The Wars of the Roses

51 Pages·20.414 MB·English

by  Terence Wise(Illustrations), Gerry Embleton

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1m
MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES
THE WARS OF
THE ROSES
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TERENCE WISE G A EMBLETON
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EDITOR: MARTIN WINDROW
1m
MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES
THE WARS OF
THE ROSES
Text by
TERENCE WISE
Colour plates by
GAEMBLETON
First published in Creal Britain in 1983 by Sources
Osprey, an imprint or Reed Consumer Books Ltd. Barnard, F. P., Edward JV's French Expedition of' 1 17Y
Michelin House, B1 Fulharn Road, the leaders and their badges. Gloucester Reprints, 1~ )75·
London SVV:-1 fiRB Brooke, R., Visits to Fields of Battle in England. Alan
and Auckland, Mclhounw, Singapore and Toronto
Sutton 1975 reprint of 1857 edition.
Chrimes, S. B. & others. I5th centu~y England l'J99 l)O'J.
© Copyright I<JH:) Reed International Books Ltd.
Manchester University Press, 1972.
Reprinted I~JB+ (twice), I~)B:J (twice), 1986, 1987, 1988, Clive, M., This Sun if rork. Macmillan, 1973.
1~)90, IC)(jl, 1<)<)'2, 1<)<)'), 1<)<)4, IC)C)()
Fox-Davies, A. C., Heraldic Badp,es. Bodley Head,
All rights n·s<'J'\'('(1. Apart from any l~1ir dealing f(w the 1907.
J.
pmvosc or privatt· study, research, criticism or review, as Giles, C. (ed), The Chronicles of the White Rose. Alan
permitted under the Copyright Designs and Patents Act, Sutton 1974 reprint of 1843 edition.
1gHH, no pan of' this publication may be reproduced, Gillingham, j., The Wars of the Roses. Weidcr&·ld &
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitled in any f(mn or Nicolson, 1981.
by any means, clcctnmic, electrical, chemical, mechanical, Goodman, A., The Wars if the Roses: milita~y artivify &
optical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the English society 1452-97· Routledge, & Kcgan Paul,
prior permission of' the copyright owner. Enquiries should
1981.
he addressed to tlw l'uhlishns.
Kendall, P. M., The rorkist Age. Allen & Unwin,
1967.
Lander, J. R., Crown & Nobili~y I 45<>-1509. Arnold,
British Library Cataloguing Publication Data 1976.
Lander, J. R., Politics & Power in England I 450--1509.
\Vise, Terence Arnold, 1976.
\Vars of the Roses. (Men-at-Arms series; 115) Lander, j. R., The Wars of the Roses. Seeker &
1. England. Am!Y Equipment 2. Arms Warburg, 1965.
and armour England History 15th century McFarlane, K. B., The Nobility of' Later Medieval
I. Title I I. Series England. O.U.P. 1973.
35G'.1B6'o942 UC527.C7 Norman, A. V., & Pottinger, D., English Weapon\ &
Wmjare 44.CJ-I66o. Arms & Armour Press, 1 l)7<J.
ISBN o-85o45-52o-o Seymour, W., Battles in Britain. Sidgwick & Jackson,
1975·
Walden, Lord H. de. Banners, Standards & Bad,ges .fiom
Filmset in Creal Britain a Tudor Ms in the College q/ Arm.L 1904 facsimile
Print<·d thmttgh \\'oriel l'rint Ltd, Hong Ko11g printed for the de Walden Library.
Wise, T., Medieval Waifare. Osprey, I~J76.
Acknowledgements
lf'vou ,,·otd<llik,. lo l'!'<Ti,.,. mon· inf(>nnation ai><Hil The publishers would like to thank Peter Kent f(>r
OsprC\ \I ilitan hooks, The ( >sprcy \ ksscngn is a
some of the maps.
n·g·uLtr n<·wsll'ttn whi<'h <'<>ntains arti<'ll's, lll'W title
inf(mnation ;JIHI spl'cial ofl(Ts. Tojoin fi·,.<· of' <'hargc
pll'a'W write to:
Osprey Military Messenger,
PO Box 5, Rushden,
Northants NNIO 6YX
The lllrs rf!he Roses
!JJtJYJtfttctioJ
1
The civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses weref ought
between Yorkshire and Lancashire, identified by white and
red roses respectivery, and lasted thirty bloody years,
inflicting ,great damage to the land and its people and kiLLing
so ma7?J of the aristocracy that a new nobility had to be
mated in the rfigu ~~ Hemy VI l- a good king who
brought peace and prosperity to his kingdom, unlike his
jmdecessor, the usurper Richard 111, who stole the thror1e by
deceit and foul murders. On the battlifields the longbow
reigned supreme, while the knights and men-at-arms
waddled around encased entire!;• in cumbersome plate
annour, or rode great horses also wearing plate armour.
