Introduction
When Margaret of Anjou, the fierce queen of the ineffectual Henry VI took the field in 1461, supported by many of the major nobles of the land, she hoped to break the grip of the Yorkist camp led by the master statesman Warwick “the Kingmaker”. Marshalling her troops in the North, she marched towards London: her ill-disciplined forces laying waste to towns and cities in acts of violence not seen in England in living memory.
To the west, the young Duke of York sped to intercept her Welsh reinforcements under Jasper Tudor, and broke them, but Margaret herself swept on towards London, her husband and Warwick..
Warwick marched north to meet her and stopped at St Albans. There he anchored his left flank on the town and spread his army out for over four miles to the east to cover the approaches to the capital. Although this left him dangerously stretched, he tried to compensate by laying down extensive works in the form of fields of caltrops and nets studded with nails. These were expected to hold up the enemy long enough for Warwick to reinforce the Yorkist line from along the battlefront.
The Yorkists sat down to wait for the enemy. Nerves grew frayed as scouts brought no intelligence on the Lancastrian army.
The Battle
On a cold February morning with snow in the air, the Yorkist division just to the east of St Albans saw with despair that, instead of the traditional frontal assault, the Lancastrians had performed a concealed flank march and were coming round the side of the defences.
A company of archers in St Albans held the Lancastrians back for several hours, a small body of men fighting from street to street, house to house, until Lancastrian thousands overwhelmed their hundreds.
Sadly, this time that they bought with their lives was wasted.
The western Yorkists under John Neville, Lord of Montague and Warwick’s younger brother, did not support them and moved sluggishly to resist the Lancastrian onslaught. There is the possibility that Neville sought to relocate the defensive nets and caltrops since some of the Lancastrians, including their leading general Andrew Trollope, suffered injuries from them.
Warwick himself was desperately trying to rally his right flank to march to the aid of his brother but came too late and managed only to extricate 4,000 troops, roughly half his army, to escape and join the Duke of York.
The Lancastrians were triumphant and recaptured Henry VI. They were also far from magnanimous and executed those nobles they could lay their hands on, including the ones given safe passage to escort the king to the queen.
After the Battle
The fruit of Second St Albans was that Warwick finally gave up believing that Henry VI was a viable option as king and he threw all his mind into making the young Edward, Duke of York the new king.
The Lancastrian ferocity, on the other hand, earned them no friends. The gates of London were closed to them by the citizens who feared a similar massacre as many other towns and cities had suffered. Henry VI was denied the city and retreated north.
Within six weeks, Edward, Duke of York had proven himself a great general by smashing the Lancastrians at Towton forcing Henry VI and Margaret to flee to Scotland. Within 6 months, he was crowned rightful King of England.
For Warwick, Second St Albans was bad for his reputation. Edward IV never took him seriously as a general again and the seeds of their eventual argument can be seen here. For the moment, however, the burgesses of St Albans were left to bury the dead, including the heroic Yorkist archers.
Wargaming Second St Albans
The scenario is designed for four players:
The Yorkists are represented by Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick and John Neville, Lord Montague.
The Lancastrians are represented by Lord Henry Beaufort, Duke of Somerset and Lord Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland.
Army Sheets and Player Briefings for both the Lancastrians and Yorkists are included. Additional Player Briefings are provided for the mercenary captains within the Lancastrian command: a fifth or sixth player could command these if available.
The Player Briefings are included, below, and also as downloadable pdf's.
The army lists, available as downloadable pdf's, should not be considered definitive but were rather what came out of my figures box. Feel free to replace them with whatever you have available!
Downloads
Player Briefings
Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick (York)
You are Commander in Chief of the Yorkist Army in the South.
The Lancastrian Queen, Margaret of Anjou, has taken the field supported by the Dukes of Somerset and Exeter and the wretched Percy’s of Northumberland. They seek to liberate Henry VI who is in your ‘protective custody’.
The Queen has an army largely made up of wild Northern mosstroopers, raiders and foreign mercenaries. They have marched south from York and, in scenes of butchery not seen in England in over two centuries, sacked town after town as they come.
Rather than let them reach the capital, you have drawn your army up over a very long frontage (almost 4 miles) to cover the approaches to the city. You have anchored your left flank on St Albans and arranged extensive defensive barriers to foil any attack. The idea is that wherever the Lancastrians turn up you will be able to rush reinforcements there in time to win the day.
Yesterday you received news that the young Duke of York had smashed another Lancastrian army to the West, preventing the Welsh troops loyal to the Queen from joining her army, which is said to be shrinking rapidly anyway due to desertions by the booty-laden mosstroopers. He is rushing to join you.
Your left flank is commanded by your younger brother, John Neville, Lord Montague. You trust him. You are not so certain about the loyalty of some of your other commanders. There are rumours of treachery afoot.
Special Rules
You will remain off-table until your brother calls for re-inforcements.
