Jordan

The War of the Roses marked the beginning of the end of feudalism in Britain. Factors that contributed to this included the rise of mercenaries and professional soldiers, economic changes, the decline of feudal bonds, and the centralization of power. Feudal levies became difficult to maintain, so lords began paying professional soldiers instead. Economic problems worsened due to the war, leading to increased debt. Many nobles had to sell off assets to pay their debts, weakening feudal relationships. Loyalties shifted during the war, with many switching sides based on who was winning. The centralization of power occurred at the end of the war, with the House of Tudor coming out on top. Feudalism marked the transition to a centralized and modern state in England. Feast of the Conquest Chronicles, the podcast on England's road to power from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. Hello everyone, welcome to Episode One of the Conquest Chronicles. I'm Jordan and I'll be your host for this episode on feudalism, or rather the drowning forces to its end. The War of the Roses, one of Britain's many civil wars will be our theater, especially at its closing. This marked the start of the modernization of Britain and the birth of a modern state through the checklist given to us by Roberts. There are four factors consolidating the beginning of the end of feudalism in Britain, which consist of the rise of mercenaries and professional soldiers, economic changes, the decline of feudal bonds, and centralization of power, the topic of the second episode led by our castmate Julia, but one I will still lean into. So the rise of mercenaries and professional armies is one of the several factors that led to the end of feudal obligation overall. Feudal levies were getting hard to maintain for lords, so they decided on paying professional soldiers and mercenaries to maintain their offensive forces. This led to a decline in connection between feudal lords and their subjects, as these soldiers were not levies, they were paid privately for their service. They are opportunistic and fought for whoever could pay. There is no emotional connection between lord and soldier. However, professional soldiers were a lot more capable on the field of battle than feudal levies were. Levies were merely peasants with no martial ability and only provided manpower. Nobility was also expected to fight for the king, and nobles also remained professional soldiers. What this entails is that there were professional soldiers both in and out of nobility, lending themselves to superior martial ability. Economic developments are next. Many nobles were left poor and indebted to professional soldiers, mercenaries, and the general logistical costs of war that were not kind to them. The economy in Britain before the war was already in shambles, so the war simply made it worse. Henry IV's Lancastrian revolution was a delicate affair that led only to more problems, increasing England's debt astronomically. However, Henry V was a boon to the people of England, who helped the British economy recover to some extent after the Epiphany Rising, meant to kill Henry IV and restore power to Richard II, only for it to fall apart again shortly after his death, with the economy going down 36% in revenue. The House of Lancaster did not recover financially as well, beyond what Henry V did, until the Tudors took over. With this debt, many nobles had to sell off assets that belonged to them, whether it be consumables or jewels, even land or territories in their entirety. These were all sold to landowners that could pay off these debts. They could become a lord without being appointed by the monarch. Even fewer feudal relationships were established due to this. However, many nobles that took power during the Tudor period were pragmatic and took up a harsher stance on business and admin, as well as management of their territories. Becoming a lot more independent, as these new nobles did not become nobles due to personal bonds with the monarch, they got them as a reward for their service, without the obligation of military offering. The weakening of feudal bonds was a result of many formerly loyal subjects to either the House of York or the House of Lancaster switching sides to the opposition, offering their aid and loyalty to the side that is proving itself superior to the other. Many subjects during the feudal era would maintain their loyalty to their lord for a lifetime, unless they did something to bereave them. But during the War of the Roses, many subordinate houses became opportunistic regarding their allegiance and did not see a benefit to staying with them, and decided to bet on the other side. Many aristocrats of the period were also highly extortionate and greedy, hooking up rents of properties on people that make part of the feudal levy. Landers stated that avaricious estate owners of this kind obviously attracted too little local devotion to enable them to rush headlong into wanton conflict with the monarchy. The people of East England were a good example of those that sided with neither and did not have clear feudal obligations, considering there was no single house in power in the East. As Redstone mentioned in his 1902 paper, the powerful lords of the North and South found little support. The vast estates of the old feudal barons were broken up into numerous independent manors. A weaker system of government with no feudal lord in power was established here, one that opposed the positions of the War of the Roses. Our fourth and final clause, Centralization of Power, sourced at the end of the War of the Roses with House Tudor, a house that consisted of both Lancaster and York, coming out on top. And with no opposition, power was firmly secured in the hands of the royalty. So was feudalism the first proper step into a centralized and modern state? Yes, and a big one at that. The end of feudalism marked the end of decentralized power and the birth of newer politics. If you want to see whether Roberts' checklist will be ticked off, check out the following episodes. And with that, these were the Conquest Chronicles. Thank you very much for listening. Don't forget to subscribe to us wherever you find us, and I will see you in the final episode.