an Influence check, the Yorkist player spending Influence

points normally (1.4.3). If the check fails, the Vassal Disbands

(3.2.4). If Hastings Disbands, discard Capability card Y24 HAST-

INGS from Edward IV’s mat (1.5.4).

History. The Lancastrian cause would have been totally lost if

not for the maneuvers behind the curtain of Louis XI. He used

influence, persuasion, and bribes to increase the tension among

the English factions and thus make France more secure.

L28. Rebel Supply Depot

Hold: Play after a Lord or Group Marches or Sails to a Port for

them to receive 4 Provender and ignore their next Feed

Tips. Play just after a March or Sail action by a Lord or Group

that is now at a Port (only). The Lord or Lords who moved (only)

receive four Provender distributed among them as the player

wishes. The qualifying Lord(s) also will remove Moved/Fought

markers in the upcoming Feed step (4.7) without expending any

Provender or Pillaging, regardless of that or any further March,

Sail, or Battle on that Command Card.

Plantagenet Background Book

History. Hard work made sure that Margaret’s army would re-

turn to England in 1471 in the best of condition. Multiple ports

in the South were prepared to receive the French army that went

with her.

L29. To wilful disobedience and Rebel!

Remove Yorkist Favour from 2 Strongholds at or adjacent to a

Lancastrian Lord and not at or adjacent to Yorkist Lords

Tips. The Lancastrian player must immediately select and re-

move Yorkist Favour markers from any two Strongholds (or one,

if only one qualifies) that:

• Are adjacent by Way (1.3.1) to a Lancastrian Lord or have a

Lancastrian Lord present at the Stronghold itself, and

• Have no Yorkist Lord at the Stronghold or adjacent to it by Way.

The Strongholds may include Special Strongholds (London, Cal-

ais, Harlech). Adjust Stronghold markers on the edge track.

History. Robin of Redesdale’s rebellion and other multiple skir-

mishes around England marked the start of Warwick’s movement

against Edward, which used the growth of malcontent to reduce

Edward IV’s support. (See also Event L31 Robin’s Rebellion.)

L30. French War Loans

Add 1 Coin and 1 Provender to each Lancastrian Lord on map

Tips. The effect is immediate and mandatory. Lords on map

include those at Strongholds and in Exile boxes, not those on

the Calendar.

History. French help was essential for the Lancastrians. Louis XI

brokered the deal between Warwick and Margaret, and French

money paid the army that she brought to England in 1471.

L31. Robin’s Rebellion

Place and/or remove up to 3 Favour total in the North

Tips. The Lancastrian player immediately selects Strongholds

within the North Area (1.3.1) and removes Yorkist Favour mark-

er(s) there and/or then places Lancastrian Favour marker(s) on

neutral Stronghold(s) there, in any combination involving no

more than three markers total. Lords present have no effect. Ad-

just Stronghold markers on the edge track.

History. Insurrection by Robin of Redesdale (also known as

Robin Mend-All) in 1469 was probably the first movement in

Warwick’s rebellion. Robin rose against John Neville and asked

for the reinstatement of Henry Percy as Earl of Northumberland,

which happened just a few months later.

Scenarios III & III(B)

L32. Tudor Banners

If Henry Tudor is at a Friendly Stronghold, mark all adjacent

Strongholds that are free of Yorkist Lords with Lancastrian Favour

Lord. Henry Tudor.

Tips. Unless Henry Tudor is on map at a Stronghold with Lan-

castrian Favour, this Event has no effect. If he is so, remove all

Yorkist Favour markers from Strongholds that both are adjacent

to him by Way (1.3.1) and have no Yorkist Lord there. Then, place

a Lancastrian Favour marker at all such Strongholds (whether or

not they had a Yorkist marker). Adjust Stronghold markers on the

edge track accordingly.

History. Henry Tudor had his own supporters on English soil, but

he benefitted from the behaviour of Richard III, who became very

aggressive in his response to any hint of treachery. This made it

easier for Henry to bring the nobility to him.

L33. Surprise Landing

Hold: Play after Sailing to a Port to add a free March action

Tips. Play just after a Lord or Group uses a Sail action to reach

a Port Stronghold (only). The active Lord—plus, if that Lord is

a Marshal or Lieutenant, any other Lancastrian Lords there de-

sired—may not conduct a single March action without using up

Command. As March along a Path uses all actions of a Command

card, this bonus March action may not use a Path. Feed will hap-

pen after this free March action, not after the Sail action.

History. Richard III was anxious to know where the invasion

force led by Henry and Jasper Tudor was going to land. Their

first intention had been to land at a port on the English Channel.

But, as these were heavily guarded, they decided on Dale near

Pembroke in Wales, and marched from there into England proper.

L34. Buckingham’s Plot backfires

This Levy each Yorkist Vassal Levy costs +2 extra Influence

points

Tips. Each Yorkist Vassal Levy action this Turn will cost two

more Influence points than usual. Any Vassal Levy Influence cost

reduced to zero or “free” by Capability or Event will cost two

points. Card L34’s Capability is not available this Turn (3.1.3).

History. The Event’s title refers not to Buckingham’s rebellion

in 1483 but rather to the theory that he was the mastermind be-

hind the assassination under Richard III of the two princes held

in the Tower. While Buckingham’s involvement is only a hy-

pothesis, the fact is that this event hurt views of the Yorkists

among the nobility.

