The King that moved to Coventry

The Parliament of Devils Coventry has played a major part in helping the Kings and Queens of the past. In 1404, King Henry IV summoned parliament to Coventry as he needed money to fight a rebellious uprising, including the revolt of Owain Glyndwr of Wales, who declared himself Prince of Wales in 1400. Coventry would have had its walls built by then and would have been a safe for a King to stay in times of conflict. It was also in the Lancastrian heart-lands (it was in 1301 when King Edward II became the first Prince of Wales, the title placed on every first born son of the monarchy ever since). On several occasions Coventry briefly served as the "second capitol" of England. During the Wars of the Roses, the Royal Court was moved to Coventry by Queen Margaret of Anjou, the wife of Henry VI. On several occasions between 1456 and 1459 parliament was held in Coventry. On 20th December 1459, The Parliament of Devils were called to the city. As King Henry VI had suffered a break-down, it was called by his wife, Queen Margaret to all 66 members of Lords to show their loyalty to the King. It was held in the chapter house of St. Mary's Priory. The meeting was started by the Bishop of Winchester, preaching the words 'Grace to you and peace be multiplied', but soon turned nasty as the government's purpose was undoubtedly to condemn York and his allies as traitors to the King. A bill accused twenty-seven persons of levying war against the King mainly at Blore Heath and Ludford Bridge. But the main people condemned as traitors on the day were: Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York Edward, Earl of March (the future King Edward IV) Edmund, Earl of Rutland Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury and his son - Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick. Edward, Earl of March was the first Yorkist King of England. With the support of his cousin Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, while Henry VI and Queen Margaret were campaigning in the north of England, Warwick gained control of London and had Edward declared King in 1461.

Henry VI "Coventry started out as a Bronze Age settlement in the centre of what is the bowl shape of the city. This environment which included at the time, lakes and large rivers, mild weather and surrounding forest provided the conditions for human habitation. There was plenty of food and water along with materials to build shelter. Coventry predates its neighbouring cities of Birmingham and Leicester. It is widely agreed by historians that the first significant settlement grew around a Saxon nunnery Circa 700 AD by St Osburga. Coventry's name is thought to have originated from a Saxon called Cofa. This character marked his boundary with a tree and so the name Cofantreo emerged. Over time this spelling evolved into cofastree , Coventria, Coventrev, Covintry and eventually Coventry. Coventry was granted a royal "Charter of Incorporation" in 1345 by King Edward III which was the first municipal charter of its kind in England. Coventry was now a City. Coventry became the fourth largest and best defended city in England and was only surpassed in size and wealth by York, Bristol and London. In 1451 Coventry was granted County status by King Henry VI in gratitude for offering him safety from an uprising by the men of Kent. "The County of the City of Coventry" would carry this status until 1842. Coventry then returned to the County of Warwickshire. Due to mental illness suffered by King Henry VI, his wife Queen Margaret effectively took charge and moved the Royal Court to Coventry. She felt that the heavily protected city with its town wall and fortifications was the safest place to be. Coventry was now the seat of power and effectively, the Capital City of England. This was to last until 1461."

Henry IV also spent a lot of time in Coventry, and legend has it that the young Prince Hal was punished for being drunk in the abbey. Shakespeare has Prince Hal meeting Falstaff on the road to Coventry, bluff Sir John being born here. I wrote a history of Coventry some years ago it's here : History of Coventry

Thanks for the above Disorganised1 I have printed those pages off for my daughter as I know she will be most interested. I was rather amused by the "shamrock in his turban" remark.

Many thanks Disorganised1 for your very interesting article. I was particularly taken by your note that "After WW2 over 350 buildings remained dated prior to 1700. Today there are 34". Says it all really about the Muppets in the planning offices doesn't it?