The Ascendancy of Lancaster: King Arthur's Reign

[iMercadier]

The Ascendancy of Lancaster: King Arthur's Reign​

The primary PoDs, before the beginning of the story, are as follows:

• Prince Thomas of Lancaster and Lady Margaret Holland had children, OTL they had none. They were:

1. Lord Arthur (b. 1412)
2. Lady Margaret (b. 1414)
3. Lord Lionel (b. 1415)
4. Lady Alice (b. 1417)
5. Lord John (b. 1419)
6. Lord Thomas (b. 1421)

• King Charles VI’s last child, in OTL a boy named Philip, is in this TL a girl named Agnes. She was born on November 10th, 1407.

Prologue​

"When Queen Catherine de Valois gave birth to a stillborn infant on December 6th, 1422, the whole Kingdom of England mourned the loss of their dead heir. King Henry V, still prosecuting the Siege of Meaux in France, is said to have nearly collapsed upon hearing the news of his son’s death. He locked himself up in his chambers, not emerging until Christmas of that year, now a hollow shell of a man.

Some time later, after a siege of 7 months, the town of Meaux at long last surrendered to King Henry. Still grieving the loss of his son, he ordered the Bastard of Vaurus to be hung from an elm. Alas, many good English captains had been lost during the siege. The Earl of Worcester, Lord Worcester, and sundry other knights, good men all, had passed into the hands of God Almighty. Worst of all the King’s health was irreversibly shattered, although he gathered his army and marched to Vincennes, and then to Paris.

The summer heat being unbearable, the Courts of England and France moved to Senlis on June 11th, 1422. Present were the Kings of England, France and Scotland, the Queens of England and France, the Dukes of Clarence and Bedford, and uncountable amounts of lords and knights. Although many notables were in attendance, the English Army had been reduced to its lowest ebb since the start of the war, due in large part to dysentry. Thus, when the Duke of Burgundy required his liege lord’s help in relieving the town of Cosne, few men were available to render aid.

The King of England, despite his declining health, roused himself to one last campaign. He set out from Senlis with several thousand men, although he had to be transported by litter. Alas, his death drew so near that he could not make it past Corbeil. There he made a feeble attempt to mount his horse, only to collapse from sheer agony. From thence he was carried into the castle of Vincennes, never to rise from his bed again. The Duke of Bedford and the Earl of Warwick were sent in his stead to raise the siege of Cosne.

Having no natural heir of his own, King Henry declared that the eldest son of his late brother Clarence, Lord Arthur, would succeed to the Crowns of England and France upon his death, and the death of King Charles VI. The Duke of Bedford was to serve as Regent of England and France, and the Duke of Gloucester, in Bedford’s absence, to serve as co-Regent of England. Lord Arthur’s guardianship was vested in the able Earl of Warwick, with Lord FitzHugh and Sir Walter Hungerford serving as his coadjutors. Lord Arthur was also betrothed to Princess Agnes, the youngest daughter of King Charles. Thus passed His Highness Henry the Fifth, by the Grace of God, King of England, Heir and Regent of France, and Lord of Ireland, on the thirty-first day of August, in the year of Our Lord one thousand four hundred and twenty-two, at the castle of Vincennes."
-- The Chronicler-Abbot of Saint-Denis

 

[Deleted member 147978]

1. Lord Arthur (b. 1412)
2. Lady Margaret (b. 1414)
3. Lord Lionel (b. 1415)
4. Lady Alice (b. 1417)
5. Lord Robert (b. 1419)
6. Lord Thomas (b. 1421)

Alright, nice family.

However, why would Thomas of Lancaster have a son named Robert?

 

[iMercadier]

Alright, nice family.

However, why would Thomas of Lancaster have a son named Robert?

Do you think John would be an appropriate substitute?

 

[Deleted member 147978]

Do you think John would be an appropriate substitute?

After Gaunt? The founder of the House of Lancaster, superbly positive.

 

[Marc Anthony]

watched

 

[iMercadier]

Chapter I: Gloucester’s Assumption of Power​

“When the Duke of Gloucester heard news of his brother’s death on September 10th, 1422, he at once summoned the Privy Council to meet at Westminster. His nephew the Duke of Clarence already in his custody, Gloucester set about doubling his personal guard. Already having 25 armed retainers in his service, this amount was quickly doubled to 50. Orders were sent to raise an army from his Duchy of Gloucester and Earldom of Pembroke, 2,000 strong in number. As Warden of the Cinque Ports he further ordered the arrest of 10 merchant galleys, to be outfitted for war, and then sent to London with all due speed.

