Editing Battle of Towton (section)

== Aftermath ==
[[File:DacreCross.JPG|thumb|upright|alt=A stone post, topped with a cross, stands next to a bush in a field. An inscription on its base reads, "Battle of Towton Palm Sunday 1461".|Towton Cross: a memorial for the Battle of Towton]]

On receiving news of his army's defeat, Henry fled into exile in Scotland with his wife and son. They were later joined by Somerset, Ros, Exeter, and the few Lancastrian nobles who escaped from the battlefield. The Battle of Towton severely reduced the power of the House of Lancaster in England; the linchpins of their power at court (Northumberland, Clifford, Ros, and Dacre) had either died or fled the country, ending the house's domination over the north of England.{{Sfn|Ross|1997|pp=37–38}} Edward further exploited the situation, naming 14&nbsp;Lancastrian peers as traitors.{{Sfn|Carpenter|2002|p=159}} Approximately 96&nbsp;Lancastrians of the rank of knight and below were also [[Attainder|attainted]], 24 of them Members of Parliament.{{Sfn|Ross|1997|p=67}}

The new king preferred winning over his enemies to his cause; the nobles he attainted either died in the battle or had refused to submit to him. The estates of a few of these nobles were confiscated by the crown but the rest were untouched, remaining in the care of their families.{{Sfn|Carpenter|2002|p=159}} Edward also pardoned many of those he attainted after they submitted to his rule.{{Sfn|Ross|1997|pp=67–68}}

Although Henry was at large in Scotland with his son, the battle put an end (for the time being) to disputes over the country's state of leadership since the Act of Accord. The English people were assured that there was now one true king: Edward.{{Sfn|Ross|1997|pp=37–38}}{{Sfn|Carpenter|2002|p=149}} He turned his attention to consolidating his rule over the country, winning over the people and putting down the rebellions raised by the few remaining Lancastrian diehards.{{Sfn|Ross|1997|pp=41–63}} He knighted several of his supporters and elevated several of his gentry supporters to the [[peerage]]; Fauconberg was made the [[Earl of Kent]].{{Sfn|Carpenter|2002|p=148}} Warwick benefited from Edward's rule after the battle.{{Sfn|Ross|1997|p=70}} He received parts of Northumberland's and Clifford's holdings,{{Sfn|Carpenter|2002|p=158}} and was made "the king's lieutenant in the North and admiral of England."{{Sfn|Hicks|2002|p=221}} Edward bestowed on him many offices of power and wealth, further enhancing the earl's considerable influence and riches.{{sfn|Ross|1997|pp=70–71}}

By 1464, the Yorkists had "wiped out all effective Lancastrian resistance in the north of England."{{Sfn|Wolffe|2001|pp=335–337}} Edward's reign was not interrupted until 1470;{{Sfn|Harriss|2005|p=644}} by then, his relationship with Warwick had deteriorated to such an extent that the earl defected to the Lancastrians and forced Edward to flee England, restoring Henry to the throne.{{Sfn|Hicks|2002|pp=281, 292, 296}} The interruption of Yorkist rule was brief, as Edward regained his throne after defeating Warwick and his Lancastrian cohorts at the [[Battle of Barnet]] in 1471.{{Sfn|Ross|1997|p=171}}