First Battle of St Albans
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The First Battle of St Albans was the first battle of the Wars of the Roses and was fought on May 22, 1455 in the town of St Albans.
Richard, Duke of York and his ally, Richard, Earl of Warwick defeated the Lancastrians under Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, who was killed. York captured King Henry VI and had himself appointed Constable of England.
In an attempt to avoid becoming outflanked, Henry's 2,000 strong army had pulled back into the town and barricaded themselves in the streets with 3,000 Yorkist troops ranged in the surrounding fields against them.
The Lancastrians attempted to hold St. Albans behind two blockades in Hollywell and St. Peter’s Streets against a Yorkist attack from the east. Whilst the bulk of Henry's forces were surprised and fully occupied by the speed of Richard's attack (most of the army was expecting a peaceful resolution like the one at Blackheath in 1452. In fact the leaders had been negotiating minutes prior to the attack), two frontal assaults down the narrow streets made no headway and resulted in heavy casualties for the Yorkists.
Warwick took his reserve troops through an unguarded part of the town’s defences by following a path through the back lanes and gardens. Suddenly the Earl appeared in the Market Square where the main body of Henry troops was sitting around talking and resting. There is evidence they were not yet expecting to be involved in the fighting, as many were not even wearing their helmets. Warwick charged instantly with his small force of reserves and smashed the Lancastrian line in two, making military history.
The Earl then ordered his archers to fire at the men around the King, killing some and injuring many nobles including the King and his commander the Duke of Buckingham. Warwick killed one of his own enemies, the Duke of Somerset outside the Castle Inn.
The men manning the barricades realising the enemy was in the main square and fearing an attack from behind abandoned them to the Yorkists who soon climbed over and joined the rout.
In military terms St. Albans was trivial, perhaps 300 dead, but in political terms the battle was a complete victory, for York captured the King, returning himself to complete power, his rival Somerset was dead and the Neville's arch enemies Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland and Lord Clifford fell during the rout.