imself, attempting to
gather fresh forces, was chased into Sussex and slain.

6. =Rivalry of York and Somerset. 1450--1453.=--In the summer of
=1450=, Richard, Duke of York, the real leader of the opposition, came
back from Ireland. He found that Somerset, who had just returned from
Normandy after the final loss of that province (see p. 320), had
succeeded Suffolk in the king's confidence. Somerset, however, was not
merely the favourite of Henry and the queen. The bulk of the nobility
was on his side, whilst York was supported by the force of popular
discontent and by such of the nobility as cherished a personal grudge
against Somerset and his friends. In =1451= the loss of Guienne and
Gascony increased the weight of Somerset's unpopularity. In =1452=
both parties took arms; but, this time, civil war was averted by a
promise from the king that York should be admitted to the Council, and
that Somerset should be placed in confinement till he answered the
charges against him. On this York dismissed his army. Henry, however,
was not allowed to keep his promise, and Somerset remained in power,
whilst York was glad to be allowed to retire unhurt. Somerset
attempted to recover his credit by fresh victories in France, and sent
the old Earl of Shrewsbury to Bordeaux to reconquer Gascony.
Shrewsbury was successful for a while, but in =1453= he was defeated
and slain at Castillon, and the whole enterprise came to nothing.

7. =The First Protectorate of the Duke of York. 1453--1454.=--Henry's
mind had never been strong, and in =1453= it entirely gave way. His
insanity was probably inherited from his maternal grandfather, Charles
VI. The queen bore him a son, named Edward, but though the infant was
brought to his father, Henry gave no sign of recognising his
presence. It was necessary to place the government in other hands, and
in =1454= the Duke of York was named Protector by the House of Lords,
which, as the majority of its members were at that time ecclesiastics,
did not always re-echo the sentiments of the great families. If only
the king had remained permanently insane York might have established
an orderly government. Henry, however, soon recovered as much sense as
he ever had, and York's protectorate came to an end.

8. =The First Battle of St. Albans and the Duke of York's Second
Protectorate.=--The restoration of Henry was in reality the
restoration of Somerset. In =1455= York, fearing destruction, took
arms against his