Battle of Bosworth Field
Part of the Wars of the Roses
Date August 22, 1485 (old style Julian calendar) August 31, 1485 (current style Gregorian calendar) Location Around White Moors, between Shenton and Dadlington in Leicestershire, England Result Decisive Lancastrian victory
Combatants
King Richard III of England, Yorkist	Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, Lancastrian
Commanders
Richard III of England†	Earl of Richmond (nominally) Earl of Oxford (in practice)
Strength
6,000 (king had 15,500 but Lord Stanley with 4,000 and his brother, Sir William Stanley with 2,500 betrayed; Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland with 3,000 did not join Richard III)	5,000
Casualties
900	100

The Battle of Bosworth or Bosworth Field was an important battle during the Wars of the Roses in 15th century England. It was fought on 22 August 1485 (the Gregorian/current calendar date is August 31, 1485) between the Yorkist King Richard III, the last of the Plantagenet dynasty, and the Lancastrian contender for the crown, Henry Tudor, 2nd Earl of Richmond (later King Henry VII). It ended in the defeat and death of Richard and the establishment of the Tudor dynasty. Historically, the battle is considered to have marked the end of the Wars of the Roses, although further battles were fought in the years that followed as Yorkist pretenders unsuccessfully fought to reclaim the crown. Lancaster York For other uses, see Wars of the Roses (disambiguation). ... is the 234th day of the year (235th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1485 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar). ... Old Style or O.S. is a designation indicating that a date conforms to the Julian calendar, formerly in use in many countries, rather than the Gregorian calendar, currently in use in most countries. ... The Julian calendar was introduced in 46 BC by Julius Caesar and came into force in 45 BC (709 ab urbe condita). ... is the 243rd day of the year (244th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Old Style or O.S. is a designation indicating that a date conforms to the Julian calendar, formerly in use in many countries, rather than the Gregorian calendar, currently in use in most countries. ... For the calendar of religious holidays and periods, see liturgical year. ... Shenton is a village in rural Leicestershire, and is a terminus of the Battlefield Line Railway, which runs to here from Shackerstone. ... Map sources for Dadlington at grid ref. ... Leicestershire ( IPA: (RP), IPA: (locally)), abbreviation Leics. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... made by me in Inkscape. ... Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 1483 until his death. ... The House of York was a branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet, three of whom became English kings in the late 15th century. ... Image File history File links Lancashire_rose. ... Henry VII (January 28, 1457 – April 21, 1509), King of England, Lord of Ireland (August 22, 1485 – April 21, 1509), born Henry Tudor was the first monarch of the Tudor dynasty. ... The House of Lancaster is a dynasty of English kings. ... Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 1483 until his death. ... Henry VII (January 28, 1457 – April 21, 1509), King of England, Lord of Ireland (August 22, 1485 – April 21, 1509), born Henry Tudor was the first monarch of the Tudor dynasty. ... John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford (1443 – 10 March 1513) was one of the principal Lancastrian commanders during the English Wars of the Roses. ... Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby, KG (1435 - July 29, 1504), an English nobleman, inherited his fathers titles, including that of king of the Isle of Man, in 1459. ... Sir William Stanley ( ? - 1495) William Stanley was the younger brother of Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby Stanley fought with his troups in several battles of the Wars of the Roses. ... Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, (c. ... Lancaster York For other uses, see Wars of the Roses (disambiguation). ... Combatants House of York House of Lancaster Commanders Richard, Duke of York, Richard, Earl of Warwick Edmund, Duke of Somerset Strength 3,000 2,000 Casualties Unknown 300 The First Battle of St Albans was the first battle of the Wars of the Roses and was fought on May 22... Battle of Blore Heath Conflict Wars of the Roses Date September 23, 1459 Place Blore Heath Result Yorkist victory The Battle of Blore Heath was the first major battle in the English Wars of the Roses and was fought on September 23, 1459, at Blore Heath, two miles east of... Combatants House of York House of Lancaster Commanders Richard, Duke of York Henry VI Strength Unknown Unknown Casualties Unknown Unknown Wars of the Roses 1st St Albans – Blore Heath – Ludford Bridge – Northampton – Wakefield – Mortimers Cross – 2nd St Albans – Ferrybridge – Towton – Hedgeley Moor – Hexham – Edgecote Moor – Lose-coat Field – Barnet... Combatants House of York House of Lancaster Commanders Warwick Henry VI, Buckingham Strength 20,000-30,000 10,000-15,000 Casualties Unknown 300 The Battle of Northampton was a battle in the Wars of the Roses, which took place on 10 July 1460. ... The Battle of Wakefield took place at Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, on December 30, 1460, and was one of the major actions of the Wars of the Roses. ... Combatants House of York House of Lancaster Commanders Edward, Earl of March Owen Tudor†, Jasper Tudor Strength Unknown Unknown Casualties Unknown Unknown Wars of the Roses 1st St Albans – Blore Heath – Ludford Bridge – Northampton – Wakefield – Mortimers Cross – 2nd St Albans – Ferrybridge – Towton – Hedgeley Moor – Hexham – Edgecote Moor – Lose-coat... Combatants House of York House of Lancaster Commanders Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick Margaret of Anjou Strength ~15,000 ~10,000 Casualties Unknown Unknown The Second Battle of St Albans was a battle of the English Wars of the Roses fought on February 17, 1461 near the town of St... Combatants House of York House of Lancaster Commanders Earl of Warwick John Clifford, Sir John Neville Strength Unknown Unknown Casualties 3000 Unknown {{{notes}}} The Battle of Ferrybridge, 28 March 1461, was a small engagement between the houses of York and Lancaster before the larger battle of Towton, during the period... The Battle of Towton in the Wars of the Roses was the bloodiest ever fought on British soil, with casualties believed to have been in excess of 20,000 (perhaps as many as 30,000) men. ... The Battle of Hedgeley Moor, 25 April 1464, was a battle of the Wars of the Roses. ... Combatants House of York House of Lancaster Commanders John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset Strength 4,000 Unknown Casualties Unknown Unknown The Battle of Hexham (May 15, 1464) marked the end of significant Lancastrian resistance in the north of England during the early part... The Battle of Edgecote Moor took place 6 miles northeast of Banbury (Oxfordshire), England on July 26, 1469 during the Wars of the Roses. ... The Battle of Losecote Field was fought on 12 March 1470, during the period know as the Wars of the Roses. ... The Battle of Barnet, which took place on April 14, 1471, was a decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses, near the town of Barnet, 10 miles north of London. ... Combatants House of York House of Lancaster Commanders Edward IV of England Edmund Beaufort†, Margaret of Anjou, Edward, Prince of Wales† Strength Unknown Unknown Casualties Unknown Unknown The Battle of Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, which took place on May 4, 1471, completed one phase of the Wars of the Roses. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Lancaster York For other uses, see Wars of the Roses (disambiguation). ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... is the 234th day of the year (235th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1485 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar). ... is the 243rd day of the year (244th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The House of York was a branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet, three of whom became English kings in the late 15th century. ... The Kingdom of England was first unified as a state by Athelstan of Wessex. ... Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 1483 until his death. ... Angevin is the name applied to two distinct medieval dynasties which originated as counts (from 1360, dukes) of the western French province of Anjou (of which angevin is the adjectival form), but later came to rule far greater areas including England, Hungary and Poland (see Angevin Empire). ... The House of Lancaster is a dynasty of English kings. ... Henry VII (January 28, 1457 – April 21, 1509), King of England, Lord of Ireland (August 22, 1485 – April 21, 1509), born Henry Tudor was the first monarch of the Tudor dynasty. ... For other uses, see Tudor (disambiguation). ... This article is about pretender as applied to a monarchy. ...

