Richard Neville "Kingmaker" Biography

Birth of Richard Neville

Marries Alice daughter of Thomas de Montagu, Earl of Salisbury, & inherits his titles

Created Earl of Warwick, 16th

Appointed Prime Minister of England

Appointed Chancellor during the protectorate of Richard Plantagenet

Largely responsible for the Yorkist victory at the 1st Battle of St. Albans

Forced by Henry VI to release the Great Seal to Thomas Bourcier

Begins to help organize the details for the siege of the Tower of London

Leads the Yorkists to victory on his way to joining up with the Duke of York. Helps lead the Yokists to victory ovrer the Lancastrians

Salisbuy defeats Lord Audley who is on his way to besiege Yorks castle at Ludlow

Attacks the King's army but is defeated & forced into exile in Calais

Attacks the King's army but is defeated & forced into exile in Calais

York disperses his forces & Warwick seeks refuge in Calais. York disperses his forces & Salisbury flees to Calais

Some of Somersets forces are forced by bad weather to surrender to Warwick

Margaret of Anjou raises an army in the north & defeats & kills York & Salisbury

Arrives in Englan & is joined by Kentishmen tired of Lancastrian misrule

Joins up with 400 Lancastrian archers

The Yorkists march into Canterbury where the officers join the Yorkists

Warwick besieges London & forces the Lancastrians to retreat to the Tower of London

Organizes a siege of the Tower of London with the Mayor of the City

Captures Henry IV & returns to London with him

Launches a successful assault on King Henrys earthwork camp. Defeats a Lancastrian force marching on London & re-captures Henry VI

Margaret of Anjou defeats Warwick & recaptures Henry

Edward wins the Battle of Mortimers Cross enters London & is proclaimed Edward IV

Edward wins the Battle of Mortimers Cross enters London & is proclaimed Edward IV

Defeated intercepting Queen Margarets troops advancing towards London

Organises a parade in St Johns Fields where the newly crowned King is acclaimed

Organises a parade in St Johns Fields where the newly crowned King is acclaimed

Despatched by Edward to raise forces from the western Midlands

Created Earl of Northumberland

After victory Edward Neville is rewarded with the hereditary Earldom of Northumberland

Neville & George Duke of Clarence rise up against Edward IV. Neville defeats the King's forces & places Edward IV under arrest

Neville is displaced by the Woodvilles & joins Robin of Redesdale

On 12 July, Warwick and Clarence declared their support for the rebels & on the 18th, Warwick left London at the head of a large army to reinforce the rebels

Neville & Clarence mobilize for s siege of Canterbury

The rebels hurried south to meet with Warwick, bypassing the King but nearly colliding with Pembroke and Devon at Edgecote Moor, the two armies became aware of each other on 25 July and joined in battle early in the morning of the 26th. The Earl of Pembroke and his brother Sir Richard Herbert are captured and executed the following day

The Battle pitted the forces of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, against those of King Edward IV, the battle is considered to be an important turning point in the course of the war

Makes peace with Margaret of Anjou, wife of Henry VI. Forces Edward IV to flee to Flanders & places Henry VI on the throne

Louis XI persuades Neville to reconcile his differences with Margaret of Anjou. Edward IV defeats rebellions in Wales & Lincolnshire

Aids Queen Margaret in her Invasion of England 1470-71

Neville invades England as a Lancastrian, defeats Edward and restores Henry IV

Margaret of Anjous son Edward will marry the Earl of Warwicks daughter Anne

Neville invades England as a Lancastrian, defeats Edward and restores Henry IV

After the defeat at Loose-Coat Warwick is forced into exile in France

After the defeat of at Loose-Coat Warwick is forced into exile in France

Margaret of Anjou accepts Warwicks submission at the cathedral of Angers

Seals the betrothal of the Queens son Edward to Warwicks daughter Anne Neville

Seals the betrothal of the Queens son Edward to Warwicks daughter Anne Neville

Warwick & Clarence land at Dartmouth & declare Henry VI the rightful King

Lands with an invasion force in Devon to recapture the throne for Henry IV

Warwick & Clarence free Henry VI

Defeated & slain by Edward IVs forces

Leads an invasion from France

This record states: Although Warwicks force had more men than Edward's army, the Earl refused the challenge.

This record states: Edward sent Gloucester to entreat Clarence to return to the House of York, an offer that Clarence readily accepted.

This record states: Fighting off Exeters and Oxfords attacks, Edward IV besieged Warwick at Coventry, hoping to engage the Earl in battle.

This record states: Infuriated with his son-in-laws treachery, Warwick refused to speak to Clarence.

This record states: Reconciled, the royal brothers moved towards Coventry, and Clarence urged Warwicks surrender.

This record states: Unable to fight the Earl at this time, Edward turned again towards London.

Reinforced by Montagu, Oxford, and Exeter a few days later, Warwick followed the Yorkists trail. He hoped that London, under Somersets control, would close its gates to Edward, allowing him to catch the Yorkist army in the open. The city, however, welcomed Edward warmly; Somerset had left the city, and the London populace preferred the young Yorkist king to Henry VI

Edward exhibited the brothers naked corpses in St. Pauls Cathedral for three days to quell any rumours that they had survived, before allowing them to be laid to rest in the family vault at Bisham Abbey.

He brought Henry VI along to prevent the Lancastrians from retaking their king. The bodies of the two Neville brothers were brought back to London. They did not suffer the customary fate accorded to traitors quartering and display at the city gates.

Lancastrian scouts probed Barnet, which lay 19 kilometres (12 mi) north of London, but were beaten off.

On 13 April their main army took up positions on a ridge of high ground north of Barnet to prepare for battle the next day. Warwick arrayed his army in a line from east to west, on either side of the Great North Road running through Barnet

Warwicks army heavily outnumbered Edwards, although sources differ on exact numbers. Lancastrian strength ranges from 10,000 to 30,000 men, with 7,000 to 15,000 on the Yorkist side. Facing this disadvantage, Edward hurried to meet the Lancastrians with a surprise attack.

Killed in battle by Edward VI

Death of Richard Neville

The 2 Neville brothers bodies are laid to rest in the family vault at Bisham Abbey