Great Britain -- History -- Henry VI, 1422-1461; Margaret, of Anjou, Queen, consort of Henry VI, King of England, 1430-1482
In a very short time after this, however, Warwick came back again with
a large armed force, which he had organized at Calais, and landed in
the southern part of England. He marched toward London, carrying all
before him. It was now his party's turn to be victorious; for by the
operation of that strange principle which seems to regulate the ups
and downs of opposing political parties in all countries and in all
ages, victory alternates between them with almost the regularity of a
pendulum. The current of popular sentiment, which had set so strongly
in favor of the queen's cause only a short year before, appeared to be
now altogether in favor of her enemies. Every body flocked to
Warwick's standard as he marched northwardly from the coast toward
London, and at London the people opened the gates of the city and
received him and his troops as if they had been an army of deliverers.
[Sidenote: Northampton.]
[Sidenote: The king made captive.]
Warwick did not delay long in London. He marched to the north to meet
the queen's troops. Another great battle was fought at Northampton.
Margaret watched the progress of the fight from an eminence not far
distant. The day went against her. The result of the battle was that
the poor king was taken prisoner the second time and carried in
triumph to London.
The captors, however, treated him with great consideration and
respect--not as their enemy and as their prisoner, but as their
sovereign, rescued by them from the hands of traitors and foes. The
time had not even yet come for the York party openly to avow their
purpose of deposing the king. So they conveyed him to London, and
lodged him in the palace there, where he was surrounded with all the
emblems and marks of royalty, but was still, nevertheless, closely
confined.
[Sidenote: Parliament summoned.]
[Sidenote: The king.]
The Duke of York then summoned a Parliament, acting in the king's
name, of course, that is, requiring the king to sign the writs and
other necessary documents. It was not until October that the
Parliament met. During the interval the king was lodged in a country
place not far from London, where every effort was made to enable him
to pass his time agreeably, by giving him an opportunity to hunt, and
to amuse and recreate himself with other out-door amusements. All the
while, however, a strict watch was kept over him to prevent the
possibility of his making his escape, or of the friends of the queen
coming secretly to take him away.
As for the queen and the little prince, none knew what had become of
them.
[Sidenote: The duke's pretensions.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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