The campaign and its politics

Henry had landed in Pembrokeshire, the county of his birth, on 7 August with a small force — consisting mainly of French mercenaries — in an attempt to claim the throne of England. Richard III had fought similar battles with Lancastrian usurpers in the past, but this one would be his last. Although Henry did not have his opponent's military experience, he was accompanied by his uncle, Jasper Tudor, 1st Earl of Pembroke (later 1st Duke of Bedford) and John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, each of them being a brilliant and seasoned soldier. Henry gathered supporters in the course of his journey through his father's native Wales, and by the time he arrived in the Midlands, he had amassed an army of an estimated 5,000 men. The King, by contrast, could command nearly 8,000. The decisive factor in the battle was to be the conduct of the Stanley brothers — Sir William Stanley and Thomas Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley, the latter being Henry's stepfather. Richard had good cause to distrust them, but was dependent on their continued loyalty. Pembrokeshire (Welsh: ) is a county in the southwest of Wales in the United Kingdom. ... is the 219th day of the year (220th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Mercenary (disambiguation). ... Jasper Tudor, 1st Duke of Bedford (ca 1431- December 21/26, 1495) was the uncle of King Henry VII of England and the architect of his successful conquest of England and Wales in 1485. ... John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford (1443 – 10 March 1513) was one of the principal Lancastrian commanders during the English Wars of the Roses. ... This article is about a military rank. ... This article is about the country. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Sir William Stanley ( ? - 1495) William Stanley was the younger brother of Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby Stanley fought with his troups in several battles of the Wars of the Roses. ... Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby, KG (1435 - July 29, 1504), an English nobleman, inherited his fathers titles, including that of king of the Isle of Man, in 1459. ...

The supposed battlefield site, now open to the public with a visitor centre, is close to Sutton Cheney and Market Bosworth in Leicestershire. Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, with Lord Stanley and Sir William Stanley and their troops, watched the beginning of the engagement as the rest of Richard's army fought Henry's French mercenaries and loyal exiles. The Stanleys seem to have taken up a position some distance away from the two main armies. Sutton Cheney is a village in Leicestershire, England, close to the location of the Battle of Bosworth Field. ... , Market Bosworth is a small town in West Leicestershire, England and the 1988 winner of Britain in Bloom. ... Leicestershire ( IPA: (RP), IPA: (locally)), abbreviation Leics. ... Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, (c. ...

The two notorious vacillators in 1469 – 71 were the young John Talbot, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury, and the older more experienced Lord Stanley. They acted with a circumspection that bordered on deceitfulness, consistently holding back from final commitment to either side, and always keeping on good terms with the winners. Richard had taken hostages to ensure that, even if Talbot and Stanley did not join him, they would at least remain neutral during the battle. John Talbot, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury and Waterford KG (December 12, 1448 – June 28, 1473), was an English nobleman. ...

The battle

The battle lasted about two hours, and began well for the king. Unfortunately for him, Sir William Stanley chose to enter the fray on Henry's side, with Lord Stanley abstaining from the conflict. Sir William Stanley ( ? - 1495) William Stanley was the younger brother of Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby Stanley fought with his troups in several battles of the Wars of the Roses. ... Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby, KG (1435 - July 29, 1504), an English nobleman, inherited his fathers titles, including that of king of the Isle of Man, in 1459. ...

Richard reached Ambion Hill first and his troops were well-rested going into the battle, while Henry's men had trouble lining up on the rough ground below; it is unclear why. Richard might then have charged, slaughtering the disorganised Lancastrians, but he missed his chance. When Henry finally was ready, his men used cannon and arrows to force Richard to come down from his hilltop. When Richard did, he called for the Earl of Northumberland, who commanded the right wing of his army, to join in with fresh forces. But Percy refused, holding his forces back from action. There is some evidence that the difficult, wooded ground and narrow frontage of the Yorkist position prevented Northumberland from bringing his force up quickly, but it is far more likely that the Earl's dilatoriness was a calculated move. Although he was captured on the day, he was soon released and confirmed in all his titles and lands by the new King Henry VII, only to be murdered in a minor riot four years later. But it was the decision of the Stanleys, waiting nearby, that tipped the battle's outcome in favour of Henry. Ambion Hill is the hill in Leicestershire near to the village of Market Bosworth where, traditionally, the Battle of Bosworth Field was fought. ... For other uses, see Cannon (disambiguation). ... An arrow is a pointed projectile that is shot with a bow. ... Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, (c. ...

