England
Battle of Barnet, 1471
Edward meanwhile had taken refuge in Flanders, which belonged to that same Charles the Bold. He managed to assemble a fleet of thirty-six ships, but had only about twelve hundred men. It was a laughably small force for conquering a kingdom, but Edward was relying on men rallying to his cause after he landed. Back in England, the Commons was so angry with Warwick for involving them in the Franco-Burgundian war that it refused to vote any money for the war. As a consequence, Warwick couldn't even raise a fleet to oppose Edward's tiny invasion.
 |
| Battle of Barnet, 1471 |
Edward sailed 11 March 1471. He landed on the Humber River and was scarcely opposed anywhere. He entered London without a battle on 12 April. As he had hoped, supporters flocked to his standard, but there was still the Earl of Warwick to deal with.
Warwick had gone to Northumbria, to the heart of the Neville strongholds, to raise men. Edward went to meet him on the 13th. The two forces met at Barnet, about eleven miles from the City, York taking up his position during the night. The next morning was the 14th, Easter Sunday.
The ground was covered in morning fog. Hastings commanded the Yorkist left, Edward the center, Gloucester (the future Richard III) the right wing. The Lancastrians had Oxford on the right, Montagu in the center, and Exeter on the left. Warwick himself commanded a reserve force behind the center. As the Lancastrians had twice the number of men, he had the luxury of keeping a reserve.
Because the two armies had formed up during the night, they did not oppose each other exactly. Instead each army's right wing flanked the other side. At the initial charge, therefore, Oxford broke the Yorkists under Hastings, while at the other end Gloucester triumphed over the Lancastrians led by Exeter. In the center, both sides engaged in fierce hand-to-hand fighting.
Lord Oxford drove back Hastings so far that he began encountering his own forces in the center. Because Oxford's livery was similar to Edward's, Montagu's men attacked them. Upon seeing this, Oxford's men naturally thought themselves betrayed (Montagu had already turned coat once) and cried treachery. In the confusion, King Edward led a charge that shattered the Lancastrians to bits.
Montagu was killed in the fighting. Warwick was trapped in some woods, where he was killed. Oxford managed to escape and fled to Scotland.
Barnet was a great victory for York, but not a final victory, for there were other Lancaster loyalists and Queen Margaret was still in France with another army.