A LEVEL HISTORY- THE WARS OF ROSES: Women of the Wars III- Margaret Paston

This topic is an activity guide of AQA History Unit 2B and part of the Women of the Wars tasks usually set in class and for homework. However, it can be used for any exam board running the Wars of the Roses module.

It is usually set as a task whilst studying 'The Triumph of the Yorkists 1461-71' module.

It is an A* grade response to the task set in schools to research these letters and the people that wrote them, in this case Margaret Paston. More on the Pastons is/will be available in the shop.

This topic is a classic case study of politics, motivations and consequences during the Wars of the Roses, which is why it is usually set as a homework task.

The issues discussed are:
Who are the people who wrote the Paston Letters?
Which king(s) or faction(s) did they support?
Are their outlooks on the events and situations they discuss to be trusted? (Quick answer- no. ALL sources have bias.)

And in depth: Here we will look at another ‘woman of the wars’- Margaret Paston. It would be useful for you also to read the House of Howard, de la Pole and Talbot genealogy guides and the Women of the Wars 1 and 2: Alice Chaucer Duchess of Suffolk and Elizabeth Talbot, Duchess of Norfolk activity guides for this Unit. These are/ will be all available in the shop.

This guide is FIFTEEN pages long and fully annotated/referenced, with further reading options and 'check yourself' questions at the end to aid understanding.