A Kingdom Divided: England in the Mid-15th Century

The year 1455 found England in a precarious state. King Henry VI’s reign had been marked by military failures abroad, particularly the loss of English territories in France during the Hundred Years’ War, and increasing disorder at home. The king’s fragile mental health, which had completely collapsed in 1453, created a power vacuum that ambitious nobles sought to fill. Two rival factions emerged: the Lancastrians loyal to Henry VI and his assertive queen, Margaret of Anjou, and the Yorkists led by Richard, Duke of York, who claimed a legitimate right to the throne through his descent from Edward III’s second surviving son.

This political tension was compounded by personal rivalries. The Duke of Somerset, a favorite of Henry VI, had become the Yorkists’ primary antagonist. Meanwhile, the powerful Neville family – particularly Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, and his son Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick – allied themselves with York, creating a formidable opposition bloc. The stage was set for a confrontation that would fundamentally alter English politics.

The Road to St. Albans: Escalating Tensions

The immediate catalyst for violence came in April 1455 when the royal council announced plans for a Great Council meeting in Leicester the following month. Ostensibly called to discuss “the safety of the king,” York and his allies suspected this gathering aimed to settle their dispute with Somerset in a way that would favor their rival. Their fears were confirmed when they received word they might be deliberately excluded from the meeting.

York’s response was decisive. He retreated to his stronghold at Sandal Castle in Yorkshire and began raising an army with Neville support. The government’s reaction was characteristically sluggish and ambiguous. Only on May 18 did Henry VI order troops to be raised in his defense. The next day, York and the Nevilles received orders to disband their forces, which they defiantly ignored.

As the royal party – including Henry VI, Somerset, and the Duke of Buckingham – traveled toward Leicester on May 21, York’s forces were already positioned at Ware, north of London. They sent a letter professing loyalty to Henry while expressing concern about “traitors about his person” – a clear reference to Somerset. This letter allegedly never reached the king, intercepted by Somerset’s allies.

The First Battle of St. Albans: A Brief but Decisive Clash

On May 22, 1455, the two forces met at St. Albans. York’s army, better prepared and more numerous, waited in the town while the royalists approached. Buckingham, now leading the royal forces instead of Somerset, hoped to avoid battle and negotiate, but York and particularly the Nevilles were determined to fight.

The battle itself was remarkably short. Warwick’s northern troops and Neville retainers under Sir Robert Ogle led the Yorkist attack. The royal standard was planted in the marketplace, but many royal supporters showed little stomach for fighting. The engagement quickly turned into a rout. Somerset died trying to escape from a house where he had been cornered. Other notable casualties included the Earl of Northumberland and Lord Clifford, old enemies of the Nevilles. Even Henry VI suffered a neck wound in the fighting.

The political consequences were immediate and profound. York and Salisbury escorted the king back to London, with Warwick carrying the royal sword before them. On May 25, York ceremoniously placed the crown on Henry’s head at St. Paul’s Cathedral, symbolizing his new dominance. A parliament was called for July 9, which would pardon the Yorkist lords while blaming Somerset and his allies for the conflict.

The Aftermath: A Shifting Political Landscape

The battle established a new political order. York became Constable of England and gained control of Somerset’s Welsh castles. Warwick received the crucial post of Captain of Calais. The Yorkists also secured parliamentary rehabilitation for Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, Henry V’s brother who had died under suspicious circumstances in 1447, thus associating themselves with reformist traditions.

However, York’s victory was incomplete. Henry VI remained king, and many nobles remained wary of the Yorkists. When York was appointed Protector again in November 1455 – despite no clear evidence of Henry’s incapacity – it revealed the fragility of his position. His attempt to push through financial reforms limiting royal power failed, and he was dismissed by the king in February 1456.

The Rise of Margaret of Anjou

With York’s second protectorate ended, Margaret of Anjou emerged as the dominant political force. The French-born queen, who had married Henry in 1445, became the focal point for Lancastrian loyalty, especially after the birth of her son Edward in 1453. Fearing for her son’s inheritance, she established what historians call the “Court Party” based in the Midlands, with Coventry becoming a Lancastrian stronghold.

Margaret’s growing influence coincided with renewed tensions. In 1456, York’s retainers captured Edmund Tudor in Wales, exacerbating hostilities. Rumors circulated of plots against York and Warwick, while popular unrest in Kent again invoked York’s name. The political atmosphere grew increasingly poisonous.

The Loveday Accord: A False Peace

A brief reconciliation occurred in 1458 with the “Loveday” ceremony on March 25. York and Margaret walked hand-in-hand to St. Paul’s, while Salisbury accompanied the new Duke of Somerset. The settlement required Yorkist endowments for a chapel at St. Albans and payments to victims’ families, essentially reducing their political grievances to private quarrels. This superficial peace satisfied no one and only delayed further conflict.

The Path to Open War

By 1459, both sides were preparing for decisive confrontation. In September, Salisbury defeated a Lancastrian force at Blore Heath, though his sons were captured. York, Salisbury, and Warwick regrouped at Ludlow but faced overwhelming royal forces at Ludford Bridge in October. When their Calais contingent defected, the Yorkist leaders fled – York to Ireland, the others to Calais.

The Legacy of St. Albans

The Battle of St. Albans, though brief and relatively bloodless, marked a watershed in English history. It established several dangerous precedents: that armed rebellion against the king could succeed, that political disputes could be settled by eliminating rivals, and that noble factions might prevail over royal authority.

The battle also demonstrated the personal nature of 15th-century politics. The deaths of Somerset, Northumberland, and Clifford satisfied Neville family vendettas as much as Yorkist political aims. This intertwining of personal and public grievances would characterize the coming Wars of the Roses.

Most significantly, St. Albans began the process that would eventually lead to York’s son becoming Edward IV in 1461. What began as a protest against “evil counselors” evolved into a dynastic challenge to Lancastrian rule. The battle’s true importance lies not in its military significance but in its psychological impact – it showed that the previously unthinkable deposition of an anointed king had become possible.