Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
gigatos | February 4, 2022
Summary
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick or Warwick the Producing King, 6th Earl of Salisbury (22 November 1428 – 14 April 1471), English nobleman, commander and military leader was the eldest son of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury and Alice Montague, 5th Countess of Salisbury. Richard Neville was the richest and most powerful Englishman with strong connections across the border. He became a protagonist in the War of the Two Roses, constantly changing support; at first he was with the House of York, but then went with the House of Lancaster. His feat of dethroning two kings from the two different Houses earned him the nickname “Kingmaker”. Richard of Warwick found himself on the main political stage in England in the 1450s with the marriages and inheritance of his daughters. He was initially a supporter of Henry VI of Lancaster King of England, but his disagreements with Edmond Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset turned him to his rival Richard Duke of York. Richard gave him the command of Calais, which brought him much wealth and fame. The political conflicts resulted in a rebellion, in which the Duke of York was killed in battle with the Earl of Warwick”s father, Richard of Salisbury (1460).
The eldest son of Richard of York was crowned king in a few months as Edward IV of England (1461) with the help of the Earl of Warwick. Richard Neville soon clashed with the new king over his unwanted marriage to Elizabeth Woodville. After an unsuccessful attempt to elevate his son-in-law George Duke of Clarence to the throne, he turned to the Lancastrians and helped Henry VI return to the throne (1470). The success was too brief and Edward IV returned in force; Richard Neville was defeated and killed on 14 April 1471 at the Battle of Neville. The Earl of Warwick had no sons; his eldest daughter Isabella Neville married George, Duke of Clarence. His youngest daughter Anna Neville married in a first marriage Edward of Westminster, who was killed by the Yorkist army at the age of 17 soon after his father-in-law. Anne went on to a second marriage to Edward IV”s younger brother, Richard of Gloucester, who ascended to the throne as Richard III of England. Historical opinions of Richard Neville vary; many describe him as self-centred, while others describe him as having naively fallen prey to kings. What is certain is that in his lifetime he was very popular and easily gained political support.
The Neville family was an old Durham family, which emerged in the 14th century in England in the wars with the Scots. Richard II of England gave Ralph Neville the title of Earl of Westmoreland (1397). Ralph”s son Richard (father of Richard of Warwick) was the younger son by his father”s second marriage and had no rights to the inheritance. By his marriage to Alice, daughter and heir of Thomas Montacute 4th Earl of Salisbury, he inherited the county of Salisbury and was named Richard (Earl) of Salisbury. His sister was Cecile Neville.
The Earl of Warwick was born on 22 November 1428 and little is known of his childhood. He was betrothed at the age of six to Anne Beauchamp, daughter and heir of Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick and his 2nd wife Isabella Dispencer. By marriage she inherited, in addition to the county of Salisbury, much of Montani, Beauchamp and the Dispencer estate.
Fortune favoured him: the son of Richard de Beauchamp (by his second wife), Henry (who was engaged to Richard de Warwick”s sister Cecilie) died in 1446, followed by the death of Henry”s daughter Anne (1448
Henry VI”s disability and incapacity led Marguerite of Valois-Anjoux to take an active role in the government. In June 1453 the Earl of Somerset was granted the regency of Glamorgan, which had been the legacy of the Dispencers to the Earl of Warwick, resulting in a conflict between the two men. In the summer of the same year Henry VI fell seriously ill; the Earl of Somerset became a favourite of Henry VI and Margaret, and with the king incapacitated, he had all power. The quarrel between the earls of Somerset and Warwick led the latter to an alliance with the house of York. The bad political climate against the Earl of Somerset after the defeat in France turned public opinion in favour of Richard Neville. On 27 March 1454 a group of councillors appointed him patron of the realm. Richard of York could now count on the support of Richard Neville as well as his father, the Earl of Salisbury, who was at loggerheads with the Persians in the north of England.
The successes of the House of York did not last long; the king regrouped his forces with the Earl of Somerset as leader. The Earl of Warwick returned to the counties and raised his army with his father and the Duke of York. The army marched to London; it was the first fierce conflict between the armies of Lancaster and York, and the first fierce battle of the War of the Two Roses. The result was the victory of the Yorkists, the capture of the king, and the death of the Earl of Somerset. The second reign of the House of York was very short, longer than the first. In February 1456 the king, at the queen”s urging, took a principal part in the government. The Earl of Warwick appeared with fanaticism on the side of the Duke of York, and carried to Parliament all his demands. The conflict finally ended with the appointment of Richard Neville to the office of constable of Calais. The position allowed him to have high resources in the years to come and a strong base for his conflicts; the city of Calais, conquered in 1347, was a point of strategic importance for the English. There were many disagreements over the fees from the wool trade and payments, but in July the Earl of Warwick was finally settled in his place.
