Triumph of the Red Rose: A Wars of the Roses Timeline
- Thread starter RedKing
- Start date
But there's no chance of King Tudor happening ITTL, so I think we should be content with lord treasurer.
Perhaps, Henry’s family are definitely going to be rewarded big time for killing Edward and throwing the Yorkist cause into turmoil.
oh shit...the yorkists are screwed. well at least somerset is already dead. that at least makes me amenable to the lancastrians, though edward of westminster is a much less exciting figure than edward of york and his brothers...dying at 17 will do that to you lol
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Indeed, I do hope to make Westminster more interesting. The Lancastrians still have a long way to go before the win the war though. Warwick is still at large.
And he will be much harder for them to deal with, as ittl he has no edward iv to be disaffected with
True, though where things get problematic for him is if the Lancastrians regain custody of Henry VI. He won’t have Edward or George to proclaim King.
Chapter 2 - A standoff begins
Chapter 2 – A Standoff begins
The Earl of Warwick, Richard Neville would not allow it. He was a staunch Yorkist, and although he had heard news of Edward’s death, he was undeterred. On February 10th, he dispatched a messenger to the Lowlands, to request that the Duke, Philippe send his cousins, George, and Richard, back to England. Warwick also rallied 10,000 men behind his banner and moved to stop the Lancastrian advance alongside his brother, John Neville, Lord Montagu, the Duke of Norfolk, and the Earls of Arundel and Surrey [3]. With them they brought the captive King Henry VI, who they hoped would dissuade the Lancastrians from attacking them. They rode towards the approaching Lancastrian army.
A portrait of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick
Warwick’s force took position at St Alban’s, where the War had begun six years ago. They quickly prepared their defence, with cannons being installed to further fortify their position. Warwick would command the centre battle of his army, Norfolk the right, and Montagu the left. The army faced towards the northeast. This would prove to be a crucial mistake. Margaret seems to have known about Warwick’s position, possibly through Warwick’s own Steward, Henry Lovelace, who had been captured and later released by the Lancastrians. It is possible he was promised land if he betrayed Warwick. Whatever the reason, Margaret’s force moved Northwest, and took the town of Dunstable, having met the Earl of Pembroke’s army a few days prior. Warwick’s scouts failed to realize that this had happened, which gave the Lancastrians a significant advantage [4].
On February 17th, the Lancastrians moved from Dunstable, towards the Yorkist position. They quickly flooded into the town, attacking the town centre where they made battle against the Yorkist archers. This attack was successful and pushed the Yorkists back [5]. The Lancastrians quickly overran the town and inflicted heavy casualties on the Yorkists. When it became clear to Warwick that the battle was lost, he hopped on his horse and rode away along with several other soldiers and commanders. Not long after Warwick’s retreat the Battle ended.
The Yorkist lost approximately 2,857 men, to the Lancastrian’s, 1,045. The Duke of Norfolk, and his son John de Mowbray were both killed during the Battle. Baron Montagu was captured, though he was spared on Somerset’s orders, as his brother was a Yorkist prisoner and feared if Montagu were executed, that his brother, Edmund would be executed in retaliation. Most significantly, the Lancastrians regained control of King Henry VI, who was found sitting beneath a tree singing and humming calmly. His guards where William Bonville, Baron Bonville and Harington and Sir Thomas Kyriell, both of whom had taken oaths of loyalty to Henry VI but had went back on them. It was likely that they were executed for this reason. Yorkist propagandists weaved a tale that Prince Edward ordered their execution, though it is likely that this was nothing but an attempt by Warwick to remind the people of London as to why he had been disinherited and to demonize him [6].
Sketch of a young Edward of Westminster, at around 10 years old
With Henry VI under their control, Margaret now held all the power in the Kingdom. She could use him as her puppet, to justify pardons, grants and executions. She instantly sent terms to London, promising all its citizens pardons should they open their gates to ‘Their most pious, and mighty King and his family’. She also sent a letter to the Mayor of London requesting food and supplies be sent to her victorious army. The mayor complied and dispatched 5 weeks’ worth of food to the army, which would reach it not long after it left London, much to the Earl of Warwick’s annoyance [7].
With three major victories that had occurred in quick succession, it was clear Margaret was on the verge of victory. She now held leverage over the people of London and began to prepare to take back the city, so that she may finally abolish the Act of Accords and restore her son to his place as Prince of Wales. Though, with the Earl of Warwick willing to carry on the fight, and determined to keep the Lancastrians out of London, it was clear a standoff had begun.
....
[1] Or so Lauren Johnson tells me.
[2] The people were afraid of the sacking and Pro-York, here Margaret hopes to make them play ball.
[3] I cannot find anything about where the Earl of Surrey was at this time, but I needed him to bite the dust so…
[4] OTL
[5] In OTL the first attack failed, and the second succeeded. Here with more men, it succeeds.
[6] This is the cannon story ITTL.
[7] In OTL the gates were closed stopping the supplies arriving, here due to increased demoralization they allow it through.
Exciting. i can't help but wonder what will become of the remaining york boys once warwick is (inevitably) defeated. i have to wonder if they will not be brought back into the fold, though clearly not under the title duke of york since i'm assuming that edward will be posthumously attainted once the lancastrians are in position to do so. and tbh if i were marguerite and westminster i would not trust george and richard so i guess imprisonment until they're old enough to be executed is probably the safest bet. but also what will happen to york's daughters?
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Indeed, the fate of the Yorks boys is far from certain. After their Father and brother's stunt,
But wouldn't a convent work better? No chance of her producing legitimate heirs there... (not that she would anyway since this is margaret and she was likely infertile but it doesn't seem anyone knew that)
True, she could also be locked up in a convent too. It really depends on how merciful the Lancastrians are feeling.
