Chapter 4 – The one in which everything that can go wrong for the Yorkists, goes wrong.
By March 1st, the people of London were growing weary. They gates had been closed for weeks now, and it was beginning to take a toll on the Merchant’s income. The few traders that were allowed in, were routinely inspected, to make sure no Lancastrian soldiers sneaked in. Morale was low, and the terms Queen Margaret was offering them were quite generous, full pardons, a return to normal life, and only the English contingents of her vast army entering London, seemed all to kind [1]. The Dowager Duchess of Buckingham, had entered the city as a delegate from the Lancastrians, reiterating these terms [2]. Worse still, several neutral noblemen declared their backing of the Lancastrians, most notably, the Earl of Oxford, Baron Berkeley (now Earl of Surrey, Norfolk, and Nottingham) [3]. For Warwick, it was clear that he had to do something, anything to hold up Yorkist morale.
But what was he to do? Declare a 12-year-old boy in the Lowlands, King, to try and oppose Henry VI? That would be nothing but foolish, George would need to be in England for that to work. Had Edward been alive, it was possible he might have declared him King, though we can never know for sure. Then, on March 3rd some good news reached Warwick’s ears. The Earl of Suffolk, Lord Howard, Baron Grey de Ruthyn and Earl of Arundel had all fled St Alban’s but had not retreated to London [4]. Rather they moved south where they began mustering a force to counter the Lancastrians. In the weeks that had passed they managed to raise 2,000 men, most of whom were mercenaries. They then turned back to London, hoping to push back the Lancastrians.
Richard was delighted at this news, and soon dispatched messengers to plan an attack. They decided to try and lure Margaret into a trap, by forcing her to break off with a smaller contingent of army, and to then ambush her just outside of London, and ideally, regain custody of Henry VI. To do this, he had members of the London City Council, several MPs, and citizens write a letter to Margaret, pretending to surrender to her and promising her access into London, provided she entered with only 1,000 men. Word reached Margaret on March 6th, who eagerly accepted, though as to whether she actually planned to honour the agreement is unknown.
On March 8th, she, Henry VI, and Prince Edward donned white clothing, with all three wearing the Prince of Wales’s symbol of a Swan. They and 6,000 men broke off from the main force, alongside the Dukes of Somerset and Exeter and the Earl of Oxford. They quickly marched south for London. The rest of the force remained at St Alban’s, possibly on high alert, based on the events that occurred on that day.
The symbol of Edward, Prince of Wales
Meanwhile, Warwick had finished concocting his plan. The 2,000 men raised by Arundel would attack the Lancastrian right flank, while Warwick's men would attack the centre and left, and hopefully push them back. The Earls of Suffolk and Arundel would command this smaller force, while Lord Howard and Baron Grey de Ruthyn rejoin Warwick’s force. Warwick would leave London with 5,000 men and moved towards the Lancastrian force.
At around noon, the Lancastrian force reached Radlett. There, Margaret and 1,000 broke off with the main force, with Somerset accompanying the royal family, while Oxford and Exeter stayed put. Margaret began marching south towards London. Little did she know, Warwick was on his way to meet her. When Margaret was 2.0 Kilometres outside Radlett, her scouts reported that Warwick had reached Elstree. It was at this moment, Margaret realised what Warwick was planning and immediately turned back for Radlett, with her army sprinting back up. About 7 minutes after this moment, Warwick realised what was happening and began chasing Margaret. His messengers were slow in informing the flanking force of what was happening, which meant Margaret managed to continue falling back unopposed. Margaret also sent word to her supporters, telling them to prepare for Battle.
At about 1.45 pm, Margaret and her force, against all odds, managed to return to their camp. She and her force quickly took the rear guard, as men from St Alban’s began to march to reinforce them. Warwick and Suffolk soon met up and combined their forces and planned to make battle. Warwick and Lord Howard commanded the centre, Suffolk commanded the left and Baron Grey de Ruthyn, and Arundel commanded the right. In contrast, Exeter manned the Lancastrian right, Somerset the centre and Oxford and his son the left.
At 2.00 pm, the two forces began fighting. Warwick pushed into the Lancastrian centre and inflicted heavy casualties. Suffolk attack the left but was held back by Oxford who managed to hold off the larger force. Exeter was pushed back, and his flank suffered heavy casualties. At one point Somerset almost fell in Battle when he found himself surrounded by 5 men, though he managed to fight his way out.
By 2.30 pm, it seemed as though the Yorkists were on the verge of a victory. Suddenly, the Earl of Norfolk arrived alongside the Lords Clifford and Rivers, with a force of 2,450 men. They quickly flanked the Yorkist right and inflicted heavy casualties, giving Exeter and his men some breathing room. During the skirmish, Baron Grey de Ruthyn, fled alongside 500 men. This demoralised the right which began to collapse, especially when rumours spread that Arundel had fallen. Then at 2.55 pm, Owen Tudor arrived with 986, Archers who quicky opened fire on the Yorkist centre. The volley inflicted heavy casualties, with some Lancastrian soldiers being hit. At around 3.05 pm, Warwick was hit by an arrow and died. He was allegedly in the eye, which would have meant he met the same fate as Harold Godwinson, the last Anglo-Saxon King.
An inaccurate photo depicting the Earl of Warwick as Harold Godwinson, and his soldiers as Anglo-Saxon knights
This demoralised the Yorkist centre, and cause disorder to spread throughout the army. The Lancastrians pressed the advantage, with the rear-guard that had been guarding the royals, entering the fray. At about 3.15 pm, Lord Howard was captured, and with it the army began a retreat. As more Lancastrian soldiers from St Alban’s arrived, a bloody pursuit began with many Yorkist soldiers being struck down. The Earl of Suffolk fell during this time, as did dozens of soldiers. By 3.30 pm, it was clear the day belonged to the Lancastrians.
A Sketch depicting the death of a man who is believed to have been the Earl of Suffolk
The victory, while significant for the Lancastrians, came with its costs. The Earl of Oxford and his son, Aubrey de Vere died either in Battle, or of their wounds not long afterwards. The Lancastrian casualties sat at about 3,023 to the Yorkist’s 2,345. Henry VI had been wounded in the face, and almost died. Fortunately, he would recover, but was left with a scar on his right cheek, not that dissimilar to the one his Father had received at the Battle of Shrewsbury.
A sketch depicting the death of the Earl of Shrewsbury
Perhaps the most significant event of the battle was that the Lancastrians managed to enter London when some of its garrison defected and opened the city’s gates. About 3,200 Lancastrians entered the city, encountering some resistance, though the resisters were quickly cut down. The surviving Yorkist commanders and soldiers from Radlett abandoned the city, having lost all hope.
Before the sun had set that day it became clear that the Lancastrians once again controlled London. The people, who had supported the Yorkists so much now held their breath to see what would become of them…
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[1] I think these are terms that Margaret would have offered the people of London in this situation.
[2] Similar to what she and other delegates did in OTL
[3] OTL William Berkeley, 1st Marquess of Berkeley. As the most senior heir of the Mowbrays he inherits most of their estates. Not sure if he would inherit the position of hereditary Earl Marshal though.
[4] John de la Pole didn't receive the Ducal title until after Towton in OTL IIRC
