And so we begin the tale of London in the Wars of the Roses, setting the scene, and dropping us straight into the city- as the Duke of York and the Duke of Somerset’s five year rivalry moves towards its bloody end on the streets of St. Albans, in London, the city was to see young Mercers attacking the homes of Italians, the Grocers company politically shift dramatically when one side is winning, to quickly following the other side, before just as quickly having to reverse course… and as disparate factions begin to come together due to circumstances in the rest of the country, a savage political protest takes place on Fleet Street… let the games begin!

The never ending war with France was entering its death throes, but in England? A bunch of rather venal and useless men were about to plunge the nation into a political crisis so great that it would distract all from it… and in London? A small cabal of Grocers were to find themselves up to their necks in what was going on. Four chaotic and traumatic years as inept nobility, a catatonic king, a new born prince and the Duke of York riding into London in four most triumphant processions (which may or may not have actually been that impressive), all combine in this bumper chapter.

July 1450- and Jack Cade’s rebellion falls upon London. What follows this chapter is a guide to the bloody carnage and mayhem unleashed by this grandiose rebel upon. The city and how the city fought back. Leading up to one of the most dramatic incidents in London’s myriad history… a genuine multi-hour rolling battle on London Bridge that involved heavy weapons from the Tower of London, as the city tried to drive off thousands of this mans supporters. A wild, hectic few weeks in the life of London.

We approach 1450 and are introduced to the opening salvos of the rebellion of Jack Cade… but on the way examine the situation in London and the South-East in the years leading up to his rebellion; London faced a new coin shortage (not to be mistaken for the previous half-dozen or so), but this one was producing unexpected side effects; while many went under, some thrived; and London began to see a light at the end of a tunnel… but it was a distant light. As 1450 dawned rebellion and violence and murder seemed everywhere and then, suddenly, an army appeared in the south…

The story reaches the background to the rebellion of Jack Cade and we begin this cycle with the events taking place across England in the years leading up to that violent rebellion, starting with a perfect day… the coronation of England’s new 15 year old Queen. But as London rejoiced in the pomp and circumstances, powerful men were beginning a series of missteps that was going to bring the city, and the country, to the edge of crisis…

We slow down the break neck pace of the Story of London, to take the time to stop and look at how, in practical terms, London WORKED as a city; how all the disparate parts of it, the mayors, the Aldermen, the mass of poor, managed to coexist and function. In a chapter that draws upon the awesome work of historian Barbara Hanawalt, we explore how the city functioned as a living space… while setting up for a crazy few years ahead and dealing with a huge, high profile fire!

The Story this week focuses upon several things- fighting between lawyers and butchers over by the Fleet River; the massive attack upon Calais by the French; the political intrigues between the Duke of Gloucester and Cardinal Beaufort as the 100 Years War dragged itself to its inevitable conclusion… but mostly we focus upon the greatest political scandal of the 1440’s; the downfall of the Duchess of Gloucester. But more than that… we go beyond the public acts of contrition undertaken by this woman, to focus on the story of an overlooked figure; a woman who lived on the outskirts of the city, and whose story illuminates dark aspects of London life- this is the story of the Witch of Eye.

The 1430’s was a dark decade for London, as the most brutal weather to ever hit London landed in a series of freezing winters, that drove up prices and froze the river in a way not seen before and never since. This was the backdrop to a decade which saw London’s economy utterly collapse, and the War with France take a dramatic turn for the worse. From lavish processions through the city, to self-destructive politics, to the decline of London’s merchants under the onslaught of foreign traders, this chapter sees the city trying to cope with part of London Bridge itself collapsing into the river…