Profile - Cecily Neville Part 1 1415-1460

The 80 years of Cecily Neville's life would see her family's power rise, fall and rise again as she became wife of a pretender to the English throne, mother to the two Yorkist kings, and grandmother to the first Tudor queen. Cecily, however, would tragically outlive her husband and all of their 13 children.

'ROSE OF RABY'

Cecily Neville was born on 3 May 1415 at Raby Castle in Durham as youngest daughter to parents Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland, and Joan Beaufort with Cecily's good looks rewarded with the sobriquet 'Rose of Raby'. Her maternal grandparents were the English prince, John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, and Katherine Swynford. The family connections to the Beauforts would see Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry Tudor, as Cecily's second cousin.

Ralph Neville had become the royal warden of Richard, Duke of York after York's father, Richard of Conisburgh,  was condemned to death in 1415, and the young duke arrived at Raby Castle in December 1423 to live with the Nevilles. Cicely's father betrothed her to York in October 1424 at the expense of 3,000 marks to the crown to release York from his wardship. Cicely was 14 years-old and York was 18 when the couple married in October 1429 and would remain married for 31 years with Cicely bearing 13 children, seven of whom survived childhood.

Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire was a favourite family residence

York's vast estates would see Cecily live in Ludlow Castle in Shropshire, Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire and Baynard's Castle in London. The contented marriage saw Cicely follow her husband to France and Ireland during York's time in office. Rouen in France would see the births of Cecily's eldest living sons Edward and Edmund and second living daughter, Elizabeth, between 1443 and 1444.The third living son, George, was born in 1449 in Dublin, Ireland and Cicely would bear children across 17 years and daughters Anne, Margaret and youngest son Richard were all born at Fotheringhay Castle. This would indicate that Fotheringhay Castle was the family's favourite residence.

Cicely was renowned for her piety, attending eight services a day, and this would make a mockery of later Lancastrian propaganda that slandered her as an adulteress with the rumour that Edward IV was born a bastard to Blaybourne, a French archer. The Duchess would vehemently protest against this slander and Cicely's own pride and temper would bring her the nickname 'Proud Cis'.

LADY PROTECTOR

The Duke and Duchess of York attended the wedding of King Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou in May 1445 and the queen would show court nepotism at Duke of York's expense. Cecily's first cousin, Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, replaced York as Lieutenant of France but wasn't able to emulate York's time in office as France reclaimed Normandy along the English Channel coast.

Southern England was fearful of a French invasion and Jack Cade led an unsuccessful rebellion against the king and his "friends". Cade appealed to York supporters by calling himself Mortimer after York's ancestors and demanded that Henry VI removed his friends or the king would be replaced by York if this wasn't done.

York had no association with Cade but the rebellion caused many at court to ponder whether York was going to claim the throne when he travelled from Ireland to England in September 1450. York protested his allegiance to the king and demanded Somerset's arrest over France. Henry VI initially agreed but the queen intervened and duly promoted her court favourite to Captain of Calais. York was in turn given a much the lower ranked title of Justice of the Forest South of the Trent. 

Cecily's nephew, Earl of Warwick, originally supported his Beaufort relatives

A frustrated York returned to his estates. Cecily, pregnant with Richard, may have encouraged York to reassert his power and birthright which led to her husband gathering troops and marching on London but he would find the capital gates locked. York reached Dartford in Kent and faced off against the royal troops including Cecily's brother, Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury and his son, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. York looked for peace and demanded Somerset's arrest but the queen intervened once again.  

Margaret of Anjou was incensed to see Somerset being carried away in chains and a showdown in the royal tent saw Queen Margaret demand York's arrest instead. The Duke returned to London being paraded like a prisoner at the head of the royal party.

Cecily and the queen met at the shrine of Our Lady of  Walsingham

Cecily came to her husband's defence and the queen agreed to hear the Duchess' pleas for clemency at the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in Norfolk. The Duchess would later write to the queen and praised the meeting where Cecily surmised that her husband's "infinite sorrow and unrest of heart" caused him to be "estranged from the grace and benevolent favour" of the king. Cecily's plan worked as the queen stopped pursuing York's imprisonment but York he was publicly humiliated at St. Paul's Cathedral where he swore an oath of allegiance to the king. 

York was mindful of his own father's fate and withdrew to his estates once again to spend time with the family. York also provided much needed support to his in-laws in their land disputes with Somerset and Neville's northern rivals, the Percies. 

The royal couple welcomed their long-awaited heir in 1453 when the queen gave birth to Prince Edward. Henry VI was unable to acknowledge his son's existence after the king descended into a severe bout of mental illness following England's heavy loss at the Battle of Castillon. England needed a leader as York returning to court and was elected Lord Protector in March 1454. York brought much needed order and appointed his brother-in-law, Salisbury, as Chancellor and his nephew, Warwick, became Captain of Calais.

York's control of government didn't last long as Henry VI regained his senses during Christmas 1454 and Somerset, imprisoned in the Tower by York, was released. Parliament was to reconvene in Leicester in May 1455 and York saw this as a ruse by the queen to arrest him. Cecily's brother and nephew joined her husband and intercepted the royal army at the First Battle of St. Albans where Somerset was killed and the king captured. 

