AQA_2024: A-level History - Component 2B The Wars of the Roses: 1450–1499 (Merged Question Paper and Marking Scheme)

AQA_2024: A-level History - Component 2B The Wars of the Roses: 1450–1499 (Merged Question Paper and Marking Scheme) A-level HISTORY Component 2B The Wars of the Roses, 1450–1499 Friday 7 June 2024 Materials For this paper you must have:  an AQA 16-page answer book. Instructions Afternoon Time allowed: 2 hours 30 minutes  Use black ink or black ball-point pen.  Write the information required on the front of your answer book. The Paper Reference is 7042/2B.  Answer three questions. In Section A answer Question 01. In Section B answer two questions. Information  The marks for questions are shown in brackets.  The maximum mark for this paper is 80.  You will be marked on your ability to: – use good English – organise information clearly – use specialist vocabulary where appropriate. Advice  You are advised to spend about: – 1 hour on Question 01 from Section A – 45 minutes on each of the two questions answered from Section B. IB/M/Jun24/G4006/E3 A-Level History: Component 2B - The Wars of the Roses, 1450–1499 Exam Summary This component examines the series of civil wars fought for control of the English throne between the rival houses of Lancaster and York. Key themes include:  The Causes of the Wars of the Roses (1450s): The political, social, and economic factors that led to the Wars of the Roses, including the weak rule of King Henry VI, his mental instability, and the resulting power struggles among noble factions. Tensions over royal leadership, taxation, and the loss of English territories in France further contributed to unrest.  Key Battles and Turning Points (1455–1461): The major battles that defined the conflict, including the Battle of St Albans (1455), where the first major fighting occurred, and the Battle of Towton (1461), which decisively placed Edward IV (House of York) on the throne. The shift in power between the Yorkists and Lancastrians during this period, and the temporary defeat of the Lancastrian cause.  Edward IV’s Rule and the Reign of Richard III (1461–1485): Edward IV’s consolidation of power, his political reforms, and the brief restoration of Henry VI in 1470–71, before the final victory of Edward IV. The rule of Richard III, who ascended the throne in 1483 after the death of Edward IV, and his controversial reign, which ended with his defeat at the Battle of Bosworth (1485).  The Rise of Henry VII and the Tudor Dynasty (1485–1499): Henry Tudor’s (Henry VII) victory at Bosworth in 1485, which marked the end of the Wars of the Roses and the beginning of the Tudor dynasty. Henry’s efforts to solidify his claim to the throne, including his marriage to Elizabeth of York to unite the warring factions, the establishment of stronger royal authority, and the challenge posed by remaining Lancastrian supporters.  The Legacy of the Wars of the Roses: The long-term impact of the Wars of the Roses on English politics, including the shift towards a more centralized monarchy under the Tudors and the weakening of the power of the nobility. The effects of the wars on English society, culture, and governance, as well as the significant dynastic change that shaped the future of England. This exam assesses the causes, major events, and consequences of the Wars of the Roses, exploring the rivalry between the Houses of Lancaster and York, the key figures involved, and the establishment of the Tudor monarchy under Henry VII. 7042/2B 2 IB/M/Jun24/7042/2B Section A Answer Question 01. Source A From a declaration made in the parliamentary session of October to November 1460. This was recorded in the Parliamentary Roll, the official record of the English Parliament. King Henry understands that great rebellions are committed in various regions of his realm, contrary to the public good and commonweal, and that these may encourage his foreign enemies. The King has decreed that his dearest cousin Richard, true and rightful heir to England, France, and Ireland, the Duke of York, shall have the task of riding into the regions. Richard shall repress, subdue, and pacify the regions, and resist our foreign enemies. The support of the King’s subjects is necessarily required. The King therefore decrees that every sheriff, mayor, bailiff, officer, official and subject shall support Richard, the King’s cousin, as the case requires. They shall be ready at the command of the King’s cousin, to obey his command as they would obey the King’s command. Any rebellion, disobedience, or offence against the King’s cousin, shall be deemed as if it had been done to or against the King’s person and command. The King’s cousin shall have adequate, suitable, and acceptable reward. 5 10 Source B From a letter to a churchman accompanying Queen Margaret, by Francesco Coppini, the papal legate, 9 January 1461. Coppini wrote from London. Coppini had supported the Yorkists since 1460. The lords with the Queen must not be arrogant because of the unimportant victory they won recently. We have seen and know that all the people are incensed and in the worst possible mood against those who do not desire peace. There are two reasons for this: firstly, the countless acts of cruelty attributed to those lords with the Queen, whereas these lords in London were not cruel, but welcoming. Secondly, whatever else the lords with the Queen claim, the people recognise that the King and the lords currently with him and us, are disposed to an honest and honourable peace. King Henry is not constrained against his free will, as some perverse persons falsely declare, but enjoys his full liberty. Access to him is open to all. This was not the case formerly. Accordingly, the lords with the Queen are to obey the King and believe us, who are labouring for peace and justice. Otherwise, we fear their ruin and destruction. 