Warwick The Kingmaker

THE STARTING OF THE CIVIL WAR: ST ALBANS

CHAPTER SIX

The events were clear and steady from when York arrived from Ireland without the King's consent and started arguing with his royal relatives over what Somerset and the other Court party members were engaged in. The eventual Civil War could not have been avoided barring an exceptional coincidence. It only took so long to start because York was as careful as he was ambitious, content to wait for the Crown that the King's ill health and protracted barren wedlock promised him. Furthermore, the Court party had no inclination to escalate the situation against the man, who would almost certainly become their King at a not-too-distant time. The conflict between York and Somerset continued for more than four years before any swords were drawn. They battled through manifestos and proclamations, parliamentary acts, and armed protests, but neither would strike first. 

The combination of two events with quite distinct characters led to the eventual catastrophe. First, the King had a melancholy mania in August 1453 that was eerily reminiscent of the condition that had befallen his tragic ancestor Charles the Sixth of France. He remained still and silent for days; no matter what was spoken to him, he averted his eyes and gave no response. Second, Somerset suffered a fatal blow due to the King's lunacy since he was powerless without the royal name behind him. On the other hand, York took control of proceedings and was appointed the King's lieutenant with the entire country's support. Later, he was appointed Protector of the Realm. This promised to end the nation's civil unrest for good.

However, a few months after the King had developed a mental illness, the birth of a royal heir wholly altered the state of affairs. A son was born to the Queen on October 13th. Since the royal couple had remained childless for nine years, this unexpected development had grave consequences for York. It eliminated the security from his adversaries, believing he would rule over them one day, which made York himself desperate. He decided that he had to be the regent or do without; to save his head, he had to take drastic measures and no longer be afraid to use force.

Warwick starts to get to the lead at this point. He and his father had refrained from fully supporting their relative's party during the initial stages of York's conflict with Somerset; when he staged his armed illustration in 1452, they had not shown up by his side but rather had bargained on his behalf with the King. They participated more firmly in his favour during the Parliament in January 1454. Every peer came to London with hundreds of retainers in his train as trouble developed. Then, it was noted that Salisbury had joined Warwick in London with seventy men-at-arms and that Warwick had ridden up in company with his uncle of York "with a goodly fellowship at his back."

The rise of his Neville relatives was immediately followed by York's dominance in the realm's councils. Warwick, now 25 years old, was appointed to the Privy Council in December. Salisbury was appointed Chancellor of the Realm in April, forty-four years after the last layperson held the position. York had just been named protector at the time. For sixteen months, while the King was crazy, York successfully and discreetly ran the country. His actions concerning the succession issue were strictly right. York, Warwick, and Salisbury were all participants of the Commission that invested the baby Prince Edward in April with the title of Prince of Wales. Prince Edward was recognized as the successor to the kingdom. The Court party received lenient treatment; only Somerset, who was the target of a loud as ever public uproar (after nearly being ripped apart by a London mob in 1453), was sent to jail in the tower, where he remained during the King's insanity. The future seemed favourable, and the nation appeared content.

The Nevilles' last two years of advancement and prosperity were only marred by a bitter dispute with the Percy family. At Tattershall in Yorkshire in 1453, Salisbury had been celebrating the union of his fourth son, Thomas, with a niece of Lord Cromwell. As he was leaving the feast, several supporters of Thomas Percy Lord Egremont, the younger son of the Earl of Northumberland, got into a fight with some of his retainers. A quick private war sprang out in the counties of York and Northumberland due to this little spark, with John, Salisbury's second son, leading the Nevilles and Egremont, the Percies. The unrest continued for more than a year, and it was only resolved when York personally intervened to appease the combatants after being appointed protector. He was successful in doing so, but the Percies believed they had been mistreated and were steadfast allies of Somerset and the Queen in the future.