29 March (Palm Sunday) – Wars of the Roses: At the Battle of Towton, the bloodiest battle ever fought on British soil,[4] the Earl of March defeats Queen Margaret to make good his claim to the English throne.[3] Margaret escapes, initially to Linlithgow Palace near Edinburgh.
April – Queen Margaret, with her son Edward, makes her way from Edinburgh via Bamburgh and Sluis to the court of France, where on 23 June she secretly offers the surrender of Calais in return for aid and on 28 June secures agreement for a French-supported expedition to England.[5]
25 October – Queen Margaret leads an invasion of Northumberland with French forces under Pierre de Brézé. Picking up Henry VI in Scotland, they land at Bamburgh and briefly take Alnwick for the Lancastrians before being forced by an advancing Yorkist army and the wrecking of their fleet to take refuge at Berwick Castle, which is itself recaptured by Yorkists by Christmas.[1]
1463
August – Queen Margaret leaves Scotland for France. She will never see her husband again and will not return to England until 1471.
8 October – Truce of Hesdin ends French support for the Lancastrians.[1]
Importation of foreign playing cards banned to protect English manufacturers.[1]
1 May – Edward IV secretly marries the widowed commoner Elizabeth Woodville. He keeps the marriage a secret until 14 September.[1]
15 May – Wars of the Roses: At the Battle of Hexham, Neville defeats the Lancastrian army. This marks the end of organized Lancastrian resistance for several years.
1 June – Treaty of York, a 15-year truce with Scotland is signed.[1]
24 July – Wars of the Roses: Battle of Edgcote – Warwick's rebels led by 'Robin of Redesdale' are victorious over forces loyal to King Edward led by the Early of Pembroke, who is executed 3 days later.[9]
29 July – King Edward arrested and imprisoned after his army abandons him.[1]