L35. Margaret Beaufort – Henry Tudor’s mother

This Levy Henry Tudor may attempt to Levy any Vassals on the

map

Tips. This Event eliminates the Friendly Stronghold and Enemy

Lord restrictions on Henry Tudor’s Levy Vassal actions this Turn.

Provided that Henry Tudor is on map, including in an Exile box,

he need not be at a Friendly Stronghold, nor need the target Vas-

sal’s Seat have Lancastrian Favour or be free of Yorkist Lords.

Plantagenet Background Book

The Lordship and Influence costs and Influence check to Levy a

Vassal still apply (3.4.3). The Event does not allow Levy of Vas-

sals who are already Mustered nor of Special Vassals (1.5.4). It

has no effect if Henry Tudor is not on map. This card’s Capability

is not available this Turn (3.1.3).

History. There are lots of intelligent characters in the Wars of

the Roses—capable politicians and diplomats and manipulative

masterminds working in the shadows. Margaret Beaufort is prob-

ably one of the less known but surely one the most interesting and

influential. Dan Jones’s documentary TV series Britain’s Bloody

Crown dedicated its chapter 4 to Margaret Beaufort and might be

of interest to those intrigued by the life of this remarkable woman.

L36. Talbot to the Rescue

Hold: Play upon Death check to Disband any Routed Lancastri-

ans instead of rolling for Death

Tips. Play during a Battle, before rolling for Death (4.4.3). Any

Lancastrian Lords who Routed may choose before rolling (only)

instead to Disband (3.2.4). Because Yorkist Capability Y33

Bloody thou art skips Death checks entirely, it blocks this

Event.

History. It’s said that Richard’s famous last charge at Bosworth

was cut short when Talbot intercepted him in order to earn some

time for Henry Tudor to flee. That time was not necessary, as

Richard fell there, and was killed by Henry’s bodyguards—end-

ing the Plantagenet dynasty.

L37. The Earl of Richmond is with a mighty power landed at Milford

This Levy Lancastrian Vassal Levy always succeeds

Tips. Lancastrian Vassal Levy this Turn need not roll for success.

The Stronghold requirements, Vassal eligibility, and Lordship and

Influence point costs of Vassal Levy actions still apply (3.4.3).

This card’s Capability is not available this Turn (3.1.3).

History. Catesby speaks the Event’s title line in Shakespeare’s

Richard III. Upon news of the arrival of Henry Tudor, known at

the time as the Earl of Richmond, nobles started defecting to him

away from Richard III.

Lancastrian Capabilities

(bottom half of card)

All Scenarios

L1 & L2. Culverins and Falconets

At start of Round 1 of Battle, this Lord may discard this card to

add 1 die roll of Missile Hits

Lords. Any.

Tips and History. See Yorkist Capability Y1 & Y2.

L3. Muster’d my soldiers Gather’d flocks of friends

Each Battle at a Friendly Stronghold, this Lord adds 2 Men-at-

Arms and 1 Longbowmen. Remove them after Battle

Lords. Any.

Tips and History. See Yorkist Capability Y3.

L4. Heralds

This Lord at Port may use full Command card for an Influence

check. If successful, shift a Lord cylinder on Calendar to next

Turn

Lords. Any.

Tips. The Lord with Heralds while at any Port Stronghold (not

in an Exile box), regardless of Favour, Depletion, or Exhaustion

there, may use all actions of that Lord’s Command card to make

an Influence check in the usual manner (1.4.3, at the usual In-

fluence point cost, no Route). Success shifts a selected (typical-

ly, Lancastrian) Lord cylinder already on the Calendar (possibly

marked Exile) to the next Turn’s box. The Lord may do so on

several Command cards during a Campaign.

History. Lancastrian negotiations with foreign powers, especially

France and Scotland, let them gather support and resources very

fast and return from exile with their followers in almost no time.

L5. Church Blessing

This Lord’s Men-at-Arms have Armour 1-4

Lords. Any.

Tips. When rolling for protection, Men-at-Arms have Armour 1-4

instead of 1-3. Men-at-Arms with both Church Blessing and

Capability L34 Piquiers have Armour 1 4. The modification does

not apply when rolling for Losses (4.4.3).

History. Henry VI was a pious man. He placed great impor-

tance in following Christian principles. And because of that he

was loved by the people and considered a good example by the

Church. Although this was not a religious war, soldiers loyal to

Henry VI may have felt that they were also fighting with God’s

protection on their side, as Shakespeare notes during Clifford’s

speech in the play Henry VI.

Plantagenet Background Book

L6. Great Ships

This Lord’s Ships count double for Sail and Supply and connect

all Ports of all Seas

Lords. Any.

Tips and History. See Yorkist Capability Y6.

L7. Harbingers

This Lord’s Supply actions draw twice the usual Provender

Lords. Any.

Tips and History. See Yorkist Capability Y7.

L8. Hay Wains

This Lord’s Carts count double for March and Supply

Lords. Any.

Tips. Each Cart on this Lord’s mat equals two Carts

for all March—both Haul and Intercept (4.3.2, 4.3.4)

and Supply (4.5.1-.2) purposes (only), not for Levy

Transport (3.4.5), Spoils (4.4.3), Sail (4.6.1), or

Waste (4.8.5). Shared with another Lord (1.5.3), this Lord’s Carts

count double in the same way, while another Lord’s Carts Shared

with this Lord do not.

