BattlefieldsFauconberg Raid on Kent — Blackheath and London 1471
Medieval

Fauconberg Raid on Kent — Blackheath and London 1471

1471
Greater London, England
Also known as: Bastard of Fauconberg 1471 · Fauconberg Kent rising
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Greater London, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Thomas Neville (Bastard of Fauconberg)
Forces
Fauconberg c. 2,000–3,500
VS
Victor
Edward IV (royalists)
Forces
Edward IV/Yorkists c. 2,000–3,000
Outcome
Fauconberg and Kentish rebels failed to enter London; rising collapsed; Fauconberg captured
The Battle

History & Significance

Thomas Neville, the Bastard of Fauconberg, raised the Kentish Lancastrians and sailed up the Thames with a fleet from Calais in May 1471, while Edward IV was occupied at Barnet and Tewkesbury. His forces assembled at Blackheath and attacked London Bridge and Aldgate — but the city held firm. When Edward IV returned victorious from Tewkesbury, Fauconberg submitted. He was briefly pardoned but later executed. The raid showed that Kent remained a reservoir of Lancastrian and popular grievance even after Tewkesbury.

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