5 10 3 Source C From the ‘Crowland Chronicle: First Continuation’, written by a well-educated but unnamed senior monk of Crowland Abbey in Lincolnshire before 1470. Richard of York was removed from this world at Wakefield. The northern men, aware that there was no one now who would resist them, swept onwards like a whirlwind from the north. In the impulse of their fury, they attempted to overrun the whole of England. Besides the vast amounts of property they collected, they also irreverently rushed, in their frantic rage, into churches, and wickedly plundered them. When priests sought to resist, the wretches cruelly slaughtered them in the churches. Thus, they spread out in vast crowds over a region of 30 miles without being challenged. They covered the whole surface of the earth like locusts, and made their way almost to the walls of London. Word came to us at Crowland that this abominable army had approached to within six miles of our boundaries. Fortunately, after adjoining counties had been given up to dreadful pillage, our abbey, by Divine Grace, was preserved. Therefore the Lord of Mercy raised up a defender, Edward, the illustrious Earl of March. 5 10 0 1 With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context, assess the value of these three sources to an historian studying the position of the Lancastrians after the Battle of Northampton in 1460 and before Towton in 1461. [30 marks] Turn over for Section B IB/M/Jun24/7042/2B Turn over ► 4 IB/M/Jun24/7042/2B Section B Answer two questions. 0 2 To what extent did Richard of York’s political position weaken in the years 1453 to 1457? [25 marks] 0 3 ‘The widespread belief that Richard III had murdered the Princes in the Tower was the main reason why he lost the throne in 1485.’ Assess the validity of this view. [25 marks] 0 4 To what extent did Henry VII seek to reduce the influence of the nobility in the regions in the years 1486 to 1499? [25 marks] END OF QUESTIONS Copyright information For confidentiality purposes, all acknowledgements of third-party copyright material are published in a separate booklet. This booklet is published after each live examination series and is available for free download from Permission to reproduce all copyright material has been applied for. In some cases, efforts to contact copyright-holders may have been unsuccessful and AQA will be happy to rectify any omissions of acknowledgements. If you have any queries please contact the Copyright Team. Copyright © 2024 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. A-level HISTORY 7042/2B Component 2B The Wars of the Roses, 1450–1499 Mark scheme June 2024 Version: 1.0 Final MARK SCHEME – A-LEVEL HISTORY – 7042/2B – JUNE 2024 Mark schemes are prepared by the Lead Assessment Writer and considered, together with the relevant questions, by a panel of subject teachers. This mark scheme includes any amendments made at the standardisation events which all associates participate in and is the scheme which was used by them in this examination. The standardisation process ensures that the mark scheme covers the students’ responses to questions and that every associate understands and applies it in the same correct way. As preparation for standardisation each associate analyses a number of students’ scripts. Alternative answers not already covered by the mark scheme are discussed and legislated for. If, after the standardisation process, associates encounter unusual answers which have not been raised they are required to refer these to the Lead Examiner. It must be stressed that a mark scheme is a working document, in many cases further developed and expanded on the basis of students’ reactions to a particular paper. Assumptions about future mark schemes on the basis of one year’s document should be avoided; whilst the guiding principles of assessment remain constant, details will change, depending on the content of a particular examination paper. No student should be disadvantaged on the basis of their gender identity and/or how they refer to the gender identity of others in their exam responses. A consistent use of ‘they/them’ as a singular and pronouns beyond ‘she/her’ or ‘he/him’ will be credited in exam responses in line with existing mark scheme criteria. Further copies of this mark scheme are available from Copyright information AQA retains the copyright on all its publications. However, registered schools/colleges for AQA are permitted to copy material from this booklet for their own internal use, with the following important exception: AQA cannot give permission to schools/colleges to photocopy any material that is acknowledged to a third party even for internal use within the centre. Copyright © 2024 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. 