Cecily's brother successfully fought off a Lancastrian charge at Blore Heath

York would return as Lord Protector after Henry VI relapsed towards the end of 1455 and a rejuvenated king kept Warwick on as Captain of Calais after Henry VI recovered in 1456. The queen would now target Cecily's nephew with charges of piracy and a suspected murder plot against Warwick, further antagonising the Yorkist and Lancastrian divide. York and the Nevilles gathered troops and met at Ludlow in October 1459 after Salisbury had defeated a portion of the royal army at the Battle of Blore Heath en-route to Shropshire.  

DESERTED

Henry VI led his troops to just south of Ludlow and offers of royal pardons proved too tempting to York's army as Warwick's Calais troops commanded by Andrew Trollope, defected. The Battle of Ludford Bridge proved to be bloodless after York abandoned his army and fled the battlefield. York took Edmund, now Earl of Rutland, to Ireland whilst Edward, now Earl of March, joined his uncle and cousin in fleeing to Calais. 

Cecily and her children were captured in Ludlow Market Square

Cecily was left to defend Ludlow with her three youngest children and they were discovered by the Lancastrian army at Ludlow Market Cross. Cecily pleaded for clemency once again and was placed under the care of her sister Anne, Duchess of Buckingham, and her husband, the Lancastrian commander, Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham.

The Duchess of York and her youngest children stayed with the Buckinghams at Tunbridge Castle in Kent and it's close proximity to Calais would have allowed possible secret communications between Cecily and her eldest son. Cecily, like seven years before, defended her husband at court and asked for a royal pardon. She was unsuccessful in preventing her husband, brother and nephew being given an Act of Attainder which forfeited all their lands and titles. The queen, possibly remembering the time at Walsingham, may have taken pity on Cecily and the defunct-Duchess was granted £600 a year to support herself and her children.

Cecily resided in London at Banyard's Castle before York returned to England

Cecily's nephew and husband met in Ireland during the spring of 1460 to plan a return to England and Warwick, Salisbury and Edward landed in Sandwich on the Kent coast in June 1460. Salisbury held London and welcomed his sister to the capital as she took up residence in Banyard's Castle following the Yorkist victory at the Battle of Northampton. Warwick and Edward faced the royal troops in July 1460 near Northampton where treachery would allow March to take the vanguard and breach Lancastrian defences. The Lancastrian commanders were taken by surprise once the Yorkists were behind the front-lines and Buckingham would die defending the king who would once again be captured and brought back to London.

QUEEN-IN-WAITING

York returned to England on 8 September 1460 and immediately sent word to Cecily for the married couple to meet at Hereford. Cecily travelled to the west country in a charriot or litter dressed in blue velvet and carried by eight horses. York likely discussed his intentions of claiming the throne with Cicely at Hereford and, wIth Margaret of Anjou fleeing to Scotland, Cecily acted every part of a queen as she carried the royal arms during her husband's procession to London.

The Duke and Duchess of York reunited in Hereford before proceeding to London

Her husband's bold move in claiming the throne from Henry VI got little support in Parliament including Warwick and Salisbury who weren't aware of York's plan. A compromise in Parliament was struck in late October 1460 with an Act of Accord declaring York as heir-apparent and disinherited Prince Edward. York and his heirs would now take the throne once Henry VI died and Cecily became a queen-in-waiting. 

Word soon spread that Margaret of Anjou was courting Scottish support and the Percies were raiding the Yorkshire estates of York and Salisbury. York sent Edward to the Welsh Marches to rally the troops, Warwick held London and York took Edmund and Salisbury north to face the Lancastrians. Cecily gave her husband and son a fond farewell in early December 1460 and expected to welcome their return in the New Year. This never happened and Cecily was devastated when she heard of the deaths of her husband, second son and eldest brother at the Battle of Wakefield.

Profile - Edmund Plantagenet, Earl of Rutland 1443-1460

Edmund Plantagenent, Earl of Rutland, was second son to Richard, Duke of York, who fought alongside his father at the Battle of Wakefield.

BOY CHANCELLOR

Rutland was born in Rouen, France, in 17 May 1443 as the fifth child and second surviving son of the Duke of York and Cecily Neville. Edmund was granted the Earldom in 1446 and was tutored by Richard Croft at Ludlow Castle, his father's Shropshire estate. York showed his love to his eldest sons, Edward, Earl of March, and Rutland, by giving them green gowns as Easter gifts in 1454 despite York being busy at court becoming Protector of the Realm that spring.

York held the title Lieutenant of Ireland and appointed Rutland as Lord Chancellor of Ireland when his son was just eight-year-old. With Rutland underage, governing Ireland's coffers was tasked to Deputy Chancellors Edmund Oldhall, brother to York's Chamberlain, and then John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury. 

Following defeat at the Battle of Ludford Bridge on 12 October 1459, York took Rutland to Ireland via Devon and Wales, whilst leaving his wife and young children, Margaret, George and Richard, to the might of the royal army. The 16-year-old Rutland was able to study his father command order and respect in Ireland but soon discovered their stay in exile wouldn't last long after York discussed return plans with his nephew, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, at Waterford in spring 1460.

York and Rutland returned from Ireland on 8 September 1460, landing in north Wales, and traveled to Ludlow and Hereford. It was at Hereford where Rutland met up with his mother and younger siblings but he followed his father's march south to London. York's march was signaled with the flying of the royal standard as if it was his own and York proclaimed his right to the throne by placing a hand upon it on 10 October 1460.

