The Battle of Barnet was fought on 14th April 1471. The clash saw the forces allied to the Earl of Warwick defeated by the army of King Edward IV. The battle was affected by the weather which had an influence on the outcome. Close to London, the prize for the victor was clear. Control over the capital by the Yorkists would provide a platform for dealing with the Lancastrian threat posed by armies of Margaret of Anjou, and men under Jasper Tudor. For the Lancastrians, victory here potentially ended the Wars of the Roses in their favour.
Edward IVs return from exile
14th March 1471. Edward landed at Ravenspur, on the banks of the River Humber, with 1200 men. He had been refused entry to the City of Hull before moving through Yorkshire and gathering support at York, Tadcaster, Wakefield and Doncaster. The army at that stage was still in a precarious position. He had not been challenged by the Earl of Northumberland, who commanded a larger force than Edward had at his disposal whilst in his lands, nor was he challenged by John Neville, Earl of Montagu, as he marched close to Pontefract Castle. His army had grown as he made his way south. In the Midlands, a force said to be 4000 strong under the Earl of Oxford refused to give battle. The speed of Edward’s advance and increasing strength was impressive. When he reached Coventry, the Earl of Warwick refused to take to the field of battle. Edward camped outside Coventry goading the Earl into action, Warwick sat behind the defences awaiting further reinforcement. Yet the final outcome of the 1471 conflict would appear to be most probably a Warwick / Lancastrian victory. Once the forces combined, Edward and his Yorkist force stood little chance.
