e
Duke, and to commit the administration into the hands of Somerset (1455).
Richard, sensible of the dangers which might attend his former acceptance
of the parliamentary commission should he submit to the annulling of it,
levied an army, but still without advancing any pretensions to the crown.
He complained only of the King's ministers, and demanded a reformation of
the government.

A battle was fought at St. Albans, in which the Yorkists were superior,
and, without suffering any material loss, slew about five thousand
of their enemies, among whom were the Duke of Somerset, the Earl
of Northumberland, the Earl of Stafford, eldest son of the Duke of
Buckingham, Lord Clifford, and many other persons of distinction. The
King himself fell into the hands of the Duke of York, who treated him
with great respect and tenderness; he was only obliged--which he regarded
as no hardship--to commit the whole authority of the crown into the hands
of his rival.

Affairs did not immediately proceed to the last extremities; the
nation was kept some time in suspense; the vigor and spirit of Queen
Margaret,[1] supporting her small power, still proved a balance to the
great authority of Richard, which was checked by his irresolute temper.
A parliament, which was soon after assembled, plainly discovered, by the
contrariety of their proceedings, the contrariety of the motives by which
they were actuated. They granted the Yorkists a general indemnity; and
they restored the protectorship to the Duke, but at the same time they
renewed their oaths of fealty to Henry, and fixed the continuance of the
protectorship to the majority of his son Edward.

It was not found difficult to wrest power from hands so little tenacious
as those of the Duke of York. Margaret, availing herself of that Prince's
absence, produced her husband before the House of Lords; and as his state
of health permitted him at that time to act his part with some tolerable
decency, he declared his intentions of resuming the government, and of
putting an end to Richard's authority. The House of Lords assented to
Henry's proposal, and the King was declared to be reinstated. Even the
Duke of York acquiesced in this irregular act of the peers, and no
disturbance ensued. But that Prince's claim to the crown was too well
known, and the steps which he had taken to promote it were too evident
ever to allow sincere trust and confidence to have place between the
parties.

The court reti