Siege of London (1471) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Siege of London
Part of the Wars of the Roses
Yorkist defenders sally from Aldgate (possibly Bishopsgate).
Date 12–15 May 1471 Location London, England Result Yorkist victory
Belligerents
House of York	House of Lancaster
Commanders and leaders
Earl Rivers Earl of Essex	Thomas Neville
Strength
Approx. 4,500 men	Approx. 5,000 men
Casualties and losses
unknown	unknown

The Siege of London happened during the Wars of the Roses. This was a series of battles fought in England. It took place from May 12 to 15, 1471.

During the siege, supporters of the House of Lancaster tried to attack London. Their leader was Thomas Neville. They wanted to free King Henry VI. King Henry VI was held prisoner in the Tower of London. He was captured by his rival, Edward IV of the House of York.

This siege happened after two big battles: Barnet and Tewkesbury. The Yorkists won both of those battles. The Siege of London helped Edward IV fully take back his throne. It made sure the House of York stayed in power.

Why the Siege Happened

King Edward IV Returns to England

The Wars of the Roses were a fight between two families. These were the House of York (white rose) and the House of Lancaster (red rose). In 1470, King Edward IV of the House of York had to leave England. He went to Burgundy. This happened because his former friend, Earl of Warwick, switched sides. Warwick started supporting the House of Lancaster.

On March 14, 1471, King Edward IV came back to England. He landed at Ravenspurn, Yorkshire. His goal was to get his throne back from Henry VI. Edward managed to avoid Warwick's brother, John Neville. He then went to the town of Warwick. There, he declared himself king again. Next, he went to Coventry. He tried to fight the Earl of Warwick before Warwick could get more soldiers.

Edward IV Takes London

Edward IV then marched towards London. The people of London were mostly on his side. They welcomed him happily on April 11. He quickly made sure King Henry VI was locked up. Henry was kept in the Tower of London. Edward then met his wife, Elizabeth Woodville, and his children. They had been hiding in Westminster Abbey since October.

Warwick's army followed Edward. They fought at the Battle of Barnet on April 14. The battle was fought in a thick fog. Because of the fog, the Lancastrian soldiers accidentally attacked each other. This caused them to run away. Warwick and Montagu were both killed in the battle.

Queen Margaret's Arrival

Edward IV returned to London feeling good about his win. But on April 16, he heard more news. King Henry VI's wife, Queen Margaret of Anjou, had landed in England. She arrived at Weymouth, Dorset with their son, Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales. They had been delayed in France by a storm. They could not bring soldiers to help Warwick in time. In fact, they landed on the same day the Battle of Barnet happened.

Edward guessed that Margaret would try to get more soldiers in Wales. So, he quickly gathered his army. He left his brother-in-law, Earl Rivers, in charge of London.

Battle of Tewkesbury

Queen Margaret was stopped at Gloucester. The city governor would not let her in. So, Margaret had to keep going north. She needed to cross the River Severn. Edward's Yorkist army finally caught up to the Lancastrian army near Tewkesbury. They were forced to fight there on May 4.

The Battle of Tewkesbury ended quickly. The Lancastrians gave up a key high ground. This led to them running away. Prince Edward, Margaret's son, was killed. On May 11, Edward IV returned to Coventry. Margaret was brought to him as a prisoner.

Thomas Neville's Rebellion

Even though Edward IV had won big battles, some Lancastrian supporters kept fighting. For example, Jasper Tudor still had many supporters in Wales. Also, people in Yorkshire rebelled against Edward IV.

The most dangerous Lancastrian forces were in Kent. Thomas Neville was a cousin of Warwick. He had been ordered to patrol the English Channel. His job was to stop Edward IV's ships. Before the Battle of Barnet, Warwick had asked Neville to go to Kent. He wanted Neville to gather more soldiers for the House of Lancaster.

Neville did not know that the Lancastrians had lost at Barnet. He landed at Sandwich before May 3. Edward IV already knew about his landing. Neville had 300 men from Calais. He was joined by Nicholas Faunt, the mayor of Canterbury. Faunt brought 200 more men. Neville's army quickly grew to almost 3,000 men. Many of these men were loyal to Warwick or Henry VI. But many also joined hoping to loot London.

The Siege of London Begins

London Prepares for Attack

On May 8, Thomas Neville was at Sittingbourne. From there, he sent a letter to London. He asked the city leaders to let him enter. He said he wanted to fight Edward IV. In the past, London usually let armies pass through its walls. One time they did not was in 1461. That was when Queen Margaret's Lancastrian army was stopped.

