Richard Neville, the powerful Earl of Warwick, known as "the Kingmaker,” has become the greatest landowner in England.

Already a great magnate through his wife's property, he had also inherited his father's estates and has been granted much forfeited Lancastrian property.

He also holds many of the offices of state.

Convinced of the need for an alliance with pro-Lancastrian France, he had been negotiating a match between Edward and a French bride.

Warwick had told Louis XI that Edward would be delighted to marry the French princess.

However, Edward had married Elizabeth Woodville, the widow of a Lancastrian knight, in secret in 1464.

He later announced the news of his marriage as fait accompli, to Warwick's considerable embarrassment.

This embarrassment had turned to bitterness when the Woodvilles came to be favored over the Nevilles at court.

Many of Queen Elizabeth's relatives have married into noble families and others have been granted peerages or royal offices.

Other factors compound Warwick's disillusionment: Edward's preference for an alliance with Burgundy rather than France and reluctance to allow his brothers George, Duke of Clarence and Richard, Duke of Gloucester, to marry Warwick's daughters Isabel and Anne.

Furthermore, Edward's general popularity is on the wane in this period with higher taxes and persistent disruptions of law and order.

Edward IV and Warwick have fallen out, eight years after the great Yorkists' victory in battle of Towton, in which the Kingmaker had taken crucial part.

No longer exercising any control or even influence over his cousin, the King, in political matters, Warwick has by 1469 formed an alliance with Edward's jealous and treacherous brother George, who marries Isabel Neville in defiance of Edward's wishes in Calais.

The Duke of Clarence is heir to the English throne while the king has no male offspring.

Small rebellions in the North send the King on a slow march in that direction.

With the King's back turned, Warwick's agents spread rumors stating that the King had been bastard-born and that Clarence is York's true heir.

In the North, one of Warwick's captains, calling himself Robin of Redesdale (probably a trusted Neville captain, Sir William Conyers) starts a new rebellion.

When Edward hears of this he believes the rebellion will easily be put down and musters only a few of his men.

He soon learns that the rebels in fact outnumber his own small force, and starts a retreat towards Nottingham to gather more recruits.

Unfortunately the King lacks the popularity he once had and reinforcements are few.

Edward decides to wait in Nottingham for the Earls of Pembroke and Devon, arriving with an army from the south.

Warwick and Clarence on July 12 declare their support for the rebels.

Warwick leaves London on the 18th at the head of a large army to reinforce the rebels.

The rebels hurry south to meet with Warwick, bypassing the King but nearly colliding with Pembroke and Devon at Edgecote Moor.

The two armies become aware of each other on July 25 and join in battle early in the morning of the 26th.

The beginning is a rather one-sided affair as the Earl of Devon and his Welsh archers are some miles away, having stayed the night in a neighboring village.

The rebels attack across the river, forcing Pembroke to retreat and pull his men back some distance.

Pembroke is attacked again in his new position, but he puts up a brave defense while awaiting Devon.

At one o'clock the Earl receives the news he has been waiting for: Devon is rapidly advancing with all his men.

However, at the same time the advance guard of Warwick's army arrives upon the field.

Rebel morale is instantly boosted.

Seeing Warwick's livery among the enemy, Pembroke's men presume his whole force of expert soldiers is upon them.

The royal army breaks and flees the field, possibly before Devon could even reinforce them.

The Earl of Pembroke and his brother Sir Richard Herbert are captured and executed the following day on Warwick’s order.

The Earl of Devon suffers a similar fate a few days later, captured by a mob at Bridgwater in Somerset, and executed on August 17.

The victory has been by no means bloodless; the rebels have lost Henry Neville, the eldest son and heir of George Neville, 1st Baron Latimer, Sir James Conyers, the son of their general (presumably "Robin of Redesdale"), Sir Oliver Dudley, the youngest son of John Sutton, 1st Baron Dudley, another of the Neville family group, and many more.

Earl Rivers, father of the Yorkist Queen Elizabeth Woodville, and his second son John are taken prisoners at Chepstow following the battle.

Edward is captured at Olney, Buckinghamshire, and imprisoned …

…at Middleham Castle in Yorkshire. (Warwick briefly has two Kings of England in his custody.)

Warwick, after conducting a hasty show trial, has the queen's father, Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers, and her brother John beheaded at Kenilwort on August 12, 1469.

He makes no immediate move, however, to have Edward declared illegitimate and place George on the throne.

Welles starts gathering armed forces at his base in Lincolnshire, ready for a show of arms against the King.

The unrest in Lincolnshire prompts the King to act, and he starts gathering men for his army on March 4.

The news of the King's intention to march to Lincolnshire quickly spreads panic among people there.

Due to Welles' deliberate misinterpretation, rumors are quickly spread that the King i coming to try the previously pardoned rebels from Edgecote, and that he will "hang and draw a great number" of them.

With the encouragement of Warwick and Clarence, Sir Robert Welles sets himself up as a "great captain" of the people of Lincolnshire.

Summons are sent on March 4 to all the surrounding estates requesting every able man to join him in the resisting of the King.

The King hears on the 7th that the rebels are marching towards Stamford with an army of one hundred thousand men, having recruited many men from the local counties, especially from Yorkshire.

The King later receives letters from Clarence and Warwick stating they are marching North with all their men to support the King.

The King then unsuspectingly issues commissions of array that include Warwick's name, authorizing him to raise his own army of professional soldiers.

Edward then receives news that the rebels have changed course for Leicester, as have Warwick and Clarence, no doubt leaving the King with a good idea of their intentions.

Sir Robert Welles receives a letter from the King telling him to disband his rebel army, or his father (Lord Welles, previously taken prisoner by Edward) will be executed.

Welles quickly turns back with his army to Stamford.

Edward's confidence grows when Welles fails to rendezvous with Warwick and his experienced forces.

Edward's scouts inform him that the rebel army is some five miles from Stamford, arrayed for battle beside the Great North Road to the north of Tickencote Warren near Empingham in Rutland.

Edward positions his men in a battle line to the north of Welles' army, and then, in the space separating the two forces, has Lord Welles executed in view of both armies.

This action sets off the rebels (currently numbering thirty thousand), advancing with cries of á Warwick and á Clarence.

A single barrage of cannonballs is fired, then Edward had his men charge towards the enemy.

Before the leaders of this attack can even come to blows with the rebel front line the battle is over.

The rebels break and flee rather than face the King's highly trained men.

Both captains, Sir Robert Welles and his commander of foot Richard Warren, are captured during the rout and a week later on March 19 are executed.

Welles confesses his treason, and names Warwick and Clarence as the primary instigators of the rebellion.

Documents are also found proving the complicity of Warwick and Clarence, who, as declared traitors, are forced to flee to France, where his former enemy, Margaret of Anjou, wife of the deposed Henry VI, is already in exile.