Legitimacy and succession
What Legitimacy and succession means in History A-Level, as defined for AQA, Pearson Edexcel.
Definitions of Legitimacy and succession
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Reference: Pearson Edexcel
Dating his reign from 21 August 1485 made Richard III's supporters traitors and legitimised his seizure of the throne, while the marriage to Elizabeth of York produced an heir.
William asserted that Edward the Confessor had promised him the crown and that Harold Godwinson had sworn an oath to support him, giving him a legal and moral case.
York initially sought to reform the government and secure his position as chief councillor, only claiming the throne much later in 1460.
Topics that use Legitimacy and succession
- 2B The Wars of the Roses, 1450–1499 – The origins of conflict, 1450–1459 (AQA A-Level)
- Normandy, 1066–1106 (Pearson Edexcel A-Level)
- Paper 3, Option 30: Lancastrians, Yorkists and Henry VII, 1399–1509 - 5 Henry VII: seizing the throne and trying to keep it, 1485–97 (Pearson Edexcel A-Level)
Related terms
- Royal authority and rebellion
- Anglo-Norman kingship and succession
- Anglo-Norman politics
- Conflict and rebellion
- Consolidation of power
- Consolidation of Tudor power
- Dynastic challenge
- Factionalism and affinity
Using Legitimacy and succession in the exam
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