After the latest events Margaret saw the Earl of Warwick as a serious threat to the throne and cut off his supplies. But a French attack in August 1457 on the English port of Sandwich terrified the queen and forced her to send supplies to the Earl of Warwick to protect the English coast from French attacks. In this context, Richard Neville launched illegal pirate attacks, both on the Castile fleet in May 1458 and on the Hanseatic fleet a few weeks later. During his time on the mainland, he tried to improve his relations with Charles VII of France and Philip III, Duke of Burgundy. He soon acquired a very good military reputation and strong continental connections. In the summer of 1459 he went with part of his garrison to England to meet his father and the Duke of York.
The Earl of Warwick crossed England northwards in September 1459, arrived at Ludlow and met with Salisbury, who had recently defeated the Lancastrians at the battle of Blore Heath, and the Duke of York. At neighbouring Lynford Bridge they were sacked by the royal forces, when the military corps, brought by the Earl of Warwick from Calais under Andrew Trollope, withdrew from the battle; the majority of the soldiers were unwilling to fight against the king. The allies withdrew, Richard of York escaped to Ireland with his second son Edmond, Earl of Rutland, and the earls of Warwick and Salisbury returned to Calais with the Duke of York”s eldest son Edward, Earl of Marsh. Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset was appointed captain of Calais in place of the Earl of Warwick, but the Yorkists resisted and retained the garrison; in March 1460 the Earl of Warwick visited the Duke of York in Ireland and then returned to Calais. The three earls of Warwick, Salisbury and Marsh encamped on 26 June at Sandwich and marched north to London. The Earl of Salisbury besieged the Tower of London, while the Earl of Warwick with Edward of Mars besieged the King. On 10 July at Northampton Henry VI was taken prisoner, while the Duke of Buckingham and many others fell in battle.
The Duke of York came in September from Ireland to Parliament, convened in October of that year, and laid his hand on the throne. This act was usurpation and caused him to leave the assembly in a panic. It is unclear what part the Earl of Warwick played in this act, though rumours had circulated that they had made an agreement between them in Ireland last March. The lords were in no way desirous of an abrupt change of kingship and proceeded on 31 October 1460 to a compromise, called the Act of Agreement. Henry VI was to remain king until the end of his life; his son Edward would not inherit the throne, but Richard of York would.
The agreement did not satisfy either side and the conflict was fierce. At the Battle of Wakefield on 30 December, Richard of York was killed with his second son Edmund and Warwick”s younger brother Thomas. The Earl of Salisbury was executed the next day; the Earl of Warwick marched north to meet the enemy, but was forced to flee after his defeat at the second battle of St. Alban”s. The Earl of Warwick joined the forces of the Duke of York”s son Edward, who had already achieved a considerable victory at the battle of Mortimer”s Cross. Edward of York and Richard Neville arrived in London before Margaret made her next move. The people of the city, horrified by the behaviour of the Lancaster army, greeted them enthusiastically; Prince Edward was proclaimed king on 4 March as Edward IV of England. Edward IV was in haste to consolidate his power and met the Lancaster forces at the battle of Taughton; the Earl of Warwick, who had been wounded the day before, took no active part. The bloody battle of Taughton ended in triumph for the new king and the House of York; prominent Lancaster men such as Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland and Andrew Trollope were killed. Margaret escaped to Scotland with her husband and Prince Edward. Edward IV returned to London for his formal coronation, while the Earl of Warwick remained in the north to keep the peace.
Richard Neville”s position after the rise of Edward IV was stronger than ever. He inherited all his father”s titles, his mother”s lands and the county of Salisbury. His annual income from his lands was £7,000 and he became the richest man in England. Edward IV. reappointed the Earl of Warwick captain of Calais, made him Admiral-General of England, Stuart (commissioner) of the duchy of Lancaster, and gave him many other titles. His brothers also had great rewards: John Neville, Lord of Montaney was made Keeper of the Western Marshes (1463) and the following year the county of Northumberland was created. George Neville, Bishop of Exeter was made Chancellor by King Edward and subsequently became Archbishop of York. The rebellions in the north in late 1461 were suppressed, and in the summer of 1462 Warwick made peace with Scotland. In October of that year Margaret attacked with troops from France and captured the castles of Alnwick and Bamberg. The Earl of Warwick recaptured the castles in January 1463, forgave the rebels, such as Sir Ralph Percy, and allowed them to remain in command. Richard Neville, with the situation in the north secure, buried his father and brother at Bisham Abbey and in March attended a Parliament at Westminster. In the spring rebellion broke out again in the north, and Ralph Percy captured Norham Castle. The Earl of Warwick quickly returned; the situation was difficult because the Lancastrians held Northumberland, so he made separate peace with France and Scotland and then easily retook the castles from the Lancastrian rebels. The rebels were not forgiven this time and thirty of its leaders were executed.