Richard's commander, John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk, was slain, and the waiting armies of Lords Stanley and Northumberland still did not commit to any side. Richard was probably certain of treachery and his close staff counselled withdrawal. It was at this moment that Henry Tudor, also uncertain of the outcome, left the main body of his army and moved towards Lord Stanley, possibly to appeal to him in person. Upon seeing this, Richard attempted a charge against Henry's group. In the attack, Richard and his household hacked down Henry's small bodyguard of knights and even killed Henry's standard bearer, William Brandon, but at the moment Richard was within sight of Henry, Sir William Stanley's army chose to come to Tudor's rescue. They threw themselves into the fray surrounding Richard and the men of his Household, overwhelming them. In the fighting, Richard's own standard bearer, Sir Percival Thirwall, had both of his legs hewn away, possibly by a poleaxe or a hand-and-a-half sword. He did not let the banner fall, but instead held onto it until he was killed by one of the many retainers under Sir William Stanley joining the battle. John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk. ... Battle of Wołodarka Polish infantry charging enemy positions during the Polish Defensive War A charge is a maneuver in battle in which soldiers advance towards their enemy at their best speed to engage in close combat. ... Sir William Brandon (1426 – August 22, 1485) was a son of a senior Sir William Brandon of Wangford, Suffolk (d. ...

Richard himself was rumoured to have been killed by the poleaxe of a Welshman, and even sources of a hostile slant (notably Polydore Virgil) agree that he died fighting bravely. Richard III (Duke of Gloucester) was the last king of England to die in battle. Richard III was the only English king with a strongly northern association and powerbase, and the last of the Plantagenet kings. His body was taken ignominiously by the victors to Leicester, where it was paraded, battered and naked, through the streets, and was accidentally crushed against the parapet of a bridge over the River Soar. Richard's remains were eventually buried in the church which later became the city's cathedral, although legend has it that they were exhumed and thrown in the Soar. His probable resting place is thought to be under a car park near the former site of the church of Greyfriars. Polydore Vergil or Virgil (c. ... Angevin is the name applied to two distinct medieval dynasties which originated as counts (from 1360, dukes) of the western French province of Anjou (of which angevin is the adjectival form), but later came to rule far greater areas including England, Hungary and Poland (see Angevin Empire). ... Leicester city centre, looking towards the Clock Tower Leicester (pronounced ) is the largest city and unitary authority in the English East Midlands. ... The river in Leicester The River Soar is a tributary of the River Trent in the English East Midlands. ... Leicester Cathedral, or St Martins Church is an Anglican cathedral in the English city of Leicester, and the seat of the Bishop of Leicester. ...

The battle proved to be decisive in ending the long-running civil wars later to be known as the Wars of the Roses, although the last battle was fought at Stoke two years later, 1487. Lancaster York For other uses, see Wars of the Roses (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Consequences

Henry Tudor was crowned as King Henry VII, marking the beginning of the 118-year reign of the Tudor dynasty in England. He immediately sought to backdate his administration to a date prior to the battle of Bosworth Field in order to attaint for treason men who had fought for the former King Richard III. Henry VII (January 28, 1457 – April 21, 1509), King of England, Lord of Ireland (August 22, 1485 – April 21, 1509), born Henry Tudor was the first monarch of the Tudor dynasty. ... For other uses, see Tudor (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Treason (disambiguation) or Traitor (disambiguation). ...

Henry Tudor was in fact outlawed and barred from his own inheritance, and was under Attainder when he seized the English Throne in 1485. His coronation conveniently nullified the attainder. Following this, Parliament made the declaration that any who had opposed King Henry at Bosworth were to be considered traitors. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A asses is a ceremony marking the investment of a monarch with regal power through, amongst other symbolic acts, the placement of a crown upon his or her head. ... Type Bicameral Houses House of Commons House of Lords Speaker of the House of Commons Michael Martin MP Lord Speaker Hélène Hayman, PC Members 1377 (646 Commons, 731 Peers) Political groups Labour Party Conservative Party Liberal Democrats Scottish National Party Plaid Cymru Democratic Unionist Party Sinn Féin...

Josephine Tey's novel The Daughter of Time flatly contradicts this: she states (with evidence) that Parliament forcefully refused to declare those who opposed Henry at Bosworth to be traitors — one of the grounds being that such would set a dangerous precedent for future conflicts as troops and nobles on the ground would be demoralised at the thought they'd be considered traitors even where it was shown their cause was legally sound. Josephine Tey was a pseudonym of Elizabeth Mackintosh (1896-February 13, 1952), a Scottish author best known for her mystery novels. ... This image is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

Location

The actual site of the battle has been the topic of often contentious debate among professional and amateur historians. For several years after the event the battle was called the Battle of Redemore and it was some time before the more famous name was used. This has led to the theory that the battle was not fought on Ambion Hill but on a reedy moor in the same area. People have long been researching to try to discover the actual site of this battle, work which has continued in the first decade of the 21st century.

