The Battle of Northampton and a 15th Century Game of Thrones

560 years ago today a battle would take place in Northampton that would fundamentally change the course of English history and set in motion a chain of events that would end the reign of the Plantagenets ushering in the Tudor dynasty. The Battle of Northampton in 1460 took place on the grounds of Delapré Abbey on the site of what is now the University of Northampton’s Waterside Campus. It was one of the most prominent battles of the Wars of the Roses, unfortunately like a lot of Northampton’s history the battle’s importance has been widely forgotten locally.

The Wars of the Roses lasted just over 30 years and while their political importance cannot be underestimated, historians disagree over their impact on the country as a whole. Revisionist historians for example, claim that the wars did not happen in the grand scale that has traditionally been stated. They highlight that large parts of the country remained unaffected by the conflict and there was not a universal experience which conflicts such as the civils wars would have. Instead this was a war of the nobility, a fifteenth century game of thrones with its very own mad king.

However, I would argue that the wars were significant and their consequences far reaching, even though they might not have been immediately apparent. Fifteenth century England was a chaotic land, with political upheaval on a scale which had not been seen since the Norman invasion. During this century the English lost Aquitaine to the French and Christendom in the east was defeated when the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople. By the late 1450s this situation was being exasperated in by the deteriorating mental state of Henry VI. The wars emerged out of a rivalry amongst two branches of the Plantagenets – the House of Lancaster and the House of York; both of whom fought for the right to be named protector while Henry was mentally incapacitated.

The Yorkist clashed with Henry VI’s forces that were loyal to the Lancastrians at Northampton by the river Nene on 10th July 1460. Details of the battle are vague however, we do know that the Yorkists won the day and Henry VI was captured and held at Delapré Abbey until he was later taken to London where the Tower garrison surrendered to Richard the Duke of York. Richard tried to claim the throne for himself but instead had to settle for the protector title and a change in the succession which would see his heirs on the throne.

The Battle of Northampton secured the throne eventually for the Yorkists, but the Wars of the Roses didn’t end there and history is often ironic, repeating itself. Mad King Henry VI would eventually be succeeded by the Duke of York’s son Edward IV, however, Edward’s untimely death in 1483 would cause the ascension of the 12 year old Edward V. As the Duke of York’s grandson, the uncrowned Edward V, made his way down to London to claim his throne he was met by his uncle, Richard in Northampton on May 3rd 1483. Three days prior to this Richard, Duke of Gloucester and the 11th son of the Duke of York had arrested key members of his nephew’s household and political rivals in a coup which secured him control over the child’s court. From Northampton Richard escorted his nephew to London where he was held in the Tower of London for his own ‘safety’. Shortly after Edward V would be joined at the Tower by his brother Richard – neither would ever leave. On 22nd June 1483 Richard, Duke of Gloucester Lord Protector had his two nephews declared illegitimate and claim the throne for himself, not long after he was crowned Richard III. The last Plantagenet king would rule for only two years until he was defeated at the Battle of Bosworth by the outsider Henry Tudor. As for the princes in the tower they were not seen after the summer of 1483 and their fate remains a mystery.