Editing Battle of Towton (section)

== Setting ==
{{further|Wars of the Roses}}
{{Location map+|England|width=300|AlternativeMap=England location map.svg|alt=Map of England showing the locations of towns and battles. The Battle of Towton is in the north, just southwest of York.|float=right|caption=Locations:
: [[File:Battle icon active (crossed swords).svg|20px|link=]] – Battle of Towton; [[File:Battle icon (crossed swords).svg|16px|link=]] – other battles; [[File:Steel pog.svg|8px|link=]] – other places |places=
  {{Location map~|England|label='''Towton'''|label_size=75|position=left|lat=53.835833|long=-1.273333|mark=Battle icon active (crossed swords).svg|marksize=20}}
  {{Location map~|England|label=Wakefield|label_size=75|position=right|lat=53.680139|long=-1.247222|mark=Battle icon (crossed swords).svg|marksize=16}}
  {{Location map~|England|label=Northampton|label_size=75|position=right|lat=52.236667|long=-0.893556|mark=Battle icon (crossed swords).svg|marksize=16}}
  {{Location map~|England|label=Mortimer's Cross|label_size=75|position=right|lat=52.318611|long=-2.869167|mark=Battle icon (crossed swords).svg|marksize=16}}
  {{Location map~|England|label=St. Albans|label_size=75|position=right|lat=51.755|long=-0.336|mark=Battle icon (crossed swords).svg|marksize=16}}
  {{Location map~|England|label=London|label_size=75|position=left|lat=51.507778|long=-0.128056|mark=Steel pog.svg|marksize=8}}
  {{Location map~|England|label=York|label_size=75|position=right|lat=53.958333|long=-1.096667|mark=Steel pog.svg|marksize=8}}
}}
In 1461 England was in the sixth year of the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars between the houses of [[House of York|York]] and [[House of Lancaster|Lancaster]] over the English throne. The Lancastrians backed the reigning king of England, [[Henry VI of England|Henry VI]], a weak and indecisive man who suffered from intermittent bouts of madness.{{Sfn|Wolffe|2001|p=289}} The leader of the Yorkists was initially [[Richard, 3rd Duke of York|Richard, Duke of York]], who resented the dominance of a small number of aristocrats favoured by the king, principally the king's close relatives, the [[Beaufort family]]. Fuelled by rivalries between influential supporters of both factions, York's attempts to displace Henry's favourites from power led to war.{{Sfn|Wolffe|2001|p=289}}{{Sfn|Ross|1997|pp=11–18}} After capturing Henry at the [[Battle of Northampton (1460)|Battle of Northampton]] in 1460, the duke, who was of royal blood, issued his claim to the throne. Even York's closest supporters among the nobility were reluctant to usurp the dynasty; the nobles passed by a majority vote the [[Act of Accord]], which ruled that the duke and his heirs would succeed to the throne upon Henry's death.{{Sfn|Carpenter|2002|p=147}}{{Sfn|Hicks|2002|p=211}}<!-- Wolffe 332 effectively labels them conservative.  -->

Henry VI's wife, [[Margaret of Anjou|Queen Margaret]], refused to accept an arrangement that deprived their son, [[Edward of Westminster]], of his birthright. She had fled to Scotland after the Yorkist victory at Northampton; there she began raising an army, promising her followers the freedom to plunder on the march south through England. Her Lancastrian supporters also mustered in the north of England, preparing for her arrival. York marched with his army to meet this threat but he was lured into a trap at the [[Battle of Wakefield]] and killed. The duke and his second son, [[Edmund, Earl of Rutland]], were decapitated by the Lancastrians and their heads were impaled on spikes atop the [[York city walls#Micklegate Bar|Micklegate Bar]], a gatehouse of the city of York.{{Sfn|Wolffe|2001|pp=324–327}} The leadership of the House of York passed to the duke's heir, [[Edward IV of England|Edward]].{{Sfn|Ross|1997|pp=7, 33}}