Primary missions
Defend London
Keep the Southern army in the field as intact as possible so that it can join up with the Duke of York.
Retain control of Henry VI. Although an atrocious king and one unwilling to be guided by you, he is still the annointed king.
John Neville, Lord Montague (York)
You are the brother of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, “the Kingmaker”. You are the commander of the left wing of his Army of the South and one of his most trusted generals in the Yorkist camp.
The Lancastrian Queen, Margaret of Anjou, has taken the field supported by the Dukes of Somerset and Exeter and the wretched Percy’s of Nothurmberland. They seek to liberate Henry VI who is in your ‘protective custody’.
The Queen has an army largely made up of wild Northern mosstroopers, raiders and foreign mercenaries. They have marched south from York and, in scenes of butchery not seen in England in over two centuries, sacked town after town as they come.
Rather than let them reach the capital, your brother has drawn up the army over a very long frontage (almost 4 miles) to cover the approaches to the city. You have anchored your left flank on St Albans and arranged extensive defensive barriers to foil any attack. The idea is that wherever the Lancastrians turn up, your brother will be able to rush reinforcements there in time to win the day.
Yesterday you received news that the young Duke of York had smashed another Lancastrian army to the West preventing the Welsh troops loyal to the Queen from joining her army, which is said to be shrinking rapidly due to desertions by the booty laden mosstroopers. He is rushing to join you. However, your troops are nervous. They have seen nothing of the Lancastrian army and the scouts seem to have lost sight of it. You can’t just hide 30,000 troops in the middle of Southern England…so where is it?
Special Rules
You may call upon reinforcements from your brother to the East at any time. However, this will reduce the value of your victory.
Primary Objectives
Defend London .
Win a victory over the Lancastrians that will allow you to outshine your elder brother.
Keep your army intact as much as possible so that it can join up with the Duke of York later.
Retain control of Henry VI. Although an atrocious king and one unwilling to be guided by your family, he is still the annointed king.
Mercenary Captain A & B
These English wars are certainly lucrative but things appear to be hotting up in this one in a manner that makes you edgy. In Italy, wars are based around careful maneuver and positioning: the actual hand to hand fighting is limited and casualties are few. You thought it would be that way here. However, the English seem to be getting more and more angry about this little dynastic dispute and have started lopping the heads off prisoners. That means they will have no concerns whatsoever about the fate of your men.
Primary Missions
Your side wins the battle (so you will continue to be paid).
You do not suffer extensive casualties. Your future rests on your company surviving. Don’t let the patron use you as arrow fodder. However, don’t make it obvious.
Lord Henry Beaufort, Duke of Somerset (Lancaster)
You are the Commander in Chief of the Lancastrian Forces. Although you are taking guidance from that wretched Trollope fellow, you are in command here and don’t let anyone forget it!
The Lancastrian Queen, Margaret of Anjou, has taken the field supported by yourself, the Duke of Exeter and the wretched Percy’s of Nothurmberland. You seek to liberate Henry VI, who is imprisoned by the vile traitor Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. You also need to take London, the key city for the realm. It is most unlikely that the Londoners will open their gates to you unless you roundly smash Warwick’s intercepting force.
The army has marched south from York sacking and burning in a most improper way but then again, if the Queen will insist on raising the Northern Levy, she must expect this sort of thing. Fortunately, most of the mosstroopers have gone home now, laden with booty, leaving you with a slightly more manageable army.
Now someone told you Warwick was a good general. Not by the looks of his current deployment, he isn’t. He’s set up his army stretched across four miles of heath, trying to cover all approaches to London. He has four main defensive sites each one protected by a swathe of caltrops and netting designed to foil any attack. His left flank is based on St Albans.
Now that irritating Trollope chap convinced the Queen to refrain from a full frontal assault and do something quite ignoble. You’re going to go round the flank and hit the Warwick fellow in the side. Now, were it some other blighter, a bit more noble, then you’d cut up rough about it, but if it’s only the wretched Neville's then who cares?
You’ve marched quickly and silently down Watling Street and are about to crash into Neville’s younger brother’s position. You need to take both it and St Albans quickly before his elder brother can get reinforcements to him.
Problems
The wretched Percy's are along aren’t they? Little better than barbarians and known rebels and traitors in the past. Although you are nominally in command of the army, the Percy's account as Allied troops for purposes of you commanding them because they simply think they’re above taking your orders.
The wretched fellow Jasper Tudor was supposed to be leading a large force of Welsh troops to join you and replace your losses. You have heard a rumour that he has been intercepted by the young Duke of York to the West. The fate of either Tudor or York is unknown as is the outcome of any battle they might have fought. You need to smash Neville quickly just in case.
Bonus
It is a sad world when a nobleman does not stick to his honour isn’t it? Fortunately, the vile traitor is among the ranks of the Yorkists. Sir John Lovelace commands a contingent of Kentish troops who have agreed to change sides when the signal is given. They will remain apparently loyal to Warwick until you spend Command Points on them as if they were an allied command.
