Their small tastes of victory soon paled as they passed by the unfortunate favorites, swinging from the bridge. Richard ordered them cut down and buried. Confounded again to meet no resistance at all, he rode unopposed into the capital city of Edinburgh two days later. The Scottish army had not only retreated to Haddington following their seizure of James, but Richard was greeted by a message from the enemy commanders begging for a truce.

They declared that ‘the war was over’ in their missive, Richard wrote to Edward later. What war? I have had more difficulty snaring a lame rabbit than I had taking Edinburgh!

With James in his nobles’ power, it seemed that Albany’s way to the throne was assured, but after a week or so it became crystal clear to Richard that the Scots had no wish for Albany to rule them either. Instead, the unhappy man was granted a pardon for his treasonable behavior if he swore allegiance to his brother and would never vie for James’s throne again. Before he left Edinburgh, Richard made Albany sign an oath that England was released from the contract to support him.

Just in case! Richard continued to his brother after describing the scene. The numbskull even accused me of betrayal. These uncivilized people vacillate in their allegiances like waving wheat. I shall march back to Berwick and with God’s help—and some well-aimed cannons—I shall take the castle back.

He could not take all the credit, however, as Lord Stanley’s men had worn down the defending Berwick garrison so that they threw down their arms and surrendered as soon as Richard’s army reappeared. Nevertheless, once back in London, and at Edward’s behest, Richard rode through the streets to receive the accolades of the people—and the gratitude of his king.

It was the first time he had been hailed a hero in his own right by his fellow countrymen, and he was proud to hear his name shouted from the rooftops. What enhanced Richard’s honor was that he had resisted a victor’s usual temptation to destroy the city of Edinburgh. Instead he had reconciled peaceably with James’s council and withdrawn his army without burning a house or killing a citizen.

Other than the brief visit following the Scottish campaign, Richard was not seen at Edward’s court much in the years after George’s death—years in which, as Lord of the North, he heard appeals, dispensed justice wisely, mended bitter rivalries between Nevilles and Percies, kept the peace, and maintained border fortifications, earning the deep respect of northerners. His only domestic disappointment was Anne’s continued inability to bear another child.