A compelling case is made for situating the battle closer to the villages of Dadlington and Stoke Golding^[1], although most are agreed that Richard's encampment the night before the battle was indeed on Ambion Hill. Another school of thought is that the battle actually took place at Merevale, just above Atherstone in Warwickshire; certainly reparations were made by the king to Atherstone after the battle. Map sources for Dadlington at grid ref. ... Stoke Golding is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England, about three miles north-west of Hinckley. ... Ambion Hill is the hill in Leicestershire near to the village of Market Bosworth where, traditionally, the Battle of Bosworth Field was fought. ... Merevale is a hamlet and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of the county of Warwickshire in England. ... , Atherstone is a town in Warwickshire, England. ... A detailed map Stratford-upon-Avon Kenilworth Castle Warwickshire (pronounced // or //) is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in central England. ... War reparations refer to the monetary compensation provided to a triumphant nation or coalition from a defeated nation or coalition. ...

Popular culture

The battle is a key setting in William Shakespeare's Richard III, and much of the mythology surrounding it seems to derive from inventions of Shakespeare for dramatic license, which were otherwise unrecorded in the century before the play Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Frontispage of the First Quarto Richard The Third. ... Artistic licence or license (US), also known as dramatic license/licence, is a colloquial term used to denote the liberties an artist may take in the name of art — for example, if an artist decided it was more artistically correct to portray St. ...

The battle is also the setting for the first episode of the first series of Blackadder, in which Richard III is victorious in the battle but is accidentally killed by his great-nephew Prince Edmund, played by Rowan Atkinson, when the king attempts to borrow his horse, saying in realisation, "Oh my God, it's Uncle Richard." For other uses, see Blackadder (disambiguation). ... Prince Edmund, The Black Adder Spoiler warning: Prince Edmund Plantagenet of York (August/ September, 1461 - December, 1498) (Later King Edmund of England - for about 30 seconds) was a fictional character in the first series of the popular BBC sitcom The Black Adder. ... Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English comedian, actor and writer, famous for his title roles in the British television comedies Blackadder and Mr. ...

Science fiction author Andre Norton examined the counterfactual question, 'What if Richard III had won the Battle of Bosworth?' In her Crossroads of Time (1962), Richard is able to get to Richmond and kill him in combat, therefore winning the field. Once secure on his throne, he further develops skills of government that are the subject of perennial debate between Ricardian and Tudor dynasty advocates in late 15th Century English history. Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Andre Alice Norton (February 17, 1912 – March 17, 2005), science fiction and fantasy author (with some works of historical fiction and contemporary fiction), was born Alice Mary Norton in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. ... A counterfactual conditional (sometimes called a subjunctive conditional) is a logical conditional statement whose antecedent is (ordinarily) taken to be contrary to fact by those who utter it. ... Richard III may refer to: King Richard III of England Richard III, a play by William Shakespeare about the king Richard III may also refer to motion pictures based on the Shakespeare play: Richard III, 1995 (UK/USA), starring Ian McKellen Richard III, 1986 (Soviet Union) Richard III, 1980 (France... Ricardian may refer to: a follower of the economist David Ricardo (1772-1823) a supporter of the thesis that Richard III of England was a good king This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Tudor usually relates to the Tudor period in English history, which refers to the period of time between 1485 and 1558/1603 when the Tudor dynasty held the English throne. ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ...

Depictions in film

• Richard III
• Blackadder 1: "The Foretelling"

Richard III is a 1955 British film adaptation of William Shakespeares historical play Richard III, including elements of Henry VI, part 3. ... For other uses, see Blackadder (disambiguation). ...

Further reading

• Bosworth 1485, Last Charge of the Plantagenets; Christopher Gravett, Osprey Campaign Series #66, Osprey Publishing, 1999
• Bosworth 1485, Michael K. Jones, Tempus Publishing, 2002. [1]

Christopher Gravett is a British historian specialising in the military history of the Middle Ages, with an interest in the arms and armour of the period. ...

External links

• Bosworth Battlefield visitor info
• Richard III Society, American Branch with maps, photos, articles presenting several competing theories situating the battle
• The Battle of Bosworth
• Bosworth Roll Call Officers there on the day.