The social structure of participants of the battle of Blore Heath (September 23, 1459)

The battle of Blore Heath which took place on September 23, 1459, marked the new stage of the Wars of Roses, which led to the change of dynasties at the English throne in less than two years. As it was not the clash of the main forces of House of Lancaster and House of York, the sources contain poor information about the battle’s participants. However, the analysis different sources let identify the names of 22 participants. Prosopographic study of this group contributes to the study of social behavior models, the degree of influence of the Wars of Roses on English society, the activity of representatives of different social strata. The social structure of the group, most of which are the representatives of the English gentry, is the object of the article. There is information in the sources about the origin of the knights. The House of York under the command of Earl of Salisbury were mostly from Northern and North-Western counties (Yorkshire, Westmorland), whereas House of Lancaster formed their troops in Cheshire, Staffordshire and Lancashire. As a rule, officers in the army of the Earl of Salisbury, were in close personal or family ties with him. The study of further lives of the participants of the battle and biographies of their children showed that the adherence of the chosen dynasty was preserved by generations and change of the parties was rather a deviation from the norm. English nobility of the second half of the 15th century had a high opinion of the value of loyalty and honor.