Knowra Battle of Barnet Battle of Barnet A decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses, fought near Barnet on 14 April 1471, in which Edward IV defeated the Lancastrian forces led by Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick.
Edward IV : King of England from 1461 to 1470 and again from 1471 to 1483, whose reign was interrupted by Henry VI’s restoration. He commanded the Yorkist army that defeated Warwick at Barnet.
Wars of the Roses : A series of English dynastic conflicts, chiefly between the houses of Lancaster and York, during the fifteenth century. Barnet was a major battle in the struggle for the English crown.
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick : The title held by Richard Neville, a powerful English magnate known as the Kingmaker. His death at Barnet ended his role as a kingmaker and political force.
Barnet : A town in northern Greater London, historically a market settlement near the site of the 1471 battle. The battle takes its name from the nearby settlement.
Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick : An English magnate who helped Edward IV gain the throne before leading a Lancastrian revolt against him. He led the Lancastrian forces and died during their defeat.
House of York : A branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet that contested the crown with the House of Lancaster. Edward IV’s claim and army represented the Yorkist cause at Barnet.
Edward of Westminster : The only son of Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou, killed after the Lancastrian defeat at Tewkesbury in 1471. The Lancastrian heir’s death at Tewkesbury followed Barnet and weakened the rival succession.
Hadley Green : An open area in the London Borough of Barnet associated with the site of the Battle of Barnet. The fighting took place on ground near this green.
John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford : A Lancastrian nobleman and military commander who fought for Henry VI during the Wars of the Roses. His troops broke the Yorkist flank, then returned in fog and were mistaken for Edward’s men.
House of Lancaster : A branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet whose claim to the crown was contested by the House of York. Warwick fought for the Lancastrian restoration of Henry VI.
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