Second Battle of St Albans 1461
![James Henry Ramsay (1859–1925)[1]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Map_for_Second_Battle_of_St_Alban%27s_by_Ramsay.jpg){kind=link}
Marker: recorded battle location (no official boundary).
Key facts
| Date (year) | 1461 | Wikidata P585 point in time |
|---|---|---|
| Century | 15th century | derived |
| Period | Wars of the Roses & late medieval | derived |
| Country | England | derived |
| War / conflict | Wars of the Roses | Wikidata |
About the battle
The Second Battle of St Albans was fought on 17 February 1461 during the Wars of the Roses in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England (the First Battle of St Albans had been fought in 1455).
The army of the Yorkist faction, under the Earl of Warwick, attempted to bar the road to London north of the town. The rival Lancastrian army used a wide outflanking manoeuvre to take Warwick by surprise, cut him off from London and drive his army from the field. The victors also released the feeble King Henry VI, who had been Warwick's prisoner, from his captivity, but they ultimately failed to take advantage of their victory.
Visiting the battlefield
To commemorate the 550th anniversary year of the battle, the Battlefields Trust hosted a conference on the battle on 26–27 February 2011, near the battle site. The conference featured authentic combat recreations by the Medieval Siege Society and a guided tour of the battlefield and culminated in a Requiem Mass for the fallen at St Saviour's Church, conducted by Father Peter Wadsworth.
Location
- Recorded location (Wikidata; may be approximate): 51.7550, -0.3361
Battlefields are often on private farmland: please keep to public rights of way and respect landowners.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Second Battle of St Albans (revision 1370736608), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section and section(s) “550th anniversary commemoration”; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations removed. No text added.
Battle location from Wikidata (CC0).
Nearby battlefields
- Battle of Barnet 1471 · 14 km
- Battle of Turnham Green 1642 · 30 km
- Battle of Brentford 1016 · 31 km
- Battle of Brentford 1642 · 31 km
- Battle of Aylesbury 1642 · 36 km
- Battle of Tempsford 917 · 46 km
Other battles of the Wars of the Roses
- First Battle of St Albans 1455
- Battle of Blore Heath 1459
- Battle of Ludford Bridge 1459
- Battle of Northampton 1460
- Battle of Wakefield 1460
- Battle of Worksop 1460
- Battle of Ferrybridge 1461
- Battle of Mortimer's Cross 1461
- Battle of Towton, 1461
- Battle of Piltown 1462
All battles of the Wars of the Roses →
Browse more: battles in England · Wars of the Roses & late medieval · 15th century battles