The son of Richard, Earl of Cambridge, and Anne Mortimer. Until 1453 he was heir to the throne of England and led the opposition to Henry VI, especially after the death of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester in 1447. In 1455 he captured Henry at the first Battle of St Albans and became Protector of the kingdom. In October 1460 he claimed the English throne, but two months later he was defeated and killed by Lancastrian forces in the Battle of Wakefield. The Yorkist party survived him, and triumphed at the second Battle of St Albans.