As confusion rapidly spread through the streets of London and England writ large, Gloucester’s retainers were seizing the Duke of Clarence’s younger siblings. His three brothers and two sisters were all taken into custody, and placed into Gloucester’s household, where their brother was already present. The whole brood of Clarence now in his possession, Gloucester proclaimed the accession of his nephew, Lord Arthur, Duke of Clarence, as King of England, Heir of France and Lord of Ireland.

Still, the date for the meeting of the Privy Council was November 5th, leaving a few months for Gloucester to stir up trouble. He occupied the Tower of London on September 17th, moving his household into the most secure fortress in the city. Next he took personal possession of King Arthur and his royal siblings, declaring himself chief guardian of them all. His wards were, of course, taken into the safe keeping of the Tower.

Gloucester was a man of modest military skill and shocking political cunning, but also set in his petty ways, constantly quarreling with all around him. Above all else he desired power, and would stop at nothing to gain it. Thus, when the members of the Privy Council began to trickle into Court, he produced a copy of the late King Henry V’s will. The contents thereof stated that the Duke of Bedford was to serve as Regent of England and France, and that the Duke of Glocuester would serve as junior co-Regent of England, ruling in Bedford’s absence. Portions were left unread, specifically those appointing the Earl of Warwick as the guardian of the Young King, an honor that Gloucester enviously kept for himself.

Ever popular with the citizens of London, his declaration was met with cheers from the people. Gloucester even went so far as to double his household guard once more, this time to the size of 100 knights. Still eager to consolidate his hold on the government of the Realm, Gloucester summoned Bishop Langley, Chancellor of England, to the Tower. When the Chancellor arrived on September 28th he surrendered the Great Seal to the Regent, who at once shattered it across stone cobbles. Gloucester further demanded that Langley resign the office of Chancellor, which he did without protest. Three days later, on October 1st, the Regent proclaimed the new King’s Peace.

When the Privy Council did finally meet on November 5th, they found the Duke of Gloucester undisputed master of London. His army, some 2,000 strong, occupied the city’s walls; his navy, 10 galleys of war, were moored in the River Thames. The Young King, as also his royal siblings, were in his custody at the Tower of London, which he had made his personal residence. Already Gloucester had assigned himself an annual salary of 10,000 silver marks, and lands worth 10,000 marks more.

Present at the Privy Council were the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of Winchester (Henry de Beaufort), the Duke of Exeter (Thomas de Beaufort), the Earls of Warwick and Northumberland, and other nobles.

---

“My Lord of Gloucester, I have multiple complaints to make. I have searched tirelessly through the annals of England, since it was unified under King Athelstan, for a precedent that supports your assumption of the Regency. There is none, nor is there precedent for a dead king disposing of the government of the Realm after his death, unless the nobles of England had given their consent. Furthermore, I protest your custody of the King and his royal siblings, when the late king clearly stated in his will that their guardianship was to be vested in the Earl of Warwick. Your Lordship has also occupied the city of London without the consent of either King or Council, and granted yourself vast wealth through the illegal acquisition of salary and unlawful grants of land. My Lord, I believe that you owe the Privy Council an explanation for these high crimes of treason, and sundry other misdemeanors,” said Henry de Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester, gravely.

“You bastard son of an English whore!” roared the Duke of Gloucester, eyes bulging with rage. “I am the son, brother and uncle of kings. It is both by right of birth and law that I now lay claim to the Regency of England. You, on the other hand, are merely the bastard of Gaunt and his whoring Jezebel. Your low birth makes you unfit to meddle in the affairs of kings, bastard. Speak out of turn again and I will have you flogged, sown into a sack and thrown into the Thames!”

The Bishop of Winchester watched Gloucester, stupefied by his arrogance, mouth agape. “It seems that you have already learned your lesson, bastard. Good!” chuckled Gloucester, as the rest of the Privy Council descended into a chorus of laughter.

“Regardless, the existence of this Privy Council is now redundant. The King is a boy of 9 years, soon to be 10, and is far too young to rule in his own name. As such, the Privy Council must be dissolved, and a Regency Council established. We, My Lords, will rule into the King comes of age. Here… I have already obtained letters patent from His Highness, granting me the necessary authority to do so,” said Gloucester, motioning for his attendants to distribute copies of the letters patent.

“Nephew, these papers grant you extraordinary powers!” cried the Duke of Exeter. “His Highness has granted you the right to appoint and dismiss members of the Regency Council at your pleasure, and consult them only when you wish. You will virtually be a second king!”