York's actions were derisive and alienated his supporters including Warwick and his father, Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury. An incensed Warwick challenged York in the pretender's Westminster apartments but a brave and loyal Rutland came to his father's defence by saying to Warwick, "Fair Sir, be not angry, for you know that we have the true right to the crown, and that my lord and father must have it."   

Rutland clashed with the Earl of Warwick following York's public claim to the throne

Rutland's older brother Edward, who had escaped Ludford Bridge to Calais with Warwick, looked to calm the atmosphere by saying to Rutland, "Brother, vex no man, for all shall be well." Edward left the apartments with Warwick and Rutland stayed by his father's side. Later that month, Parliament passed an Act of Accord that decreed York and his heirs would inherit the throne after Henry VI, despite the fact that the king had a son, Prince Edward of Westminster.

Rutland accompanied his father's march north from London on 9 December 1460 after York and Salisbury's northern estates had been looted by Lancastrian forces. After a skirmish with the troops of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset, at Worksop, Nottinghamshire, York's army reached Sandal Castle near Wakefield on 21 December 1460.

BATTLE

The Battle of Wakefield on 30 December 1460 saw York lead his men out of Sandal Castle in search for a foraging party who had earlier left under the  apparent safety of a Christmas truce. The Lancastrian forces were led by Somerset, Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, and Lord John Clifford, whose fathers had all died at First Battle of St. Albans five years previously.

York was ambushed on Wakefield Green and commanded his son to flee the battle to meet up with his brother, Edward, who was building up reinforcements in the Welsh marches. Under protest, Rutland left the battlefield and made it as far as Wakefield Bridge before he was captured. Clifford met his captive on the bridge and was urged by Rutland's tutor, priest Robert Aspell to ransom Rutland, "for he is the Prince's son, and peradventure may do you good hereafter." Clifford replied in anger, "By God’s blood, thy father slew mine and so will I do thee and thy kin,” before stabbing Rutland to death.

Rutland begs Sir John Clifford for mercy

The decapitated head of Rutland would soon join the heads of his father and uncle on spikes atop of Micklegate Bar in York. The bodies of Rutland and York were hastily buried in Pontefract Priory until Edward, now King Edward IV, reinterred them in the family vault at Fotheringhay Castle on 30 January 1466.

Profile - Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, 1406-1455

Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, enjoyed favouritism at the royal court despite his ineptness and created many enemies, the biggest of which was Richard, Duke of York.

RISE TO POWER

The Duke was born in 1406 to John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset and Margaret Holland and his paternal grandparents were John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and his mistress, Katherine Swyford. 

Somerset' rise to power owes credit to the actions of his uncle, Cardinal Beaufort, who wielded influence on the Privy Council and Somerset became Lieutenant of France in 1446. York was expecting a third term in office in France and was aggrieved to be replaced by Somerset.

Cardinal Beaufort - Somerset's powerful uncle

The French campaign of the late 1440s turned into a disaster for Somerset who was unprepared for France breaking truce and taking Normandy from the English. Somerset, stationed in Rouen, negotiated with the French to hand over the city if they allowed England to keep towns along the Norman coast. The French soon broke terms and captured the ports of Honfleur and Harfleur, famously won by Henry V almost 35 years previously.

DISCONTENT

England was now full of discontent following the capitulation in France and the south coast was fearful of a French invasion. Jack Cade led a rebellion against the king and he publicly named York as a successor to the throne. York's claim to the throne was a strong one with him being great-great-great grandson to Edward III's third son, Lionel of Antwerp and grandson to Edward III's fifth son, Edmund of Langley. Somerset also had royal blood as he descended from Edward III's fourth son, John of Gaunt, and the descending Beauforts were declared legitimate by Richard II on the provision that they wouldn't claim the throne. Many at court wondered whether Somerset would actually stake a claim to the throne after Cardinal Beaufort had died in 1447 and the king had yet borne an heir. 

Somerset's loss of Normandy was completed in July 1450 when he handed Caen over to the French and York demanded that Somerset be held to account. King Henry VI agreed to arrest Somerset but his wife, Margaret of Anjou, convinced the king to not only remove charges against Somerset, but to also appoint him as Constable of England. The 20-year-old queen had grown close to Somerset and rumours spread throughout court that Margaret was cuckolding the king with Somerset.

Margaret of Anjou - Somerset's confidant and rumoured lover

York returned to England from his lieutenancy of Ireland in September 1450 and implored the king to imprison Somerset for his failures. Parliament impeached Somerset three months later and was taken to the Tower of London but the queen intervened once again and ordered his releases. Londoners loyal to York were incensed and ransacked Somerset's home, much to the king's dismay.

Troops were rallied by York and marched to London to find the capital gates locked. York faced Henry VI's army at Dartford on March 2 1451 and the king agreed to York's demands of arresting Somerset and declaring York his heir in exchange for the duke's allegiance. The queen, unaware of the bargain, saw her beloved Somerset arrested the next day and argued with the king for his release. 

York entered the king's tent to continue negotiations and came across the queen, with Somerset by her side, arguing with the king. Margaret projected her anger towards York and demanded him to be arrested instead. The king once again bowed to his queen by releasing Somerset and had York swear an oath of allegiance at St. Paul's Cathedral. York was left dismayed when Somerset was appointed Captain of Calais and removed himself from court.

