The war of the roses

The War of the Roses.

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The Prehistory

It was in this year [1411], that Richard Plantagenet was born to

Richard, fifth Earl of Cambridge and Anne Mortimer. His father was the son

of Edmund, the first Duke of York, who was in turn the fourth son of Edward

III. If Henry VI had died before 1453, the year of the birth of Edward,

Prince of Wales, then Richard would have undoubtedly been crowned King of

England, since there was no other noble (since the death of Henry VI's

uncle and heir Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, who had died in 1447) with

such a strong claim to the throne at that time, other than Richard himself.

Being so highly placed in the royal household, Richard was destined to

play a significant role in the Government and politics of England

throughout his lifetime and in England's affairs in France during the later

stages of the Hundred Years War. He was appointed Lieutenant of France in

1436. Throughout his service in Europe, he had to pay for the services of

his men and finance the army in France from his own personal funds.

Although York was a wealthy man in his own right, (York was the sole

benefactor of the childless Edmund Mortimer, who had died of plague in

Ireland in 1425). It was his marriage to Cicely Neville in 1438 (who was

known as 'The Rose of Raby'), daughter to Ralph Neville, Earl of

Westmoreland and sister of Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, which had

brought him great wealth. Thus, he was able, albiet unhappily in doing so,

to fund the English army overseas. By the time he left France, York had

forwarded some Ј38,000 of his own money to maintain English interests in

France. To add insult to injury, in 1445 he was replaced as Lieutenant of

France by Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset. It is not to be doubted that

it was on Somerset's advice (who was Henry VI cousin, and someone Henry

trusted more than the Duke of York) that Henry VI created York Lieutenant

of Ireland, which was in reality, exile by office. Somerset was no doubt

fearful of York, a fear enhanced by the fact that Somerset, a man whom York

equally detested, and a favourite of Henry VI was forwarded funds to the

sum of Ј25,000 to sustain the king's army in France.

Not only did York detest Somerset because of his favouritism with the

king, but he also detested the fact that he had been given the office he

had previously held in France and the funds to support it, despite his

inability as a soldier. York's fears over the management of the campaign in

France was soon realised, as the war began to go badly for the English. The

Duke of Somerset was personally responsible for the surrender of the

strategic town of Rouen which subsequently led to the fall of Normandy to

Charles VII of France. Because of this, Somerset became distinctly

unpopular at home. However, because he retained the king's favour, he

maintained his prestigious position at court. In June 1451, Bordeaux in

France, and Gascony, were lost to the French. This was disastrous news for

the English and the King, Henry VI, took the loss very badly. York in turn,

was quick to blame Somerset for the disaster and, with support for the king

and his adherents at such a low point (due mainly to English failings in

France), York, decided to risk all and attempt to wrest control from the

king by force of arms and arrest the Duke of Somerset, thus removing him

from his position as the king's most senior advisor.

Doubtless this move was not only inspired by York's fear for the conduct

of the war in France, but also because he was equally fearful that Somerset

might take over the very position that York felt was his own, that of the

most likely heir to Henry in the absence of the king having any children of

his own. Thus York, believing that he had more popular support than he

actually had, sailed from Ireland and landed in North Wales, gathered his

forces and travelled straight for London and the encounter at Blackheath.

The Wars of the Roses Begin

After York's release from custody, there then followed several years of

relative peace. However, by the year 1453, the political storm clouds were

once again gathering over the country. By this year, England's possessions

in France had been almost lost as the disastrous Hundred Years War had all

but come to an end . It was this - it is said - that brought about the

first bout of madness in Henry VI. What form this illness took is not

recorded, but it seems that it manifested itself in a form of paralysis.

York, with the king incapacitated, was made protector of England and took

the opportunity to seek revenge on his earlier enemies, namely the Duke of

Somerset, who was sent to the Tower on a revised charge of treason (for his

poor management of the war in France) in September 1453. The Earl of

Salisbury, Richard Neville and his eldest son Richard, Earl of Warwick,

also took the opportunity afforded by the king's illness and, under the

cover of their kinsman's protectorate began to seek their revenge against

the Percy family, the Earls of Northumberland, with whom, they had held a

long running feud, over the issue of ownership of property in

Northumberland and Yorkshire .

Thus, England was plunged into a series of minor wars between the land's

most powerful lords to which the Duke of York, as protector was able to use

his authority to the advantage of his family and supporters. However, this

all came to an end when the king recovered from his illness in January

1455. Somerset was released from the Tower, and immediately formed a

natural alliance with Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland (and Percy's ally

in the north Lord Clifford), against the Duke of York - who was stripped of

his powers as protector - and his supporters, namely the Earl of Salisbury

and the Earl of Warwick. With this the battle lines for the 'Wars of the

Roses' were drawn. The pact between Somerset, Northumberland and Clifford,

supported by the king would in later years go by the name of Lancastrians,

taken from the family name of the House of Lancaster to which the lineage

of Henry VI was derived. While the followers of the House of York, Warwick,

Salisbury and the Duke of York himself became known as the Yorkists.

1455-1464

First St. Albans, Northampton, Wakefield, Mortimer's Cross, Second St.

Albans, Towton and Hexham.

In May 1455 the queen and Somerset summoned a Council, to which no

prominent Yorkist was invited, and ordered a gathering of the peers at

Leicester to take steps for the king's safety. York marched south to secure

a fair hearing from the king, while the court moved towards Leicester,

escorted by a large number of nobles and their retainers. The king and

Somerset did not learn of York's actions until they were en route to

Leicester. They tried to assemble an army, but there was insufficient time;

at nightfall on 21 May, when the two sides camped only 20 miles apart, the

king's 'army' still consisted of just his escort and their retainers.

Both sides decided to advance against their adversary during the night,

and these marches became a race for the chief town of the area, St. Albans.

The king's army arrived there at 7am, and York halted at Key Fields, east

of the town, at about the same time. There followed a pause of three hours

while reconciliation was attempted, York offering to withdraw if the king

would surrender Somerset, whom York considered a traitor. The king (i.e.

Somerset!) refused, and York ordered the attack(see map).