22 Feb 1461: London and the aftermath of the 2nd Battle of St. Albans

The aftermath of the Second Battle of St. Albans saw the Lancastrians and Yorkists jockying for position. The Citizens of London and its surrounding areas were subsequently found wanting for peace, seeking assurances, and making preparations to ensure their own safety. Many armed men in and near London did little to calm fears. Lancastrian and Yorkist politics made claims of peaceful intent but was stated in a politically and militarily fluid scenario.

Conflicting Aims

Conflicting aims of each party along with fears and a lack of clarity for the inhabitants of London combined to create a chaotic timeline of changes in the thoughts and actions of the rival factions, and the citizens of London. These are summarised by C. Gigli to Michele Arnolfini of Bruges, which form part of the archives of the Milan State Papers.

Timeline of events

The contents of Gigli’s text written on 22 February 1461 reveal a rapidly changing timeline of events. Included are the battle at St. Albans, along with attempts to ensure peace and the responses to these efforts by Lancastrians, Yorkists, the authorities of the City of London, and the commoners of London. Four groups for whom the aims and objectives of the time were markedly different. The timeline:

• 16 February – Mayor and Aldermen decide to send a delegation to talk with the Lancastrian leadership [‘they decided last Saturday‘ that would be 16 February].
• 17 February – Lancastrian victory at St. Albans. The King recovered by forces of the Queen.
• Delegation from London meets with the Lancastrians at St. Albans ‘to offer the place‘. The delegation was accompanied by the Duchesses of Buckingham, York and Bedford.
• 20 February – Delegation returns with promises that the Lancastrians will not pillage.
• 20 February – City of London officials make proclamations designed to ensure the peaceful entry into London of the Lancastrian leadership and their army.
• 20 February – the Commons of London ‘called a brewer as their leader’ and ‘ran to arms’.
• 20 February – simultaneous to the previous entry, reports/ rumours that the Yorkists had entered the City and posted a sizeable guard in defence.
• 22 February – Delegation was being gathered to go to meet the Lancastrian leaders.
• 22 February – the Mayor and Aldermen have control of London and only those under their command are acting as guards, or seen ccarrying arms.
• 22 February – Gigli reports that there are unconfirmed reports as to the fate of Lord Montagu.
• 22 February – Reports that some of the Queen’s [Lancastrian] army has withdrawn to Dunstable.

22 February 1461: C. Gigli to Michele Arnolfini of Bruges

65. Also by a letter of the 22nd February, received on the morning of the 23rd.
I wrote of the victory obtained by the forces of the queen and prince at Saint Albans on the 17th of this month, and how they recovered the king and have him, and how this town sent to them at Saint Albans to offer the place, provided they were guaranteed against pillage. With them went my Lady of Buckingham, the widow, and my Lady the Regent that was. They returned on the 20th, and reported that the king and queen had no mind to pillage the chief city and chamber of their realm, and so they promised; but at the same time they did not mean that they would not punish the evildoers. On the receipt of this reply by the magistrates a proclamation was issued that every one should keep fast to his house and should live at peace, in order that the king and his forces might enter and behave peacefully. But less than an hour later all the people ran to arms and reports circulated that York with 60,000 Irish and March with 40,000 Welsh had hastened to the neighbourhood and would guard their place for them; and they said that the mayor must give them the keys of the gates. They called for a brewer as their leader, and that day this place was in an uproar, so that I was never more afraid than then that everything would be at hazard. But, by the grace of God and the excellent arrangements of the mayor and aldermen and of the notables who were at the counsel, they decided last Saturday to send to the king and queen four aldermen with some others, including the same ladies, and they were to fetch four cavaliers in whom the king and queen had perfect confidence, and treat here with the magistrates in the presence of the people, and come to an arrangement that they might enter, that is the king, queen, prince and all the nobles with their leaders without the body of the army. They have started once more this morning to fetch these four, and so the people have quieted down, and one sees no arms except with the mayor and sheriffs, who keep guard with a great company throughout the place as well as at the gates, where they keep good guard, and no one takes arms except those who are ordered, and they behave prudently, as I believe, by the grace of God, by whom great affairs in particular are ruled, and who by His mercy, allows everything to proceed peacefully and in order, as we all pray (non vando una hora appresso che tutto il popolo corse a le armi e canorono vocie che Jorco con 60,000 irlandesi e la Marcia 40,000 galliesi erano corsi qui presso e volevano guardare la terra per loro, e dissesi che fu bisogno il mere desse loro le chiavi delle porti e che chiamavano per capitano uno cervosieri e quel di fu questa terra in tumulto, ne ma’ebbi la paura che tutto andasse alla ventura di Dio che allora; ma per la gratia de Dio e le buone provisione del mere e aldrimanni e de notabili che funno al consiglio, preseno partito sabbato di mandate a Re e reina 4 aldrimanni con certi altri, etiam lessere dame, e dennoci condurre 4 cavalieri dalla parte loro di chi lo Re e la reina piglino perfetta fede e parlamentare qui col maestrato in presenza del popolo e piglian conclusione che entrino, cioe il Re e reina e prinze e tutti nobili con loro principi senza la moltitudine dell’ exercito; e stamano denuo essere partiti per menarci detti 4 e cosi il popolo rasizo, ne si vede armi salvo at mere e visconti che fanno la guardia con grande compagnia per la terra e cosi alle porti si sta a buona guardia; e non piglia le armi salvo que sono comandati e governansi prudentemente, siche io stimo, per la gratia di Dio da chui le grandi cose per speciale si governano, che per sua misericordia conceda che tutto passi con riposo e buono accordo, e cosi ne lo pregiamo tutti).
The people here were also disturbed by reports they heard that those of Saint Albans had beheaded Sir Thomas Ciriel, my lord of Bonavilla and also, they say, my lord of Barnes, but I do not know this for certain. Those who were taken in the battle said that my lord of Montan, Warwick’s brother, who was the king’s chamberlain, had escaped, but he is among the prisoners. He also would have suffered the same fate, but they let him off chiefly, it seems, because a brother of my lord of Somerset is a prisoner at Calais, and also because the king has [declared] himself satisfied with him and my lord of Warwick. On the other hand it is to remove misgivings, and it may be to pursue the Earl of March and those who are left of them. They say that the queen has withdrawn a part of her army to Dunstable.

‘Milan: 1461’, in 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

Tower of London from a 15th-century manuscript. British Library, MS Royal, 16 folio 73. Via Wikimedia.