History. “Wains” were wagons considerably larger than standard

wagons used in the period. They were excellent for bringing sup-

plies when a campaign led far away from the power base of the

army, so it would not pillage the country.

L9. Quartermasters

This Lord Levies Troops without Depleting or Exhausting Strong-

holds

Lords. Any.

Tips. See Yorkist Capability Y31 Woodvilles. Quartermasters

works the same.

History. Commissions of Array, paid conscriptions, were the

main source of soldiers for Wars of the Roses armies. Good quar-

termasters were able to get more troops from a town or city. (See

also Capability L12 Commission of Array.)

L10. Chamberlains

This Lord’s Supply and Levy Troops do not Deplete the Strong-

hold at his or her Vassals’ Seats

Lords. Any.

Tips. With this Capability, a Lord can Levy Troops and draw Sup-

ply from the Seats of any regular Vassals on the Lord’s mat with-

out adding Depleted markers or flipping Depleted to Exhausted

(3.4.4, 4.5). The benefit applies to each such Levy or Command

action, so it can enable repeated use of the same Locales. All other

Levy Troops and Supply rules still apply.

History. Chamberlain is a word derived from the French that

was used for the post of managing the household and finances

of high-ranking nobles, mostly kings. Nobles with good help-

ers who acted as chamberlains would be able to gather more

resources from their estates. Thomas Stanley, Salisbury, and

Hastings acted at some point as Lord Chamberlain for the King

(Henry VI or Edward IV).

L11. In the Name of the King – Sealed royal letter

This Lord has Influence +1 for Parley

Lords. Any.

Tips. This Capability increases the value of this Lord’s Influence

rating by one for Parley actions (3.4.1, 4.6.4) only.

History. Richard York, Edward IV, and Richard III as pretend-

ers or kings usually took matters into their own hands. Henry VI,

Margaret, and Henry Tudor were, on the other hand, more prone

to delegate to trusted councillors like Somerset or Jasper Tudor.

L12. Commission of Array

This Lord can Levy Troops from adjacent Friendly Strongholds

where no Enemy Lord

Lords. Any.

Tips. A Lord with this Capability Levies Troops standard manner

(3.4.4) except that he can draw Troops and Deplete or Exhaust

action can only be taken on the Strongholds adjacent to him by

Way (1.3.1) instead of his own location. All other requirements,

such as that the target Stronghold not be Exhausted, still apply.

History. During the Wars of the Roses, there were more instanc-

es of Yorkists having problems raising troops than Lancastrians.

Even as the Tudors first came onto the scene, they had plenty of

troops, while Richard III had some difficulties.

L13. Expert Counsellors

This Lord’s has Valour +2

Lords. Any.

Tips. This Lord adds two to the Valour rating shown on that Lord

card, increasing Interception chances (4.3.4) and adding two extra

Valour markers for re-rolls in Battle (4.4.1-.2).

History. The Hundred Years War ended in 1453, less than 10

years before the start of the Wars of the Roses. Many veterans of

the wars in France took part on the early stages of the new conflict

and were highly regarded as advisers in battle tactics and strategy.

(Andrew Trollope was a good example of that, see L19 below.)

Later in the conflict, they became less common and even more

appreciated.

Scenarios Ia, Ib, & Ic

L14. Percy’s Power

While this Lord is in the North, Lancastrian Pay (3.2) there is free

Lord. Northumberland.

Tips. If Northumberland with Percy’s Power is in any Strong-

hold in the North Area (1.3.1), neither he nor any other Lancas-

trian Lord at any Strongholds in the North (regardless of Favour,

Depletion, or Exhaustion) need Pay Coin to their Troops to avoid

Pillage or Influence points to avoid Disband or to shift their Vas-

sals by one box right each Pay step (3.2.1-.3).

History. The Wars of the Roses also were a continuation of the

Percy-Neville feud. The Percys were strong in the North, with

plenty of resources and available troops. Sadly for them, however,

their influence to the south waned, unlike that of the Nevilles.

Plantagenet Background Book

L15. King’s Parley

Upon Yorkist Approach to this Lord, discard this card to cancel

that Approach and end Command card

Lord. Henry VI.

Tips. If Henry VI with this Capability is the target of an Approach

(4.3.5), including because he Intercepted (4.3.4), before declar-

ing any Exile, the Lancastrian player may choose to Discard this

Capability and cancel the Approach. The moving Yorkist Lord(s)

would return to their previous location. The current Command

card would end immediately, and play would proceed to Feed

(4.7). Only Lords who moved on that card before the cancelled

Approach move would be considered to have Moved/Fought.

History. Twice during the unrest ahead of the Wars of the Roses

(in 1450 and 1451) did Henry VI use the same trick when Richard

York had gathered an army and come to meet him. Henry would

call York to a parley and offer concessions. Once York disbanded

his army, Henry would renege on the concessions, and Richard

would end in a worse situation. When Henry tried the same at

First St Albans (1455), Richard refused to parley and attacked.

L16. Northmen

Each Tides of War, Lancastrians Dominate the North with this

Lord and 3+ Friendly Strongholds there

Lord. Northumberland.

Tips. See Yorkist Capability Y19 Welshmen. Southerners

works the same way for the Area, Lords, and number of Strong-

holds stated.

