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The Battle of Barnet, which took place on April 14, 1471, was a decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses, near the town of Barnet, 10 miles north of London.The main protagonists were King Edward IV of England and Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, former friends and allies who had fallen out as a result of Edward's tendency to favour the relatives of his queen, Elizabeth Woodville. In October of the previous year, Warwick "the Kingmaker" had driven Edward out of the country, replacing his Lancastrian predecessor, King Henry VI of England, on the throne. Warwick then made the mistake of agreeing to assist King Louis XI of France in his conflict with the Duke of Burgundy. This prompted the Burgundians to offer military aid to Edward, who returned to England on March 14, 1471. The two armies were evenly matched in numbers, but Warwick was expecting support from his son-in-law, George, Duke of Clarence, who happened to be Edward's brother and hurried to make his peace with the latter.
Edward marched to London while Warwick remained in Coventry where he had been raising troops. Having taken back his capital, Edward then moved to meet Warwick at Barnet.
On the Lancastrian side, the Earl of OxfordJohn de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford (died 10 March, 1513) was one of the principal Lancastrian commanders during the English Wars of the Roses. Early in the reign of Edward IV, Oxford's father, the 12th Earl, and his elder brother were executed for plotting commanded the right flank, the Marquess of MontaguJohn Montagu, 1st Marquess of Montagu (~1431 April 14, 1471) was a Yorkist leader in the Wars of the Roses, best-known for eliminating Lancastrian resistance in the north of England during the early part of the reign of Edward IV of England. Montagu was a the center, and the Duke of ExeterHenry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter (d. 1475) was a Lancastrian leader during the English Wars of the Roses. He was the son of John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter, a grandson of John of Gaunt, and might have had a plausible claim on the throne after the death the left. These were arrayed offset from the road to Barnet, with the left flank on the road. The Earl of Warwick was with the reserves.
The Yorkists were set-up centered on the road, with Edward commanding the center, his brother Richard (later Richard IIIRichard III ( October 2, 1452 August 22, 1485) was the King of England from 1483 until his death and the last king from the House of York. After the death of his brother Edward IV, Richard briefly governed as a regent for Edward's son Edward V, but he imp) on the right, and Lord HastingsWilliam Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings (~1431 1483) became one of the great powers of the realm during the reign of Edward IV of England, but was abruptly executed by Richard III. Hastings father was Sir Leonard Hastings, who had a modest estate in Leiceste the left.
Oxford's troops, helped by their initial flanking position made an early impact on the Yorkist left, but this was compensated for by foggy conditions which made it difficult for the Dukes of Somerset and Exeter to push home their advantage. The two sides ended up so the battle lines were parallel to the highway rather than at right angles to it. Some of the Lancastrian troops mistook one another for the enemy in the ensuing confusion. As the mist cleared and Warwick recognised defeat, he was cut down while trying to reach his horse. His younger brother, the Marquess of Montagu, was also killed, probably by one of Oxford's troops when the cry of treachery went up.
The same day as the battle Queen Margaret landed at Weymouth and began gathering troops from Wales and the Welsh Marches. Had she been able to join forces with Warwick matters might have ended very differently. Instead, Edward's victory enabled him to consolidate and prepare himself for the final confrontation against the Lancastrian royal family - the Battle of TewkesburyThe Battle of Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, which took place on May 4, 1471, completed one phase of the Wars of the Roses, and temporarily put an end to Lancastrian hopes of regaining the throne of England. There would be fourteen years of peace before a.
