Second Battle of St Albans facts for kids

Quick facts for kids

Second Battle of St Albans

Date	17 February 1461
Location	St Albans, Hertfordshire, England 51°45′18″N 0°20′9.6″W / 51.75500°N 0.336000°W / 51.75500; -0.336000
Result	Lancastrian victory Yorkists lose custody of the English king

Belligerents

House of Lancaster

Kingdom of Scotland

House of York

Commanders and leaders

Strength

c. 15,000 men

c. 10,000 men

Casualties and losses

1,916 killed, mostly Yorkists

The Second Battle of St Albans was a major fight during the Wars of the Roses. It happened on February 17, 1461, near St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. This battle was important because it was the second time a big fight took place in this area during the war. The First Battle of St Albans happened in 1455.

In this battle, the Yorkist army, led by the powerful Earl of Warwick, tried to stop the rival Lancastrian army from reaching London. However, the Lancastrians used a clever plan to go around Warwick's army. They surprised him, cut off his path to London, and forced his army to retreat. The Lancastrian victory also freed King Henry VI, who had been held captive by Warwick. But even with this win, the Lancastrians didn't manage to take full advantage of their success.

Understanding the War of the Roses
- Why the War Started
- Key Events Before St Albans
The Armies March to Battle
- Yorkist Leaders and Plans
- A Surprise Attack
The Battle Begins
- Fighting on Bernards Heath
- Yorkist Retreat
What Happened After the Battle
- London's Reaction and Edward IV
Images for kids
See Also

Understanding the War of the Roses

The Wars of the Roses were a series of battles fought in England. They were between two powerful families, both part of the Plantagenet dynasty. These families were the House of Lancaster (who used a red rose as their symbol) and the House of York (who used a white rose).

Why the War Started

The main reason for the war was a disagreement over who should be king. King Henry VI was from the House of Lancaster. He was often unwell and struggled to rule. Many people respected Richard of York, who was from the House of York. His supporters believed he had a stronger claim to the throne.

In 1455, Richard of York and his friends openly rebelled. They won the First Battle of St Albans. But this battle didn't solve the problems. Fighting started again in 1459.

Key Events Before St Albans

At the Battle of Northampton in 1460, the Earl of Warwick (Richard of York's nephew) defeated a Lancastrian army. He captured King Henry, who wasn't involved in the fighting.

Richard of York then returned to London from Ireland. He tried to claim the throne for himself. However, his supporters weren't ready for such a big step. Instead, they made an agreement called the Act of Accord. This agreement said that after Henry's death, York or his children would become king. This meant Henry's young son, Edward of Westminster, would not inherit the throne.

Henry's wife, Margaret of Anjou, was very unhappy with this agreement. She took her son Edward to Scotland to gather support. Meanwhile, York's enemies raised a large army in northern England. York and Warwick's father, the Earl of Salisbury, led an army north to fight them. But they didn't realize how strong the Lancastrian forces were.

At the Battle of Wakefield, the Yorkist army was badly beaten. Richard of York, Salisbury, and York's second son, Edmund, Earl of Rutland, were all killed.

The Armies March to Battle

After their victory at Wakefield, the Lancastrian army started moving south towards London. Young nobles like the Duke of Somerset, the Earl of Northumberland, and Lord Clifford led them. Their fathers had been killed by York and Warwick at the First Battle of St Albans. The army included many soldiers from western England and the Scottish border. They often took supplies from the towns they passed through as they marched.

Yorkist Leaders and Plans

With Richard of York gone, his 18-year-old son, Edward, Earl of March, became the main Yorkist leader. Edward led one Yorkist army in Wales, while Warwick led another in London. They planned to join their forces to fight Queen Margaret's army.

However, Edward was delayed. He had to fight another Lancastrian army from Wales, led by Jasper Tudor. On February 2, Edward defeated Tudor's army at the Battle of Mortimer's Cross.

Meanwhile, Warwick, with King Henry still his prisoner, moved to block Queen Margaret's army from reaching London. He set up his defenses north of St Albans. He placed his army across the main road from the north, an old Roman road called Watling Street. He built strong defenses, including cannons and obstacles like caltrops (spiked devices) and pavises (large shields) with spikes. Some of his defenses used an ancient earth wall called Beech Bottom Dyke.

