Talk:Battle of Blore Heath

First major battle?

The introduction here states Blore Heath was “the first major battle of the Wars of the Roses”. This seems unlikely; the First Battle of St Albans pre-dates it by about four years. I've requested a citation, but the claim is still dubious. Xyl 54 (talk) 15:40, 23 September 2013 (UTC)

It is a definitional argument, depending on what one considers not only to be a "major" battle but also when one thinks the active Wars of the Roses actually began. As this wiki's own page on the Wars adequately summarizes, First St. Albans was more of a failed arrest attempt than a set-piece battle, and was followed by 4 years of tense peace. Blore Heath signaled the end of that period and that the dynastic contenders would not settle their claims except through combat. [page] makes this clear, but I don't know if it would satisfy as a citation.— Preceding unsigned comment added by Eggishorn (talk • contribs) 19.41,23 September 2013

Just to clarify what "this wiki’s own page on the wars" actually says about “when the active Wars of the Roses actually began”:

"Although armed clashes had occurred previously between supporters of York and Lancaster, the first open fighting broke out in 1455 at the First Battle of St Albans" and "The relatively small First Battle of St Albans was the first open conflict of the civil war".

So the period of quiet that followed did not make Blore Heath the start of the conflict proper; the whole period was a succession of violent eruptions followed by periods of tense peace, hence “Wars” plural (one author I saw suggested there was not more than three months of actual fighting in the whole thirty year period) And your source (I assume you meant this page) says the same: "St Albans marked the end of the phoney war and the beginning of armed hostilities in the Wars of the Roses"

So despite the rather derogatory description, 5,000 armed men hacking lumps off each other was not just a “failed arrest attempt”, any more than Blore Heath being merely a botched ambush. Xyl 54 (talk) 23:52, 30 September 2013 (UTC)

Not that I was trying to make a definitive claim, but rather provide possible support for the original editor's description. As you say, however, I under-characterized the violence of St. Albans. If you wanted to make such an edit to the article, I would not contest it.Eggishorn (talk) 00:00, 8 October 2013 (UTC)

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Background section to Battle of Blore Heath

This section does not really do the job as it barely explains the context in which the battle took place. St Albans was, in reality a skirmish that had major consequences as it allowed the Yorkists to seize control of King's power. Three major Lancastrians including Somerset were killed and their sons were out for revenge. King Henry was, by this time suffering from a mental illness that left him virtually mute for two years. After St Albans, the Duke of York was nominally and indeed officially Protector but he did not have the support of the Lancastrian heirachy. As stated the Queen margaret became an increasingly influential figure on behalf of the King. Attempts at reconcilliation were made but failed. The Battle of Blore Heath was the a significant event in the dynastic struggles of the period but not I think a major battle because there were further attempts at reconciliation. In 1461 at the Battle of Towton the Lancastrian cause was destroyed. I think the background section needs expanding. I'm happy to attempt it. Dorkinglad (talk) 12:45, 19 February 2019 (UTC)

The War Of The Roses

The problem with the historic term 'War of The Roses' is that it is a nineteenth century construct. It could be argues there was no such thing since even the emblem of the Yorkists , the White Rose, appeared after the period as part of Henry VII's propaganda campaign to strengthen his rather weak claim to the throne. The painting used is from the mid Victorian period. The rather splendid legend is therefore a bit of a deceit. It looks good but should it be there? Dorkinglad (talk) 12:45, 19 February 2019 (UTC)

The story of the Friar in Section: Aftermath

The source for this story comes from Gregory's Chronicle written some years after the event. It is most likely fanciful which I admit is a tad dissappointing. One aftermath taht should be mentioned is that the Lancastrians laid seige to Ludlow, a Yorkist stronghold of The Duke of York. The Duke of York fled before the battle leaving Ludlow to be ransacked mercilessly by the Lancastrians. Dorkinglad (talk) 12:45, 19 February 2019 (UTC)