2 MARK SCHEME – A-LEVEL HISTORY – 7042/2B – JUNE 2024 Level of response marking instructions Level of response mark schemes are broken down into levels, each of which has a descriptor. The descriptor for the level shows the average performance for the level. There are marks in each level. Before you apply the mark scheme to a student’s answer read through the answer and annotate it (as instructed) to show the qualities that are being looked for. You can then apply the mark scheme. Step 1 Determine a level Start at the lowest level of the mark scheme and use it as a ladder to see whether the answer meets the descriptor for that level. The descriptor for the level indicates the different qualities that might be seen in the student’s answer for that level. If it meets the lowest level then go to the next one and decide if it meets this level, and so on, until you have a match between the level descriptor and the answer. With practice and familiarity, you will find that for better answers you will be able to quickly skip through the lower levels of the mark scheme. When assigning a level, you should look at the overall quality of the answer and not look to pick holes in small and specific parts of the answer where the student has not performed quite as well as the rest. If the answer covers different aspects of different levels of the mark scheme you should use a best fit approach for defining the level and then use the variability of the response to help decide the mark within the level, ie if the response is predominantly Level 3 with a small amount of Level 4 material it would be placed in Level 3 but be awarded a mark near the top of the level because of the Level 4 content. Step 2 Determine a mark Once you have assigned a level you need to decide on the mark. The descriptors on how to allocate marks can help with this. The exemplar materials used during standardisation will help. There will be an answer in the standardising materials which will correspond with each level of the mark scheme. This answer will have been awarded a mark by the Lead Examiner. You can compare the student’s answer with the example to determine if it is the same standard, better or worse than the example. You can then use this to allocate a mark for the answer based on the Lead Examiner’s mark on the example. You may well need to read back through the answer as you apply the mark scheme to clarify points and assure yourself that the level and the mark are appropriate. Indicative content in the mark scheme is provided as a guide for examiners. It is not intended to be exhaustive and you must credit other valid points. Students do not have to cover all of the points mentioned in the Indicative content to reach the highest level of the mark scheme. An answer which contains nothing of relevance to the question must be awarded no marks. 3 MARK SCHEME – A-LEVEL HISTORY – 7042/2B – JUNE 2024 Section A 0 1 With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context, assess the value of these three sources to an historian studying the position of the Lancastrians after the Battle of Northampton in 1460 and before Towton in 1461. Target: AO2 [30 marks] Analyse and evaluate appropriate source material, primary and/or contemporary to the period, within the historical context. Generic Mark Scheme L5: L4: L3: Shows a very good understanding of all three sources in relation to both content and provenance and combines this with a strong awareness of the historical context to present a balanced argument on their value for the particular purpose given in the question. The answer will convey a substantiated judgement. The response demonstrates a very good understanding of context. 25–30 Shows a good understanding of all three sources in relation to both content and provenance and combines this with an awareness of the historical context to provide a balanced argument on their value for the particular purpose given in the question. Judgements may, however, be partial or limited in substantiation. The response demonstrates a good understanding of context. 19–24 Shows some understanding of all three sources in relation to both content and provenance together with some awareness of the historical context. There may, however, be some imbalance in the degree of breadth and depth of comment offered on all three sources and the analysis may not be fully convincing. The answer will make some attempt to consider the value of the sources for the particular purpose given in the question. The response demonstrates an understanding of context. 13–18 L2: L1: The answer will be partial. It may, for example, provide some comment on the value of the sources for the particular purpose given in the question but only address one or two of the sources, or focus exclusively on content (or provenance), or it may consider all three sources but fail to address the value of the sources for the particular purpose given in the question. The response demonstrates some understanding of context. 7–12 The answer will offer some comment on the value of at least one source in relation to the purpose given in the question but the response will be limited and may be partially inaccurate. Comments are likely to be unsupported, vague or generalist. The response demonstrates limited understanding of context. Nothing worthy of credit. 1–6 0 4 MARK SCHEME – A-LEVEL HISTORY – 7042/2B – JUNE 2024 Indicative content Note: This content is not prescriptive and students are not obliged to refer to the material contained in this mark scheme. Any legitimate answer will be assessed on its merits according to the generic levels scheme. Students must deploy knowledge of the historical context to show an understanding of the relationship between the sources and the issues raised in the question, when assessing the significance of provenance, the arguments deployed in the sources and the tone and emphasis of the sources. Descriptive answers which fail to do this should be awarded no more than Level 2 at best. Answers should address both the value and the limitations of the sources for the particular question and purpose given. Source A: in assessing the value of this source, students may refer to the following: Provenance, tone and emphasis  provenance is especially relevant here as this is an official account of the parliamentary record and therefore represents events as the Yorkist-controlled regime in London wished them to be recorded and with the full force of law  the parliament at which this was recorded was