A* essay (17/20, L5) with critical teacher comments for improvement
Assess the value of the source for revealing the strength of royal power in
1450 and the attitude of the common people to the monarchy.
The source is useful in analysing the strength of royal power in 1450 because of the
way it references the role of ‘evil councillors’ in Henry VI’s royal court. The source
discusses how the king is ‘betrayed’ by the ‘malicious purpose’ of several ‘unsuitable’
persons around His Highness. This indicates that the rebels believed that royal
power was being undermined by these councillors. This claim is substantiated by
knowledge of the favouritism and excessive patronage bestowed upon the Dukes of
Suffolk and Somerset, by King Henry VI, as well as their widespread unpopularity
due to being associated with numerous failures, most significantly to this source, the
Treaty of Tours (1444) and the recent loss of Normandy (1450). The rebels’ focus on
these councillors reveals much about the weak nature of royal power in 1450 as it
alludes to the failing of Henry VI to demonstrate impartial treatment of his subjects,
one of the key objectives of kingship in late medieval England, highlighting his weak
royal power in 1450. As well as this, the focus on these councillors leading the king
Assess the value of the source for revealing the strength of royal power in
1450 and the attitude of the common people to the monarchy.
The source is useful in analysing the strength of royal power in 1450 because of the
way it references the role of ‘evil councillors’ in Henry VI’s royal court. The source
discusses how the king is ‘betrayed’ by the ‘malicious purpose’ of several ‘unsuitable’
persons around His Highness. This indicates that the rebels believed that royal
power was being undermined by these councillors. This claim is substantiated by
knowledge of the favouritism and excessive patronage bestowed upon the Dukes of
Suffolk and Somerset, by King Henry VI, as well as their widespread unpopularity
due to being associated with numerous failures, most significantly to this source, the
Treaty of Tours (1444) and the recent loss of Normandy (1450). The rebels’ focus on
these councillors reveals much about the weak nature of royal power in 1450 as it
alludes to the failing of Henry VI to demonstrate impartial treatment of his subjects,
one of the key objectives of kingship in late medieval England, highlighting his weak
royal power in 1450. As well as this, the focus on these councillors leading the king
