The Battle of Wakefield occurred on the 30th of December 1460 during the Wars of the Roses. Following the Battle of Northampton, king Henry had agreed to grant right of succession to the Duke of York and his heirs upon his death, but queen Margaret refused to disinherit her son. Margaret mustered a large army in north Wales and the Duke of York and an army of some five or six thousand marched from London to meet her in battle. The Duke of York reached his castle at Sandal and a few days later the larger Lancastrian army reached him.
Details of the battle are scarce, but reports indicate that the Duke of York refused to await reinforcements and marched his army out of the castle to meet the Lancastrians who were waiting between Sandal and Wakefield. The Duke of York, heavily outnumbered, marched into a pincer movement and was quickly defeated, the Duke of York being among the dead which also included many more prominent Yorkists. Research Battle of Wakefield
Abbreviations
Warfare
Research Battle of Wakefield