dominated by Yorkists after their military victory at the battle of Northampton in July 1460 had secured control of Henry VI. Prominent Lancastrians, such as the Dukes of Somerset and Exeter and the Earls of Northumberland and Devon, refused to attend  Richard of York had returned from exile in September 1460, laid claim to the throne in October and had finally agreed to the Act of Accord, making him and his family the heirs of Henry VI  the emphasis is on the illegality of the actions of the Lancastrians, with words such as ‘disobedience’ and ‘rebellion’. The implication is that this is treacherous and unpatriotic as it is aiding England’s foreign enemies. Content and argument  the Lancastrians were in a weak legal position because resistance to the Yorkist backed London government was classed as rebellious. Thus, leaving them vulnerable to potential attainder and execution  the Lancastrians were in a weak position because Richard of York was the rightful heir to the throne, as established in the Act of Accord. He allegedly had the full confidence and authority of Henry VI to act in his name in putting an end to ‘rebellion’  the content and argument are undermined by the fact that the key Lancastrian lords and Queen Margaret (crucially in possession of her son, Edward) rejected the legitimacy of the Yorkist-controlled regime and the Act of Accord  Richard of York’s threat to the Lancastrians was rapidly ended by his death at the Battle of Wakefield in December 1460. 5 MARK SCHEME – A-LEVEL HISTORY – 7042/2B – JUNE 2024  Francesco Coppini was the papal legate sent to resolve the disturbances in England. In 1460 he had sided with the Yorkists in exile in Calais and returned with them. He was in London with the Yorkist-controlled regime in 1460 and early 1461  at the time of writing, Coppini was aware that Richard of York, and Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, had both been killed at the Battle of Wakefield. Reports of a northern army preparing to march south to London were widespread  given that Coppini had so publicly moved to support the Yorkists, justifying their violence at Northampton, and adding legitimacy to their governance, his personal position would have been very difficult if the Lancastrians had taken control of London  the emphasis is that the Lancastrians have overestimated the strength of their position due to their unpopularity and the popularity of the Yorkists. The Lancastrians, for example, are described as ‘arrogant’ and ‘cruel’ whereas the Yorkists are ‘honest’ and ‘honourable’. Coppini also places an emphasis on moral failure and virtue as befits his status and position as papal legate.  the position of the Lancastrians was not as strong as they thought it was. Although Richard of York and the Earl of Salisbury were dead, key Yorkists remained. Warwick remained in control of London and the Earl of March was amassing forces on the Welsh border. His subsequent victory at Mortimer’s Cross supports the claim  the source claims that the Lancastrians were unpopular with the people. This was the case in London and south eastern England, as had been demonstrated with the Yorkist return to Kent and financial support provided to them by merchants in London 6 S ource B: in assessing the value of this source, students may refer to the following: Provenance, tone and emphasis Content and argument  the source considerably underplays the military position of the Lancastrians. The victory at Wakefield was not an ‘unimportant victory’ and the Lancastrian forces included a wide range of nobles. Queen Margaret had also arranged an alliance with the Scots. Coppini fled England on 10 February 1461 as the Lancastrians approached London and he did not return  the claim that Henry VI is on the side of the Yorkists in London and opposed to the Lancastrians is undermined by his actions after the second battle of St Albans. MARK SCHEME – A-LEVEL HISTORY – 7042/2B – JUNE 2024 Source C: in assessing the value of this source, students may refer to the following: Provenance, tone and emphasis  members of the author’s abbey were very close to the passage of the ‘northern’ army he refers to as it passed south towards London  the author was writing in the years 1461 to 1469, during Edward IV’s first reign. It is therefore likely that he would present the Yorkists, and Edward IV specifically, in a positive light in comparison to the Lancastrians  the tone is hyperbolic and one of hostility towards the ‘northern’ forces. They are portrayed as barbaric. Given the rumours that were spreading and the closeness of the army, the source is clearly panic-stricken  the emphasis is that the Lancastrian forces were in a strong position as their numbers were very large and they were fuelled by greed and other base emotions. They are described in dehumanising tones such as ‘locusts’. The monastic chronicler makes clear moral judgements and draws on religious allusions to emphasise salvation by Edward of March. Content and argument  the ‘northern’ Lancastrian forces were in a very strong position because only Richard of York could stop them, and he had died at the Battle of Wakefield  the Lancastrian forces had been encouraged to plunder lands near towns such as Grantham and Stamford, both in Lincolnshire. This continued further south, and both the lands of Ely and Saint Albans abbeys were plundered  the actions, and rumours of the actions, of the ‘northern’ force prevented the King and Queen from entering London after the Lancastrians recovered him at the second Battle of St Albans. The refusal of the citizens of London to allow Margaret’s army to enter London further supports this  Edward IV was victorious at Mortimer’s Cross in February