England
York Gains the Upper Hand
Over the summer of 1455, Parliament dutifully absolved the Yorksts of any and all wrongdoing. Everything was laid on Somerset, which was convenient for everyone as he was lying down at the time.
In November, the King had another spell and York again was appointed Lord Protector. But Henry recovered again in February 1456, and an anti-York party began to emerge. It was led, not surprisingly, by Henry Holland, Duke of Exeter, who was Somerset's son and who had been wounded at St Albans. Exeter was Lord Admiral and in a position of power, but it was too soon for Exeter to move openly.
The next couple of years were tense but fairly quiet, with a good deal of maneuvering in the form of handing out titles and estates. The Duke of Buckingham emerged as one who tried to pacify both sides. On the surface, York and the court party were reconciled, with foes engaging in a tournament in London, but not far beneath the surface much violence lurked. Little quarrels erupted continually. The most significant of these came to light in November, when the Earl of Warwick fled to Calais, claiming that Exeter was trying to kill him.