Richard Neville

Henry’s queen, Margaret of Anjou, strong-willed in contrast to her feeble husband, has established an ascendancy at the court, together with the powerful Beaufort family, headed by Edmond Beaufort, Duke of Somerset.

Cade’s rebellion, though unsuccessful in its aims, had eroded royal authority, enabling Richard, Duke of York, to return in autumn 1450 from his new post as Lieutenant of Ireland to England, where he had been recognized as heir to the childless King Henry VI.

He had marched on London, demanding Somerset's removal and reform of the government.

At this stage, few of the nobles support such drastic action, and York had been forced to submit to superior force at Blackheath.

He has been imprisoned for much of 1452 and 1453 but is released after swearing not to take arms against the court.

The loss of Bordeaux in 1453 has turned the English towards the Yorkists and against the Lancastrian Beaufort family.

The increasing discord at court is mirrored in the country as a whole, where noble families engage in private feuds and show increasing disrespect for the royal authority and for the courts of law.

The Percy-Neville feud is the best-known of these private wars, but others are being conducted freely.

In many cases, they are fought between old-established families, and formerly minor nobility raised in power and influence by Henry IV in the aftermath of the rebellions against him.

The quarrel between the Percys—long the Earls of Northumberland—and the comparatively upstart Nevilles follows this pattern, as does the feud between the Courtenays and Bonvilles in Cornwall and Devon.

A factor in these feuds is the presence of large numbers of soldiers discharged from the English armies that had been defeated in France.

Nobles engage many of these to mount raids, or to pack courts of justice with their supporters, intimidating suitors, witnesses and judges.

This growing civil discontent, the abundance of feuding nobles with private armies, and corruption in Henry VI's court form a political climate ripe for civil war.

With the king so easily manipulated, power rests with those closest to him at court, in other words Somerset and the Lancastrian faction.

Richard and the Yorkist faction, who tend to be physically placed further away from the seat of power, find their power slowly being stripped away.

Royal power also starts to slip, as Henry is persuaded to grant many royal lands and estates to the Lancastrians.

Margaret’s position is greatly reinforced in October 1453 by the birth of a son, Edward, whose status as royal heir presents a problem for the Yorkist claim.

However, Henry suffers the first of several bouts of complete mental collapse, during which he fails even to recognize his newborn son.

A Council of Regency is set up in April 1454, headed by the Duke of York, who still remains popular with the people, as Lord Protector.

York soon asserts his power with ever-greater boldness (although there is no proof that he had aspirations to the throne at this early stage).

He imprisons Somerset and backs his Neville allies (his brother-in-law, the Earl of Salisbury, and Salisbury's son, the Earl of Warwick), in their continuing feud with the Earl of Northumberland, a powerful supporter of Henry.

English king Edward III had given land to powerful noble families, including many people of royal lineage.

Because land is equivalent to power, these powerful men can try to claim the crown.

The autocratic and arrogant methods of Richard II had only served to alienate the nobility more, and his forceful dispossession in 1399 by Henry IV had increased the turmoil.

The turmoil is at its peak in the reign of Henry VI, which began in 1422, because of his personal weaknesses and mental instability.

When the Hundred Years' War was lost in August 1453, Henry had fallen into a period of mental breakdown that lasted until Christmas 1454.

The monarchy, unable to control the feuding nobles, had in 1455 seen the beginning of civil war.

The conflicts are known as the Wars of the Roses, which will last until 1485.

Although the fighting is to be very sporadic and small, there ensues a general breakdown in the authority and power of the Crown.

Armed clashes had occurred previously between supporters of Lancastrian King Henry VI and Richard, Duke of York, head of the rival House of York, but the first open fighting of what is to be thirty years of intermittent civil war had broken out in 1455 in the relatively small First Battle of St. Albans.

Richard's aim ostensibly had been to remove "poor advisors" from King Henry's side.

The result had been a Lancastrian defeat in which several prominent Lancastrian leaders, including the Earls of Somerset and Northumberland, had been killed.

After the battle, the Yorkists had found Henry sitting quietly in his tent, abandoned by his advisors and servants, apparently having suffered another bout of mental illness.

York and his allies have regained their position of influence, and for a while both sides have seemed shocked that an actual battle had been fought and have done their best to reconcile their differences.

With the king indisposed, York had again been appointed Protector, and Margaret of Anjou, Henry’s queen, shunted aside, charged with the king's care.

