Battle of Stoke Field
Part of the Wars of the Roses
Date June 16, 1487 Location East Stoke, Nottinghamshire, England Result Decisive Lancastrian victory
Combatants
House of York	House of Lancaster
Commanders
John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln†	Henry VII of England
Strength
8,000	12,000
Casualties
4,000	3,000

The Battle of Stoke Field, which took place on 16 June 1487, marked the last dying breath of the Wars of the Roses. Lancaster York For other uses, see Wars of the Roses (disambiguation). ... June 16 is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Richard Fox becomes Bishop of Exeter. ... East Stoke is a village in Dorset, England, situated in the Purbecks three miles east of Wareham. ... Nottinghamshire (abbreviated Notts) is an English county in the East Midlands, which borders South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the  United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... Image File history File links Yorkshire_rose. ... 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. ... The House of Lancaster is a dynasty of English kings. ... John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln (1462/1464 - 1487) was the eldest son of John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk and Elizabeth of York. ... Henry VII (January 28, 1457 – April 21, 1509), King of England, Lord of Ireland (August 22, 1485 – April 21, 1509), was the founder and first patriarch of the Tudor dynasty. ... 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... The Battle of Ludford Bridge was the worst disaster suffered by the Yorkists during the early years of the Wars of the Roses. ... 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. ... The Battle of Mortimers Cross was fought on February 2, 1461 near Wigmore, Herefordshire (between Hereford and Leominster, by the River Lugg). ... The Second Battle of St Albans was a battle of the English Wars of the Roses fought February 22, 1461 near the town of St Albans. ... 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 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. ... Combatants King Richard III of England, Yorkist Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, Lancastrian Commanders Richard III of England† Nominally, Richmond in practice, the Earl of Oxford Strength 6,000 (king had 15,500 but Lord Stanley with 4,000 and his brother, Sir William Stanley with 2,500 betrayed; Henry... June 16 is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Richard Fox becomes Bishop of Exeter. ... Lancaster York For other uses, see Wars of the Roses (disambiguation). ...

The pretender

Henry VII of England now held the throne for the House of Lancaster, and had gained the acceptance of the Yorkist faction by his marriage to their heiress, Elizabeth of York, but his hold on power was not entirely secure. Henry VII (January 28, 1457 – April 21, 1509), King of England, Lord of Ireland (August 22, 1485 – April 21, 1509), was the founder and first patriarch of the Tudor dynasty. ... The House of Lancaster is a dynasty of English kings. ... The House of York was a dynasty of English kings. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The best surviving male claimant of the York dynasty was the queen's first cousin, Edward, Earl of Warwick (son of George, Duke of Clarence). This boy was kept confined in the Tower of London. Edward (Plantagenet), Earl of Warwick, (February 25, 1475-November 28, 1499) was the son of George, Duke of Clarence, and a potential claimant to the throne during the reigns of both King Richard III of England (1483 - 1485) and his successor, Henry VII of England (1485 - 1509). ... George (Plantagenet), Duke of Clarence (October 21, 1449 - February 18, 1478) was the third son of Richard, Duke of York and Cecily Neville, and the brother of King Edward IV of England. ... Her Majestys Royal Palace and Fortress The Tower of London, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically simply as The Tower), is a historic monument in central London, England on the north bank of the River Thames. ...

An impostor named Lambert Simnel came to the attention of John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln. Lincoln, although apparently reconciled with the Tudor king, himself had a claim on the throne; moreover, the last Plantagenet, Richard III of England, had named him as the royal heir. Although he probably had no doubt about Simnel's true identity, Lincoln saw an opportunity for revenge and reparation. Lambert Simnel (circa 1477 – circa 1534) was a child pretender to the throne of England. ... John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln (1462/1464 - 1487) was the eldest son of John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk and Elizabeth of York. ... The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor (Welsh: ) was a series of six monarchs of a Welsh origin who ruled England and Ireland from 1485 until 1603. ... 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). ... Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 1483 until his death. ...

Lincoln fled the English Court on 19 June 1486 and went to the Court of Mechelen (Malines) and his Aunt, Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy. Margaret provided financial and military support in the form of 1500 crack German and Swiss mercenaries, under the veteran German commander, Colonel Martin Schwartz. Lincoln was joined by a number of rebel English Lords at Mechelen, in particular Richard III's loyal supporter, Lord Lovell, Sir Richard Harleston, the former Governor of Jersey and Thomas David, a Captain of the English garrison at Calais. is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Tízoc, Aztec ruler of Tenochtitlan dies. ... Mechelen: Grote Markt square, with St. ... Margaret of York (May 3, 1446 - November 23, 1503) was the sister of Edward IV of England and wife of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. ... Martin Schwartz (died June 16, 1487) was a German mercenary who died at the Battle of Stoke Field while fighting for Lambert Simnel, a Yorkist pretender to the English throne. ... Francis Lovell, Viscount Lovell (1454 - 1487(?)), a supporter of Richard III and son of John, 8th Baron Lovell, probably knew Richard from a young age and was to be a life-long friend and supporter of the future king. ... Calais (Kales in Dutch) is a town in northern France, located at 50°57N 1°52E. It is in the département of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sous-préfecture. ...