A familiar story perhaps: yet comaining not a
word of truth.
In the 16th century English history was rewritten
to please Henry Tudor, or at least to avoid his
displeasure, and lO assist in settling the Tudor
dynasty firmly on the throne after the turmoil of" the
Wars of the Roses. Consequently, a number of
Edward IV, King of England 1461 83, won the throne with the
popular but quite erroneous beliefs about these wars
aid of the Duke of Warwick, whom he later killed in battle. He
survive to this day. Before venturing into a general had Henry VI murdered in prison in the same year. Edward's
morals were dubious, his marriage disreputable, and his
summary of the wars, I should like to deal with the greed inordinate. He gained financial independence from
Parliament by a brief French war in 1475, which brought in an
misconceptions outlined in the opening paragraph.
annual subsidy thereafter of 20,000 crowns from Louis XI.
A civil war is one in which men fight and kill their (National Portrait Gallery)
countrymen, and in this respect the Wars of the
Roses might properly be called a civil war. But these over the Council and through it to govern the
wars were in reality a dynastic struggle between the country.
houses of York and Lancaster, and involved only Thus the wars wer<.: fought by the great barons,
the aristocratic families or these houses and their particularly the feuding 'Marcher' barons of the
followers. Rather than a civil war, these campaigns border regions, with the aid of their private armies.
represented a prolonged struggle for power bet ween To some extent at least they differed from other
two political parties, both of \•vhich accepted the wars of the era, civil or international, in that the
unity of the kingdom and the existing system of ordinary people or the country were ldi. as
government by King, Council and Parliament. undisturbed as possible, for the victors wished ro
Neither party sought lO destroy or divide the royal control a thriving kingdom with a populace which
authority of the kingdom, as was th<.: case with civil would support them against their rivals. As Philippe
wars on the Continent; but rather to obtain power de Commync noted in his memoirs:
3
years has been estimated as 4:2B days l Goodman.
Fn~-:"li•h ~lilf'~
" ,., ... , "" {lo.> R,., pp. :2:27-8: sec Bibliography). Fighting erupted only
to subside quickly; the longest campaign lasteclliwr
months (vVakeficld to Towton), and even Edward's
campaign to seize the throne lasted only two
months -from his landing at Ravenspur to the
or
battle Tcwkcsbury.
From the above it may be se<'n that the images ol
bloody and prolonged fighting, massacres and other
evils associated with civil wars, do not apply to the
Wars of the Roses: today's historiam tend to IH'lie\'C
that the image of a land ravaged by civil war was
painted by Tudor propagandists in ordn to
contrast earlier reigns with the peace and prospcrit y
cnjoy(·d under Henry VI I.
But the aristocracy sulli:rnl dreadfully. Or did it:>
Although many nobles were killed, their f~unilies
were not extinguished in grcat numbers, as is olien
claimed, and the old nobility in lact sun'iVl'cl thl'
wars. K. B. MacFarlanc gives the lilllowing figures
to illustrate the rate of' extinction of' noble l~unilies:
142.') 1449 existing 7:)
new :2!)
<)X '2;) extlllt'liOJlS
n
( :2;>.;>I per ccn t)
14!)0·1474 existing 73
Map I: England in the 15th century, showing the areas of
influence of the great baronial families, and the main battle new '2:2
sites.
'[tis the custom of the English that, once they <).") '2.j l'XIIIlCIIOIIS
haw gained a battle, they do no rnore killing, 7'
es1wcially killing or common people; fi>r each ( :25.:2() per <Tnt)
side stTks to please the commons ... King I475-·1499 existing 71
Edward told me that in all the battles he had new 10
won, the monH·nt ht· came to victory he
mounted a horse and shouted that the :20 l'XtlllCtiOIIS
comnwns wne to he spared and the nobles ()I
slain. And of' the Ia ttn, kw or none escaped ... (:24.(i9 pn <Tilt)
The realm of England enjoys one favour above Certainly :25 per cent is a high rate of extinction;
all other realms, that neither the countryside but by no means can it be argued that the nobility
nor the people arc destroyed nor arc buildings died out, and it must be remembered that even the
burnt or demolished. Misl(lrtunc falls on recorded decline owed as much to l~tilurc to produce
sold icrs and nobles i 11 particular ... ' male heirs as to death in war. Yet those at the top
The vVars of the Rust'S arc gcm·rally dated as certainly did sulkr scwrcly: of' the t(j great l:unilies
lasting fi·orn LJ.'J:) until ti}X.'), a total of :1o years of' (dukes and earls) which existed in the last decade ol'
war though this figun· may he divided into three Henry VI's reign, only two were unscatlwd l>y tlw
pniods of actual conflict: 1 4.').') ti4, I 469 7 I, and wars \Vi lliam, Earl ol' A runclcl, who took no part
14H:) X7. :\ctu;tl c;unpaig·ning time during thcse in politics or the wars, and th<' second Ralph
Neville, Earl ofvVest morland, "vho was a simpleton.