The Earl of Warwick began negotiations with the French for the marriage of the new king to a French princess, the main target being Bona of Savoy, daughter of Louis of Savoy and sister of Carlotta of Savoy, wife of Louis XI of France. The marriage did not go ahead because Edward IV revealed in September 1464 that he was married to Elizabeth Woodville. The marriage was a great insult to Richard Neville, not so much for the act as for the fact that it was done in secret by him. Edward IV had not intended to reveal his marriage, which had taken place on 1 May 1464, but was forced to do so in the royal council after great pressure from Warwick to accept the proposal of marriage to Bona. The Earl of Warwick was multiply exposed because he had assured Louis XI that Edward would marry Bona. The marriage, moreover, of Edward IV. with Elizabeth, who belonged to the Woodville family, vassals of the Nevilles, endangered his authority from his vassals; he indignantly accused Elizabeth”s mother, Jacquetta of Luxembourg, of witchcraft.
The undesirable marriage was not a serious cause for the immediate breakdown of the Earl of Warwick”s relations with the king; he retained his titles, though his appearances at court gradually became less and less frequent. The promotion of his brother George to the office of Archbishop of York shows that the Earl of Warwick was still in the royal circle. Warwick was commissioned in July 1465 to escort the captive ex-king Henry VI to the Tower of London; in the spring of 1466 the Earl of Warwick went to France to begin negotiations with the French and Burgundians; the talks turned to the marriage between the king”s sister Margaret of York and Charles of Burgundy. Richard Neville sought an alliance with France; on the contrary, Edward IV”s father-in-law, Richard Woodville Earl of Rivers, wanted an alliance with Burgundy. The disagreement brought new tensions to the court, which became greater when Edward in October made a secret alliance with Burgundy, at the same time that the Earl of Warwick was negotiating with the French. George Neville was dismissed as Chancellor, while Edward IV refused the marriage of his brother George, Earl of Clarence, to the Earl of Warwick”s eldest daughter, Isabella. It is clear that the Earl of Warwick”s powers at court were annihilated and all went to the king”s father-in-law, the Earl of Clarence.
In the autumn of 1467 rumours circulated that Richard Neville had become a follower of the House of Lancaster, the king summoned him to apologise; Warwick refused to attend and Edward accepted his apology in writing. In July 1468 it was revealed that John, Lord of Wenlock Warwick”s lieutenant commander at Calais had been involved in a conspiracy with the House of Lancaster and in early 1469 another conspiracy was hatched by the Lancasters involving John de Vere, Earl of Oxford. Popular discontent against Edward IV. grew to great proportions and Warwick made the most of it. Warwick organised a rebellion in Yorkshire under the leadership of Robin of Redesdale. His plan was to ally himself with King George Plantagenet”s brother, Duke of Clarence, and put him on the throne. The 19-year-old George Plantagenet was quite as dynamic and ambitious as his brother Edward IV which made Warwick”s plans easier. The two men went to Calais in July where George married Warrick”s eldest daughter Isabella Neville. After the wedding they returned to England and gathered the men of Kent to reinforce the rebellion in the north. The royal forces were defeated at the Battle of Engecott, William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, was killed in the battle.
The other military leader, Humphrey Stafford, Earl of Devon was lynched by the crowd and shortly afterwards the Earl of Rivers and his son John Woodville were murdered. Edward IV with his army destroyed was captured by George Neville. Richard Neville imprisoned the king in Warwick Castle and transferred him in August to Middlemarch Castle. Warwick soon recognised that he could not rule without Edward so in September 1469 he released him. Hostility between the king and Warwick continued for many months but the restoration of Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland halted any attempt at reconciliation. When the king was marching north to Lincolnshire to confront Warwick”s men a trap was laid against him but Robert, Lord of Wells revealed the plan.
Warrick soon fled the country with Clarence, Calais denied him access and he took refuge with Louis XI of France. Louis XI attempted to bring Warwick together with Margaret of Anjou, a condition of the alliance was a marriage between Edward of Westminster, heir to the Lancaster family, and Warwick”s youngest daughter Anne Neville with the aim of restoring Henry VI to the throne. Richard Neville launched a new rebellion in the north, camping on 13 September 1470 with Clarence at Dartmouth and Plymouth. His brother Montani was among those who sided with him, did not take part in the last rebellion, and in spite of his loyalty to the king was not restored to his county. The trap this time was successful, while Edward IV marched southward Montani”s forces approached him from the north and the king was surrounded. Edward IV escaped on 2 October to Flanders, which was part of the duchy of Burgundy. Henry VI was restored to the throne while Warwick held power as lieutenant. Edward was deprived of his lands and titles in the parliament convened in November and Clarence was given the duchy of York.