Somerset's rise to power also aggrieved other nobles as he was awarded wardship of Glamorgan in June 1453 on lands owned by Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. This land dispute would result in Warwick crucially siding with his uncle, Duke of York, a decision that would later haunt Somerset.

A month later, English defeat at the Battle of Castillon resulted in the loss of Gascony and left Calais as the only English possession in mainland France. This sent Henry VI into a mental breakdown that would leave the king unable to recognise his new born son, Prince Edward. Henry VI's disregard of his son led many, including Warwick, to question whether the prince was actually the result of an adulterous affair between Somerset and the queen.

On 24 October 1453, Somerset, in the queen's name, summoned a Great Council to determine a possible regency and York was uninvited. Somerset relented to the nobles' protests and allowed York to attend. York flexed his muscles and, upon appointment as Protector of the Realm, placed Somerset in the Tower of London. The king regained his senses in late 1454 and would listen to his wife's demands once again by releasing Somerset and reinstated him as Captain of Calais.

BOSOM OF POWER

York once again removed himself from court and began arming himself for a potential conflict. Somerset was back in the bosom of power with the queen by his side and the two effectively ruled England. They summoned a Great Council meeting to be held in Leicester instead of London and York viewed his invitation as a possible ruse. Somerset and the queen convinced the king that York's refusal to attend was a declaration of war and Henry VI ordered York to attend.

On 22 May 1455, York's forces, along with Warwick and his father, Earl of Salisbury, met the royal army at the First Battle of St Albans. York had looked to avoid conflict with Henry VI and, like Dartford, sent word of negotiations to the king. Somerset goaded the king to send back words of aggression to York who attacked the town shortly thereafter.

York and Salisbury led the attack on the Lancastrian defences but Lord Thomas Clifford repulsed their efforts. Warwick came through the inn gardens and attacked Clifford from the rear. Lancastrians signalled the call to arms with a tolling of the abbey bell and Somerset joined the melee. He was in a desperate hand-to-hand combat by Castle Inn and became distracted when he saw the inn's sign. He recognised a soothsayer's prophecy to him that said to stay away from castles and his hesitancy allowed the Yorkist soldier to strike home. 

A plaque marking the spot of Somerset's death in modern St. Albans

York was victorious at St Albans and escorted the king back to London. Somerset was buried in St. Albans Abbey but his cause was taken up by his son, Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset, who avenged his father's death five years later at the Battle of Wakefield with the death of the Duke of York.

Profile - Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury 1400-1460

Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury, was a key Yorkist supporter in the beginning of the Wars of the Roses, and was also brother-in-law to Richard, Duke of York.

WARDEN OF THE NORTH

The Earl of Salisbury was born in 1400 at Raby Castle in County Durham and was the eldest son of Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland, and Joan Beaufort, daughter of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford. Salisbury's father was responsible for the wardship of the orphaned Duke of York, and Ralph Neville betrothed the wealthy duke to his youngest daughter, Cecily.

Richard Neville was married to Alice Montacute, daughter and heiress of Thomas Montacute, the Earl of Salisbury, sometime before February 1421 when they attended the coronation of Queen Catherine of Valois as a married couple. Ralph Neville died in 1425 and Richard inherited the family residence of Middleham Castle with the Earldom of Salisbury coming three years later when Alice's father died.

Middleham Castle - Seat of Neville Power

Salisbury became a commander at the age of 20 when appointed Warden of the West March on the Scottish border and was rewarded by Henry V in his appointment of Justice of the Peace in Cumberland, Westmoreland, and Durham. Salisbury began to frequent the royal court and accompanied the young King Henry VI to France for his coronation in 1431 and his fealty was rewarded by becoming Warden of the East March on the Welsh border.

In 1436, Salisbury resigned from both posts and accompanied York, the newly appointed Lieutenant of France, with 1,300 men-at-arms and archers to protect English lands on the French domain. Salisbury returned the following year and was repaid with a seat on the King's Council whilst also resuming the Wardenship of the West March. The wardenship caused resentment with the Percy family, who had lands just south of the Scottish border in Northumberland.

The Percys were aggrieved when Salisbury recruited men in their Cumberland and Westmorland estates and the Percys flouted Salisbury's rule during the Battle of Sark against the Scots in 1448. Salisbury was to feel the wrath of the Percys up close on 24 August 1453 when Thomas Percy, Lord Egremont, attacked Salisbury at Heworth Moor, outside York, on the journey home to Sheriff Hutton. Salisbury was returning from the wedding of his son Thomas and he fought off Egremont's men unscathed.

YORKIST

Salisbury's eldest son became Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick when he married the Warwick heiress Anne Beauchamp in 1449. Warwick was to exceed his father in lands, wealth and titles but remained loyal and Salisbury would take a high place in the Privy Council after Henry VI's mental breakdown. 

During the king's illness, York was elected Protector of the Realm on 27 March 1454 and assigned his brother-in-law as Chancellor. Salisbury wasn't able to tackle government overspending for long as York's influence diminished when Henry VI regained his sense on Christmas Day 1454. York and Warwick's enemy, Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, was released from the Tower of London and Salisbury resigned as Chancellor in 1455.

Henry VI's return to health saw Salisbury resign as Chancellor

English queen, Margaret of Anjou, focused her resentment on the Yorkists and requested the nobles to attend a Great Council meeting in Leicester on 21 May 1455. York, along with Salisbury and Warwick, saw the invitation as a ruse and took up arms to intercept the royal party before they reached Leicester.

