15.1. The articles betvvixt king Henrie and the duke of Yorke.

The articles betvvixt king Henrie and the duke of Yorke.

_BLessed be Iesu, in whose hands and boun|tie resteth and is the peace and vnitie be|twixt princes, and the weale of euerie relme: by whose direction (I know) agreed it is, appointed, and accorded as followeth, betwixt the most high and most mightie prince king Henrie the sixt king of England and of France, and lord of Ireland, on the one partie, and the right high & migh|tie prince Richard Plantagenet duke of Yorke on the other partie: vpon certeine matters of vari|ance mooued betwixt them, and especiallie vpon the claime and title vnto the crownes of England and of France, and roiall power, estate, and dignitie apper|teining to the same, and lordship of Ireland, opened, shewed, and declared by the said duke, before all the lords spirituall and temporall, being in this present parlement.

First, where the said Richard duke of Yorke hath declared and opened (as is aboue said) title & claime in maner as followeth.

That the right noble and woorthie prince, Henrie king of England the third had issue, and lawfullie got Edward the first begotten sonne, borne at Westminster, the fiftéenth kalends of Iulie, in the yeare of our Lord 1239, & Edmund his second sonne which was borne on S. Marcels daie, the yere 1200, the which Edward, after the death of king Henrie his father, intituled & called king Edward the first, had issue, Edward his first begotten sonne, called (after the deceasse of his father) king Edward the second, the which had issue, Edward the third; which Edward the third had issue, Edward prince of Wales; Wil|liam of Hatfield his second sonne; Lionell the third, duke of Clarence; Iohn of Gant fourth, duke of Lancaster; Edmund of Langleie fift, duke of Yorke; Thomas of Woodstoke sixt, duke of Glocester; and William of Windsor seauenth.

The said Edward prince of Wales, which died in the life time of his father, had issue Richard, which suc|céeded Edward the third his grandsire; Richard died without issue; William of Hatfield the second sonne of Edward the third, died without issue; Lionell the third sonne of Edward the third, duke of Clarence, had issue Philip his daughter and heire, which was coupled in matrimonie vnto Edmund Mortimer earle of March, and had issue Roger Mortimer earle of March hir sonne and heire; which Roger had issue of Edmund erle of March, Roger Mortimer, Anne, Elianor; which Edmund, Roger, and Elianor died without issue.

And the said Anne coupled in matrimonie to Ri|chard earle of Cambridge, the sonne of Edmund of Langleie, the fift sonne of Henrie the third, and had issue Richard Plantagenet, commonlie called duke of Yorke; Iohn of Gant, the fourth sonne of Ed|ward, and the yoonger brother of the said Lionell, had issue Henrie earle of Derbie, whu incontinentlie af|ter that king Richard resigned the crownes of the EEBO page image 658 realmes and lordship of Ireland, vnrighteouslie en|tered vpon the same, then being aliue Edmund Mortimer earle of March, sonne to Roger Morti|mer earle of March, sonne and heire of the said Phi|lip, daughter and heire of the said Lionell, the third sonne of the said king Edward the third, to the which Edmund the right and title of the said crownes and lordship by law and custome belonged. To the which Richard duke of Yorke, as sonne to Anne daughter to Roger Mortimer earle of March, sonne and heire of the said Philip, daughter and heire of the said Lio|nell, the third sonne of king Edward the third, the right, title, dignitie roiall, and estate of the crownes of the realmes of England and France, and the lord|ship of Ireland perteineth and belongeth afore anie issue of the said Iohn of Gant, the fourth sonne of the same king Edward.

The said title notwithstanding, and without preiu|dice of the said Richard duke of Yorke, tenderlie de|siring the wealth, rest, and prosperitie of this land, and to set apart all that might be trouble to the same, and considering the possession of the said king Hen|rie the sixt, and that he hath for his time béene na|med, taken, and reputed for king of England and of France, and lord of Ireland, is contented, agréed, and consenteth, that he be had, reputed, and taken for king of England and France, with the roiall e|state, dignitie, and preheminence belonging there|vnto, and lord of Ireland during his naturall life. And for that time, the said duke, without hurt or pre|iudice of his said right, and title, shall take, wor|ship, and honour him for his souereigne lord.

Item, the said Richard duke of Yorke, shall pro|mit and bind him by his solemne oth, in maner and forme as followeth.

The oth of Richard duke of Yorke.In the name of God Amen: I Richard duke of Yorke, promise and sweare by the faith and truth that I owe to almightie God, that I shall neuer consent, procure, or stirre, directlie or indirectlie, in priuie or apert, neither (as much as in me is) shall suffer to be doone, consented, procured, or stirred, anie thing that may sound to the abridgement of the naturall life of king Henrie the sixt, or to the hurt or diminishing of his reigne or dignitie roiall, by violence, or anie o|ther waie, against his freedome or libertie: but if any person or persons would doo or presume anie thing to the contrarie, I shall with all my might and power withstand it, and make it to be withstood, as far as my power will stretch therevnto, so helpe me God and his holie euangelists.

Item, Edward earle of March, and Edmund earle of Rutland, sonnes of the said duke of Yorke, shall make like oth.

