ABSTRACT
Despite political instability, the machinery of royal government and justice continued to develop during the 15th century. Government remained capable of functioning despite the changes of regime, though the apparent breakdown of law and order was both a cause of political instability and a reaction to it. It has been estimated that active warfare during the Wars of the Roses occupied only some 13 weeks of 30 years and, since battle was largely the preserve of the nobility and their professional fighting men and campaigning took place only in limited areas of the country, the population at large felt the effects of domestic war comparatively little.