Confusion also exists over the naming of the two
parties- York and Lancaster. At this date tht>
Yorkists drew most of their support from the
Midlands, whilst the Lancastrians were pre
dominant in Yorkshire! It is important lO ignore the
modern rivalry between the two counties bearing
these names, and to rem em bcr that York and
Lancaster were the titles of the rival dynasties and
had li.ule to do with geographical locations.
Even the name of the wars is false, (())' the brawls
of the period were not graced with such a fine-
ounding name until long after the events: the name
was apparently invented hy Sir Walter Scott in the
rgth century. Shakespeare's famous scene in the
Temple garden (! Flemy Vi, li iv), where the
quarrelling nobles pick red and white roses, is to
blame for this misconception. The Yorkists
Margaret of Anjou, queen consort of Henry VI. Her husband's
certainly used the white rose as one of their badges,
attacks ofi nsanity after 1453 left her as effective ruler. She was
but there is no evidence that the Lancastrians used a a vigorous and able leader of the Lancastrian cause u.ntil
decisively defeated at Tewkesbury in 1471. (Victoria & Albert
red rose until the V<'ry end of the wars. Museum.)
Personal feuds between the great families linther
cloud the issue, and one of the rnost confusing Richard Ill, brother of Edward IV, up011 whose death he was
appointed Protector of the ReaJrn. He was credited with
factors here is the way these families changed sides personal responsibility for the death ofHenry VI, Henry's son,
and inter-married, with titles and estates frtC]uently and his own brother Clarence. He usurped the throne in 1483,
and Edward's young sons disappeared shortly afterwards.
passing to others through heiresses. It is hoped that Richard was defeated and kiUt.>d by Henry Tudor at Bosworth
Field in 1485. His true character and alleged crimes are still the
the following brief summary of events and
subject of some debate, in reaction ag-.t.inst the Tudor-inspired
personalities, together with the genealogical tables, campaign to blacken his name. (National Portrait Gallery)
will help to clarify who fought ;vhorn, '"'hrre, when,
why, and for what.
The tlm:r ?/the Roses
When Henry V died in 1422 he left a son, flenry VI,
who was only nine months old. Guardianship of this
son fell to Henry V's brothers- John, Duke of
Bedford, and Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester.
Bedford became regent in France and pursued the
war there, while Glouee ter had personal charge of
the infant king. Gloucester hoped to become
Protector of the Realm, but the Council refused to
allow him to assume t.he full powers of a. regent. For
the next 20 years there were cons cant quarrels
between Gloucester and the lords of the Council, of
whom the chier was the duke's half-uncle, Henry
Beaufort, bishop of Winchester, the last surviving
or
son of John Gaunt.
TABLE A: THE HOUSE OF YORK
Edward III
Ed\\·anl Lionel .John of (;aunt Edmund Thomas of
thc Black l'ri nee Duke of Duke of Duke or \\'oodstock
( :larTrHT I ,ancastt:r York
.11'1' '111hlr II Richard Tlw Du kcs of
Earl of Buckingham
Cam bridge 111.
