Thanks to everybody who stopped to chat or play (and don't forget to like the Facebook page if that's how you social network) …
Northampton is important because …
*after Northampton, Richard, Duke of York, presses his claim to the throne (and is accepted as heir apparent) – so it is the point where the Cousins War becomes a war between rival claimants to the throne;
*it is arguably the high point of Warwick's career;
*it shows English warfare applying tactics learnt in France;
*it is the first massed use of artillery on the battlefield;
It is interesting in how it mixes modern features such as the artillery position with more medieval features such as the preliminary cavalry action and the posse of prelates by the Eleanor Cross (who excommunicate the Lancastrian army …) …
Buckingham, Shrewsbury, Egremont and Beaumont were all killed at Northampton. The King was captured but Margaret of Anjou escaped with her son to carry on the Lancastrian resistance.
A lot of the popular, somewhat aged, information on the battle has been eclipsed by more recent scholarship … The Battlefields Trust entry (here) is generally better than wikipedia (although we would orientate the action West-to-East) but we need some extensive archaeology to nail things down (hence the work of the Northampton Battlefields Society … protecting, researching and explaining the site)
Phil
See Northampton Battlefields Society for more or visit the Facebook page