Editing Richard III of England (section)

===War with Scotland===
Richard's increasing role in the north from the mid-1470s to some extent explains his withdrawal from the royal court. He had been [[Lord Warden of the Marches#Warden of the Western March|Warden of the West March]] on the Scottish border since 10 September 1470,{{sfnp|Scofield|2016|p=534}} and again from May 1471; he used Penrith as a base while 'taking effectual measures' against the Scots, and 'enjoyed the revenues of the estates' of the Forest of Cumberland while doing so.{{sfnp|Ferguson|1890|p=238}} It was at the same time that the Duke of Gloucester was appointed High Sheriff of Cumberland for five consecutive years, being described as 'of Penrith Castle' in 1478.{{sfnp|Lysons|Lysons|1816|loc="Parishes: Newton-Regny – Ponsonby", pp. 142–150}}

By 1480, war with Scotland was looming; on 12 May that year, he was appointed Lieutenant-General of the North (a position created for the occasion) as fears of a Scottish invasion grew. [[Louis XI]] of France had attempted to negotiate a military alliance with Scotland (in the tradition of the "[[Auld Alliance]]"), with the aim of attacking England, according to a contemporary French chronicler.{{sfnp|Ross|1974|p=278|ps=, citing Phillipe de Commynes}} Richard had the authority to summon the Border Levies and issue Commissions of Array to repel the Border raids. Together with the Earl of Northumberland, he launched counter-raids, and when the king and council formally declared war in November 1480, he was granted 10,000 pounds for wages.

The king failed to arrive to lead the English army and the result was intermittent skirmishing until early 1482. Richard witnessed the treaty with [[Alexander, Duke of Albany]], brother of King [[James III of Scotland]].{{sfnp|Ross|1974|p=9}} Northumberland, Stanley, Dorset, Sir Edward Woodville, and Richard with approximately 20,000 men took the town of Berwick as part of the [[English invasion of Scotland (1482)|English invasion of Scotland]]. The castle held out until 24 August 1482, when Richard [[English invasion of Scotland (1482)|recaptured Berwick-upon-Tweed]] from the [[Kingdom of Scotland]]. Although it is debatable whether the English victory was due more to internal Scottish divisions rather than any outstanding military prowess by Richard,{{sfnp|Ross|1981|loc=p. 143, n. 53|ps=. However, Ross cites a letter from Edward IV in May 1480, the letter of appointment to his position as Lieutenant-General referred to his "proven capacity in the arts of war".}} it was the last time that the [[Royal Burgh]] of Berwick changed hands between the two realms.{{sfnp|Ross|1981|pp=44–47}}