Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury

Also known as: R. Salisburie / Richard Neuill / Richard Neville / Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick / Richard earle of Salisburie / Sir Richard Neuill / earles of Salisburie · Family: England · Role: earl · First appears: Henry V 32

Under Henry V, Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, showed fealty as “Sir Richard Neuill was that daie caruer to the quéene”. By c. 1428 he had married Alice Montagu, Countess of Salisbury, daughter of Ralph Neville, Earl of Westmorland, and by c. 1455 she was the sole heir of Thomas Montacute. With her, he had John Neville, George Neville, and Thomas Neville. His brother was William Neville, Lord Fauconberg, and his son Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick later became his close political partner.

Around c. 1451, Richard joined Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York and other allies in secretly planning to raise an army against the king’s councillors. In c. 1454, while York was made protector and Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick captain of Calais, Salisbury became lord chancellor and received the great seal, while Henry VI was to reign in name but not in authority. York then sought the support of the two Neville earls. After the factions agreed in c. 1458 to forget their rancors and obey the king, Salisbury, Warwick, and York funded perpetual alms at Saint Albans; Salisbury and his family also released the monetary penalties imposed on Thomas Percy, Lord Egremont and Richard Percy, while Egremont was bound to keep peace with them.

In 1459 Salisbury left Middleham Castle with four or five thousand men, and Margaret of Anjou sent James Touchet, Lord Audley against him. At Bloreheath, Salisbury’s forces defeated and killed Audley and his captains. He then conferred with York, escaped with Edward IV, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, and John Wenlock, Baron Wenlock, and was proclaimed a traitor by Henry VI, who confiscated his lands, goods, and offices. In c. 1460 Salisbury was attainted at Coventry with his sons and allies, while his wife’s goods and possessions were also forfeited; despite conditional offers of pardon, he and the Yorkist leaders sent grievances from Calais and remained the subject of parliamentary acts and a conspiracy against them. Later that year, Salisbury crossed the sea with Warwick and fifteen hundred men, landing at Sandwich.