Read these statements. Below them you will find some silly quotes. Match the right quote to the right heading.
1. On 28th June 1461 a King of England was crowned with the support of the majority of the nobles. He was young, able, adult and battle-proven.
2. There was still another anointed (crowned) king and his heir at large.
3. The gentry did not like a divided nobility. They often had loyalties and obligations to a variety of nobles and this could get very complicated if the nobles were in dispute.
4. Gentry had obligations and connections with each other. If national politics suddenly meant that a friend was now obliged to be an enemy, this made things very complicated.
5. The nobility were aware that the gentry would only accept so much disruption. The gentry were needed to help raise armies. Nobles, could not just decide to take off and do their own thing without thinking how much the gentry would tolerate, even if the gentry had obligations to them.
6. Whilst nobles had large estates, often in several parts of the country, the gentry did not. They were therefore more vulnerable to violent conflict breaking down in their locality.
7. Nobles were expected to be the peacemakers between the gentry in their local areas. If a dispute arose they were expected to arbitrate fairly and to understand local issues well.
8. In the later 1450s the nobles were increasingly pressured to take sides, either by their own unresolved feuds, or by the queen.
9. It is possible that many gentry ignored calls to raise troops in the later 1450s, and that many soldiers came from the towns, the borders and the north (in the latter two the nobles had more direct power over the tenants).
10. Retainers and officers of the nobles had to be loyal or face the consequences.
“If ‘e thinks I’m going to fight for ‘im and send ‘im tenants to fight for him, e’s deelooded!”
“The old bag’s demanding I swear undying loyalty to Henry and against York!”
“’E’s never round these parts! How’s ‘e expect to understand what’s up!”
“I’m stuck, if this battle ends badly for us I’ll lose it all!”
“I thought they said God made a king a king – did God change his mind then?”
“The Duke of Bobbinland, no, never liked him!” (crosses fingers behind back)
“Ooooo, doesn’t he look good on his horse!”
“Oi! I’ve only got the one house, pal!”
“I had dinner with him last week and now I’m supposed to raid his house!”
“These big cheeses are out for their own gain, I want a quiet life!”