Regional feuds and violence of the 15th century
The Wars of the Roses saw major battles unseat kings and resulted in the deaths of leading magnates and thousands of men on the field and within routs. Those battles weren’t the only violent acts…
Lords Roos and Hungerford captured
The Battle of Hexham had been a Lancastrian attempt to prevent Yorkist forces marching north to escort Scottish negotiators to York. At the battle, Lords Hungerford and Roos had jointly commanded the left flank of…
Battle of Hexham
The Duke of Somerset moved the Lancastrian army through Northumbria in April of 1464. It gathered troops from the garrisons in the area. It culminated in the Battle of Hexham, fought on 15 May 1464.…
Fauconberg retreats from London
On 14 May 1471 the force commanded by Thomas Neville was forced to retreat from positions close to the walls of London. Siege of London Thomas Neville, the Bastard of Fauconberg, had been harassing London…
Earl of Warwick was commissioned to suppress disturbances in the North Riding
The Earl of Warwick was commissioned to suppress disturbances in the North Riding on 13 May 1461. Following the Yorkist victory at the Battle of Towton many Lancastrians had fled to the north. A campaign…
Raid on Sandwich, 15 January 1460
Following the rout at Ludford the Yorkist lords had fled the country. The Earls of March, Salisbury, and Warwick made their way to Calais, whilst the duke of York travelled to Ireland. Richard Neville, the…
King Henry VI and his defence of Calais, 1452
In late 1451 and early 1452 there was a heightened threat of French military actions in and around Calais. It was a risk that was taken seriously by King Henry VI as it was less…
Lord Stanley apologises for not fighting at Blore Heath
On 24th September 1459 Lord Thomas Stanley wrote to Queen Margaret making his apologies for not arriving at Blore Heath in time. He also wrote to the Earl of Salisbury, congratulating him on his victory.…
Battle of Blore Heath
The Battle of Blore Heath was fought on 23 Septembee 1459. It saw a Yorkist force under the Earl of Salisbury defeat a larger Lancastrian army commanded by Lord Audley. Blore Heath, in Staffordshire, was…
Standoff involving the Earl of Devon and Earl of Wiltshire
Tensions were running high in 1451. On 17th September, an argument in the South West threatened to break out into private war. Stemming from rivalries between the Bonville and Courtenay families for regional dominance, the…