Lesson 2B.1.1

2B.1.1 Fall of the House of Lancaster, 1450–1471 Quiz: AQA History, Unit 13

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 2B.1.1, Fall of the House of Lancaster, 1450–1471: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA History (7042), Unit 13: 2B The Wars of the Roses, 1450–1499, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which battle, fought in May 1455, is usually taken as the first battle of the Wars of the Roses?

    • Blore Heath
    • Wakefield
    • St Albans
    • Northampton

  2. What was Jack Cade's rebellion of 1450 mainly protesting about?

    • The Scottish invasion of the northern counties
    • The introduction of a new poll tax on all landowners
    • Royal misgovernment, corruption of ministers and the loss of Normandy
    • The seizure of monastic lands by the Crown

  3. Who led the Lancastrian cause after Henry VI's mental collapse in 1453, and dominated the court?

    • Margaret of Anjou
    • Cecily Neville
    • Elizabeth Woodville
    • Anne Neville

  4. During which period was Richard of York appointed Protector of England for the incapacitated Henry VI?

    • 1461 to 1463
    • 1447 to 1449
    • 1450 to 1452
    • 1453 to 1455

  5. Yorkist forces captured Henry VI at which battle in July 1460?

    • Towton
    • Wakefield
    • St Albans
    • Northampton

  6. At which battle was Richard, Duke of York, killed in December 1460?

    • Mortimer's Cross
    • Towton
    • Barnet
    • Wakefield

  7. Which battle, fought in a snowstorm on Palm Sunday 1461, secured Edward IV's hold on the throne?

    • Towton
    • Tewkesbury
    • Bosworth
    • Barnet

  8. Whom did Edward IV secretly marry in 1464, angering Warwick and the French alliance policy?

    • Cecily of York
    • Elizabeth Woodville
    • Margaret of Anjou
    • Anne Neville

  9. Why was Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, known as 'the Kingmaker'?

    • He had helped put Edward IV on the throne and then later turned against him
    • He crowned both Henry VI and Edward IV, having been appointed Lord Chancellor of England
    • He had persuaded the Pope to recognise the Yorkist dynasty in 1461
    • He had written the Act of Settlement that established the Yorkist claim

  10. Which battle in April 1471 saw Warwick killed and the Yorkist cause restored?

    • Towton
    • Stoke
    • Barnet
    • Tewkesbury

  11. Who was killed at the Battle of Tewkesbury in May 1471?

    • Henry VI, who was captured after the battle
    • Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales and Henry VI's son
    • Richard of York, Edward IV's father
    • Warwick the Kingmaker, who fell at Barnet

  12. How is the death of Henry VI in the Tower of London in May 1471 traditionally explained?

    • He was released and retired to a monastery in France
    • He died of natural causes after a long illness in the Tower
    • He was executed publicly after a trial for treason in London
    • He was murdered on the orders of Edward IV or his circle, although this is disputed

  13. What was a long-term effect of the baronial wars on the English aristocracy by 1471?

    • Many leading noble families were destroyed, attainted or weakened, and the crown gained power
    • The aristocracy was taxed on all its land to pay for the wars
    • The House of Lords was abolished and its powers passed to the Commons
    • The aristocracy became far larger and more powerful than before the wars

  14. Which battle in May 1471 ended Margaret of Anjou's invasion and destroyed the Lancastrian army?

    • Tewkesbury
    • Stoke
    • Barnet
    • Bosworth

  15. Which best explains why the Yorkists were able to triumph by 1471?

    • Yorkist leaders were united, while Lancastrian forces were divided and suffered repeated defeats in battle
    • Their military superiority was matched by the Lancastrians' large foreign mercenary army
    • The Pope declared Henry VI an illegitimate king in 1461
    • The French king joined the Yorkist cause and sent an army to England

  16. Why was the Yorkist victory at Towton in March 1461 significant?

    • It secured the throne for Edward IV and drove the Lancastrian court into exile in Scotland
    • It led directly to the Treaty of Picquigny with France
    • It forced Henry VI to abdicate in favour of Richard of York
    • It ended the war, because the Lancastrians agreed to peace the same year

  17. Which best explains the weakness of Henry VI's rule by 1450?

    • He had lost all of England's lands in Wales and was forced to abdicate
    • He had abolished the royal council and ruled through the Church alone
    • He had been deposed by Parliament in 1449 for refusing to pay taxes
    • Henry's personal incapacity and factional rivalry among the nobility left the king unable to control the government

  18. Which battle of September 1459 was a Yorkist victory over Lord Audley's Lancastrian force at Blore Heath?

    • Ludford Bridge
    • Northampton
    • Blore Heath
    • Mortimer's Cross

  19. Which battle of February 1461 was a Lancastrian victory that briefly restored Henry VI to his rivals' custody?

    • Mortimer's Cross
    • Second St Albans
    • Towton
    • Barnet

  20. Which battle of May 1464 in northern England helped to end Lancastrian resistance in the north?

    • Hexham
    • Wakefield
    • Towton
    • Bosworth

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