4800 x 3684 px | 40,6 x 31,2 cm | 16 x 12,3 inches | 300dpi
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Battle of Barnet was a decisive engagement that, along with Battle of Tewkesbury, secured the throne of England for Edward IV during the Wars of the Roses, a dynastic conflict of the 15th century. The battle was fought on 14 April 1471 a few kilometers north of Barnet, a small town 19 kilometres (12 mi) north of London. The forces of the House of York, under Edward, defeated the House of Lancaster's army, which, led by Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, fought the cause of Henry VI. Both constituted Kings of England were present on the battlefield. The battle is regarded by historians as one of the most important military engagements in the Wars of the Roses, since it brought about a decisive turn in the fortunes of the two royal houses involved. Edward's victory helped to bring about fourteen years of Yorkist rule over England. Formerly a key figure in the Yorkist cause, Warwick had defected to the enemy due to disagreements over Edward's secret marriage and nepotism. Leading a Lancastrian army, the earl had defeated his former allies, forcing Edward to flee to Burgundy. The Yorkist king persuaded his host, Charles the Bold, to help him gain back the English throne. Leading an army raised with Burgundian money, Edward launched his invasion of England, which culminated at the fields north of Barnet. Under cover of darkness, the Yorkists moved close to the Lancastrians, and clashed in a thick fog at dawn. The battle, however, was lost for the Lancastrians when the men of John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu, erroneously shot those of John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford. Cries of treason spread through the Lancastrian line, disrupting their morale and causing many to abandon the fight. While attempting to retreat, Warwick was set upon by Yorkist soldiers and killed. Warwick had been such an influential figure in 15th-century English politics that on his death, no one else could match Edward in terms of power and popularity. Deprived of Warwick's support, the
