The Wars Of The Barons (1459-61) Flashcards
1
Q
The renewal of war
A
- Yorkists main aim was to gain control of government
- York tried to raise support in Whales, Salisbury north of England, and Warwick Calais
- Warwick could count on the support of many men from the garrison, who were commanded by Sir Andrew Trollope
- Warwick was popular in Calais, as his piratical raids kept the men of the garrison paid and loyal
- also hugely popular in Kent and home counties
2
Q
The battle of Blore Heath (23rd Sep 1459)
A
- on the way to meet Warwick and York with their armies, Salisbury was confronted by Lord Audley & Dudley at Blore Heath on 23rd Sep 1459
- Salisbury attacked the lords and defeated their forces, killing Lord Audley and Lord Dudley was captured
- while this was a victory, it discredited the Yorkist claim that they were loyal subjects
3
Q
The route of Ludford bridge (12th Oct 1459)
A
- after Blore Heath, Salisbury, York and Warwick met at Ludlow as planned
- they presented an indenture between York and Salisbury binding them to save only their allegiance to the king and their demands to Henry by the prior of Worcester Cathedral priory
- after demands presented, Yorkists retreated back to Ludlow due to the threat of Henrys large army
- Henry offered terms to Yorkists including a pardon, they did not wish to compromise but they could not contend with Henrys force, nevertheless they still refused kings terms
- 12th Oct 1459 Yorkists forces confronted royal forces at Ludford bridge
- at sight of royalist forces, followers from the garrison led by Trollope fled, and Yorkist lords deserted their their troops in the night
- York fled to Ireland with his son Earl of Rutland, while Warwick, Salisbury and Yorks oldest son Earl of March fled to Calais
4
Q
Parliament of Devils
A
- Parliament met at Coventry on 20th Nov 1459 and was full of Lancastrian supporters
- on first day a Bill of Attainder was produced making York, Salisbury, Warwick, and others declared traitors and their lands and titles were sentenced to forfeit
- Somerset given Captaincy of Calais, but only in name as Warwick refused to give it up and those at Calais still supported him
- Wiltshire given lieutenancy of Ireland, but again only in name
- Henry still wished for leniency so aimed to keep peace by attaining only ring leaders
- Yorkists planned on returning to England with armed force
5
Q
The battle of Northampton (10th Jul 1460)
A
- 26th June 1460 Yorkist force landed at Sandwich in Kent and marched through Kent and into London
- London was suffering from the general economy and there was a belief Henry’s ministers showed too much favour to foreign merchants, so no wonder Yorkists was able to move so freely into London
- London was crucial in legitimising the rule of the monarch and in 1450 it was reluctant to show its hand until it supplied Yorkists with troops and finances on their entry
- Henry summoned his supporters to Northampton and dug ditches guarded by cannons
- Yorkist force followed and laid out their demands, still protesting their loyalty
- royalist cannons did not work due to wet conditions and on 10th July 1460 Henry was defeated
- Buckingham, Shrewsbury and Lord Egremont were killed and Henry himself was captured and taken to London where Parliament was called in order to cancel sentence against Yorksist
- Anjou and Prince Edward fled north
6
Q
Rule of Richard of York as protector of England
A
- York was delayed in returning to England after Northampton and stayed in Ireland for 3 months
- in his absence Yorkist Earls ruled in the name of the king
- Lancastrians replaced with Yorkists in key roles:
- George Neville = chancellor
- Viscount Bourchier = treasurer
- John Neville = chamberlain
- York returned 8th Sep 1460 displaying the royal banner and acted in the manner of a king
- York was no longer content to just control the government on Henry’s behalf and he now laid claim to the throne through Edward III
- his declaration was not a popular move and Parliament was not prepared to consent to this
- York was forces to submit a written case for his claim and on 25th Oct 1460 an Act of Accord was agreed, which contained 3 main points:
1) Henry VI was to remain on the throne
2) York was to govern as Protector of England
3) York was named Henrys heir in place of Prince Edward - was unpopular with a lot of people and some stopped supporting York
- officially made the wars dynastic
7
Q
The Lancastrian revival
A
- the Accord resulted in the development of a strong group of supporters around Anjou and Prince Edward, these included: Jasper Tudor and Pembroke in Whales
- York sent Edward Earl of March to deal with Jasper Tudor
- Anjou based herself in York and was joined by Somerset and Devon in December
- Exeter and Northumberland were also ready to swell the queens forces
- she also gained support from the Scots
- Yorks only option was gather their own forces to confront the queen
8
Q
The battle of Wakefield (30th Dec 1460)
A
- York and Salisbury went north to face Anjou while Warwick and Norfolk remained in London
- York had a small force but hoped to recruit more men on the way
- York arrived at his castle in Yorkshire to discover there were not only few provisions in the town, but the queens force was surprisingly large
- they attempted to suppress the queens force at Wakefield on 30th Dec 1460 but it was a disastrous defeat and York, his son Edmund, Earl of Rutland, and Salisbury were killed
- Somerset, Northumberland, and Clifford finally avenged their fathers from 1st battle of St Albans
- head of York and Salisbury displayed on gates of York and a paper crown was put on Yorks his head
9
Q
Mortimers cross (2nd Feb 1461)
A
- Lancastrian army making way south after defeating Richard at Wakefield
- Edward, Duke of York (Richard, Duke of Yorks son) was building up forces in the Welsh Marches
- Edward intercepted Jasper Tudors army trying to meet up with Anjou
- a parhelion had formed and Edward used it claiming it was the holy trinity blessing his army
- Edwards archers fired heavy volleys at advancing foot soldiers and as Lancastrian lines began to thin out, Edward ordered his right flank to charge
- Yorkists wrapped them up against river and defeated them
- Owen Tudor was captured sentenced to die
- Edward had proved himself and went to meet up with Warwick to prepare for Anjou’s force
- he declared himself King 4th March 1461 using the justification Henry had failed to honour the Act of Accord by killing Richard
- this was the only way the Yorkists could legitimise their rule now they could no longer show they were acting on kings behalf
- Edward had complete support and encouragement of Warwick
10
Q
The 2nd battle of St Albans (17th Feb 1461)
A
- Anjou made two key mistakes: she didn’t pay her Scottish troops and allowed her troops to plunder at will on her way to London
- she was met by Warwicks forces at St Albans who had the most modern weapons at the time, yet despite these weapons, Warwicks plan to bombard Anjou was thwarted as her forces moved to quickly, outflanking his defences and it was a total defeat
- London was abandoned by the Yorkists and the Lancastrian forces ultimately regained control of Henry VI
- however, Anjou fatally didn’t take London, the city dithered about allowing the army through its gates due to its reputation of pillaging, and Anjou decided to retreat north once more
11
Q
The battle of Towton (29th Mar 1461)
A
- Anjou arranged her army at Towton
- Edward responded with a slow march north on 13th Mar in order to gain as much support as possible
- forces met 29th Mar and Yorkists had wind behind them helping their archers
- Lancastrians forced to charge resulting in hand-to-hand combat
- snow made it hard to tell who was winning during close combat
- lasted hours but at dusk Lancastrians fell back to River Cock even though it looked like they were winning but they could not tell due to conditions
- arrival of Norfolk broke Lancastrian rank entirely and Lancastrians fled
- Henry, Anjou and Prince Edward all fled to Scotland
- was the bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil
- Edwards brother Richard made Duke of Gloucester and and George made Duke of Clarence
