Battalia Volume III 2025
The ‘Battle’ of Wakefield of 1460 Reconsidered
Paul L. Dawson and David Grummitt
Abstract
The Battle of Wakefield in December 1460 was a crucial encounter in the first stage of the Wars of the Roses. It saw the death of Richard, Duke of York and his brother-in-law, Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, in a series of events which contemporaries and later historians have struggled to explain. Various theories have been offered for York’s defeat, but almost all modern accounts agree that, contrary to all military logic, the duke left his stronghold of Sandal Castle and was overwhelmed by a much larger Lancastrian force. The earliest contemporary records, however, do not support this explanation. They suggest that, instead of being killed in battle, York was captured and murdered in cold blood. Moreover, they suggest that the favoured date of the battle – 30 December – was the date of Duke Richard’s death and that he was captured in an engagement which took place the previous day, 29 December 1460. Indeed, it is difficult to see how events at Wakefield constituted a battle in any meaningful sense. Our understanding of Wakefield has important ramifications for how we consider and reconstruct the battles of the Wars of the Roses more generally.
Review Article: The Ottoman Empire and the First World War
Charles J. Esdaile
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