“Indeed, Uncle. Now, as follows are those whom I have chosen to appoint to the Regency Council. They are: the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishops of London, Winchester, Norwich and Worcester, the Duke of Exeter, the Earls of March, Warwick, Norfolk, Northumberland and Westmorland, the Barons FitzHugh and Cromwell, and Sir Walter Hungerford, Sir John Tiptoft, and Sir Walter Beauchamp,” said Gloucester, naming virtually every man in the room.

“Now, as to the only vacancy on the Council. Bastard, you will serve as Lord Chancellor; see to it that a new Great Seal is forged, with a pendragon as the primary matrix. The Arthurian legends will serve our young king well,” said Gloucester, waving his hand as if the matter was already decided.

“My Lord Archbishop, read the rest of the Young King’s letters patent,” ordered Gloucester, as the Archbishop began reading.

“My Lord of Gloucester, the King has authorized you to summon, carry on, and dismiss Parliament at your pleasure. Your Grace is further permitted to appoint and dismiss Officers of Justice and Revenue at your pleasure, and dispose of the Royal Patronage at your pleasure. His Highness does, however, require a quorum of four members to be present, for any of Your Grace’s edicts to be ratified, and thus become binding by law. Furthermore, the rolls and receipts of the Treasury are to be seen only by Your Grace and the Lord Treasurer, and an attendance is to be kept of the Council,” said the Archbishop solemnly.

“Who present assents to these articles?” asked Gloucester, looking at the clerics and lords about him.

“Aye!” was the common cry of the Council, save the Bishop of Winchester.

“With sixteen of the seventeen members present having given their assent, so shall the King’s letters patent become law,” said Gloucester, clearly satisfied with himself.

“These powers given to you, My Lord of Gloucester… are unprecedented and derogatory to the Regency Council’s powers as a whole. I must insist that my formal protest be written into the record,” said Winchester, shaking his head in sadness.

“You will have your protest, bastard. Regardless, I am now Regent of England! Parliament meets in four days time. My Lords, see that you are all present. As Lord Chancellor, you will preside over and open Parliament in my name, bastard. See to it that you perform your duties right well,” sneered Glocuester, glowering at the Bishop of Winchester.

“My Lords, you are all dismissed.”

---

The remains of King Henry V were interred at Westminster on November 7th, with Gloucester acting as chief mourner. The people cheered him, even as his army occupied London. Two days later, Parliament convened at Westminster. There King Henry V’s will and King Arthur’s letters patent were read and accepted, granting the Duke of Gloucester extraordinary vice-regal powers, and the title Lord Protector of England, Ireland and Wales.

Gloucester presided over the opening of Parliament, sitting at the right-hand of the empty throne, and directed Bishop Henry de Beaufort, in his capacity as Lord Chancellor, to give the opening speech. The Chancellor went on at length, describing the “marvelous acts and governance” of the late King, “known to all the world.” He said that the works of the uncle would be brought to “perfection” by the nephew, who was as of yet only 9 years old. The “good governance of the king’s most excellent person” was already assured, he told Parliament, and each estate already represented in the Regency Council. This brought forth cheers from the lords and commons, who had the greatest faith in the Duke of Gloucester’s Regency. If this reaction was due solely to Gloucester’s occupation of the city, no one remarked upon it.

A Speaker was then elected, who quickly went through the legislative agenda of the session. He put a motion forward ratifying the will of the late King Henry V, ratifying the letters patent of King Arthur, and ratifying the decisions made by the Lord Protector, and his Regency Council. All of the motions were unanimously approved, with only a single protest being given for the sake of form. The Commons begged the Lord Protector to reduce his armed occupation of the city, saying that they were nothing but loyal subjects of King Arthur, and willing to serve the Regency Government in any way the Lord Protector thought fitting.

Gloucester proved amicable enough, agreeing to limit the number of his troops. He agreed to subject his army to royal control, specifically through the formation of the Yeomen of the Guard. These men would be professional soldiers, maintained by the King at his own expense, and their numbers set at 30 knights, 100 bows and 300 foot. Likewise, the galleys of war moored in the Thames were subjected to royal control, and to be submerged into the newly formed Royal Fleet. This fleet was to be maintained by the King at his own expense, and its number set at 10 galleys. If Gloucester was to retain command of these forces so long as he remained Regent, it went unnoticed by Parliament, which at once ratified this decision.

