Edward's security 1461-65 Flashcards
Battle of Towton
29th March 1461
Now 2 kings issuing commissions of Array, impossible to avoid conflict
Somerset was in control of the Lancastrians as Margaret, Henry and Edward chose to stay away
Yorkists used blizzard conditions to their advantage
Major Lancastrians killed- Devon, Northumberland and Trollope
Significance of Towton
Weakened power of Lancastrian families
42 Lancastrian knights were executed
Edward had displayed his dynamism as a leader
Many Lancastrians changed allegiance, eg Lord Rivers
Attempts to secure his position
1461
Edward created or revived 35 titles of nobility during his reign, his brothers were named dukes and William Hastings was now a Lord
Heavily rewarded the Nevilles, made Warwick warden of both northern marches
Law and order wasn’t upheld completely, still some disputes unresolved, Warwick and Herbert feuding over Newport
1462
Margaret and Louis XI alliance, secret agreement of Chinon 24th June
Agreed that Louis would support Margaret with aid if she gave him Calais
Lancastrians had control over Bamburgh, Alnwick and Dustanburgh castles as the gates opened up to them
Warwick led sieges of the castles in the winter and Bamburgh and Dustanburgh surrendered
Alnwick was able to hold from and were relieved by a Scots army
1463
Ralph Percy helped Lancastrians back into castles
Warwick and Monatgue confronted Scots at Norham and Scots fled
Edward changed tactic to diplomacy, best way to defat opposition was by cutting of lines of support from foreign powers
Agreed a truce with Louis XI, agreed to provide no aid to Lancastrians
December also secured a deal with the Scots, Henry was no longer welcome in Edinburgh and had to retreat to Bamburgh
Lancastrians boxed into a corner
1464
Duke of Somerset had briefly sworn allegiance to Edward in 1463, but now led the new wave of Lancastrian attacks
Woodville marriage
Battle of Hedgley Moor
25th April, Montagu fought off attackers at the Battle of Hedgely Moor
Unreliable Ralph Percy was killed and Montagu took the initiative to head north
Battle of Hexham
End of April 1464, Montague heard that the Lancastrians were mustering forces
Encountered the Lancastrians at Hexham on 15th May, with a force of 4,000
Most rebels were captured and executed afterwards
Somerset, Hungerford and Sirl William Tailboys were all executed
1464 (2)
Having lost principal commanders, the Lancastrian garrisons in the castles in Northumberland had no choice but to surrender
Alnwick and Dustanburgh returned to the Lancastrian hands and Alnwick castle was finally recaptured
1465
July
Henry VI was captured near Clitheroe in Lancashire, imprisoned in Tower of London
The only remaining centre of Lancastrian resistance was the garrison of Harlech in Wales which surrendered in 1468
