1459-1461 (1st Phase of War) Flashcards
Lead up to Blore Heath in 1459
1459 - The Lead up to Blore Heath: Margaret gained a principal ally in early 1459, in Buckingham (who had the largest army in England of 4,000 men), and this led directly to the outbreak of war again. Margaret and Buckingham convinced Henry VI that York, Salisbury and Warwick were attempting to steal the crown, and after predicting that the traitors would meet at Ludlow, they took a Lancastrian force of 20,000 men to the Welsh marches to cut off the Yorkist forces and stop them from getting to London. Warwick brought the Calais Garrison, including renowned soldier, Andrew Trollope.
Battle of Blore Heath
23 September 1459 - The Battle of Blore Heath: Salisbury was the Yorkist commander and Lord Audley the Lancastrian. The plan was for Lord Audley’s forces to intercept and arrest Salisbury before he could join forces with York.
- Salisbury was ambushed by Lord Audley.
- The Yorkists were outnumbered 2:1 but despite this, it was a decisive victory for the Yorkists.
- Lord Audley was killed in the fighting.
- Parliament was summoned again to meet at Coventry in November, but without York and the Nevilles, meaning that they were going to be accused of treason.
- This battle is the strongest evidence that it was the Lancastrians that were responsible for the outbreak of war as Yorkists were divided and Lancasters intercepted them
Battle of Ludford Bridge
12 October 1459 - The Battle of Ludford Bridge: York faced Henry at this battle, and Trollope, the most respected soldier in England, switched sides in the night and became a Lancastrian, bringing with him 500 men from the Calais Garrison. This was the only time that Henry had appeared in plate armour at a battle. The Yorkists didn’t want to fight against the king and abandoned their army, with York fleeing to Ireland and Salisbury, Warwick and the Earl of March going to Calais. The remaining army submitted to the king and were pardoned. Even though there was no actual battle, it can be considered a Lancastrian victory.
- Ludlow is sacked afterwards
- Led to the parliament of devils which guarantees a continuation of the war (further evidence it was Lancastrians who triggered war)
Parliament of Devils
- Following battle of Ludford Bridge (12 October)
November-December 1459 - The ‘Parliament of Devils’: This Lancastrian-dominated parliament took place in Coventry and acts of attainder were passed against 27 Yorkist figures. York and his sons, Warwick and Salisbury lost their titles and estates. Their lives were forfeit and their lands reverted to the king, meaning that their heirs could not inherit leaving them with little option but to invade in 1460, which they did in June at Sandwich, Kent. New appointments included Somerset as Captain of Calais and Wiltshire as Lieutenant of Ireland. York was also blamed for Jack Cade’s revolt and it was highly likely that Margaret was the decision-maker throughout the parliament.
Results of the Parliament of Devils
- Nov/Dec 1459
- Following the battle of Ludford Bridge (Lancastrian victory)
- Yorkists attained
Results of the ‘Parliament of Devils’: The new appointments were not successful. York decided to return to Dublin, where he was still recognised as the Lieutenant of Ireland, so it became impossible for the Earl of Wiltshire to replace him in this role. Likewise, Somerset was twice repulsed by the Calais Garrison in 1460 when he tried to reclaim it from Warwick. With Warwick in Calais, and the Yorkists enjoying naval dominance in the Channel, it was possible for Warwick to sail to Ireland in March 1460, meet York for 2 months, and return to Calais in May. They had planned a Yorkist invasion which would occur in June.
Yorkist invasion at Sandwich
26 June 1460 - The Yorkist Invasion at Sandwich, Kent: Warwick and Salisbury landed at Sandwich, having defeated a Lancastrian fleet and captured several of its ships. William Neville, Lord Fauconberg (Salisbury’s brother) was a brilliant naval captain and soldier who commanded the invasion from Calais. Kent was a Yorkist base and the people of Kent rose to join them, meaning that London was at their mercy.
Yorkists enter London in 1460
2 July 1460 - The Yorkists Entered London: The Nevilles entered the city with 10,000 men, as the gates had been opened for them. Then, leaving his father, Salisbury, in London, Warwick marched on with the Earl of March and Lord Fauconberg to meet the Lancastrian army in the Midlands, in Northampton. York was still in Ireland at this point.