History. Percys’ power in the North was so great that most of the

towns and cities supported them regardless of the side they took

in the Wars of the Roses.

L17. Margaret takes the reins

Each Tides of War, this Lord at a Stronghold outside London or in

an Exile box adds +2 Lancastrian Influence points

Lord. Henry VI.

Tips. Each Turn’s Tides of War step (4.8.1) that Henry VI with

this Capability is on map anywhere outside London—at any

Stronghold other than London (regardless of Favour) or in an Ex-

ile box—add two extra Influence points for the Lancastrians.

History. Henry VI became truly involved as an active army leader

in the Wars of the Roses only when Margaret pressured him to do

so, as when she made him leave London, where she felt hated,

to hold court at Coventry. At times that Henry proved incapable,

Margaret stepped in herself to command.

L18. Council Member

Each Tides of War, this Lord adds +1 Lancastrian Influence point

Lord. Exeter, Buckingham, or Somerset.

Tips. Each Turn’s Tides of War step (4.8.1) that a Lord with this

Capability is anywhere on map, including in a Exile box, add one

extra Influence point for the Lancastrians.

History. One of Richard York’s complaints that made him rebel

was his exclusion from the King’s Council in favor of Somerset.

Somerset belonged to the Queen’s faction, and who saw York as a

threat. That cost him power among the nobles.

L19. Andrew Trollope

This Lord Levies Special Vassal Trollope (free) and

has Valour +1

Lords. Exeter, Buckingham, Somerset

Tips. When a Lord gets this Capability, place the named Special

Vassal marker on that Lord’s mat. See rule 1.5.4 regarding Special

Vassals. The Valour benefit applies as long as this Lord retains

the Capability and Special Vassal. If the Special Vassal Disbands,

discard this Capability.

History. Andrew Trollope was one of the few brilliant tactical

minds in the Wars of the Roses. He was the architect of the Lan-

castrian victory at St Albans, where he led a wing of the army—a

remarkable feat for a commoner born to a dyer’s family. At St

Albans, he stepped on a caltrop. He died at Towton, leading the

vanguard with the Earl of Northumberland.

L20. Veteran of French Wars

This Lord has Valour +2

Lords. Exeter or Somerset.

Tips. This Lord adds two to the Valour rating shown on that Lord

card, increasing Interception chances (4.3.4) and adding two extra

Valour markers for re-rolls in Battle (4.4.1-.2).

History. The time of the big battles of the Hundred Years Wars

had long passed when the Wars of the Roses began. Nevertheless,

there were still plenty of veterans of that conflict available who

could be hired as strategic advisors and army officers.

L21. My Father’s Blood

This Lord Levies Special Vassal Clifford (free) and

has Valour +1

Lords. Any.

Tips. See Capability L19 Andrew Trollop.

History. John, 9^th Baron Clifford saw his father murdered at the

first Battle of St Albans. He became a staunch Lancastrian sup-

porter, and his hatred for the Yorkists ended only with his death

at Towton in 1461.

L22. Stafford Estates

At outset of each Campaign, this Lord receives 1 Coin and 1 Prov-

ender

Lord. Buckingham.

Tips. At the beginning of each Campaign (4.0), Buckingham with

Stafford Estates adds one Coin and one Provender to his mat,

regardless of his Locale.

History. Humphrey Stafford’s estates after inheriting a huge

amount of land from his mother ranged from East Anglia to the

Welsh border. That made him one of the wealthiest and most pow-

erful lords in England.

Plantagenet Background Book

Scenario II

L23. Montagu

This Lord Levies Special Vassal Montagu (free), and

his Retinue has Armour 1-5

Lord. Warwick.

Tips. See Capability L19 Andrew Trollop. The Retinue Armour

benefit applies as long as this Lord retains the Capability and

Special Vassal, including for the remainder of a Battle in which

Montagu Routs.

History. During the Battle of Barnet, John Neville, 1^st Marquess

of Montagu, allegedly persuaded his brother Warwick to fight on

foot. Montagu took the center, enabling Warwick to stay protected

in the rear for a final opportunity to escape the battle.

L24. Married to a Neville

This Lord at a Friendly Locale with Warwick has Influence +2

and Command +1

Lord. Clarence.

Tips. When Clarence and Warwick are at the same Stronghold

with Lancastrian Favour or in the same Exile box, Clarence’s In-

fluence rating increases by two and his Command rating by one. If

Clarence and Warwick at any moment part, the Capability ceases

effect. EXCEPTION: If the last Command action of a card sep-

arates Clarence from Warwick, the Capability still has effect for

that action, as it started with both together.

History. Clarence is another of the tragic characters of the Wars of

the Roses. He only became relevant when he married Warwick’s

elder daughter, Isabel Neville, and lost almost all influence when

Anne Neville was betrothed to Edward, son of Henry VI.

L25. Welsh Lord

Each Battle in Wales, this Lord adds 2 Longbowmen. Remove

them after Battle

Lord. Jasper Tudor.

Tips. If Jasper Tudor with this Capability is in Battle at a Strong-

hold within the Wales Area (1.3.1), at the outset of the Battle

Array phase (4.4.1), add two Longbowmen Troop pieces to his

mat. Upon Aftermath (4.4.4), remove those Troops (only, not the

card). If Jasper Tudor is left without any Troops, he Disbands

(1.6, 3.2.4).

