ABSTRACT
One modern scholar has written that ‘the waning interest felt by Englishmen in the French wars under Henry VI is reflected in the scarcity of chroniclers.’ The chronicler hated the hardships caused by the Wars of the Roses, and blamed Edward IV' for failing to fulfil men's expectation that he would establish peace and prosperity. The variety both of historiographical genres and of authorship may have been one factor accounting for the breadth of the chroniclers’ interests. All the chroniclers respected the tradition of historical writing established in the middle ages. The chroniclers were subjected to government propaganda and to propaganda from the opposing factions. Because of the insecurity of their dynasties, both Lancastrians and Yorkists used all known means to rally popular support, particularly that of the expanding middle classes. The chronicler’s political sympathies are consistently Yorkist.
