The First Battle of St Albans was the first battle of the Wars of the Roses and was fought on 22 May 1455 in the town of St Albans, 22 miles (35 km) north of London. Richard, Duke of York and his ally, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, defeated the Lancastrians under Edmund, Duke of Somerset, who was killed. York also captured Henry VI and had himself appointed Constable of England.
The Lancastrian army of 2,500 troops arrived at St Albans first,...
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The First Battle of St Albans was the first battle of the Wars of the Roses and was fought on 22 May 1455 in the town of St Albans, 22 miles (35 km) north of London. Richard, Duke of York and his ally, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, defeated the Lancastrians under Edmund, Duke of Somerset, who was killed. York also captured Henry VI and had himself appointed Constable of England.
The Lancastrian army of 2,500 troops arrived at St Albans first, and proceeded to defend it by placing troops along the Tonman Ditch and at the bars in Sopwell Lane and Shropshire Lane. The 3,000 strong Yorkist army arrived and camped in Keyfield to the east. Lengthy negotiations ensued with heralds moving back and forth between the rival commanders. After several hours, Richard, despairing of a peaceful solution, decided to attack. The bulk of Henry's forces were surprised by the speed of Richard's attack; most of the army was expecting a peaceful resolution similar to the one at Blackheath in 1452....
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