Yorkist and royal forces clashed at the First Battle of St. Albans where Salisbury's and York's attempts to break the Lancastrian front line was assisted by Warwick's surprise attack from Lord Thomas Clifford's rear. The Lancastrian army was defeated and the king's lieutenants, including Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland, were killed. Henry VI was discovered in a tanner's house and Salisbury bent the knee with York and Warwick to show their allegiance to the king. 

Salisbury rode alongside the king as he was escorted back to London and his son was appointed Captain of Calais after York was proclaimed Constable of England that was later relinquished when Henry VI returned to good health. Warwick kept his captaincy of Calais and Margaret convinced the king to move the royal court to Coventry in Lancastrian heartland. York and Salisbury retired to their estates of Ludlow and Middleham but Salisbury was soon aggravated by the Percys.

Henry VI looked for peace throughout the nobility and called for talks in early 1458. The talks were disrupted by Sir John Clifford, Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland and Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset, whose fathers died at St. Albans. Henry VI conceded and allowed them to be compensated by York, Salisbury and Warwick. The peace talks culminated at Loveday 24 March 1458 but the public display of peace didn't continue as Margaret of Anjou and Warwick sparred with each other either side of the English Channel with Warwick lucky to escape London with his life.

MASTER OF DECEPTION

York and Salisbury gathered troops in anticipation and word was sent to Warwick to do the same. Salisbury left Middleham and marched south-west to meet York but was intercepted by royal forces at the Battle of Blore Heath on 23 September 1459. 

Lord Audley leads the attack on Salisbury

Margaret of Anjou had heard of Salisbury's movements and sent James Tuchet, Lord Audley, to intercept him. Audley chose the open field of Blore Heath in Staffordshire to attack Salisbury with his 10,000 men and took position behind a stream out Salisbury's archers range. Salisbury showed his experience by enticing Audley to cavalry charge when he feinted a retreat and two subsequent charges from the Lancastrians couldn't break Salisbury's lines. The fighting left 2,000 Lancastrians, including Audley, dead.

Salisbury was aware that the main Lancastrian army was nearby and tasked a friar to fire cannons left on the battlefield to mask his retreat. This ingenuity resulted in Salisbury linking up with York and Warwick by Ludlow. The royal army forced York to encamp south of Ludlow at the Battle of Ludford Bridge. The king's presence led to the defection of Warwick's forces and the three Yorkist commanders fled the battlefield with Salisbury, Warwick and York's son, Edward, Earl of March, headed south to Calais.

Exile in Calais lasted eight months with Warwick meeting with York in Ireland in March 1460 to plan their return two months later. Salisbury stayed in London to hold the city as Warwick and March successfully fought the royal forces at Battle of Northampton. Warwick returned to London with the king and York came to the city on 10 October 1460 to claim the throne for himself. York's unsuccessful public display to take the throne for himself alienated Salisbury and Warwick who were hesitant in deposing the king.

An Act of Accord on 24 October 1460 decreed that York and his subsequent heirs would inherit the throne after Henry VI but Margaret of Anjou was courting Scottish support with James III. 

News of Northumberland mobilising forces and raiding Salisbury and York estates led the two nobles, along with York's second eldest son, Edmund, Earl of Rutland, to leave London and march north. The Yorkist army clashed with Edmund Beaufort's army at Worksop, Nottinghamshire, and reached Sandal Castle near Wakefield on 21 December 1460. York was drawn out onto Wakefield Green and ambushed at the Battle of Wakefield on 30 December 1460. 

A crushing Yorkist defeat saw York die on the battlefield and Rutland was caught fleeing the battle and executed. Salisbury's attempt to flee the lost battle lasted a few more hours than Rutland's and he was caught and held at Pontefract Castle. Salisbury's captors were contemplating a ransom when the earl bribed a jailor to apparent safety but commoners saw Salisbury leaving, sprung an attack and executed him.

Salisbury's head would be spiked alongside those of York and Rutland on Mickelgate Bar in York but the Neville dynasty didn't end there. Warwick would later be the "Kingmaker" and Salisbury's grand-daughter, Anne Neville, became Queen Consort when Richard III came to the throne 23 years after the rout at Wakefield.

Profile - Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, Part 2 1458-1460

Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, will forever be known as the "Kingmaker" due to the power he wielded during the Wars of the Roses.

PIRATE

Warwick returned to Calais in the spring of 1458 and began courting friendship with Phillip of Burgundy, an important trade ally. Warwick looked to negotiate Prince Edward's betrothal to a Burgundian princess without King Henry VI and Queen Margaret of Anjou knowledge. Warwick continued to frustrate the royal couple by disregarding a truce between England and the Hanseatic League and plundered the ships of German wool traders as they entered the English Channel.

Map of 15th Century Calais

The queen summoned Warwick to London to answer for his piracy and Warwick arrived in the capital with 600 retainers to ward off the queen's threats. Warwick returned to the capital later that year and an accident by the king's scullion nearly left Warwick impaled on a spit in the royal kitchens. Warwick's men, suspicious of a plot, looked to kill the scullion and a fight broke out with the royal servants. Warwick overwhelmed the royal guard, seized the scullion and brought him before the queen. Margaret astutely ordered the kitchen orderly to death for attempted murder but later allowed the scullion to escape and flee to Yorkshire. 

