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The Battle of Wakefield
The victory at Northampton gave the Yorkists a position of power, but, as Margaret and the Prince of Wales had avoided capture, they were not secure. One threat, however, could be dealt with. Warwick sailed for Calais, where news of his victory increased the morale of the garrison. Somerset, who realised that no support would be forthcoming from England, decided to end his siege. In return for his life and freedom, he surrendered Guines. This being concluded, Warwick returned to England. In the first week of September, York, who had been in Ireland since the disaster at Ludford Bridge, returned to England. He arrived in London in October, and, on entering Westminster Hall, he walked up to the throne and placed his hand on it, signalling his claim to the throne. Instead of the support he expected, York was greeted with silence and astonishment from the nobles. Although acknowledging York’s strong claim, they would not depose a king to whom they had sworn loyalty. A compromise was reached, resulting in the Act of Accord, where Henry VI was to retain the throne, but York and his sons were designated his heirs. With this Act, Henry’s own son, Edward Prince of Wales, was disinherited. Queen Margaret and the Lancastrians now had a powerful motive for continuing the civil war. Many saw the Act as a violation of the rights of inheritance, and in a society based on landed wealth this was a serious issue indeed. The Act also changed the course of the Wars. The battle was no longer for supremacy of individual factions - it was for the throne itself. On hearing of the Act, Margaret, in the north of England, stepped up her recruitment campaign. By the time her army, under the command of Somerset, Northumberland and Devon, reach York, it numbered about 20,000. At York, Margaret publicly protested against the Act of Accord and challenged York to settle the issue in battle. All those nobles who had not agreed with the Act joined her, and in late November this army started marching southwards. York, still in the south, began a propaganda campaign directed at instilling the southerners with fear of Margaret’s northern hordes. In early December York and the Earl of Salisbury marched out of London with about 5,000 men, leaving the Earl of Warwick to maintain control of the capital. York headed for his castle at Sandal, two miles west of Wakefield, recruiting on the way. When he arrived, he set his men to building trenches and positioning guns around the castle. It seemed they were in a good defensive position if the Lancastrians attacked. His son, the Earl of March, was recruiting in Wales, and York intended to await his arrival with reinforcements. The Lancastrians had the greater army and Somerset hoped to engage York before the reinforcements arrived from Wales. The Queen’s Captains included Sir John Grey, who was the husband of Lord Rivers’ daughter, Elizabeth Woodville. During the Christmas season, Somerset met with York and it was agreed that a truce would prevail until after the feast of epiphany on 6 January. The Lancastrians, however, did not intend to keep the truce and they moved part of their army closer to York’s castle, with the rest of the army concealed in nearby woods. York did not know the true size of the Lancastrian army, nor did he realize it was so close to his own castle. It is still not clear why York left the relative safety of the castle, but on 30 December York and his son, Edmund, Earl of Rutland and his his men rode out to Wakefield Green to meet the Lancastrians. It is believed that a foraging party, sent out for supplies and information, was attacked by men under the command of Somerset and the Earl of Devon when returning to the castle. York could see the skirmish from the castle, and could also see a second army closing in behind. Believing this to be a relieving force under the command of Lord John Neville (who had unbeknownst to York, changed sides), York decided to take advantage of what he thought was a rear attack on Somerset. As soon as he reached the fighting, York realised his mistake, but, believing that the men before him constituted the entire Lancastrian army, decided to give battle. It was now that the other Lancastrian forces encamped around Sandal Castle began mobilizing and advancing on the battle area. As the Yorkists slowly began to give ground, Salisbury, watching from the castle, advanced out of the castle with the remaining Yorkist captains. By this time, the men under the command of Andrew Trollope and the Duke of Exeter, who had been encamped in nearby woods, reached the battle. With the arrival of the last the Lancastrians, Lord Clifford's men, the Yorkists wer totally surrounded. After York himself was pulled from his horse and killed, all Yorkist resistance broke down. The Earl of Wiltshire and his men took possession of Sandal Castle. York's son, Edmund, was captured by Lord Clifford at Wakefield Bridge. Clifford is supposed to have said, "By God's blood thy father slew mine and so will I do thee and all thy kin," and drew his sword and killed him. Salisbury was captured by Trollope's men and taken to Pontefract and beheaded the next day. Even the presence of his uncle, Sir John Neville could not save him. He was condemned by Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, Henry Beaufort, Duke of Somerset and John Clifford, all who had had fathers killed at St Albans. His head, along with York’s and Rutland’s, were placed on spikes and exhibited above the Micklegate Bar in York: apparently a paper crown was placed on York’s head. The hatred between the two sides was now intense and the violence displayed at Wakefield set a precedent for the rest of the Wars. The death of their fathers left the Earl of March, now nominally the Duke of York, and the Earl of Warwick, two of the richest magnates in England. However Henry VI refused to acknowledge March’s right to succeed his father and did not allow him to bear the title Earl of Chester, as he was entitled to do as heir to the throne under the Act of Accord.
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