William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings

William Lord Hastings as a manticore , depiction around 1470

William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings of Hungerford KG ( c.1431 - June 13, 1483 ) was one of the most powerful men in England during the reign of King Edward IV , but was executed after he was accused of conspiracy against his former companion Richard III to have planned.

His parents were Sir Leonard Hastings and Alice Camoys. His mother is a great-great-granddaughter of Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence , the second son of Edward III.

As a young man he grew up in the household of his distant cousin Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York , and befriended his eldest son Edward . He followed this over the following years with unshakable loyalty, which brought him large land gains after Edward IV came to power at the expense of the defeated Lancaster supporters.

He married Katherine Neville, sister of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick .

When in 1470 the Lancasters Heinrich VI. enthroned again and Edward IV, driven out, not least with the help of Neville, who had changed sides, William followed his master into exile. In 1471 he was again at Edward's side and led troops in the battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury , when the Yorkists the supporters of Henry VI. finally struck and the reign of Edward IV rebuilt.

When the king died unexpectedly in April 1483, William suspiciously watched the actions of the powerful family of the Dowager Queen Elizabeth Woodville , who sought to hold the reign of Edward IV's underage son, Edward V , in their hands. Since Edward IV had transferred the reign and the guardianship of his sons to his brother Richard , Duke of Gloucester, William took Richard's side and, together with Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham , convinced the Council of Thrones to succeed Need to have a legitimate rule exercised by the young king's uncle.

While Stafford's influence increased significantly as a result, Hastings felt pushed to the side. Allegedly because of this, he had carefully contacted the Woodville family. The connection, whether real or just fictional, was exposed and William was accused of high treason by Richard on June 13, 1483 . He was towed from the White Tower onto the green space in the Tower of London . Without trial, he was beheaded immediately after his confession on Tower Green in front of the St Peter ad Vincula chapel . Two things are noteworthy here: on the one hand, this is the first documented execution in the tower area, on the other hand, William was denied a fair trial, which was due to him as a member of the throne council and as a peer . As a result, it is reported in some traditions that there were several days between his arrest and his execution, during which a trial could have taken place.

Notably, Williams' possessions were not confiscated, leaving his son to inherit. Under Henry VII , the barony was also transferred back to him.

There has been much discussion and speculation in historians 'circles about the background to Williams' possible betrayal and his immediate execution, without there being a generally accepted answer.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ H. Vollrath & N. Fryde (eds.): The English Kings in the Middle Ages; From William the Conqueror to Richard III. Beck, 2004, ISBN 3-406-49463-3 , p. 214.
2. ↑ H. Vollrath & N. Fryde (eds.): The English Kings in the Middle Ages; From William the Conqueror to Richard III. Beck, 2004, ISBN 3-406-49463-3 , p. 217.

Web link

• Sir William Hastinges, 1st Lord Hastings on thepeerage.com , accessed August 17, 2015.

predecessor	Office	successor
New title created	Baron Hastings 1461-1483	Edward Hastings