Editing Edward IV (section)

===Exile and restoration===
[[File:Beheading duke somerset.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.2|Edward IV (left) watching the execution of [[Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset]], at Tewkesbury, 1471]]

Edward took refuge in [[Flanders]], part of the Duchy of Burgundy, accompanied by a few hundred men, including his younger brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester, Anthony Woodville and William Hastings.{{Sfn|Penn|2019|p=243}} The Duchy was ruled by [[Charles the Bold]], husband of his sister Margaret; he provided minimal help, something Edward never forgot.{{Sfn|Penn|2019|pp=256–258}} The [[Readeption of Henry VI|restored Lancastrian regime]] faced the same issue that dominated Henry's previous reign. Mental and physical frailties made him incapable of ruling and resulted in an internal struggle for control, made worse because the coalition that put him back on the throne consisted of bitter enemies. [[Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset]], held Warwick responsible for [[Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset|his father]]'s death in 1455, while he had executed his elder brother in 1464; Warwick and Clarence quickly found themselves isolated by the new regime.{{Sfn|Penn|2019|pp=260–261}}

Backed by wealthy Flemish merchants, in March 1471 Edward landed near [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]], close to his estates in Yorkshire. Supporters were reluctant to join him; the important northern city of [[York]] opened its gates only when he claimed to be seeking the return of his dukedom, like [[Henry IV of England|Henry IV]] seventy years earlier. The first significant contingent to join was a group of 600 men under [[William Parr (died 1483)|William Parr]] and [[James Harrington (Yorkist knight)|James Harrington]].{{Sfn|Horrox|1989|p=41}} Parr fought against the Yorkists at Edgecote in 1469 and his defection confirmed Clarence's decision to switch sides; as they marched south, more recruits came in, including 3,000 at Leicester.{{Sfn|Penn|2019|p=263}}

Edward entered London unopposed and took Henry prisoner; Warwick was defeated and killed at the [[Battle of Barnet]] on 14 April, while a second Lancastrian army was destroyed at the [[Battle of Tewkesbury]] on 4 May. Sixteen-year-old Edward of Westminster, the heir to the throne, died on the battlefield, with surviving leaders like Somerset executed shortly afterwards. This was followed by Henry's death a few days later; a contemporary chronicle claimed this was due to "melancholy" but it is generally assumed he was killed on Edward's orders.{{Sfn|Wolfe|1981|p=347}}

Although the Lancastrian cause seemed at an end, the regime was destabilised by a quarrel between Clarence and his brother Gloucester. The two were married to Isabel Neville and [[Anne Neville]], respectively, the daughters of the Earl and [[Anne Beauchamp, 16th Countess of Warwick|Countess of Warwick]] and heirs to their mother's considerable inheritance.{{Sfn|Ross|1981|pp=26–27}} Many of the estates held by the brothers had been granted by Edward, who could also remove them, making them dependent on his favour. This was not the case with property acquired through marriage and explains the importance of this dispute.{{Sfn|Penn|2019|pp=306–307}}