History. Jasper Tudor was the son of Owen Tudor and Catherine

de Valois (Henry V’s widow), and so was the half-brother of Hen-

ry VI. He was greatly respected in Wales, and when in trouble,

could always find refuge and gather supporters there.

L26. Edward – Prince of Wales

This Lord Levies Special Vassal Edward (free) and

has Valour +1

Lord. Margaret.

Tips. See Capability L19 Andrew Trollop.

History. Edward, Prince of Wales, was the only son of Henry VI

and Margaret d’Anjou. He led the Lancastrian army that disem-

barked in England in 1471. The Yorkists executed him at Tewkes-

bury.

L27. Barded Horse

This Lord’s Retinue and his or her Vassals have Armour 1-3

against Missile but Armour 1-5 against Melee

Lords. Exeter, Somerset, or Margaret.

Tips. Representing the decision of these nobles’ retinues to fight

mounted, Barded Horse decreases this Lord’s Retinue and Vas-

sals’ Armour against Missile Hits by one and increases it against

Melee Hits by one. The modifications do not apply when rolling

for Losses (4.4.3).

History. There are almost no instances of mounted charges during

the Wars of the Roses, the main reason being the common pres-

ence of a few thousand longbowmen on the other side of the field.

But should a charge have been successful, it would have had dev-

astating effect, especially against foot soldiers.

L28. Loyal Somerset

This Lord at the same Locale as Margaret has Influence +1 and

Valour +1

Lord. Somerset.

Tips. While at the same Stronghold or in the same Exile box as

Margaret, Somerset has his Influence Rating and Valour Rating

each increased by one. Margaret’s Rout in Battle does not remove

the d on Somerset in the same Battle.

History. It seems that there was always a Somerset next to Marga-

ret. First Henry and then Edmund, his brother, who accompanied

her in her exile to France and then in her return to England at the

head of an army.

L29. High Admiral

This Lord can Sail to Ports where Enemy Lord(s), triggering Ap-

proach (4.3.5)

Lord. Exeter.

Tips. Exeter with High Admiral Sails normally (4.6.1) except

that his destination Port can be occupied by one or more York-

ist Lords. If he Sails to a Port where Enemy Lords, it counts as

an Approach (4.3.5), as if he had Marched there from his origin

(including an Exile box or at Sea). Exeter must take the Sail ac-

tion himself to use High Admiral; therefore, as Exeter is not a

Marshal or Lieutenant, the effect will never apply to Group Sail.

Event Y12 or L20 Parliament’s Truce prevents Exeter from us-

ing High Admiral to Approach Yorkists.

History. Henry Holland, Duke of Exeter, was appointed High Ad-

miral from 1450 to 1461. Curiously, in 1475 he died by drowning

on a return voyage from France after having volunteered to go on

Edward IV’s campaign.

Plantagenet Background Book

L30. Merchants

This Lord for 1 Command action and successful Influence check

removes 2 Depleted or Exhausted at his location and/or adjacent

Lord. Warwick.

Tips. Warwick with Merchants for any Command action may

conduct an Influence Check in the usual manner (1.4.3) that, if

successful, enables the Lancastrian player to remove any two De-

pleted and/or Exhausted markers at Strongholds adjacent to War-

wick by Way (1.3.1). Removal of Exhausted leaves that Strong-

hold neither Exhausted nor Depleted. Success must remove two

markers if able, otherwise one. Warwick may use Merchants for

several actions, as desired. Favour and Enemy Lords have no ef-

fect on this Capability.

History. If there was ever a lord who could get a deal from any-

body, it was Warwick. He was especially friendly with the mer-

chant class, as he advanced their interests, sometimes at the cost

of the nobility. He got good deals in return, as could be expected.

L31. Yeomen of the Crown

If this Lord’s Retinue fails an Armour roll, she may instead Rout

1 of her Unrouted Men-at-Arms units

Lord. Margaret.

Tips. This Capability lets Margaret’s Retinue take

Hits without itself having to Rout, optionally Routing

her Men-at-Arms instead, in effect giving the latter

Armour 1-4 (unless with Barded Horse), or possi-

bly 1-5 against Melee only with Barded Horse. Once all Marga-

ret’s Men-at-Arms units are Routed, Yeomen of the Crown has

no effect that Battle. The card has no effect when rolling for Loss-

es (4.4.3).

History. The corps of the King’s bodyguards were known as the

“Yeomen of the Crown”. In 1485, Henry Tudor, by then Henry

VII, made that convention official when he rewarded his body-

guards for their exploits at Bosworth with the title Yeomen of the

Guard of our Lord the King.

Scenarios III & III(B)

L32. Two Roses – Henry Tudor, married to a York, enjoys

Lancastrian support

This Lord’s Vassal Levy always succeeds

Lord. Henry Tudor.

Tips. Henry Tudor with TWO ROSES Levies Vassals without

having to roll. Instead, the Influence check automatically suc-

ceeds. Stronghold requirements, Vassal eligibility, and Lordship

and Influence point costs of his Vassal Levy actions still apply

(3.4.3).

History. Thanks to the work of the Duke of Buckingham (before

his execution, of course) and Margaret Beaufort, Henry Tudor

emerged from the outset of the third War of the Roses as a prefer-

able option to Richard III, so prone to ire and fits of fury.

