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What happened at the First Battle of St. Albans in 1455?
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Wars of the Roses
Illustration depicting the Battle of Bosworth Field, with King Richard III on the white horse.
The First Battle of St. Albans, fought on May 22, 1455, marked the opening engagement of the Wars of the Roses. The conflict arose after Richard, Duke of York, became convinced that Queen Margaret of Anjou and Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, were plotting his destruction.1
The battle was brief, lasting less than an hour. It resulted in the death of the Duke of Somerset and the capture of King Henry VI by Yorkist forces. This victory secured Yorkās political ascendancy for over a year, though the underlying tensions remained, leading to a resurgence of hostilities in 1459 after the Queen regained her influence.1