14 Feb 1461: “great shedding of blood cannot be avoided”
Political and military tension within England was a matter of concern for continental powers. This resulted in news being sent to the continent by diplomats, or through merchants, to emissaries of many of the major continental states. Records of many of these have survived, ranging from letters written by Papal Legates, Milanese diplomats both within England and overseas, Venetian representatives and correspondence to and from France. Some have clear links to major personalities of the day, with the Earl of Warwick having influence over correspondence to the Papacy and the Duke of Milan.
News, Rumours, Fears and Predictions
From England, then, comes a range of news and rumour. Some is influenced by leaders of factions, such as the Earl of Warwick pressing for changes that will improve the standing of the Yorkist cause. Others are based on rumours that were heard in and around court, or simply overheard in and around London. There are other letters that are based on what has been seen, such as the gathering of forces, or their movements.
Influences on commentary
Each letter has it’s limitations. The correspondents are often merely reporting rumours, and on occasion note how fantastical the claims within them are. Other newsletters or letters are influenced by the political goals of a faction. Typically, these are pro-Yorkist, though this is a reflection of the places in which preserved letters have originated from and does not mean that equally persuasive texts with contrary views were not dispatched from elsewhere: the letters of leading Lancastrians may simply have been lost, or are harder to find amongst archival materials.
The view of one such commentator, C. Gigli, was clear by mid February. He is aware of the movement of the Yorkists, with King Henry VI at their side, from London in a northerly direction. He notes that the enemy is said to be around 30 miles away but that they do not seem to have passed Northampton, which is roughly 70 miles north of central London. Despite some uncertainty about exactly where the army of Queen Margaret may be, it is clear in this foreign commentators mind that barring a last minute agreement, many lives will be lost:
Copy of several paragraphs and items of news of England, written from London by C. Gigli to Michele Arnolfini of Bruges, beginning with a letter of the 14th February.
The King and my Lord of Warwick left here on the 12th, with a large concourse (grande populo) from Kent and the surrounding districts, as well as from this place, with them, and the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk, the Treasurer, my Lord of Bonavilla, and councillors and many other noblemen, to encounter their opponents, who were said to be thirty miles from here. However, they do not seem to have passed Northampton. It cannot be long before we hear some great news, though it cannot be good, unless some satisfactory agreement is arranged between them; otherwise great shedding of blood cannot be avoided, and whoever conquers, the Crown of England loses, which is a very great pity. May the Most High intervene and save this kingdom and everyone who dwells here, although, amid such disturbances great fear and sorrow cannot be absent from the spirit of anyone who happens to be here! If such fear and sorrow were allayed we could put up with the absence of events.
“Milan: 1461”. Calendar of State Papers and Manuscripts in the Archives and Collections of Milan 1385-1618. Ed. Allen B Hinds (London, 1912), British History Online.
Featured Image
Founders and Benefactors Book of Tewkesbury Abbey: Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick (killed in battle 1471), ‘the King-Maker’, assumed the lordship of Gloucester and appropriated Sherston church to the convent: he stands holding his unsheathed sword upright. Via Picryl