England
Mortimer's Cross and St Albans II
York's son, the Earl of March, was in Wales raising troops. He was joined in January by Lord Hastings and the two of them headed towards London. A small Lancastrian force met them at Mortimer's Cross on 2 February. It was not a big battle, but it was the future Edward IV's first victory in the field. He proved to be a good tactician and ruthless in hunting down the opposition.
The Tudors fought on the side of Lancaster that day. Owen Tudor was captured and executed, his head set upon the market cross. Jasper Tudor managed to escape, but ten others were executed as well.
According to the chroniclers, a triple sun appeared in the sky before the battle, which Edward took to be a sign of divine favor. After he won the battle, he chose a golden sunburst as one of his badges, so that all who wore it would be identified as his men. The specific colors and badges chosen by a lord and worn by his followers was known as "livery"; it was very much like wearing gang colors in that it was a visible declaration of your loyalties.
But the York fortune was still precarious. Queen Margaret was marching down from the North with an army of Scots and Northumbrians and Frenchmen. London was commanded by the Earl of Warwick, who marched out to St Albans to turn back the royal army, bringing the mad King Henry with him. Somerset was in command of the Lancastrians.
The battle was sharp, but short. Warwick' s forces were in the town itself and appear to have lost cohesion. The army broke and fled before a charge led by Somerset. Warwick managed to escape, but King Henry was recaptured. According to one source he was completely unaware of what was happening, spending the entire battle laughing and singing.
The Second Battle of St Albans meant that the Lancasters would not be destroyed, despite the Yorkist victories. At the same time, though, Margaret and Somerset lacked the troops to take and hold London, for that city was solidly Yorkist. So, after a victory in the field, the royal army returned to the North.
The Earl of March entered London on 4 March 1460, where the city, at least, proclaimed him King of England. He chose not to be crowned yet, however, probably realizing that his claim was as yet too shaky. He was only nineteen at the time.