NATIONAL LIFE 39

arrested, Henry IV. hastened to York, and the
popular archbishop was executed forthwith, a royal
and sacrilegious deed that caused intense indignation
especially among the people of York, who for some
months lost the right of local government as a result
of this affair.

The Wars of the Roses (1455-1485), a long
internecine feud between kings, lords, and landed
gentry, affected the towns but little. The baronage
suffered heavily, the middle class lightly. No town
ever stood a siege, while Towton was the only battle
in which the common soldiers had heavy losses.
Warwick made it a practice to spare the commoners,
whereby he conciliated the people. Under Yorkist
rule, after the decisive battle of Towton (1461)
England can be described as not unprosperous. One
very notable feature was the immense amount of
building that was done, and that not so much of
castles, as of country houses, churches, and cathe-
drals, so many of which splendidly adorn the land
to-day. The only people seriously affected by the
Wars of the Roses were the main participants-
Compared with modern warfare, which is unabated
scientific extermination, mediaeval warfare was often
of the nature of a mild adventure. The size of the
opposing forces was very small even compared with
the scanty population. The chief weapons were
lances, swords, long-bows, and cross-bows, but
protective armour was worn. The fighting was
generally sporadic and desultory and the casualties
were .very few.

It was at York that Henry VI. awaited the news
of the result of the battle of Towton. Edward IV.
entered York as victor after the battle, York, like
other cities at the time, took care to maintain the
good graces of both sets of combatants. Although