Following the battle of Losecoat Field and the revelations of their involvement in the revolt, Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick, and the king’s brother George Plantagenet, the Duke of Clarence, fled to France. Warwick’s presence in France was a concern for the French king; Louis XI and he sought to hasten Warwick’s return to England. To that end he facilitated an alliance between Queen Margaret of Anjou and Warwick. This was not an easy union to reach but an agreement was negotiated and the marriage of Margaret’s son Prince Edward, the Lancastrian heir, and Warwick’s youngest daughter Anne sealed the pact.
In September 1470, Warwick, Clarence, and the Earls of Devon and Pembroke landed in the west of England. Upon landing they announced their support of Henry IV and this quickly reignited the Lancastrian cause across the country. At that time Edward was in the north dealing with unrest and so was away from his powerbase in the south. Suddenly it seemed the whole country had gone over to Warwick and it was Edward’s turn to flee to the continent.
Edward with a few supporters went to the Low Countries. There he planned his return. Aided by the Duke of Burgundy he was able to sail for England with a small force, including Flemish handgunner, and landed at Ravenspur 14th March 1471. From there he moved to York and then south towards London. The march on London was marked by a series of moves and counter moves as the two sides mustered their forces. Twice Edward confronted Warwick who had taken refuse in Coventry but the Earl would not be drawn out to give battle nor would he accept a pardon from Edward. With Lancastrian forces gathering in the west and John Neville, Lord Montegu, moving down from the north Edward went south towards London.
Edward was well received in London and even met with King Henry but when the now combined Lancastrian forces under Warwick closed on the city Edward, with Henry in tow, marched north to confront them.
It was late in the day when the scouts of the two forces collided in the streets of Barnet. The Lancastrians scampered away northward with the Yorkists in hot pursuit. They in turn were brought up short when they came up against the Lancastrian host deployed for battle. When informed of the enemy’s location Edward marched his men through Barnet and formed up astride the Great North Road north of the town. Darkness took hold before this manoeuvre was completed. As a result the two hosts were brought together in semi-darkness and a miss aligned of the two forces resulted. Edward’s right overlapped Warwick’s left as Warwick’s right overlapped Edward’s left. This mis-deployment would have consequences when battle was joined the next day. Throughout the night the Lancastrian guns maintained a slow bombardment. The Lancastrians were not aware how close Edward’s men were to their lines and as a result their shot went harmlessly over the Yorkist troops’ heads. Before first light both hosts rose to give battle but on this Easter Sunday a thick fog blanketed the field. Both sides were keenly aware of the nearness of the enemy but they could not detect the misalignment of the two hosts. Edward was the first to move.