Margaret Paston
Wrote the short story "Letters of Margaret Paston
Henry VI
His weakness as a ruler plunged English into chaos
War of the Roses
Conflict between the house of Lancaster and the House of York. This upheaval gave families (such as the Pastons)the opportunity to rise from poverty by taking properties to which they had a questionable legal claim.
Hellesdon
One of the Paston manors. It was coveted by the Duke of Suffolk.
Drayton
The Paston's other manor.
Duke of Suffolk
Coveted the Paston manor of Hellesdon. He bribed the mayor of Norwich to assist him in launching a campaign in terror to force the Pastons to surrender their property.
Sixty
Margaret Paston was able to fight off the first barrage with a garrison of ______.
Tuesday, 10 o'clock
The day and time that the Duke reached the Paston Manor
500
The amount of men that the Duke first showed up at Hellesdon with
Defend the manor
What Margaret Paston does while her husband is away, and what she continues to do after his death.
Tenants
The people that Margaret tries to comfort after the attack on the manors by the Duke.
Church
The place that the Duke's men ransacked.
Ransacked Everyone's Goods
The Duke's men did this once they reached the Church.
Men from Costessey and Cawston
Took materials from the church and/or people's houses. They destroyed all of the things that they were unable to take with them.
Sir John Paston
Margaret Paston's knighted son. Worked as a financial adviser for Sir John Hastolf. When asked by his mother to help defend the castle, he sent his younger brother, John, to defend it for him.
Sir John Fastolf
Man who gave the Pastons the castle Caister in his will.
Caister
A castle with many manors and estates that had been willed to the Paston family by Sir John Fastolf.
John
Sir John Paston's younger brother. He was supposed to defend Caister, but failed when his protector, Edward VI, was captured during the War of Roses.
She is a woman
The reason why Margaret's men do not obey/respect her. As such, she asks Sir John Paston to send men to safeguard Caister
Aldermen
Chief officers in a shire or district
Assault
To violently attack
Asunder
Into parts or pieces
Certify
Declare a thing true of accurate; verify; attest
Enquiry
A question; investigation
Ransack
To search through for plunder; pillage; rob
Remnant
What is left over; remainder; residue
Succor
Help, aid; relieve