March 7th 1471: Warwick the Kingmaker

There are no known portraits of Richard Neville.

This mourner on his father in law’s tomb is believed to be a representation of him.

Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick was, by any measure a powerful baron. He was the richest man in England, after the King. He was a statesman, counting Louis XI, King of France, among his friends. He was also a very capable Admiral of his own fleet.

Warwick was ambitious, and had been the power behind the throne. He had put Edward, Duke of York, on the throne of England but King Edward hadn’t proved to be the puppet he’d hoped and he didn’t have the influence he’d expected. He tried to undermine the king, starting insurrections around the country. Eventually he threw in his lot with Edward’s brother, George, Duke of Clarence. Against ther wishes of the king, Clarence married Isobel, Warwick’s eldest daughter. Warwick plotted with Clarence to take the throne, but it didn’t go well. His miscalculations eventually led to the events which culminated in the battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury.

When his coup with Clarence failed, Warwick fled England with his family, Clarence and several hundred supporters. He was unable to take his fleet into Calais, so sailed on to Harfleur, capturing a number of Burgundian ships along the way. This was to the great consternation of King Louis, who was worried about the effect it would have on Franco-Burgundian relationships to harbour such pirated ships. Nevertheless, Warwick was feted as a valued friend. After some long discussion, the ‘enterprise of England’ was hatched. Warwick would make his peace with Queen Margaret and work for the Lancastrian cause. Part of the arrangement was that his youngest daughter, Anne, would marry Prince Edward, the Lancastrian heir. Warwick was determined that his blood would flow in king’s veins. A significant agreement, though, was to support King Louis in an attack on Burgundy,

Leaving his wife and daughters behind, Warwick prepared for an invasion of England by arranging for an uprising in the north. His fleet, protected against English and Burgundian attacks by a French squadron, landed in Dartmouth in September. Taking the kingdom proved straightforward. Wrong-footed, King Edward took ship to Flanders, and the Duke of Burgundy. King Henry was released from the Tower and the period of the Readeption. Warwick had what he had craved; power over the throne of England, occupied by a weak and feeble King Henry. He had a lot of problems, internally with Lancastrians settling scores and Clarence, a disappointed would-be king who was considering his position. Externally, he had made promises to King Louis which would ruin relationships with Burgundy, by far the country’s most important trading partner. Internal problems he set about resolving, with a degree of attention and competence not seen for a long time. External threats could not be pushed aside, though, and the long delay in the arrival of Queen Margaret’s party was a worry to him, as was an increasingly resentful Duke of Clarence. There was an inevitability about the return of King Edward once news of the pact against Burgundy became known, and Warwick had to prepare for this.