Battle of Northampton
10 July 1460 - The Battle of Northampton: The king barricaded the town of Northampton, but his army was eventually entrenched and dwarfed by the Yorkist force. Buckingham, the Earl of Shrewsbury, Lord Egremont and Lord Beaumont all died trying to save Henry as the Yorkists closed down on his tent. Lord Grey of Ruthin, one of the king’s troops, committed a shocking act of treachery and defected to the Yorkist side, allowing Yorkists to enter through lines and kill leading Lancastrian figures. Henry was captured and brought back to London. The treachery was the result of a secret message from Lord Grey to March saying that he would change sides if the Yorkists would back him in a property dispute. Grey was rewarded with the title of Treasurer of England in 1463.
York’s return to England in 1460
9 September 1460 - York Returned to England: He came back from Ireland, marching under the arms of his maternal great-grandfather, the 1st Duke of Clarence and displayed a banner of the Coat of Arms in England as he approached London. A Parliament was called to meet on 7 October to revoke the legislation of the Coventry Parliament the previous year. York did not arrive in parliament until the 10 October.
York’s arrival in Parliament 1460
10 October 1460 - York arrived in Parliament: Trumpets heralded his entry into Westminster hall as though he was the king of England. He took residence in the royal palace, and entered Parliament with his sword borne before him, making for the empty throne and placing his hand upon it as if to occupy it. He may have expected the assembled peers to acclaim him as king, but instead he was met with silence. Next, Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury said ‘will it please your Lordship to go and greet the king?’ and a flustered York angrily left the hall, having unimpressed many of the Lords.
The next day, York tried to advance his claim to the crown by hereditary rights in proper form, but failed once again, due to his narrow support among his peers. The best that he could achieve was to overturn the agreements made at the Parliament of Devils and condemn the Lancastrians through his own act of accord.
Act of Accord
25 October 1460 - The Act of Accord: York managed to pass an act which stated that should Henry die, he would be the heir presumptive, followed by his sons.
York made Lord Protector 1460
- Following the battle of Northampton → York’s return from Ireland → Act of Accord →
31 October 1460 - York made Lord Protector of England: He was made Prince of Wales too and was given extraordinary executive powers to protect the realm by Parliament. With the king effectively in custody, York and Warwick were acting as the de facto (whether by right or not) rulers of England
Maragaret of Anjou and the Lancastrians at the end of 1460
Response of Margaret of Anjou and the Lancastrians: They were based at Hull and after hearing about this and the Battle of Northampton, they went to Wales to see Jasper Tudor, and from there, to Scotland, Northumberland (to gain Percy support) and finally to Yorkshire.
Lead up the battle of Wakefield
The Lead Up to the Battle of Wakefield: Margaret of Anjou tried to gain the support of James III of Scotland, and was also arming and rallying Lancastrian loyalists in the north. Her army from the north was reinforced by Scots and other wild men eager for plunder marching on London. They ravaged the towns and villages they passed through, leading to the Crowland Chronicle describing them as a ‘whirlwind from the north.’ Faced by the threat of the growing Lancastrian army, and also by Percy threats, Salisbury, York and his second son, Edmund, Earl of Rutland, headed north on 2 December.
They arrived at York’s stronghold of Sandal Castle, in Wakefield, West Yorkshire on 21 December to find the situation bad and continuing to get worse. Forces loyal to Henry controlled the city of York and the nearby Pontefract Castle was also in Lancastrian hands. The Yorkists spent Christmas 1460 at Sandal Castle with an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 men, and the Lancastrians, with perhaps twice that number, nine miles away at Pontefract Castle.
Battle of Wakefield
30 December 1460 - Battle of Wakefield: The larger Lancastrian force, led by Andrew Trollope, destroyed York’s army in the Battle of Wakefield. Neville’s half-uncle, Richard Neville, 5th Earl Salisbury escaped but was killed the following night, and John Neville thus became Constable of Middleham Castle. Rutland, York’s son also died at the age of just 14, beheaded by Lord Clifford, possibly in an act of revenge for the death of his own father at the First Battle of St Albans. This was thus a Lancastrian victory.
- York caught outside of his castle
Results of Wakefield: The heads of York, his son, Edmund Earl of Rutland and Salisbury (Richard Neville, Warwick’s father, were put on pikes and displayed by the victorious Lancastrians over Micklegate Bar in York. The Duke of York’s son, Edward, became the new Duke of York. Hearing of the destruction and chaos left in the wake of Margaret’s army marching on London, whole towns, such as Coventry, switched allegiance from Lancaster to York.
