Why were the Yorkists successful in gaining the crown by 1461?

By 1461 Henry VI was already in hiding up North leaving England under no real leader. The conflict that led to Henry’s flee was his weak personality and his poor control and authority. However this isn’t the only reason why the Yorkists were successful in gaining the crown by 1461 there are many other reasons.

One main factor for the Yorkists gaining the crown was their military strength. The Yorkists had huge military power. The Yorkists main battle was The Battle of Towton, near York, this was the biggest battle of The War of the Roses and the Yorkists came away successful. This was a horrific battle with over 20,000 men killed due to this battle. This showed the true strength and success of the Yorkists and that they were the best fighters and this made them appear unbeatable.
This also led to others not being favourite as they were seen as weak and venerable so why would anyone want them to rule their country when they can have a strong army instead?

The Yorkists were also incredibly wealthy and as a result of this had some of the best resources. York and some of the wealthiest magnates in the country (Warwick, Warwick’s father of Earl of Salisbury and Richard Duke of York) This huge amount of money and wealth enabled them to recruit soldiers and train them to be the best of the best meaning their army was also the best of the best making them extremely hard to defeat and not very vulnerable at all.

Another reason York was successful is because the public favored York and he was classed as a better all rounder so of course people would choose him and if near enough the whole