[[File:Movement to Towton.svg|thumb|upright|left|alt=The Yorkist army moved north towards Towton, engaging in the Battle of Ferrybridge on 28 March and reaching Sherburn-in-Elmet on the same day. The Lancastrians moved southwards through Tadcaster. Both arrived at Towton on 29 March.|The armies of York (white) and Lancaster (red) move towards Towton.]]
The victors of Wakefield were joined by Margaret's army and marched south, plundering settlements along the way. They liberated Henry after defeating the Yorkist army of [[Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick]], in the [[Second Battle of St Albans]] and continued pillaging on their way to London. The city of London refused to open its gates to Henry and Margaret for fear of being looted. The Lancastrian army was short of supplies and had no adequate means to replenish them. When Margaret learned that Richard of York's eldest son, Edward, Earl of March, and his army had won the [[Battle of Mortimer's Cross]] in Herefordshire and were marching towards London, she withdrew the Lancastrians to York.{{Sfn|Harriss|2005|p=538}}{{Sfn|Ross|1997|pp=29–32}} Warwick and the remnants of his army marched from St Albans to join Edward's men and the Yorkists were welcomed into London. Having lost custody of Henry, the Yorkists needed a justification to continue the rebellion against the king and his Lancastrian followers. On 4 March Warwick proclaimed the young Yorkist leader as King Edward IV. The proclamation gained greater acceptance than Richard of York's earlier claim, as several nobles opposed to letting Edward's father ascend the throne viewed the Lancastrian actions as a betrayal of the legally established Accord.{{Sfn|Hicks|2002|pp=216–217}}{{Sfn|Wolffe|2001|pp=330–331}}

The country now had two kings; a situation that could not be allowed to persist, especially if Edward were to be formally crowned.{{Sfn|Wolffe|2001|pp=330–331}} Edward offered an amnesty to any Lancastrian supporter who renounced Henry. The move was intended to win over the commoners; his offer did not extend to wealthy Lancastrians (mostly the nobles).{{Sfn|Ross|1997|p=35}} The young king summoned and ordered his followers to march towards York to take back his family's city and to depose Henry formally through force of arms.{{Sfn|Wolffe|2001|pp=332–333}} The Yorkist army moved along three routes. Warwick's uncle, [[William Neville, 1st Earl of Kent|Lord Fauconberg]], led a group to clear the way to York for the main body, which was led by Edward. [[John de Mowbray, 3rd Duke of Norfolk|The Duke of Norfolk]] was sent east to raise forces and rejoin Edward before the battle. Warwick's group moved to the west of the main body, through the Midlands, gathering men as they went. On 28 March, the leading elements of the Yorkist army came upon the remains of the crossing in [[Ferrybridge]] crossing the [[River Aire]]. They were rebuilding the bridge when they [[Battle of Ferrybridge|were attacked and routed]] by a band of about 500 Lancastrians, led by [[John Clifford, 9th Baron Clifford|Lord Clifford]].{{Sfn|Hicks|2002|pp=218–219}}

Learning of the encounter, Edward led the main Yorkist army to the bridge and was forced into a gruelling battle: although the Yorkists were superior in numbers, the narrow bridge was a bottleneck, forcing them to confront Clifford's men on equal terms. Edward sent Fauconberg and his horsemen to [[Ford (crossing)|ford]] the river at [[Castleford]], which should have been guarded by Henry, Earl of Northumberland, but he arrived late, by which time the Yorkists had crossed the ford and were heading to attack the Lancastrians at Ferrybridge from the flank. The Lancastrians retreated but were chased to Dinting Dale, where they were all killed, Clifford being slain by an arrow to his throat. Having cleared the vicinity of enemy forces, the Yorkists repaired the bridge and pressed onwards to camp overnight at [[Sherburn-in-Elmet]]. The Lancastrian army marched to Tadcaster, about {{convert|2|mi}} north of Towton, and made camp.{{Sfn|Gravett|2003|pp=32–39}} As dawn broke the two rival armies struck camp under dark skies and strong winds.{{Sfn|Ross|1997|p=37}}{{Sfn|Gravett|2003|p=47}} Although it was [[Palm Sunday]], a day of holy significance to Christians, the forces prepared for battle and a few documents named the engagement the Battle of ''Palme Sonday Felde'' but the name did not gain wide acceptance.{{Sfn|Morgan|2000|pp=38, 40}} Popular opinion favoured naming the battle after the village of Towton because of its proximity and it being the most prominent feature in the area.{{Sfn|Gravett|2003|p=44}}