Item, it is accorded, appointed, and agréed, that the said Richard duke of Yorke, shall be called and repu|ted from hencefoorth, verie and rightfull heire to the crownes, roiall estate, dignitie and lordship aboue said; and after the deceasse of the said king Henrie, or when he will laie from him the said crownes, estate, dignitie, and lordship, the said duke and his heires shall immediatlie succéed to the said crownes, roiall estate, dignitie and lordship.

Item, the said Richard duke of Yorke, shall haue by authoritie of this present parlement, castels, ma|nors, lands, and tenements, with the wards, marria|ges, reliefes, seruices, fines, amercements, offices, aduousons, fées, and other appurtenances to them be|longing, what soeuer they be, to the yearelie value of ten thousand marks, ouer all charges and reprises whereof fiue thousand marks shall be to his owne state, three thousand fiue hundred marks to Edward his first begotten sonne earle of March for his estate, and one thousand pounds to Edmund earle of Rut|land his second sonne for his yearelie sustentation, in such consideration and such intent as shall be decla|red by the lords of the kings councell.

Item, if anie person or persons imagine or com|passe the death of the said duke, and thereof probablie be attainted of open déed doone by folkes of other condition, that it be déemed & adiudged high treason.

Item, for the more establishing of the said accord, it is appointed and consented, that the lords spirituall and temporall, being in this present parlement, shall make oths, to accept, take, worship, and repute the said Richard duke of Yorke and his heires, as aboue is rehearsed, and kéepe, obserue, and strengthen (in as much as apperteineth vnto them) all the things abouesaid, and resist to their power, all them that would presume the contrarie, according to their e|states and degrées.

Item, the said Richard duke of Yorke, earles of March, and Rutland, shall permit and make other to helpe, aid, and defend the said lords, and euerie of them, against all those that will quarell, or anie thing attempt against the said lords, or anie of them, by oc|casion of agréement or consenting to the said accord, or assistance giuing to the duke and earles, or anie of them.

Item, it is agréed and appointed, that this accord, and euerie article thereof, be opened and notified by the kings letters patents, or otherwise, at such times and places, and in maner as it shall be thought expe|dient to the said Richard duke of Yorke, with the ad|uise of the lords of the kings councell. The king vn|derstandeth certeinelie the said title of the said Ri|chard duke of Yorke, iust, lawfull, and sufficient, by the aduise and assent of the lords spirituall and tem|porall, and the commons in this parlement assem|bled; and by authoritie of the same parlement decla|reth, approoueth, ratifieth, confirmeth, and accepteth the said title, iust, good, lawfull, and true, and therevn|to giueth his assent and agréement of his frée will and libertie.

And ouer that, by the said aduise and authoritie declareth, intituleth, calleth, establisheth, affirmeth, & reputeth the said Richard duke of Yorke, verie true and rightfull heire to the crownes, roiall estate, and dignitie of the realmes of England and of France, and of the lordship of Ireland aforesaid; and that ac|cording to the worship and reuerence that thereto be|longeth, he be taken, accepted and reputed, in wor|ship & reuerence, by all the states of the said realme of England, and of all his subiects thereof; sauing and ordeining by the same authoritie, the king to haue the said crownes, realme, roiall estate, dignitie, and preheminence of the same, and the said lordship of I|reland during his life naturall.

And furthermore, by the same aduise and authori|tie willeth, consenteth and agréeth, that after his de|ceasse, or when it shall please his hignesse to laie from him the said crownes, estate, dignitie, and lordship, the said Richard duke of Yorke and his heires shall immediatlie succéed him in the said crownes, roiall estate, dignitie, and worship, and them then haue and inioie: anie act of parlement, statute, or ordi|nance, or other thing to the contrarie made, or inter|ruption, or discontinuance of possession notwith|standing.

And moreouer, by the said aduise and authoritie, e|stablisheth, granteth, confirmeth, approueth, ratifieth, and accepteth the said accord, and all things therein conteined, and therevnto fréelie and absolutelie assen|teth, agreeth; and by the same aduise and authoritie ordeineth and establisheth, that if anie person or per|sons imagine or compasse the death of the said duke, & probablie be attainted of open déed doone by folks of that condition, that it be déemed and adiudged high treason.

EEBO page image 659And furthermore ordeineth and establisheth by the said aduise and authoritie, that all statutes, ordinan|ces, and acts of parlement, made in the time of the said king Henrie the fourth, by the which he and the heires of his bodie, comming of Henrie late king of England the fift, the sonne and heire of the said king Henrie the fourth, and the heires of king Henrie the fift, were or be inheritable to the said crownes and realmes, or to the heritage of the same, be annulled, repealed, damned, cancelled, void, and of none effect.

And ouer this, the king by the said aduise, assent and authoritie, ordeineth and establisheth, that all o|ther acts and statutes made afore this time by act of parlement, not repealed or annulled by like authori|tie, or otherwise void, be in suth force, effect, and ver|tue, as they were afore the making of these ordinan|ces; and that no letters patents, roialx of record, nor acts iudiciall, made or doone afore this time not repea|led, reuersed, ne otherwise void by law, be preiudiced or hurt by this present act.]