L33. Philibert de Chandeé – French royal envoy

Each Battle at or adjacent to Friendly English Channel Port, this

Lord adds 2 Men-at-Arms. Remove them after Battle

Lords. Oxford or Henry Tudor.

Tips. If Oxford or Henry Tudor with this Capability is in Battle

at a Stronghold with Lancastrian Favour that is or is adjacent to

an English Channel Port (1.3.1), regardless of the presence of any

Yorkist Lords at that Port, at the outset of the Battle Array phase

(4.4.1), add two Men-at-Arms Troop pieces to his mat. Upon Af-

termath (4.4.4), remove those Troops (only, not the card). If the

Lord is left without any Troops, he Disbands (1.6, 3.2.4).

History. King Charles VIII of France—or more probably his sis-

ter Anne, who was the regen—sent Philibert de Chandeé to take

care of Henry Tudor while he was their guest. Afterwards, de

Chandeé commanded the French troops that accompanied Henry

in his invasion.

L34. Piquiers – French pikemen

This Lord’s Men-at-Arms and Militia have Armour 1-4 until 3 of

them Rout

Lords. Oxford or Henry Tudor.

Tips. All this Lord’s Men-at-Arms and Militia begin any Battle as

Armoured Troops with modified Armour 1-4, regardless of how

many of each type he has. Men-at-Arms with both Piquiers and

Capability L5 Church Blessing have Armour 1 4. At the mo-

ment that this Lord’s third unit of the two types combined—Men-

at-Arms plus Militia—Routs, Piquiers loses its effect for the rest

of that Battle (only). The modification does not apply when roll-

ing for Losses (4.4.3).

History. The breaking point at the battle of Bosworth probably

was the attack from the flank of French pikemen against Norfolk’s

vanguard, as Yorkist arms could not reach the enemy across the

length of the French pikes.

L35. Thomas Stanley

This Lord Levies Special Vassal Stanley (free). Once

per Levy, he can Levy Troops for 0 Lordship

Lords. Jasper Tudor or Henry Tudor.

Tips. See Capability L19 Andrew Trollop. The Levy benefit

otherwise has the same requirements and effects as Levy Troops

(3.4.4) and applies as long as this Lord retains the Capability and

Special Vassal.

History. Thomas Stanley was the deciding actor at Bosworth.

Had he respected his oath to Richard III, there probably would

never have been a Tudor dynasty. Sadly for the Plantagenets,

Stanley was married and loyal to Henry Tudor’s mother, Mar-

garet Beaufort.

L36. Chevaliers – French knights

This Lord’s Men-at-Arms suffer –1 Armour against Missiles but

Melee Strike x2

Lords. Jasper Tudor, Oxford, or Henry Tudor.

Tips. All this Lord’s Men-at-Arms units (regardless of how many

he has) reduce their range of successful Protection rolls against

Missiles (only) by one, for example, from unmodified Armour 1-3

to Armour 1-2. The modification is cumulative with other card

effects, such as Capabilities L5 Church Blessing or L34 Piqui-

Plantagenet Background Book

ers. During Melee, this Lord’s Men-at Arms units each generate

two Hits instead of one. The Armour modification does not apply

when rolling for Losses (4.4.3).

History. Henry Tudor’s army was mainly French. And with the

French army, came a significant number of mounted men-at-arms,

chevaliers. They were vulnerable to the English longbows, but

once their charge succeeded, they became an almost unstoppable

force.

L37. Madame La Grande – Louis XI’s daughter Anne

finances Tudors

Each Pay segment (3.2) that this Lord at or adjacent to a Friendly

English Channel Port, he receives 1 Coin

Lords. Jasper Tudor, Oxford, or Henry Tudor.

Tips. At the beginning of each Turn’s Pay segment (3.2), if this

Lord is adjacent by Way to an English Channel Port with Lancas-

trian Favour (regardless of the presence of any Yorkist Lords) or

at such a Friendly English Channel Port (1.3.1), he adds one Coin

to his mat.

History. Anne of France, Madame La Grande, was the daugh-

ter of Louis XI and sister of Charles VIII. She was the regent of

France from 1483 to 1491 and applied diligently her father’s les-

sons on how to treat with the English. Money spent helping create

internal tension was money saved fighting English invasions.

Design Notes

The Wars of the Roses is one of the most interesting periods of

English history. It has been the inspiration of multiple fiction-

al works, such as Shakespeare’s plays and Martin’s Game of

Thrones. And its iconography and legends still feel different from

any other historical situation.

The period first struck me when I was a kid and read a book called

The Black Arrow that featured a guy who went by the name of

Richard Crookback. That interest has accompanied me all my life.

So, when I started thinking about designing my own wargames,

it was natural that the first topic in my list would be the Wars of

the Roses.

One could wonder why I designed my own game about this sub-

ject instead of just playing one of the existing ones. The answer is

easy. I felt that none of them covered the aspects of the conflict in

the way that I wanted to play it. Either the scale was too big or the

military detail too little or too much. The representation of politi-

cal influence did not intermix with the building and maintenance

of armies, as I felt they should. Indeed, these games gave almost

no attention to the logistical needs of armies during the period.

And the different personalities that led the wars at various points

were not given different proficiencies in the way that I wanted.

While tinkering with some systems and subsystems with the

invaluable help of my eldest son Eidur, I acquired and played

Nevsky. I fell immediately in love with that system and asked

Volko Ruhnke for permission to use parts of it on my own game.

