ROOTS OF THE CONFLICT: Second Act

BATTLE OF ST ALBANS

In 1450 the ever volatile citizenry of Kent moved to march on London, led by Jack Cade, who had assembled a list of demands for government reform. Henry VI moved to meet these rebels, ordering them to disperse. His army consisted of 20,000 men to 5,000 rebels, a sure rout. With his usual bungling, however, he split his army into two, with one battle to remain around him as an escort. The rebels stood firm against the onslaught, and the attackers fled. The terrified king retreated to Greenwich while the triumphant Cade led his men on to London. The expected ransacking and chaos followed, reaching a climax when the dissidents surrounded the Tower and insisted that the royal treasurer, Lord Say, be released to them. Their demands were met, and Say was executed after a mock trial. His head was placed on a pike and carried around the city. Eventually the government of London organized to repel the invaders, and after a heated battle on London Bridge, the rebels were pushed out of the gate, dispersing into the countryside. Many were captured and executed at the infamous "Harvest of Heads".

Henry seemed to suspect that York had had a part in stirring it up, but the Duke was in fact in Dublin at the time, having been appointed Lieutenant of Ireland in a bid to keep him away from the capital. Meanwhile, the French had taken all of Normandy save for the port of Calais, and were advancing into the old English stronghold of Aquitaine. The loss of Normandy had largely been the result of the ineptitude of the Duke of Somerset. York had had quite enough of this. He began to consolidate support. In 1452 he went so far as to bring a large armed presence to the walls of London, where he was met by a similar force led by the King. The two stared each other down for a time; York not wishing to assault his sovereign, Henry not wishing to enrage so powerful a vassal. Eventually the two met for a parley, where York demanded the dismissal of Somerset. Typically, when Margaret learned the news, she rushed to her husband's side, refusing to accept any potential compromise.

In August 1453 Henry, never particularly lucid at the best of times, finally fell prey to the family insanity. His sickness took the form of withdrawal from the surrounding world. He had neither physical nor mental capacity, incapable of speech, movement, or any other acknowledgement of the surrounding world. Doctors were summoned to assist with the finest barbarities that medieval medicine could manage, but nothing changed Henry's condition. In desperation the queen sent for exorcists, but the King's demons proved too stubborn even for that.

A month after the king succumbed to his madness, Margaret gave birth to a long-awaited heir, Edward of Lancaster, a child his father could not acknowledge. She was forced to contend with with the cares of government, motherhood, Yorkist unrest, and the need to keep the king's condition hidden from York. Eventually, the secret came out and a regent had to be nominated. York was the natural choice, and in March he was given the title Protector of the Realm. It was not to last, however. On Christmas Day the king abruptly returned to his senses.

York was forced to retire his position. Wishing to eliminate her rival once and for all, Margaret manipulated King Henry into calling a council of nobles, summoning York and his affiliates to pay homage to the King. York believed this invitation was a setup for arrest and exile, and decided the time had come to take up arms. Thus, the first military confrontation of the Wars of the Roses came into being.

York once again marched onto London, with strong allies. These took the form of the Nevilles, Richard, Earl of Salisbury, and his son, Richard, Earl of Warwick. Salisbury was Duchess Cecily's brother, and thus bound to by ties of kinship. More importantly, for family loyalty could be cheap in this era, the Nevilles were alienated from the king, just as York was. Through good fortune in inheritance and marriage, Warwick had become the largest landowner in England, and was possessed of charisma and flair, with a military dash that appealed to the common people.

Although he was reconciled to an armed conflict, York had no intention of pushing his superior claim to the throne. His prime goal was to protect Henry from the corrupting influence of the queen and Somerset, and he wrote up a proclamation to this effect. He sent this to the king, but Somerset intercepted it before Henry could read it.

As the royal army approached that of York's, some might have seen the confrontation as simply a retread of the Duke's abortive campaign of 1452. If they were expecting the tensions to fizzle out as they had then, they were soon to be proven wrong.

On May 22, 1455, the two armies met near London at St. Albans. The Lancastrians had set up their camp in the marketplace of the town, and here they built barricades to protect themselves. When York and the Nevilles swept down into the city that day, the Lancastrian resistance crumpled and began to flee in panic. Warwick, who had made a surprise side attack on the city, was able to corner both the Duke of Somerset and the King; Somerset was killed, and King Henry was wounded by an arrow in the neck. The battle ended shortly after. St. Albans was a great victory for York. The Duke had killed his chief opponent. The King himself had been captured while having his wound tended in a tanner's house. York, still respectful of his sovereign lord, begged for forgiveness, explaining once more his motives for rebellion.

After St. Albans there was an almost embarrassed pause in the hostilities. For a time an attempt was made to work out the differences. Margaret, of course, was uncompromising in her hatred for York, but this was to be expected with the death of her favorite, Somerset. But Henry was now more amiable towards the Yorkists, going so far as to declare, with typical naivete, a "Loveday" wherein Yorkists and Lancastrians would pledge to live in harmony together. A more tangible benefit was York's brief reinstatement as Protector, which lasted until the next year. The Nevilles also reaped rewards. In April 1456 Warwick was appointed Captain of Calais. Ironically, Warwick's appointment may also have facilitated the next phase of the wars. His acts of piracy on German ships from his base at Calais incensed the queen, who always preferred to keep England neutral. In 1458 he was summoned to London to stand trial. He arrived with a small army of loyal followers. Though tensions in the city were palpable, the trial came to nothing. Later, Margaret attempted to have Warwick dismissed from his post in Calais in favor of her new lackey Henry Beaufort, the son of the previous Duke of Somerset, who had taken his deceased father's title. When Warwick came to London to announce his refusal to give up the position, Margaret seems to have attempted to have him murdered in a council chamber. Warwick escaped, but it was obvious by now that these volatile issues could only be resolved by more bloodshed.