York surrenders the office in February 1456, when the king recovers from his intermittent insanity, the symptoms of which had first appeared a few years earlier.

It seems that this time Henry is willing to accept that York and his supporters will play a major part in the government of the realm.

By the time Henry, now under the influence of Margaret, resumes personal government, Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick, has taken over the role of his father, the Earl of Salisbury, as York's main ally; at the parliament of February 1456, as the king resumes power, Warwick shows up in force to protect York from retributions.

The compromise of 1455 has enjoyed some success, with York remaining the dominant voice on the Royal Council even after King Henry’s recovery; Salisbury and Warwick continue as councilors.

The problems that had caused conflict between the Yorkist and Lancastrian factions soon reemerge, however, particularly the issue of whether the Duke of York, or Henry and Margaret's infant son, Edward, will succeed to the throne.

Margaret has now taken the place formerly held by Suffolk or Somerset, but her position, at least at first, is not as dominant.

The queen refuses, however, to accept any solution that will disinherit her son, and it becomes clear that she will only tolerate the situation for as long as the Duke of York and his allies retain the military ascendancy.

York's ally Warwick is meanwhile growing in popularity in London as the champion of the merchants.

York himself is sent north in June to defend the border against a threatened invasion by James II of Scotland.

Warwick’s Appointment to the Captaincy of Calais (1456)

Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, reached a pivotal moment in his political and military career with his appointment as Captain of Calais in 1456. This strategic posting provided Warwick not only with considerable military resources but also control of England’s primary gateway to Continental Europe, serving as a critical power base during the tumultuous years ahead.

Political and Military Context
Calais was far more than a mere administrative position—it represented a linchpin in English diplomacy and warfare. Its fortress and surrounding lands offered a powerful stronghold from which military campaigns into France could be launched, or threats from the continent repelled. Warwick’s control of Calais granted him authority over a key strategic stronghold, enabling him to influence English politics significantly at a time when internal tensions—particularly between the factions loyal to the houses of Lancaster and York—were escalating toward civil war.

Economic and Military Significance
Beyond its military significance, Calais was economically vital as a thriving trade center and a critical source of revenue through customs duties and trade levies. As Captain, Warwick could leverage this wealth to fund his military operations, sustain his armies, and further solidify his political position at home. Additionally, the Calais garrison, largely loyal to Warwick personally, provided him a dependable military force that would prove instrumental in future conflicts.

Political and Cultural Impact
Warwick’s command of Calais strengthened his reputation as one of England's most powerful magnates, known as "the Kingmaker," and gave him leverage to negotiate directly with continental powers, enhancing his diplomatic influence. Calais under Warwick's leadership became a center of political intrigue and diplomatic exchange, significantly influencing the ongoing power struggles within England itself.

This appointment laid the foundations for Warwick's later role in the Wars of the Roses, dramatically affecting England's political landscape and marking a turning point in his career and the broader trajectory of Atlantic West European history.

Henry goes in 1456 on royal progress in the Midlands, where the king and queen are popular.

Margaret does not allow him to return to London, where the merchants are angry at the decline in trade and widespread disorder.

In August, the king's court is set up at Coventry in the heart of the Queen's lands, by which time the new Duke of Somerset, Henry Beaufort, who had fought in 1455 at the First Battle of St. Albans, where he had been seriously wounded and his father killed, is emerging as a favorite of the royal court.

Margaret also persuades Henry to dismiss the appointments York had made as Protector, while York is made to return to his post as Lord Lieutenant in Ireland.

Disorder in the capital and piracy on the south coast are growing, but the king and queen remain intent on protecting their own positions, with the queen introducing conscription for the first time in England.

How York is treated now depends on how powerful the Queen's views are.

York is regarded with suspicion on three fronts: he threatens the succession of the young Prince of Wales; he is apparently negotiating for the marriage of his son Edward into the Burgundian ruling Family; and as a supporter of the Nevilles, he is contributing to the Percy/Neville feud, the major cause of disturbance in the kingdom.

Here, the Nevilles lose ground; Salisbury gradually ceases to attend meetings of the council.

When his brother Robert Neville, Bishop of Durham, dies in 1457, the new appointment is Laurence Booth, a member of the Queen's inner circle.

The Percys are shown greater favor both at court and in the struggle for power on the Scottish Border.