Not only was the answer positive, but the future game became

part of the Levy & Campaign Series.

The Levy & Campaign system provided for some of the details

that I wanted to see represented in a Wars of the Roses game. We

would now be able to see how different Warwick was from Rich-

ard III, thanks to Lord ratings and Capability cards. And we would

not have armies that stayed in the field for 30 years. Players would

have to take care of their pay and their sustenance and disband

them occasionally because they could not feed or pay them, and

they would start pillaging.

I added a political layer, by a system that I had already developed,

and adapted some aspects that did not really fit the historical facts

of the Wars of the Roses.

An Influence mechanic represents the diplomacy and negotiations

among the nobles and serves as a victory condition. My interpre-

tation of the conflict is that it was about who used political influ-

ence better to convince the rest of the nobles to come to their side.

Sometimes that required a victory on the battlefield to cement that

position (or to turn it upside down). Political power can be won

but also must be spent. And sometimes the political cost of a ven-

ture is higher than the benefits that it will reap. Plantagenet’s sys-

tem represents that by making Influence a net amount that, when

overdrawn, can bring a side to defeat.

Battles was also something to change from the original Levy &

Campaign. Looking at the data for all the battles of the period

(and helped by Graham Evans, who has acted as historical advi-

sor for the game and helped in lot of other ways), we saw that the

traditional advantage presumed for the defender in a battle did not

accrue in this conflict. We adapted the system so that the balance

was not so biased against the attacker and even brought it further

by giving an advantage to it.

Why is it that in this war the attackers tended to win? Any reason

may be the valid one. My own opinion is that the commitment to

fighting was greater by the ones initiating the attack. This was not

a war of conquest; it was a civil war. So both sides probably were

not too keen on fighting against their cousins and brothers, and

the side showing a higher intention of escalating to the clash had a

significant advantage. It’s difficult to know for sure.

We removed Sieges from the game. These campaigns were not

marked by the intention to take one stronghold or another, and

fortresses and cities did not impede movement. With sieges not

significant enough to call for a specific mechanic, their inclusion

would have altered the flow of the game away from the histor-

ical facts.

These wars also saw a clear avoidance of damaging the popula-

tion. Lords seldom ravaged lands, and, when they did, the reac-

tion benefitted the opponent. When that did occur, it resulted in

bad feelings all around the kingdom against that side doing. That

is why Pillage in this game is a negative consequence rather than

not a source of victory points like Ravage in the others.

We also changed some of the ways the assets worked. Troops

during the Wars of the Roses were paid. Not only the mercenaries

but also the forces recruited by conscription had an established

salary that had to be fulfilled or they would leave the army. That is

why we can read of huge debts that nobles in the Wars of the Ros-

es amassed to recruit armies. Tax became an essential mechan-

ic in the game that linked the maintenance of troops with allies

Plantagenet Background Book

amongst the noble houses that a side could enlist. Historically, an

extended network of allies helped obtain resources and loans to

pay armies. If there is one limited resource in the game, it is Coin.

Once we had put together and tested all the pieces of the game

system, with the help of my friend Marc Aliaga, who also did all

the prototype graphics, the hard work started.

Christophe Correia with Volko led development. They and others

did a lot of work to make sure that the mechanics had histori-

cal justification, that the model made sense. We adjusted some

systems and subsystems to reduce the excess of calculations and

make them more elegant and less fiddly. I have a tendency to

overcomplicate some mechanics, and Volko led me in a Socratic

way on how to change them into something simpler that was clos-

er to what we wanted the model to do and a lot more fun to play.

We also worked hard on the balance and on increasing the strate-

gic options for the players, so that the game would not have just

one way of being played well. In Plantagenet, each side may win

by a strategy of focusing on Influence, or a strategy of focusing

on Battles, or a mixed strategy. And there are lots of ways of con-

ducting each of them. The credit for creating such an open game

belongs to Christophe, who pushed me hard to give more options

to the players and provided some key ideas to achieve that. Chris-

tophe designed the full Wars of the Roses scenario, and it is a

piece of art.

Many other people helped at one time or another during the de-

velopment of the game. Plantagenet is a product of teamwork

that followed a specific idea: to provide players an experience that

brings them into the historical period and, apart from having a

good time playing the game, hopefully teaches them something

about why the conflict developed as it did and what else might

have happened.

Francisco Gradaille

Barcelona, Spain

December 2022

Selected Sources

Bicheno, Hugh. Battle Royal, The Wars of Lancaster and York,

1440-1462 (2015) and Blood Royal, The Wars of Lancaster and

York, 1462-1485 (2016). Hugh Bicheno displays his engaging

narrative in these two excellent books. They include abundant

charts, lists, and maps that provide data about the conflict and

the times, such as lists of bishops and archbishops and of the En-

glish Peerage and a map showing the geographic distribution of

the main nobles’ estates.

Butley, Peter, Michael Elliot, and Harvey Watson. The Battles of

St Albans (2007). An exhaustive account of these famous battles,

with extra information about the campaigns that led to them and

the military tactics employed.

Evans, Graham. The Battle of Edgcote 1469, Re-evaluating the

evidence (2019). The best source of information for this rela-

tively unknown battle. It includes an analysis of problems re-

garding the validity of sources that any book about this conflict

might encounter.