Warwick divided his forces into three main groups, called "Battles." He led the middle group himself. The Duke of Norfolk led the group on the right, and Warwick's brother, John Neville, commanded the group on the left.

A Surprise Attack

Warwick's defenses were strong, but they only faced north. Queen Margaret knew about Warwick's setup. She likely got this information from Sir Henry Lovelace, who worked for Warwick. Lovelace had been captured by the Lancastrians at Wakefield but was set free. He believed he would be rewarded for helping Margaret.

Late on February 16, Margaret's army suddenly turned west and captured the town of Dunstable. About 200 local people tried to fight them but were easily defeated. Warwick's scouts and patrols didn't notice this big move.

The Battle Begins

Map of the battle

From Dunstable, Margaret's forces marched south-east during the night towards St Albans. The first Lancastrian soldiers attacked the town just after sunrise. They charged up the hill past the Abbey. Yorkist archers in the town center shot at them from house windows. The first attack was pushed back.

As the Lancastrians regrouped by the River Ver, their leaders looked for another way into the town. They found one and launched a second attack along Folly Lane and Catherine Street. This second attack met no resistance. The Yorkist archers in the town were now surrounded. They kept fighting house to house for several hours before they were finally defeated.

Fighting on Bernards Heath

After taking the town, the Lancastrians turned north. They moved towards John Neville's group, which was positioned on Bernards Heath. The weather was damp, and many of the Yorkists' cannons and handguns didn't fire because their gunpowder got wet.

Warwick found it hard to move his other groups from their defenses and turn them to face the Lancastrians. So, the Yorkist groups entered the fight one by one, instead of working together. John Neville's group, trying to help the town's defenders, was attacked and scattered.

Some people thought that soldiers from Kent in the Yorkist army, led by Lovelace, switched sides at this point. This would have caused more confusion for the Yorkists. However, later historians suggest that Warwick blamed Lovelace to cover up his own mistakes in leading the battle. Lovelace was not punished after a later battle, which supports this idea.

Yorkist Retreat

By late afternoon, the Lancastrians were attacking north-east out of St Albans. They were fighting Warwick's and Norfolk's main Yorkist groups. As it got dark, which happened early in the evening during that time of year and in bad weather, Warwick realized his men were outnumbered and losing hope. He pulled back with his remaining forces (about 4,000 men) to Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.

One writer from that time estimated that about 2,000 men were killed in the battle. Another writer gave a more exact number of 1,916 dead.

What Happened After the Battle

As the Yorkists retreated, they left behind King Henry. He was said to have spent the battle sitting and singing under a tree. Two knights, the elderly Lord Bonville and Sir Thomas Kyriell, had promised to keep him safe. They stayed with him throughout the battle.

The next morning, Queen Margaret asked her seven-year-old son, Edward of Westminster, how the two knights should die. Edward then ordered them to be beheaded. John Neville had been captured, but he was not killed. The Duke of Somerset feared that his own younger brother, who was held by the Yorkists, might be killed in return.

King Henry knighted his young son, Prince Edward. Prince Edward then knighted thirty Lancastrian leaders. One of them was Andrew Trollope, a skilled captain who had left the Yorkists in 1459. Many believed he had planned the Lancastrian victories at Wakefield and St Albans. At St Albans, he hurt his foot on one of Warwick's caltrops, but he still claimed to have killed fifteen Yorkists. William Tailboys was also knighted by Henry VI after the battle.

London's Reaction and Edward IV

Even though Margaret and her army could now march to London without anyone stopping them, they didn't. The Lancastrian army had a reputation for stealing and looting. Because of this, the people of London closed their city gates. This made Margaret hesitate. She also heard about Edward of March's victory at Mortimer's Cross.

The Lancastrians then fell back through Dunstable. Many Scottish and border soldiers left the army and went home with the things they had stolen. Edward of March and Warwick entered London on March 2. Edward was quickly declared King Edward IV of England. Within a few weeks, he made sure he was truly king with a big win at the Battle of Towton.

One important person killed at the Battle of St Albans was John Grey of Groby. His wife, Elizabeth Woodville, later married Edward IV in 1464. This marriage had a big impact on the royal family.