April 4th, 1471: The Battle of Tewksbury

1471 was proving to be promising for the Yorkists: Edward IV and his brother had just returned from exile, had reconciled with George, there was now a Yorkist Prince of Wales, and they had found success at The Battle of Barnet. There was only one hurdle left: they needed to eliminate the threat that was Margaret of Anjou, as well as her 17 year old son, Edward of Westminster. By the time that the dead from Barnet were in the ground, Margaret had set foot once again in her previous kingdom, and was on the run, trying to raise armies to her cause to retake the throne, all the while trying to remove herself and her supporters to Wales.

Yet, all would come to ahead in the little town of Tewskbury, in the beginning of May. It had only been a few weeks since the previous battle, and those weeks had been spent chasing Margaret all through the English countryside. There was very little rest in between Barnet and Tewksbury. Similarly to the Battle of Barnet, the Yorkists were once again outnumbered by the Lancastrians, this time by about 1,000 men. Edward, Richard, and Hastings remained the Yorkist commanders, while the Lancastrians relied on The Duke of Somerset, the Earl of Devonshire, Lord Wenlock, and a very green Edward of Westminster. Although he was 17, Edward of Westminster had never fought in a battle before, nor had any combat experience. This would be his first (and last) hands on military encounter. The Lancastrians positioned themselves a mile south of the town, near Tewksbury Abbey, whilst the Yorkists used a wooded area to their advantage, much like they had with the fog at Barnet. Edward stationed some 200 men in the woods in order to smoke out any opposing soldiers, while also using the element of ambush, as the thicket had very low visibility. The Yorkist army also relied heavily on archery, which proved to be a smart move, as the Lancastrians couldn't see where exactly the arrows were coming from. Edward stationed himself alongside George in the main battle, whilst Hastings handled the rear, and Gloucester manned the left. During the battle itself, Somerset attempted to attack the left vanguard with something called "evil lanes." He, however, fell directly into the 200 men ambush in the woods, killing the majority of his men. Who did make it attempted to flee via the Severn, but found they were unable to, and were hacked to pieces. For this reason, the area near Colnbrook is called "The Bloody Meadow." Meanwhile, according to legend, Somerset dashed Wenlock's brains with his battle axe for failing to help him.

As the conditions for the Lancastrian army deteriorated, those choosing to flee found they were trapped due to the rivers, and those who did cross successfully were killed by pursuers. Others drowned, the rushing waters sweeping them under. While chaos ensued, there is little known of the whereabouts of the Lancastrian prince. It is not clear in the annals of history what happened to him, if he were caught underfoot by his fleeing army, murdered by someone on the opposing side, or what exactly, but we do know he perished. There is an account that he was murdered while calling for help from his brother-in-law The Duke of Clarence, yet by who isn't clear. For centuries, the murder was pinned to the Duke of Gloucester, who a year later would marry his widow, Anne Neville; however this has been contested. Of the Lancastrian nobles who did survive, they sought sanctuary at the Abbey, alongside Margaret of Anjou and her daughter-in-law. However, two days after the battle, Edward had them dragged out and executed, choosing to spare the women involved. By Medieval standards, this was considered heinous, yet it was not questioned, and the Abbey needed to be re-consecrated. Nearly a week later, Margaret of Anjou surrendered, and the battle was officially won. In the following months, the Bastard of Falconburg would try to take London in the name of Henry VI, but the siege would be short lived. Once back in London, however, Edward had to figure out what to do with Henry: he was much too dangerous alive, as his subjects saw him as needing rescue, and as the rightful king. Although Henry himself posed no threat to the new regime, nor did he partake in warmongering, he could not be left alive. As to who did it, or how, is also lost to history, but in the aftermath of Tewksbury, Henry VI, the son of Henry V was murdered. Notorious for choosing peace first no matter what, as well as the possibility that he was disabled, his sudden and suspicious death, although necessary, left a foul taste in people's mouths. Yet, Edward's reign was secure finally, and he would reign until his own sudden death in 1483. As for his peace with his brothers, that would last a mere 6 months: Richard, Duke of Gloucester began vieing for land, and began talking of marrying Anne Neville, George's ward. Anne was a mere 14-15 years of age; not yet the age of majority, as well as an important widow. George was set to inherit the Neville lands through his wife, Isabel, however Richard's interest in the youngest legitimate daughter threw a wrench in those plans. Richard would marry Anne in secret in 1472, and they would go on to have a son, Edward of Middleham, sometime between 1473 and 1475. George himself would have three children with Isabel before her sudden death in 1476, which caused him to go mad and to seek out the company of a necromancer, who urged him to commit treason. George, Duke of Clarence would be executed in 1478, at the mere age of 28 years old. The Battle of Tewksbury was the end of the second part of The Wars of The Roses: it successfully neutralised the Lancastrian threat, and affirmed Edward's reign. Although the peace would be short lived due to in-fighting, it did assure a peace between Lancaster and York until 1483.