But things were different ten years later. Neville's letter arrived in London on May 9. Just a few hours before, a letter from Edward IV had arrived. Edward's letter announced his big win at Tewkesbury. The London leaders immediately told Neville they would not let him in. They remembered how Kent soldiers had looted the city the year before.

So, London began to get ready for a siege. Cannons were placed along the River Thames. Citizens were given weapons. Edward IV also heard about Neville's uprising. He quickly ordered an army to defend London. A week later, he had 30,000 men ready.

Neville's First Attacks

Even though London refused him, Neville kept going towards the city. He probably wanted to free Henry VI from the Tower of London. Even though Henry's only son had died, freeing Henry could still help the Lancastrian cause.

Neville arrived with his ships near the Tower of London on May 12. He attacked London Bridge. He also ordered his army to attack Southwark. But this first attack did not do much. It only destroyed a bridge in Southwark. Some shops in the St Katherines Precinct were also damaged. This area was east of the Tower of London.

On May 13, Neville changed his plan. He moved further west. He planned to attack Kingston Bridge. His goal was to take Westminster. But Earl Rivers had expected this. He had his soldiers patrol the Thames to protect the bridge.

Neville learned that Edward IV was arriving in Coventry. He pulled back to Southwark. He did not want to be trapped between two armies. He set up his cannons to fire at the Tower of London. Inside the Tower were Elizabeth Woodville, her children, and Henry VI. In response, Rivers ordered his own cannons to fire heavily at Neville's positions.

The Main Assault

The most serious attack happened on May 14. Neville ordered 3,000 men to move through the busy St Katherines Precinct. These soldiers moved quickly through the streets. They looted shops and set fire to Bishopsgate.

However, more soldiers arrived to help the London defenders. These were led by Earl of Essex. His force was about 4,500 men. They caused many losses for Neville's rebels. They pushed them back from the Thames. But the rebels still managed to take 50 oxen. These oxen were meant for the Tower's soldiers.

Other rebels managed to take a wall that the defenders had just built. This wall protected Aldgate. The London defenders only got it back after attacking from two sides. Some rebels were trapped behind the gate and killed by the people. The others rushed back to their ships.

Meanwhile, Neville took his cannons off his ships. He set them up on the right side of the Thames. This was to cover some of his men. These men attacked London Bridge again. They set fire to small buildings there. They wanted to clear a way into the city without going through a gate. Their attack reached the tower guarding the drawbridge. But the cannons of the defenders stopped them.

Rebels Retreat and Surrender

On May 15, Neville went back to Southwark. Some of his soldiers were chased by Ralph Josselyn's defenders. They went back to Mile End or Stratford. From there, they got on their ships to return to Kent. Other groups, mainly those who attacked London Bridge, gathered at Blackheath. They waited for orders from Neville.

Neville might have heard that Edward IV's first soldiers were coming. Edward had been told on May 13 that the Yorkshire rebellion had ended. This was after his victory at Tewkesbury was announced. So, on May 14, Edward sent 1,500 men from Coventry to help Rivers.

On May 18, Neville headed towards Sandwich with 600 men. He wanted to join his ships. He ordered the soldiers from Calais to go back across the Channel. The next day, the soldiers at Blackheath also left. Neville might have already started talking with Edward IV. He went to Southampton and used his ships as a way to bargain. He finally gave up on May 27. He surrendered to Richard, Duke of Gloucester.

What Happened Next

On May 21, 1471, Edward IV returned to London. He had his winning army and his prisoner, Margaret of Anjou. That same night, Henry VI died suddenly in the Tower. He was likely killed because Edward wanted to remove any threat from the House of Lancaster. Neville's rebellion probably showed Edward that Henry VI was still a danger.

Edward honored the London citizens who had fought well. He made some of them knights. This included William Hampton, who became Lord Mayor of London the next year. Edward did not stay long in London. He led an army to Kent to find the rebels from the siege. The king was very strict with them. Nicholas Faunt, the mayor of Canterbury, was executed on May 29. Many others were executed or had to pay large fines. The Earl of Essex was even stricter in Essex.

As for Thomas Neville, he went with Richard, Duke of Gloucester. He was supposed to serve him at Middleham Castle in Yorkshire. But people soon doubted his loyalty to the House of York. He was killed on September 22, 1471. The reasons are not fully clear, but it might have been after he tried to escape. His head was then displayed on London Bridge, next to Nicholas Faunt's. Both heads faced towards Kent.