Henry goes in 1456 on royal progress in the Midlands, where the king and queen are popular.

Margaret does not allow him to return to London, where the merchants are angry at the decline in trade and widespread disorder.

In August, the king's court is set up at Coventry in the heart of the Queen's lands, by which time the new Duke of Somerset, Henry Beaufort, who had fought in 1455 at the First Battle of St. Albans, where he had been seriously wounded and his father killed, is emerging as a favorite of the royal court.

Margaret also persuades Henry to dismiss the appointments York had made as Protector, while York is made to return to his post as Lord Lieutenant in Ireland.

Disorder in the capital and piracy on the south coast are growing, but the king and queen remain intent on protecting their own positions, with the queen introducing conscription for the first time in England.

An uneasy peace has held in England since the First Battle of St. Albans in 1455.

Attempts at reconciliation between the houses of Lancaster and York have enjoyed marginal success.

Both sides have become increasingly wary of each other. however, and by 1459 are actively recruiting armed supporters.

The Queen continues to raise support for the King among noblemen, distributing an emblem of a silver swan to her supporters; whilst the Yorkist command under the Duke of York is finding plenty of anti-royal support despite the severe punishment for raising arms against the King.

Following York's unauthorized return from Ireland, hostilities resume.

The Yorkist force based at Middleham Castle in Yorkshire, led by Salisbury, needs to link up with the main Yorkist army at Ludlow Castle in Shropshire.

As Salisbury marches southwest through the Midlands, the Queen orders James Touchet, Lord Audley, to raise a force to intercept them.

Audley chooses the barren heathland of Blore Heath, a sparsely populated area of farmland in Staffordshire, close to the towns of Market Drayton and Loggerheads, to set up an ambush, lying in wait on September 23.

The ambush fails, and the Lancastrians are routed.

The rout continues through the night, with the Yorkists pursuing the fleeing enemy for miles across the countryside.

It is believed that at least three thousand men died in the battle, with at least two thousand of these from the Lancastrian side.

Local legend says that Hempmill Brook flowed with blood for three days after the engagement.

The Battle of Blore Heath is the first major battle in England’s Wars of the Roses.

Salisbury is concerned that Lancastrian reinforcements are in the vicinity and is keen to press on southwards towards Ludlow.

He makes his camp on a hillside by Market Drayton that later takes the name Salisbury Hill.

He employs a local friar to remain on Blore Heath throughout the night and to periodically discharge a cannon in order to deceive any Lancastrians nearby into believing that the fight is continuing.

York leaves for Dublin, while Warwick and Salisbury sail to Calais, accompanied by York’s eldest son, Edward, Earl of March (the future King Edward IV).

The Lancastrians are back in total control, and Somerset is appointed to replace Warwick as captain of Calais, but the Yorkists manage to hold on to the garrison, easily repulsing Somerset’s eviction attempts.

The Yorkists even begin to launch raids on the English coast from Calais in 1459.

Warwick's Naval Dominance and Political Influence (1460)

By early 1460, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, leveraging his strategic stronghold in Calais, exercised unparalleled control over the English Channel, significantly advancing Yorkist interests. Utilizing this naval supremacy, Warwick disseminated propaganda throughout Southern England, depicting the Lancastrian government under Henry VI as misguided and controlled by corrupt advisors. These efforts cultivated sympathy and support for the Yorkist cause, subtly shifting political sentiments toward rebellion.

Military and Political Context

Warwick's naval dominance enabled unprecedented mobility and coordination for the Yorkists. In March 1460, Warwick successfully sailed to Ireland, where he conferred with Richard, Duke of York, aligning strategies and strengthening their political alliance. By May, Warwick had safely returned to his stronghold at Calais, illustrating not only his maritime prowess but also the Yorkists’ strategic flexibility in navigating the shifting political landscape.

Economic Significance

Warwick's control over Calais was particularly influential among London’s powerful wool merchants, whose trade with the Continent depended heavily on the security and stability provided by the port. His mastery over this key trade route reinforced his position economically and politically, securing vital financial and popular support from influential mercantile interests in England’s capital.

Cultural and Social Consequences

The distribution of Yorkist propaganda across Southern England highlighted how effectively Warwick harnessed maritime resources for political communication. By leveraging naval power to disseminate Yorkist messaging, he expanded the political conflict from local disputes among nobles into a broader movement with widespread urban and commercial backing. This innovative use of naval resources and propaganda significantly enhanced the Yorkists’ public image and ability to mobilize support.

Long-Term Impact

Warwick’s strategic use of Calais as a political and economic lever substantially reshaped the Wars of the Roses, contributing directly to the downfall of Lancastrian power. His successful voyages and skillful use of naval forces underscored the critical importance of maritime power and economic influence in medieval English politics. Ultimately, Warwick’s ability to leverage Calais as a base for diplomacy, commerce, and warfare profoundly affected the trajectory of Atlantic West European history, underlining the close interconnections between economic interests and political power during this transformative era.

War having resumed between the Lancastrian and Yorkist factions vying for control of the English throne, the Earl of Warwick and Edward, Earl of March, land in England with an army on June 26, 1460 and, after establishing themselves in Kent, where the local men, always ready to revolt, rise to join them.…

… find open to them the gates of London, where they enjoy wide support, and which they enter on July 2.

Warwick and March, backed by a papal emissary who had taken their side and aided by treachery in the king's ranks, defeat a Lancastrian army at Northampton on July 10 and seize King Henry.

For the second time in the war, Henry had been found by the Yorkists abandoned by his retinue in a tent.

He had apparently suffered another breakdown.

With the king in their possession, …

…the Yorkists return to London.

York, who has remained in Ireland, lands on September 9 in England, acting as a king.

Marching under the arms of his maternal great-great-great-grandfather Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence, as he approaches London he displays a banner of the Coat of Arms of England.

A Parliament called to meet on October 7 repeals all the legislation of the Coventry parliament the previous year.

York arrives in London 0n October 10 and takes up residence in the royal palace.

Entering Parliament with his sword borne upright before him, he claims the throne of England.

York’s narrow support among his peers leads once again to failure.

After weeks of negotiation, the best that can be achieved is that York and his heirs will be recognized as Henry's successor, which thus disinherits the King's son Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales.

However, Parliament does grant York extraordinary executive powers to protect the realm, and with the king effectively in custody, York and Warwick are the de facto rulers of the country.

While this is happening, the Lancastrian loyalists are arming.

Queen Margaret had remained in the north with Prince Edward.

Her son effectively disinherited, the queen sponsors another Lancastrian army under Somerset and Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland.

York and Salisbury, faced with the threat of attack from the Percys, and with Margaret of Anjou trying to gain the support of new king James III of Scotland, on December 2 head north.

With them goes York's son Edmund, Earl of Rutland.

They arrive at Sandal Castle on 21 December to find the situation bad and getting worse.

Forces loyal to Henry control the city of York, and nearby Pontefract Castle is also in hostile hands.

York and his forces leave Sandal on December 30, possibly to obtain supplies.

Intercepted near Wakefield, both York and Rutland are killed, the latter executed the following day together with the captured Salisbury.

Margaret orders the heads of all three placed on the gates of York.

The Act of Accord and the events of Wakefield leave the eighteen-year-old Edward, Earl of March, York's eldest son, as Duke of York and heir to the throne.

Salisbury's death leaves Warwick, his heir, as the biggest landowner in England.

Warwick, with the captive King Henry in his train, has been made outstandingly wealthy by his father’s death.