'j hr· I I 'oorh·i!lr•.,
.-\nrw, grdd. of 7 hi·. \i·l'l'lll'\
Richard \\'oo<h·illt· rn . .Jacquetta Lionel Duke of Ralph \"n·illc
Earl Rivers of Bedi(>I'CI C:larTnn· Jst Earl of \\'l'stnwrbnd
.----L~
Richard Duk\' or York rn Ciccly I\nilk Richard \" n illc
('the Rose of Rahy': 1st Earl of
Salisbun
John Anthony \Voodville Elizab('th .. m ( :2) Edward IV Margaret George of
Earl Rivers nr( 1) Sir John Grey ('the Sun in rn. Charks Clarence
Splendour') Duke of 111. Isabel
Burgundy ~n·illc
Thomas of Richard
Dorset Grey
Richard :\t·vilk
Earl of \\'arwick
''dw Kingmaker',
Richard Ill 111. Anne Isabel
widow of rn. George
Edward of
Prince Clarnrn·
.John of Katherine
of \Vales
Gloucester Plantagenet
( /llegitim111e)
Edward
Elizabeth Edward V Richard Other
rn. Hl·nry Tudor, Duke of children
Henry VII York
Margarl"t Edward
Countess Earl of
of Warwick
Arthur Henry VIU 0 ther children
Salisbury
TABLE B: THE HOUSES OF LANCASTER AND TUDOR
Edward DI
Edward Lionel John of Gaunt Edward Thomas of
tht· Black Prince Duke of Duke of Duke of \Voodstock
Clarence I .anc·aster York
\fl' 7 ahlf A
Richard II Henry IV John Beauf(>rt
Earl of Somerset
John Beaufort Edmund Beaufort
Owen Tudor .. m(2) .. Katherine . . m(1) .. Henry V 1st Duke of Duke of Somerset
I
Somerset
of France
Henry VI
m. Margaret of
Anjou
I
Edward
Prince of Wales
m. Anne Neville
Jasper Owen Edmund ... m ... ( 1) Margaret Beaufort Edmund Beauf()rt
Earl of Pembroke Earl of I Duke of Somerset
Richmond
Henry VII
rn. Elizabeth
of York
I
Henry VID
Bedf(ml died at Rauen in '435· In 1441 the The humiliating defeats in France led to a
Duchess of Gloucester was successfully accused by reaction against this ruling faction, and Gloucester
Bcauf(m of practising sorcery against the young emerged from his 'retirement' to lead the oppo
king-, and sentenced to life imprisonment. Her sition. He was arrested and died suddenly in prison,
conviction reduced Gloucester to a minor role in allegedly of a stroke. His estates were distributed
politics; the bishop now controlled the king, aided among the friends of the queen and her favourite
by his nephew Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Suffolk. Bishop Beaufort, who had long since
Somerset, and William de Ia Pole, Earl of Suffolk. relinquished power to Suf!(>lk and Somerset, died
Henry VI married Margaret of Anjou in 1444 when six weeks later, in 144 7.
he came of age, but he allowed the unscrupulous The unpopular Suff()lk was impeached on many
Somerset and Suffolk, both of whom were disliked charges and banished: he was murdered while en
by the people, to continue to manage his realm. route to Flanders. Somerset managed to remain in
Margaret aligned herself with them and soon control; but in 1 45o]ack Cade's rebellion expressed
sharcrl their unpopularity. more violently the kclings or the commons, the
7
In August '453 there was a major clash at
Stamford Bridge between the Pereies and the
Nevilles, and in the same month Henry VT had an
attack of insanity which was to last r6 months.
Margaret's position \•vas strengthened by the birth
of her only son in October, securing thc descent ol
the crown in the Lancatitrian line, yet at the same
Lime this event probably increased the jealousy of
her rivals.
Somerset's position was again attacked violently
in the Parliament of 1453-54 and York was
declared Protector of the Realm once the king's
madness could no longer be hidden. Somerset and
the Duke of Exeter were imprisoned by York, but
when Henry VI recovered his wits in December
1454 York had to surrender his position and
Somerset was able to recover control of the king.
York retired to Ludlow Castle and summoned his
retainers from the Welsh Marches. He \•vas joined at
Henry VTI, first Tudor monarch of England, who reigned Ludlow by his brother-in-law the Earl ofSalisbury,
•485-1509. A descendant of Edward III, he restored the central
and by Wanvick, with their retainers.
power oft he throne, enforced the rule oflaw, and organised an
efficient tax system. (Victoria & Albert Museum)
rebellion aiming to overthrow the court party and
to end corruption and the oppression of the king's
oflicials. The rebellion was put down \·vithout the
rival magnates resorting to war with each other; hut First St. Albans, Northampton, Wakefiel~
Richard, Duke of York, heir to the claims of the Mortimer's Cross, Second St. Albans,
house ofMortimcr, now emerged to place himself' at Towton and Hexham
the head of the opposition. In May '455 the queen and Somerset summoned a
York had distinguished himself in Lhe French Council, to which no prominent Yorkist was
wars as Lieutenant of France, and was tht: first invited, and ordered a gathering of the peers at
prince of the royal blood since the death of Leicester to take steps for the king's safety. York
Gloucester. He had been replaced in France by marched south to secure a fair hearing from the
Beaufort and banished as Lieutenant of Ireland, king, while the court moved towards Leicester,
with orders not to re-enter the kingdom. escorted by a large number of nobles and their
However, in 1450 Y ark did return to England, to retainers. The king and Somerset did not learn of
impeach Somerset. He was supported by the York's actions until they were en route to Leicester.
