We Pelicans picked the 15th Century to recreate because - for us - it represents a remarkable period in history - a transition from the ancient to the modern world in which many old ideas and religious traditions were rejected, and where technology and social development within the classes advanced at a rapid pace.  The development of improved navigational instruments, the invention of the printing press, a general growth in education & literacy, improved trade & communications with the rest of the world, the introduction of improved guns, cannon and armour are all manifestations of the ways in which Europe transformed itself from the Medieval to what we recognise today as 'the modern world'.  The Renaissance, for example, was more pronounced and established outside of Italy by the 15th century and had a profound effect on Europe. It affected philosophy, science and art, but even more it affected the way Man thought - and his outlook on life. For the first time, individuals other than Royals and religious figures begin to play prominent roles. The first modern forms of European languages begin to appear. Perhaps most importantly, modern English appears out of Middle English. In England: The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487) were being fought in the latter half a series of the century - these were of dynastic civil wars fought in England between supporters of the Houses of Lancaster and York. Although armed clashes had occurred previously between supporters of Lancastrian King Henry VI and Richard, Duke of York, head of the rival House of York, the first open fighting broke out in 1455 and resumed more violently in 1459. Henry was captured and Richard became Protector of England, but was dissuaded from claiming the throne. Inspired by Henry's Queen, Margaret of Anjou, the Lancastrians resumed the conflict, and Richard was killed in battle at the end of 1460. His eldest son was proclaimed King Edward IV after winning a crushing victory at the Battle of Towton early.   After minor Lancastrian revolts were suppressed in 1464 and Henry was captured once again, Edward fell out with his chief supporter and advisor, the Earl of Warwick (known as the "Kingmaker"), who tried first  to supplant him with his jealous younger brother George, and then to restore Henry VI to the throne. This resulted in two years of rapid changes of fortune, before Edward IV once again won a complete victory in 1471. Warwick and the Lancastrian heir Edward, Prince of Wales died in battle and Henry was murdered immediately afterwards.  A period of comparative peace followed, but Edward died unexpectedly in 1483. His surviving brother, Richard of Gloucester first moved to prevent the unpopular family of Edward's widow, Elizabeth Woodville, from participating in government during the minority of Edward's son, Edward V, and then seized the throne for himself, using the suspect legitimacy of Edward IV's marriage as pretext. This provoked several revolts, and Henry Tudor, a distant relative of the Lancastrian kings who had nevertheless inherited their claim, overcame and killed Richard in battle at Bosworth in 1485.   Yorkist revolts flared up in 1487, resulting in the last pitched battles. Sporadic rebellions continued to take place until the last (and fraudulent) Yorkist pretender was executed in 1499.  The wars were fought largely by the landed aristocracy with armies of feudal retainers, alongside some foreign mercenaries. Support for each house largely depended upon dynastic factors, such as marriages within the nobility, feudal titles, and tenures. It is sometimes difficult to follow the shifts of power and allegiance because nobles acquired or lost titles through marriage, confiscation or attainture. For example, the Lancastrian patriarch John of Gaunt's first title was Earl of Richmond, the same title which Henry VII later held, while the Yorkist patriarch Edmund of Langley's first title was Earl of Cambridge. However it was not uncommon for nobles to switch sides and several battles were decided by treachery. For the majority of the population of England, however, these events were distant happenings, for their immediate concerns were far more pressing; would the harvest succeed? Would they be able to procure more land to endow upon their children? Would their wife survive childbirth? And when they finally met their death, for how long would they suffer the torments of Purgatory? In the wake of the great waves of plague of 14th Century, life for many peasants (i.e. those whose livelihood depended upon the land) had become relatively easier; there was more land available on which to grow crops and the reduction in their numbers rendered their services of greater value, much to the disgust of landowners and nobles, who made several attempts to stem the rising wages demanded by workers.