Then Parliament, Lords and Commons one and all, protested against Glocuester’s retention of the Regency for himself to the exclusion of his elder brother the Duke of Bedford, of his custody of the Young King, of the large number of armed retainers he maintained in his service, of the large salary he had granted himself, and of the illegal grant of rich lands he had taken into his private possession. Finally backed into a corner, Gloucester agreed to “compromise” with Parliament on all points.

Gloucester consented to share the Regency of England with the Duke of Bedford when he was in the country, albeit in the junior status of “Governor and Lieutenant-General of England”, as opposed to the senior title of “Lord Protector”, which would be used by Bedford. He further agreed to grant the Earl of Warwick custody of the Young King, on two conditions. First, he required the custody of the royal siblings. Secondly, he required the coadjutors named in King Henry V’s will relinquish their aforementioned office, and that he be appointed Warwick’s coadjutor in their stead. With regards to his armed retainers, he agreed with Parliament; they would instead form the core of King Arthur’s household guard, with their number to comprise 100 knights. Furthermore, he conceded that an annual salary of 10,000 silver marks for his Regency was not enough for a Prince of England such as himself; it instead ought to be tripled, and set at the rate of 30,o00 marks. The lands he had given himself were likewise inadequate, and should likewise be doubled, to the value of 20,000 marks.

Parliament quickly gave their consent to the first three propositions put forward by Glocuester, but stated their horror of his great greed for money. He laughed at them, and said he would only take an annual salary of 10,000 marks, but would still double the value of his lands, which would now be worth 20,000 marks. Outraged at the temerity of Parliament for daring to question him, Gloucester further ordered them all to beg his forgiveness, lest they risk his displeasure.

“We, ungrateful wretches, beg the Lord Protector’s mercy…” went the speech given by the Speaker, who at the end offered considerable concessions to Gloucester. Parliament would consent to his annual salary of 10,000 marks, and his grant of lands to himself worth 20,000 marks. Furthermore, they offered the offices of Lord Steward and Lord Chamberlain, with Lord FitzHugh to serve as Vice-Chamberlain.

When the Speaker found Gloucester still unmoved, he further offered the Constableship of Gloucester Castle, which brought a smile to the Lord Protector’s face. He at once forgave the Commons for their supposed insolence, and began working towards the conclusion of the Parliament.

The commissions of judges and sheriffs were renewed, all private charters were renewed without fine, and all pensions and offices granted by the late king were approved. It was during this session that news arrived of King Charles VI’s death on October 21st, and his burial in Saint-Denis on November 11th. Parliament at once ratified the assumption of the Double Style (“King of England and France”) by the Young King, and ordered the Great Seal of England to be modified accordingly.

Gloucester, whose sole goal upon attaining power was the waging of the war with the Dauphinois in France, quickly found that Parliament would not grant so much as a single pence for the prosecution thereof. Instead, he turned to other matters. It had been agreed in the Treaty of Troyes that Dowager Queen Catherine de Valois’ dower lands were to be worth 10,000 marks; in view of her failure to provide an heir to the throne, however, this sum was reduced to 6,500 marks. Customs duties were much reduced, exemptions granted, and given only to the Crown for a period of 2 years.

The next affair was the payment of the Crown’s debts, specifically to the executors of the wills of King Henry IV and King Henry V. 19,000 marks were still due to Henry IV’s executors, and 40,000 marks due to Henry V’s. In view of these great debts a single lay subsidy was voted, with the rest of the debts to be paid through the Young King’s personal revenues.

Irish students, always wild and riotous, were causing great trouble at the University of Oxford. Parliament decreed that from thenceforth only Irish owing fealty to the King of England would be permitted to study in England, and that even then security for their good behavior would have to be provided. So ended the first Parliament of King Arthur’s reign, on December 18th."
-- The Chronicler-Abbot of Saint-Denis

 

[iMercadier]

Any thoughts?

 

[Neal Caffrey]

It's been pretty great so far!

I am curious how Gloucester will handle his power and if he will have a big downfall.

 

[iMercadier]

It's been pretty great so far!

I am curious how Gloucester will handle his power and if he will have a big downfall.

I've made him just a bit more competent than OTL; instead of a blundering idiot, he is now something of an enlightened[1] despot, with a good proficiency in arms, and enough willpower to force his way onto Parliament quickly. Still, it'll get more interesting when Bedford returns to England.

[1] He was known as Good Duke Humphrey, due to his generous donations to the clergy and educational institutions OTL.

 

[Avrorrange]

The way how Humphrey spoke about Gaunt sounds extremely disrespectful. For God’s sake, that’s his own grandfather!

Somehow the Duke of Exeter remained aloof despite the insults to his brother and mother.