23 February 1461: “I do not know what to believe”

Rumour was clearly rife in London in the aftermath of the Second Battle of St. Albans. Letters from the Milanese papers illustrate the variety of reports that they were hearing. They were often contradictory, sometimes clearly inaccurate, and range from simple statements of supposed fact, through to speculative gossip. Whilst some of these were dismissed by the Italian diplomats, it did not stop them being recorded and reported to their masters in Milan. 

One such occasion was the report below. It relates mainly to the negotiations between the City of London and the Lancastrian forces of Queen Margaret. This would tie in with matters recorded the day before by C. Gigli which outlined the timeline of events from the battle to that date as he understood them.

The Four Cavaliers

66. Also by a letter of the 23rd February.
The four cavaliers whom the queen sent to enter here to-day, were not willing to enter. The reason why they stayed outside is said to be that yesterday a certain number of the king’s men came to the gate of Alghat and remained outside until this morning as the mayor would never consent to their coming in, and it seems that they were of the opposite party. When the four heard this they drew back towards the king and queen, and only sent two esquires here, who will have to take back the embassy. I do not like this; God grant that both sides may so control themselves that men may not be inflamed more than they are already. On the other hand they say that Warwick and the Duke of Norfolk have been taken and are in the hands of the king and queen with some other lords, who, they say, are kept secret as a guarantee and for a good reason. I do not know what to believe (D’altra parte si dice che Veruich el Duca di Norfolcho sono presi e in le mani del Re e Reina e alcuni altri signori i quali dicono anno tenuti secreti a cautela e per buona chagione non so quello me ne creda).
Bruges, the 9th March, 1461.
Angelo Arnolfini.
[Italian.]

‘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

I do not like this…

Angelo Arnolfini was at a loss as to what to make of the various things that he was hearing. Some would be clear. He would be able to see things such as the defences of London and increases in the alertness of the City would be evident through increased numbers on watch, or amassing of arms in readiness. Much, though, is speculative. ‘Is said’ and ‘It seems’ are phrases used here and in other papers of this collection. In simple terms, the diplomatic corps of the Duke of Milan and those with whom they corresponded were having to base their thoughts upon tales that they heard.

Those rumours pertained to the negotiations between the civic authorities of London and the leadership of the Lancastrian faction, whose army had drawn close to London after their victory at St. Albans on 17 February 1461.

Arnolfini notes:

• 4 Cavaliers [Knights on horse] from the Queen had approached the gates.
• They did not enter the City.
• The Mayor is said to have not consented to the Queen’s men entering.
• Also, other men of the ‘opposite party’ are noted as having been outside Aldgate overnight.

This suggests that there are 4 representatives of the Lancastrians attempting parley at the Gates. Simultaneously, there are men of the ‘opposite party’ at Aldgate, presumably Yorkists. The mayor and aldermen were not inclined to open the gates to either party. Consequently, little progress was made and the threat of violent conflict within or adjacent to London’s walls was a daunting prospect. Arnolfini sums the situation briefly: ‘I do not like it’.

I do not know what to believe

As well as hearing rumours which were hard to verify as being truthful or fanciful, the foreign correspondents were lacking some of their usual sources of information. Though highly charged with political biased, they had been in receipt of news and opinion from the Earl of Warwick and his agents in the period between the battles of Wakefield and the Second Battle of St. Albans. However, by 23 February 1461 the Earl of Warwick seems not to have been in contact with the diplomats of the Duke of Milan. Instead of word from the Earl, the correspondence dated 19 February, 22 February, and 23 February all notes things being said about his wherabouts. And none of it is verified. This results in rumour, inaccurate as it transpired, of the Earl of Warwick being held by the Queen and her party.

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Aldgate, London, in the middle ages. Aldgate was one of the main entrances into the walled City of London. Geoffrey Chaucer had lived in apartments above Aldgate. It was one of the gates assaulted during the 1471 Siege of London. The name Aldgate was first used for the entrance into the City during the 15th century. Previously it had been known as East Gate and the spelling ‘Aldgate’ derives from earlier forms of language denoting it as the East Gate.