Margaret persuaded the Council that it was Warwick who instigated the fight and had them issue an arrest warrant. Warwick fled to Calais  but returned when he heard of the queen's intentions of replacing him with Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset, as Captain of Calais. Warwick defiantly stood in front of the Council and reminded them that it was Parliament who appointed him as Captain of Calais and only Parliament could revoke his position. Warwick was attacked as he left the council chambers by retainers loyal to Margaret partisans, Somerset and the Earl of Wiltshire, and Warwick narrowly escaped to Calais.

Richard Duke of York and Warwick's father, Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, gathered troops and sent word to Warwick for assistance. Warwick rallied 200 men-at-arms and 400 archers to be commanded by Calais Master Porter, Andrew Trollope, and Warwick left Calais under the watch of his uncle, Lord Fauconberg.

York had rallied his troops near his residence of Ludlow in the Welsh marches and Salisbury travelled south from Middleham, Yorkshire, to join him. Warwick landed in Kent and marched north uncontested through London and on to Warwick Castle but the royal forces reached Warwick ahead of him and blocked the road north towards Salisbury. Warwick continued west and met up with York, and a battle-hardened Salisbury after Warwick's father was victorious in the Battle of Blore Heath. 

The Yorkist commanders, after taking communion at Worcester Cathedral, swore an oath of allegiance and respect to the king but Henry VI was persuaded by Margaret to ignore it. The king's forces pursued York south of Ludlow and York's army encamped on the shore of the River Tern, for the Battle of Ludford Bridge. 

BETRAYED

York 's outnumbered men were overawed in seeing the royal standard flying across the other side of the bridge and were unwilling to fight against the king himself. Henry VI seized on this and sent word to the Yorkists that a free pardon would be given to anyone, apart from Salisbury, who defected and this offer was too good a opportunity to miss for Trollope. Warwick's Calais contingent came over to the Lancastrians and York was fearful of Trollope informing the royal commanders details of his troop formations.

York, Salisbury and Warwick told their captains that they were to spend the night of October 12 1459 at Ludlow in order to plan their next move. The commanders used the cover of night to make their escape and fled the battlefield. The remaining Yorkist soldiers woke up to see their leaders gone and peacefully surrendered to the king. 

Flee into exile began at Ludford Bridge

York had taken his second eldest son, Edmund, Earl of Rutland, with him to Ireland whilst Warwick and Salisbury fled to Calais and were accompanied by York's eldest son, Edward, Earl of March. York had left behind his wife Cecily, daughter Margaret, and his youngest sons, George and Richard, to the mercy of the Lancastrian army and the family were found at Ludlow Market Cross. Cecily's sister and Warwick's fellow aunt, Anne, took them into care under the watchful eye of Anne's husband, Duke of Buckingham.

Warwick returned to Calais and was supported by it's people who rallied against Somerset, the newly appointed Captain of Calais. Somerset looked to assert his title by taking Calais for himself but found the city gate locked. Somerset was able to establish a base in nearby Guisnes and appointed Trollope the town's bailiff due, in part, to Trollope's knowledge of the area. Somerset continued to mount attacks on Calais but Warwick remained unnerved.  

Warwick still had one of his ships moored in Sandwich and the queen sent the husband of long-time friend, Jacquetta of Luxembourg, to commandeer the vessel. Richard Woodville, who was now Earl Rivers, and his son, Anthony, arrived at Sandwich but were soon taken prisoner by Warwick's supporters. The Woodvilles were taken across the English Channel and Warwick, Salisbury and March ridiculed their captives. Warwick especially berated Earl Rivers for being a son of a squire who had married himself into the nobility to become a lord.  

RETURN

Warwick was able to sail uncontested to Ireland to meet with York to plan their return from exile and Warwick, Salisbury and March landed in Sandwich on 26 June 1460. Salisbury stayed behind in London and Warwick marched north with 10,000 men towards the royal forces in Coventry. The Yorkist grievances were taken by three emissaries but were denied access to the king by Buckingham who responded that "the Earl of Warwick shall not come to the King's presence and if he comes he shall die." The two forces met at the Battle of Northampton on 10 July 1460 and Warwick sent message to Buckingham that "at 2 o'clock I will speak with the King or I will die." 

Warwick outnumbered the royal army two to one and advanced at 2 o'clock into hard wind and rain. Warwick's men were met with a fierce hail of Lancastrian arrows but the rain had made the royal artillery near useless. March took the vanguard up to the ditch guarding the Lancastrian right flank and were assisted by Lancastrian Lord Grey of Ruthin who had previously been bribed by Warwick and March. 

The battle lasted just half an hour once the Yorkists were behind the Lancastrian front lines and the royal troops fled the king's defence. Henry VI had remained in his tent behind the front line and his four lieutenants of Buckingham, Earl of Shrewsbury, Lord Egremont and Lord Beaumont, all died trying to stop the Yorkist approach.

Warwick kneels to the captured King Henry VI - depicted by Graham Turner

The Yorkist archer, Henry Mountfort, captured Henry VI and confined him to his royal tent until Warwick and March arrived. The earls knelt before the king and sought forgiveness after taking up arms against him once again in order to challenge those in his Council. The king had no choice but to accept and Warwick once again led the king back to London.

York arrived in London on 10 October 1460 and proclaimed his intentions by placing a hand on the throne and replied, "I know of no person in this realm that owes not to wait on me, rather than I of him" when asked by the Archbishop of Cantebury if York wished to see the king.