powerful ~eville family; Richard, Earl ofSalisbury, They tried to assemble an army, buL there was
and his son Richard, Earl of Warwick. Twice insufficient time; at nighLfall on 21 May, when Lhe
during the next t\vo years York called out his two sides camped only 20 miles apart, the king's
follO\·vers to gi vc an armed demonstration in 'army' still consisted of just his escort and their
support of his policy, and in r 452 he was arrested. retainers.
He agreed to abandon his protests and support his Both sides decided to advance against their
opponems in the recovery of Guienne; but in July adversary during the night, and these marches
1453, at Castillon, the last great battle of the became a race for the chief town of the area, St.
Hundred Years' vVar was fought, and lost. For the Albans. The king's army arrived there at 7am, and
next 30 years England's battles would be fought on York halted at Key Fields, east of the town, at about
her own soil. the same time. There followed a pause of three
hours whik reconciliation was attempted, York
ofkring· to withdraw if the king would surrender
Somerset, whorn York considered a traitor. The
king ti.c. Somerset!) refused, and York ordered the
attack: sec .\1 ajJ :! .
\\'arwick was to lay down a barrage of arrows in
support of flank attacks by York and Salisbury.
However, these attacks were repulsed and Warwick
thcrcf(m· ordered his archers to concentrate on their
own ti·ont. He then attacked the centre, broke
through to the Chcq ucrs, and here established a
rallying point. Falling back to prevent their divided
f(Hws fi·om being outflanked by Warwick, the
Lancastrians weakened their defence of the Sop well
and Shropshire I .ancs, and the f(>rces of York and
Salisbury almost immediately burst into the town.
The Lancast rians began to falter, panicked, and
broke, to be pursued up St. Peter's Street by the
triumphant Yorkists.
Sornnset and some retainers took cover in the
Castle Inn while Lord Cliflorcl, with Percy,
Harington and some other knights and esquires,
lintght on outside the inn. When those outside were
slain, Somerset led his men in one last charge. He
killed I(Jttr men bclore being felled by an axe. The Map 2: First battle of St. Albans, 22 May 1455
king, the Duke of Buckingham, and the Earls of
Devon ami Dorset were captured; Clifford,
Somerset, Stafl()rd, Percy and Harington were of March. The king and queen were at Coventry
amongst those killed. when they received news ol' the landing. Hastily
York was appointed Protector in October and gathering an army fi·orn his chief supporters the
Warwick became Captain of Calais, the city which Percies, Staffords, Bcaul(>rts, Talhots and
possessed the only standing army of the king. For Beaumonts the king began to march south.
the next three years there was an uneasy peace. However, in the meantime the men of south-east
York lost the protectorship at the beginning of 1456 England had flocked to the standard of the popular
and returned to I rclancl. tviargaret gained control Warwick, and on '2 .July he e11tered London with
of court and goyernment, but Warwick refused to 5,ooo men. Only the Tower. commanded by Lord
surrender Calais to her, and this city thus became a Scales, held out f(>r the king and, hearing that
refuge lor the Yorkists, from which an attack might London had gone over to the Yorkists, the king
be launched at any time. halted at Northampton and took up a deknsive
In the late summer or 14.19 both sides began position to await rcinl(xcernen ts.
arming again, and in October York's forces were Pausing only to establish a siege l(>nT round the
defeated at Luclford--mainly clue to the treachery Tower, \Varwick led his army northwards, arriving
of Andrew Trollope, captain of a body of between Towcester and Northampton on the 9th.
professional soldiers sent over from Calais by Early the next morning 1 o .July 14Go he
Warwick. York was forced to flee to I rcland again deployed f(x battle, but first attempted to negotiate
and his troops dispersed. a settlement. At 2pm, no agr('cmcnt having proved
InJunc 1460 Warwick landed at Sandwich with possible, \Varwick gave the order to advance, with
'2,000 men ol' the Calais garrison, accompanied by the three 'battles' in 'line astern': sec /vlajJ .'J.
the Earl or Salisbury and York's son Edward, Earl It was raining hard as the Yorkists arrived and