John Beaufort, Marquess of Dorset and "Earl of Dorset", courtesy titles granted to the Beaufort heir-apparent or heir-presumptive. These titles were not recognized by King Edward IV, of the House of York. John had been in exile since 1461, first in Burgundy and then France. When Henry VI of Lancaster reclaimed the throne in October 1470, John returned with his brother Edmund. But a few months later, Henry was driven from the throne again, and the Lancastrians were on the run. John was killed in the Battle of Tewkesbury on 4 May 1471, while fighting beside Edmund, who was captured and beheaded two days later.
England in the Middle Ages nine months and both the English political system and the military situation in France began to unravel. A sequence of bloody civil wars, later termed the Wars of the Roses, finally broke out in 1455, spurred on by an economic crisis and a widespread perception of poor government. Edward IV, leading a faction known as the Yorkists, removed Henry from power in 1461 but by 1469 fighting recommenced as Edward, Henry, and Edward's brother George, backed by leading nobles and powerful French supporters, vied for power. By 1471 Edward was triumphant and most of his rivals were dead. On his