York's actions alienated Warwick and Salisbury. The Nevilles were angry at York for not consulting them and they remained hesitant about deposing the king. Warwick remonstrated with York in the pretender's Westminster lodgings and Rutland defended his father. March, fully aware of Warwick's power, calmed his younger brother, and a simmering Warwick left the apartments, speaking only with March.

Aware of the dissension in his own ranks, York detailed his hereditary claim to the throne to Parliament who passed an Act of Accord on 24 October 1460 that ordered York (and his heirs) as successors to the throne after Henry VI.

Margaret of Anjou had fled north with her now-disinherited son after her husband's defeat at Northampton and had travelled from Wales to Scotland. Margaret was negotiating terms with the Scottish king, James III, and Lancastrian forces began to build just south of the Scottish border.

York was disturbed by the news of a growing northern army and marshaled his troops by having March garrisoned to the west in the Welsh Marches whereas Warwick oversaw London. York, Salisbury and Rutland now marched north to meet the Lancastrians, and their deaths, at Battle of Wakefield.

Profile - Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, Part 1 1428-1458

Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, will forever be known as the "Kingmaker" due to the power he wielded during the Wars of the Roses.

EARL OF RICHES

The powerful magnate was born on 22 November 1428 to Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, and Alice Montague. The Nevilles had held Yorkshire strongholds since the 13th Century and Warwick's grandfather, Ralph, Earl of Westmorland,  joined the family to royal lineage with his marriage to Joan Beaufort, youngest daughter of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford.

Richard's betrothal at six years-of-age to Anne Beauchamp would prove to be highly fortuitous when the Beauchamp earldom of Warwick passed to him aged 20. Warwick owned land in 18 counties, from Cornwall to Yorkshire, with the greatest concentration in the West Midlands including the majestic Warwick Castle.

Warwick's early foe, Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset on horseback

A land dispute in Glamorgan, Wales, with the Lancastrian favourite, Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, led Warwick to side with his uncle, Richard, Duke of York, in the tumultuous year of 1453.

There had been eight childless years of marriage between King of England Henry VI and his queen consort Margaret of Anjou and the birth of Prince Edward of Westminster in 1453 should have strengthened the reign of Henry VI. But the king's mental breakdown left the country without a ruler.  

Henry VI's illness led to the king not acknowledging the existence of his son and Warwick contributed to court rumours that the baby boy was a bastard son born through an adulterous affair between the queen and Somerset.

Somerset's disastrous command of France led to his imprisonment in the Tower of London by York, now acting as Lord Protector following the king's incapacity. The head of the king's council, backed by Warwick and his father, was able to bring order and looked to balance the Crown's finances but York's peers were wary of the duke's true intentions. 

York was soon to resign as Protector when Henry VI regained his senses on Christmas Day 1454 and Somerset's swift release from the Tower led to the Yorkist faction to retire to their estates. Warwick quickly began assembling an army along with York and Salisbury and the three nobles suspected that the royal court was moving against them after they received invitations for a Great Council meeting in Leicester that would discuss the king's safety 'against his enemies'.

IN COMMAND

York led his men south to intercept Henry VI's men before they reached Leicester and the two forces clashed at the First Battle of St. Albans. 

The decisive moment in the battle came when Warwick led his men through inn gardens and attacked Lord Thomas Clifford's men holding the line against York and Salisbury's charges. The surprise attack from behind Clifford created a fierce battle through the streets of St. Albans and Warwick soon had the advantage when the Lancastrians fled.

Warwick instructed his archers to target the area around the king's royal standard on St. Peters Street and arrows rained down on the Lancastrian nobles. Clifford, Somerset, and Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, lay dead whilst Humphrey Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, and the king were struck in the face by Warwick's arrows. The king sought refuge in a tanner's house and was soon discovered by York. The Yorkist commanders knelt in front of their king and pleaded forgiveness for their actions in that they never intended to harm the king.

York and Warwick discover Henry VI's whereabouts (depicted by Graham Turner)

Henry VI accepted and was escorted back to London alongside York and Salibury, with Warwick leading the way with the king's sword. After another bout of illness, Henry VI recovered in early 1456 and recognised York's influence in court by awarding Warwick Captain of Calais on 20 April 1456. Warwick courted favour with the town's powerful wool merchants with financial rewards and began to build a vital power base in England's last French domain.

POPULAR

Warwick's popularity in London increased when he stopped Italian traders from taking an unlimited supply of English wool after the Italians exploited a royal licence that was granted to them.

The queen looked to maneuver against the Yorkists by negotiating terms with her uncle, King of France Charles VII, in exchange for military support. The French seized on this and attacked the English south coast town of Sandwich and whispers spread throughout court that Margaret was behind the attack in order to antagonise Warwick across the Straits of Dover in Calais.

Warwick's new foe - Queen Margaret

Discontent rumbled throughout the land due to Margaret's attempts of conscription and the raging battle between the northern Neville and Percy families, led Henry VI to look for peace and initiated talks in early 1458. The arrival of Sir John Clifford, and other nobles whose fathers were slain at St. Albans, threatened to disrupt the talks but Warwick, York and Salisbury agreed to pay for a chantry in the town and further compensated the fallen families.

The talks culminated in a public display of harmony between Yorkist and Lancastrian supporters on Loveday, 24 March 1458. Henry VI led the procession of harmonious inter-family couples with Warwick, following behind York and the queen, knowing that peace would be short lived.