Primary Missions
Liberate Henry VI
Smash the Neville army, kill as many senior commanders as possible
Take London
Lord Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland (Lancaster)
You are the Commander of the Van of the Army of the King, Henry VI.
The Lancastrian Queen, Margaret of Anjou, has taken the field supported by yourself, the Duke of Exeter and that oaf, the Duke of Somerset. You seek to liberate Henry VI who is imprisoned by the vile traitor Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. You also need to take London, the key city for the realm. It is most unlikely that the Londoners will open their gates to you unless you roundly smash Warwick’s intercepting force.
The army has marched South from York sacking and burning in the traditional manner. If these Southern vermin will rebel against their anointed king then the Queen must expect this sort of thing. Fortunately, most of the mosstroopers responsible for the worst of the outrages have gone home now, laden with booty, leaving you with a slightly more manageable army.
Now someone told you Warwick was a good general. Not by the looks of his current deployment, he isn’t. He’s set up his army stretched across four miles of heath, trying to cover all approaches to London. He has four main defensive sites each one protected by a swathe of caltrops and netting designed to foil any attack. His left flank is based on St Albans.
Now the Queen’s favourite, Trollope, convinced the Queen to refrain from a full frontal assault and do something quite sensible. You’re going to go round the flank and hit the Warwick fellow in the side. You’ve marched quickly and silently down Watling Street and are about to crash into Neville’s younger brother’s position. You need to take both it and St Albans quickly before his elder brother can get reinforcements to him.
Problems
That Somerset oaf has been a thorn in your flesh all the way from York, bitching about how some of the lads have been pillaging and looting. Your troops will be very loath to take any orders from him. It will cost double command points to receive any command aid from Somerset in relation to your troops.
Primary Missions
Liberate Henry VI
Smash the Neville Army, kill as many senior commanders as possible
Take London
If Somerset dies, then, well it won’t be a terrible loss now will it?
Terrain & Deployment
The western flank of the Yorkist line and St Albans itself can be re-created on a 6’ x 4’ table.
A gentle rise stretches along 4’ of the table dropping down to St Albans on the left (west).
Watling Street leads diagonally from the north, south-west to St Albans, and the London road emerges heading south-east towards the capital.
The only visible defensive position is on this road as it runs through the town: representing the archers’ stand at Eleanor Cross. St Albans is classed as medium works for shooting but light works for melee.
Medium works should be placed along most of the rise to represent the Yorkist defensive positions. A small patch of difficult going should be placed at the end of the works to represent the heath. This should leave a gap of about 20cm between St Albans and the difficult going.
Initial Deployment
Two bases of veteran retinue Yorkist archers under Sir John Wenlock should be placed inside St Albans facing along the road, one behind the other. One base of dismounted veteran men at arms should be placed on the end of the ridge guarding the narrow gap.
The main command of the Yorkists under Lord Montague should be placed manning the defences and the Montague player told to expect an attack possibly from the north-east. The Burgundian mercenary companies, including a couple of bombards, should be deployed to his right.
Off table, but available if needed, is the right flank under Warwick himself. The Yorkist command structure is slightly skewed: with Warwick being granted the status of General, rather than another Sub General. This is to allow for his better extraction of the Yorkist army once its flank had been smashed. However, the Montague player should not be informed how long it will be before Warwick turns up after the initial message for help is sent.
Finally, the men of Kent under Lovelace, although included in the Yorkist line up were actually traitors and will change sides as soon as the Lancastrian commander Henry Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, can issue a command point to him.
Special Rules & Arrivals
Turn 1
The Lancastrians arrive along Watling Street. They can deploy north of St Albans and west of the heath. This is a very tight box and they will have difficulty in fitting everyone in, but this makes it very clear that break out is the first priority. Upon sighting the Lancastrians coming round the flank, all of the Montague and the Burgundian mercenary company are immediately classed as Shaken and Disorganised. Get rolling Command Points!
Richard Neville and his force must remain off-table until John Neville spends one command point to summon aid.
The Percy command is treated as Allies to Beaufort's command.
Sir John Lovelace commands a contingent of Kentish troops who have agreed to change sides when the signal is given. They will remain apparently loyal to Warwick Somerset spends Command Points on them as if they were an allied command. They will then obey his orders.
Turn 2
The Lancastrian player is allowed to remove one impassable building in St Albans to reflect scouting for alternative routes in the town. Only a fool would choose anything other than the building directly on the Yorkist archers’ flank!
Handout 1 (to Lancaster)
Your scouts report a back road through the streets of St Albans.
You may remove and pass through one of the buildings as if they were not there to attack the Yorkist archers.
Turn 3
It starts snowing. Any archery fire pointed west suffers a –2 this turn.
Handout 2 (to all)
It has started snowing. The wind is blowing from the West. Any shooting into the wind this turn is at a –2 penalty
This article submitted to the VB web-site by Thurlac.