International affairs then favoured Edward, Louis XI declared war on Burgundy and Charles of Burgundy in response sent an army to help Edward regain the throne. Edward camped in Yorkshire on 14 March with the escort of the Earl of Northumberland. Richard Neville on the other hand was expecting Margaret of Anjou and Edward of Westminster with reinforcements from France but they were delayed by bad weather. Warrick lost at this crucial point the support of Clarence who was unhappy with the new deal with the Lancasters. The loss of Clarence greatly weakened Warwick who was nevertheless determined to face Edward, the two armies met on 14 April 1471 at the Battle of Barnet. Fog and poor visibility brought great disorder to the Lancaster camp who were eventually attacked by their own men. Richard Neville tried to escape from the battlefield but was struck by his horse and killed.
The body of Richard Neville, along with that of his brother Montani, who was also killed at the Battle of Barnet, was displayed at St Paul”s Cathedral in London to put to rest all rumours that he had survived. The body was handed over to Archbishop Neville for burial at Bishop Bisham”s Abbey in Berkshire near the Thames, no trace of either the grave or the church that housed it exists today. On 4 May 1471 Edward IV defeated the last Lancastrian forces at the Battle of Tiukesbury in which Prince Edward was killed. Shortly after Henry VI died a prisoner in the Tower of London, presumably murdered, Edward IV reigned undisturbed from then until his death (1483).
Warwick”s offices were divided between George, Duke of Clarence and his younger brother King Richard of Gloucester, the future Richard III. Clarence accepted the Chancery of England and the Lieutenancy of Ireland while Gloucester accepted the Admiralty of England and the guard of the Western Marshes, Clarence also accepted the counties of Warwick and Salisbury. When Gloucester married Warwick”s youngest daughter Anne (1472), who was widowed after Edward”s death, a dispute broke out between the brothers over the inheritance of Beauchamp and the Despensers. Eventually a compromise was reached between the brothers at the king”s initiative but the Duke of Clarence did not accept it and rebelled again against his brother (1477), Edward IV could no longer tolerate George and decided to execute him.
The early sources on Richard Neville fall into two categories. The first are the chronicles of the early years of the Kings of York such as the Mirror of the Massistrates (1959); the second are the chronicles created at the initiative of Edward IV after the fall of Warwick, which describe him in the most negative way. The Mirror of the Magistrates presents Warwick as a great man, beloved by the people who was betrayed by the man he put on the throne. William Shakespeare in the Henry VI trilogy portrays him as a man very proud and selfish who raised kings of his own liking. Over time the second view gradually came to prevail, 18th and 19th century historians responded positively to anyone who fought against a centralized monarchy as Warwick did against Edward IV. David Hume called Warwick the ”greatest of the last great barons who had transcended the crown and had ruled out any system of civil government”. Subsequent historians were divided into two categories of those who praised Richard Neville”s political abilities and those who condemned him; the literary writer Lytton in his work The Last of the Barons was based on Hume”s view. Although Lytton portrayed him as a hero with all the ideals of chivalry he recognised that he was outdated.
Military historian Charles Oman (1860 – 1946) acknowledges Warrick”s abilities to evoke popular sentiment but he did not have the same abilities as a military leader. Richard Neville according to Oman “lacked the military skills of Edward”s disciple”. Paul Murray Kendall (1911 – 1973) in his biography (1957) describes Warwick, who had fallen victim to his ambitions, in positive terms; contemporary historians Michael Hicks (b. 1948) and Pollard have tried to see Warwick in the context of his time; Edward IV”s insults towards him such as his marriage to Elizabeth Woodville played a major role in his behaviour. His excellence in international affairs is shown by his high position among the princes of the continent. Modern historians point out that his popularity was greater than that of the king at the time of the first rebellion in 1469. Richard Neville could not tolerate the king”s insulting attitude; Edward on the other hand encountered great difficulties from the high popularity of the earl which prevented him from taking power into his own hands, in this context conflict was inevitable.
Warrick”s symbols were complex for his time with seven different quadrants. The first quadrant had the symbols of his father-in-law Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick in an Heraldic symbolic form in which the de Der symbols intersect with the symbols of his wife Isabella le Despenser. The second quadrant shows the Montague symbols in intersection with the Monthermer symbols. The third quadrant displays the Neville symbols with a plaque at the top to emphasise its descent from the father of the Earl of Salisbury who was the son of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmoreland and his wife Joan Beaufort, daughter of the Duke of Lancaster.
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