Profile - Margaret of Anjou Part 2 1453-1460

Margaret of Anjou was reputably the most powerful woman in 15th Century England by ruling through her passive husband, Henry VI. 

GRIEF, JOY, DESPAIR

The year 1453 was a turbulent one for Margaret of Anjou. On 28 February, Margaret's mother died and a pregnant Margaret grieved over the death of the influential Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine, through the first half of the year. This grief turned to joy when Margaret gave birth to Prince Edward of Westminster on 13 October but Henry VI didn't join in the celebrations.

Henry VI's domain over France was reduced to just Calais following the heavy defeat at the Battle of Castillon on 17 July 1453 and the king descended into a mental breakdown. Charles VI of France was known for his bouts of insanity and his grandson, Henry VI, showed signs of schizophrenia as paranoid hallucinations plagued him in late 1453.

Prince Edward of Westminster

Margaret tried to protect Henry VI by removing him to Windsor but the queen couldn't keep her husband's malaise secret when Henry VI wouldn't acknowledge his new-born son. The Great Council named Richard Duke of York Protector of the Realm and Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, was placed in the Tower of London. The queen and her prince retired to Greenwich Palace until Henry VI regained his senses at Christmas 1454. York relinquished being Protector and Somerset was reinstated as Captain of Calais. 

Orders were sent to convene a Great Council meeting for 21 May 1455 in Leicester, away from York's London supporters, and York saw this as an opportunity for the royal forces to arrest him. York, and his commanders, the Neville-father and son, Earl of Salisbury and Earl of Warwick, gathered troops and marched south to meet the royal forces before they reached Leicester.

Margaret stayed with her son in Greenwich and was dismayed to hear of York's swift victory at First Battle of St. Albans that left Somerset dead and her husband captured. York named himself Constable of England and Protector of the Realm once again when Henry VI had a mental relapse under York's watch.

The king recovered in February 1456 and Henry VI now accepted York's influence at court. Margaret was less accommodating to York and convinced Henry VI to move court to her heartland of Coventry. The royal couple went around the country to display their unity and prince but discontent was rumbling in the north between the feuding Neville and Percy families.

Henry VI tried to nullify the discord and peace talks in 1458 culminated on 25 March in the Loveday celebrations when the king proudly led former enemies out of St. Paul's Cathedral in amicable pairs. Behind the king followed Margaret arm-in-arm with the Duke of York and the queen wasn't ready to end her hostilities with York just yet. 

ANTAGONISER

The Earl of Warwick had since replaced the deceased Somerset as Captain of Calais and the queen looked to antagonise Warwick by supporting French raids on the English south coast and later unsuccessfully charged Warwick with piracy.

York decided to move on the royal forces and gathered with Warwick and Salisbury a Battle of Ludford Bridge in September 1459. Salisbury had earlier beaten Margaret's forces at Battle of Blore Heath but talk of royal pardons to those who would defect to the king spread throughout York's camp. Warwick's 600 men from Calais, led by Anthony Trollope, changed sides on the eve of battle and the Yorkist commanders fled into exile.

Richard Woodville, Earl Rivers and husband to Jacquetta of Luxembourg

York took his second eldest son, Edmund, Earl of Rutland, to Ireland whilst Warwick and Salisbury made their way to Calais with York's eldest son, Edward, Earl of March. Warwick still had a ship moored in Sandwich on the English south-east coast and Margaret sent the husband of long-time friend, Jacquetta of Luxembourg, to commandeer the vessel. This expedition would soon backfire when Richard Woodville, Earl Rivers, and his son, Anthony, arrived at Sandwich to take the ship but were taken prisoner. Warwick, Salisbury and March each ridiculed their captives in Calais, with Warwick berating Earl Rivers for being a son of a squire who had married himself into the nobility.

Warwick, Salisbury and March returned to England in June 1460 and met the royal forces at the Battle of Northampton on 10 July 1460. Margaret and Prince Edward stayed within the Northampton city walls whilst Henry VI stayed in his royal tent behind the Lancastrian front line. This front-line was soon breached due to Warwick and March bribing a key Lancastrian general, Lord Grey of Ruthin, and the king's troops quickly fled. Henry VI's tent was guarded by his lieutenants who died protecting the king.

Warwick and March greeted Henry VI and escorted him back to London. The queen and prince quickly fled north-west to Cheshire and later Wales. York arrived in England on 9 September to claim the English throne for himself but was balked by those on the council loyal to the royal couple.

DISINHERITED

York was able to have an Act of Accord passed that disinherited Prince Edward and recognised York, and his subsequent heirs, as successors to Henry VI's throne. Henry VI was still King of England but York was named Protector of the Realm once again.

James III of Scotland, potential ally to Margaret of Anjou 

Margaret and her disinherited son journeyed from Wales to Scotland and met with the new Scottish King, James III, to gain support. The border town of Berwick-upon-Tweed was offered up by Margaret in exchange for James III's support. Forces loyal to the royal couple grew south of the Scottish border and York marched north from London on 9 December 1460 to meet them. The two forces clashed at the Battle of Wakefield on 30 December 1460 which saw the deaths of York, Rutland and Salisbury. 

Margaret was overjoyed to hear the death of her fiercest adversary and how his claim to the throne was ridiculed with a paper crown adorning York's decapitated head on a spike overlooking the city of York.