ABSTRACT
The Yorkist victory at Towton established Edward IV on the throne. Edward was to prove an infinitely more able monarch than Henry VI but his position remained precarious for the next decade. Henry VI, Margaret of Anjou and Prince Edward had not been present at Towton. They fled to Scotland where they were joined by the survivors from the battle, including the Dukes of Somerset and Exeter. Edward's survival in the first years of his reign depended upon crushing the Lancastrian insurrections in the north and also Wales and neutralising Margaret's foreign support. Edward's diplomacy proved more fruitful than his policy of conciliation. Margaret of Anjou had successfully sought support from France and Scotland. Edward also endowed his own brothers. George was created Duke of Clarence, an obvious evocation of the Yorkist claim to the throne from Lionel of Clarence, and Richard Duke of Gloucester.