The Yorkist rebellion

The Yorkist fleet set sail and arrived in Dublin on 4 May 1487. With the help of Sir Thomas Fitzgerald, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, Lincoln recruited 4,500 Irish mercenaries, mostly Kern: lightly armoured but highly mobile infantry. WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Statistics Province: Leinster County: Dáil Éireann: Dublin Central, Dublin North Central, Dublin North East, Dublin North West, Dublin South Central, Dublin South East European Parliament: Dublin Dialling Code: 01, +353 1 Postal District(s): D1-24, D6W Area: 114. ... May 4 is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Richard Fox becomes Bishop of Exeter. ... A Kern was a Gaelic soldier, specifically a light infantryman during the Middle Ages. ...

With the support of the Irish nobility and clergy, Lincoln had the pretender Lambert Simnel crowned "King Edward VI" in Dublin on the 24 May 1487. Although a Parliament was called for the new "King", Lincoln had no intention of remaining in Dublin and instead packed up the army and Simnel and set sail for north Lancashire. Lambert Simnel (circa 1477 – circa 1534) was a child pretender to the throne of England. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Statistics Province: Leinster County: Dáil Éireann: Dublin Central, Dublin North Central, Dublin North East, Dublin North West, Dublin South Central, Dublin South East European Parliament: Dublin Dialling Code: 01, +353 1 Postal District(s): D1-24, D6W Area: 114. ... May 24 is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Richard Fox becomes Bishop of Exeter. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Statistics Province: Leinster County: Dáil Éireann: Dublin Central, Dublin North Central, Dublin North East, Dublin North West, Dublin South Central, Dublin South East European Parliament: Dublin Dialling Code: 01, +353 1 Postal District(s): D1-24, D6W Area: 114. ... Lancashire is a county in North West England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ...

On landing on the 4 June 1487, Lincoln was joined by a number of the local gentry lead by Sir Thomas Boughton. In a series of forced marches, the Yorkist army, now numbering some 8,000 men, covered over 200 miles in 5 days. On the night of 10 June, at Bramham Moor, outside Tadcaster, Lovell led 2,000 men on a night attack against 400 Lancastrians, lead by Lord Clifford. The result was an overwhelming Yorkist victory. June 4 is the 155th day of the year (156th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Richard Fox becomes Bishop of Exeter. ... June 10 is the 161st day of the year (162nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Map sources for Tadcaster at grid reference SE4843 Tadcaster is a town in North Yorkshire, England, lying on the River Wharfe and the Great North Road. ...

Lincoln then outmanoeuvered King Henry's northern army, under the command of Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland by ordering a force under John, Lord Scrope to mount a diversionary attack on Bootham Bar, York, England on 12 June. Lord Scrope withdrew northwards, taking Northumberland's army with him. Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, (c. ... This article is about the English city. ... June 12 is the 163rd day of the year (164th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Lincoln and the main army continued southwards. Outside Doncaster, Lincoln encountered Lancastrian cavalry under Lord Scales. There followed 3 days of skimishing through Sherwood Forest. Lincoln forced Scales back to Nottingham. However, the fighting had slowed down the Yorkist advance sufficiently to allow King Henry to receive substantial reinforcements, under the command of Lord Strange on arriving at Nottingham on 14 June. Doncaster is a town in the English county of South Yorkshire, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster in South Yorkshire. ... visitor centre Birch trees in the Sherwood Forest The legendary Major Oak Major Oak in December 2006 View of the Forest looking Northeast Sherwood Forest is a 4. ... This article is about the English city. ... This article is about the English city. ... June 14 is the 165th day of the year (166th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

On the 15th June, King Henry began moving north east toward Newark after receiving news that Lincoln had crossed the Trent. Around 9 in the morning of the 16 June, King Henry's forward troops encountered the Yorkist army ensembled in a single block, on a brow of a hill, surrounded on 3 sides by the Trent at the village of East Stoke. Newark (also Newark-on-Trent) is a town in Nottinghamshire, located on the River Trent. ... For other uses see Trent River. ... June 16 is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses see Trent River. ... East Stoke is a small village in Nottinghamshire nestled between the A46 Fosse Way trunk road and the River Trent. ...

In an unusual military manoeuvre, the Yorkists surrendered the high ground by immediately going on to the attack. The battle was bitterly contested for over 3 hours, but eventually, the lack of body armour on the Irish troops meant that they were cut down in increasing numbers.

Unable to retreat, the German and Swiss mercenaries fought it out. All of the Yorkist commanders: Lincoln, Fitzgerald, Boughton and Schwartz fell fighting. Only Lovell escaped and died hidden in a secret room at his house, Minster Lovell. Simnel was captured, but was pardoned by the king in a gesture of clemency which did his reputation no harm. Minster Lovell is an English village in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds, by the river Windrush. ...