Henry VI of England

May 22, 1455 · 300 total casualties

St Albans transformed a political feud into open warfare and gave the Yorkists control of the king's person. Somerset's death removed Henry VI's strongest protector. The battle proved that the political crisis could not be resolved by negotiation alone, setting the template for a conflict that would last thirty years.

July 10, 1460 · 300 total casualties

Northampton delivered Henry VI back into Yorkist hands and set the stage for Richard of York to formally claim the throne through the Act of Accord — which made York heir apparent over Henry's own son. It was the high-water mark of Yorkist political success before the catastrophe at Wakefield.

March 29, 1461 · 28,000 total casualties

Towton broke Lancastrian military power for a decade and secured Edward IV's throne. Up to 28,000 men died — perhaps one percent of England's entire population. It remains the bloodiest single day in English history. The scale of the slaughter forced both sides to recognise that the war could consume the nobility itself.