Second Battle of St Albans

Second Battle of St Albans
Part of the Wars of the Roses
Date 17 February 1461 Location St Albans, Hertfordshire, England 51°45′18″N 0°20′9.6″W / 51.75500°N 0.336000°W / 51.75500; -0.336000 Result Lancastrian victory Yorkists lose custody of the English king
Belligerents
House of Lancaster Kingdom of Scotland	House of York
Commanders and leaders
Duke of Somerset Earl of Northumberland Baron Clifford Andrew Trollope	Earl of Warwick Duke of Norfolk Baron Montagu (POW)
Strength
c. 15,000 men	c. 10,000 men
Casualties and losses
1,916 killed, mostly Yorkists
class=notpageimage| Location of the battle within England

The Second Battle of St Albans was fought on 17 February 1461 during the Wars of the Roses in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England (the First Battle of St Albans had been fought in 1455).

The army of the Yorkist faction, under the Earl of Warwick, attempted to bar the road to London north of the town. The rival Lancastrian army used a wide outflanking manoeuvre to take Warwick by surprise, cut him off from London and drive his army from the field. The victors also released the feeble King Henry VI, who had been Warwick's prisoner, from his captivity, but they ultimately failed to take advantage of their victory.