Ingram, Mike. Richard III and the Battle of Bosworth (2019). An

account of the famous battle that ended the Plantagenet dynasty.

The first chapter of some 20 pages is the best summary of the

Wars of the Roses to be found. The book adds lots of informa-

tion about weaponry, army structure, and the personalities of both

Richard III and Henry VI.

Lewis, Matthew. The Wars of the Roses: The Key Players in the

Struggle for Supremacy (2015). A different approach to narrating

the Wars of the Roses. In this book we follow the lives of the main

actors in the war, and with them we understand how their person-

alities shaped the conflict.

Seward, Desmond. The Wars of the Roses: Through the Lives of

Five Men and Women of the Fifteenth Century (1995). This book

provides a very valuable and unusual point of view, as it is fo-

cused in the second level actors of the conflict. Characters such as

Margaret Beaufort, Jane Shore, Dr Morton, and William Hastings

become the protagonists of this telling of the wars.

Shakespeare, William. Henry VI, Parts 1, 2 & 3; Richard III

(1591-1594). Not the most accurate historical recollection, but a

very entertaining one to read.

Weir, Alison. Lancaster and York: The Wars of the Roses (1995).

If anybody wanted to understand the Wars of the Roses by reading

only one book, it should be this one. Although a bit lacking in the

military analysis, it more than compensates with the information

given about how economics, religion, and foreign interests influ-

enced the faction leaders’ actions.

Wise, Terence. The Wars of the Roses (1983). This Osprey book

of around 40 pages provides a good summary of the conflict, with

abundant illustrations and maps. Not the most up-to-date source

of information, but more than enough to get a quick understand-

ing of how the conflict’s battles developed.

Plantagenet Background Book

Arts of War – Card List

This chart provides at a glance the numbers, titles, and pairings of each side’s Arts of War cards.

See pages 31 to 51 for detailed notes on each Event and each Capability.

No.

Roses

Yorkist Events

Yorkist Capabilities

No.

Roses

Lancastrian Events

Lancastrian Capabilities

Leeward Battle Line

Culverins and Falconets

Leeward Battle Line

Culverins and Falconets

Flank Attack

Culverins and Falconets

Flank Attack

Culverins and Falconets

Escape Ship

Muster’d my soldiers

Escape Ship

Muster’d my soldiers

Jack Cade

We done deeds of charity

Be sent for

Heralds

Suspicion

Thomas Bourchier

Suspicion

Church Blessing

Seamanship

Great Ships

Seamanship

Great Ships

Yorkists block Parliament

Harbingers

For trust not him

Harbingers

Exile Pact

England is my Home

Forced Marches

Hay Wains

Escape Ship

Barricades

Rising Wages

Quartermasters

Y10

Tax Collectors

Agitators

L10

New Act of Parliament

Chamberlains

Y11

Blocked Ford

Yorkists Never Wait

L11

Blocked Ford

In the Name of the King

Y12

Parliament’s Truce

Soldiers of Fortune

L12

Ravine

Commission of Array

Y13

Aspielles

Scourers

L13

Aspielles

Expert Counsellors

Y14

Richard of York

Burgundians

L14

Scots

Percy’s Power

Y15

London for York

Naval Blockade

L15

Henry Pressures…

King’s Parley

Y16

The Commons

Beloved Warwick

L16

Warden of the Marches

Northmen

Y17

She-Wolf of France

Alice Montagu

L17

My crown is in my heart

Margaret takes the reins

Y18

Succession

Irishmen

L18

Parliament Votes

Council Member

Y19

Caltrops

Welshmen

L19

Henry’s Proclamation

Andrew Trollope

Y20

Yorkist Parade

York’s Favoured Son

L20

Parliament Truce

Veteran of French Wars

Y21

Sir Richard Leigh

Southerners

L21

French Fleet

My Father’s Blood

Y22

Loyalty and Trust

Fair Arbiter

L22

French Troops

Stafford Estates

Y23

Charles the Bold

Burgundians

L23

Warwick’s Propaganda

Montagu

Y24

Sun in Splendour

Hastings

L24

Warwick’s Propaganda

Married to a Neville

Y25

Owain Glyndŵr

Pembroke

L25

Wales Rebellion

Welsh Lord

Y26

Dubious Clarence

Fallen Brother

L26

Henry Released

Edward Prince of Wales

Y27

Yorkist North

Percy’s North

L27

L’universelle Aragne

Barded Horse

Y28

Gloucester as Heir

First Son

L28

Rebel Supply Depot

Loyal Somerset

Y29

Dorset

Stafford Branch

L29

To wilful disobediance

High Admiral

Y30

Regroup

Captain

L30

French War Loans

Merchants

Y31

Earl Rivers

Woodvilles

L31

Robin’s Rebellion

Yeomen of the Crown

Y32

The King’s Name

Final Charge

L32

Tudor Banners

Two Roses

Y33

Edward V

Bloody thou art

L33

Surprise Landing

Philibert de Chandeé

Y34

An honest tale speeds…

So wise, so young

L34

Buckingham’s Plot

Piquiers

Y35

Privy Council

Kingdom United

L35

Margaret Beaufort

Thomas Stanley

Y36

Swift Maneuver

Vanguard

L36

Talbot to the Rescue

Chevalier

Y37

Patrick de la Mote

Percy’s North

L37

The Earl of Richmond

Madame La Grande

P.O. Box 1308, Hanford, CA 93232