Battle of Tewkesbury Part of Wars of the Roses The battle of Tewkesbury in a Ghent manuscript Date May 4, 1471 Location Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, England Result Decisive Yorkist victory 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

Wars of the Roses 1st St Albans – Blore Heath – Ludford Bridge – Northampton – Wakefield – Mortimer's Cross – 2nd St Albans – Ferrybridge – Towton – Hedgeley Moor – Hexham – Edgecote Moor – Lose-coat Field – Barnet – Tewkesbury – Bosworth Field – Stoke Field

The Battle of Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, which took place on May 4, 1471, completed one phase of the Wars of the Roses. battle of tewkesbury, 4 may 1471, ghent manuscript This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Geography Country Belgium Community Flemish Community Region Flemish Region Province East Flanders Arrondissement Ghent Coordinates , , Area 156. ... is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year 1471, not the BT caller ID service accessible by dialling 1-4-7-1. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Gloucestershire (pronounced ; GLOSS-ter-sher) is a county in South West England. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem specific to England — the anthem of the United Kingdom is God Save the Queen. See also Proposed English National Anthems. ... made by me in Inkscape. ... 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. ... Edward IV (April 28, 1442 – April 9, 1483) was King of England from March 4, 1461 to April 9, 1483, with a break of a few months in the period 1470–1471. ... Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset (1438? - May 4, 1471) was an English nobleman and military commander during the Wars of the Roses. ... Margaret of Anjou (Marguerite dAnjou, March 23, 1429 – August 25, 1482) was the Queen consort of Henry VI of England from 1445 to 1471, and led the Lancastrian contingent, in the Wars of the Roses. ... Edward of Westminster (October 13, 1453 – May 4, 1471) was the only Prince of Wales ever to die in battle. ... 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... 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 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... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Gloucestershire (pronounced ; GLOSS-ter-sher) is a county in South West England. ... is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year 1471, not the BT caller ID service accessible by dialling 1-4-7-1. ... Lancaster York For other uses, see Wars of the Roses (disambiguation). ...

It put a temporary end to Lancastrian hopes of regaining the throne of England. There would be fourteen years of peace before another political coup in the form of Henry Tudor finally settling the dispute between the two dynasties. The House of Lancaster is a dynasty of English kings. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem specific to England — the anthem of the United Kingdom is God Save the Queen. See also Proposed English National Anthems. ... Henry VII (January 28, 1457 – April 21, 1509), King of England, Lord of Ireland (August 22, 1485 – April 21, 1509), was the first monarch of the Tudor dynasty. ...

Background

At the time of Tewkesbury, the mentally unstable Lancastrian king, Henry VI of England, had just been deposed for a second time by his rival, the Yorkist Edward IV of England, who throughout his career was never defeated in battle. This change in circumstances had come about because of the interference of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, "the Kingmaker", who had at first supported Edward, then Henry. Warwick was now dead (killed at the Battle of Barnet three weeks earlier) and the remaining Lancastrian forces were led by Henry's queen, Margaret of Anjou, and her seventeen-year-old son, Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales. Had Margaret, landing in England to the shocking news of Warwick's final defeat, been able to join forces with her ally, Jasper Tudor, (uncle of Henry Tudor), she might have stood a chance against the Yorkist forces of King Edward. Her only hope was to cross the River Severn at Gloucester, and this she failed to do when access to the crossing was denied by the Yorkist governor of the town and castle at Gloucester, Sir Richard Beauchamp. Henry VI (December 6, 1421 – May 21, 1471) was King of England from 1422 to 1461 (though with a Regent until 1437) and then from 1470 to 1471, and King of France from 1422 to 1453. ... The House of York was a dynasty of English kings. ... Edward IV (April 28, 1442 – April 9, 1483) was King of England from March 4, 1461 to April 9, 1483, with a break of a few months in the period 1470–1471. ... Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (1428—April 14, 1471), was also known as Warwick the Kingmaker. ... 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. ... Margaret of Anjou (Marguerite dAnjou, March 23, 1429 – August 25, 1482) was the Queen consort of Henry VI of England from 1445 to 1471, and led the Lancastrian contingent, in the Wars of the Roses. ... Edward of Westminster (October 13, 1453 – May 4, 1471) was the only Prince of Wales ever to die in battle. ... This article is about the title Prince of Wales. ... 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. ... “Severn” redirects here. ... Gloucester (pronounced ) is a city and district in the English county of Gloucestershire, close to the Welsh border. ...

The end of the Lancastrian royal family

Margaret relied heavily on the Duke of Somerset, her remaining experienced commander, but his skills were no match for those of the king. The Yorkists were superior in artillery, and Somerset, deploying on ground cut up by hedges and woods, misjudged his battle position just enough to allow the king's young brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later King Richard III of England), to attack his flank. In a further display of tactical cunning, Edward had positioned a group of approximately 200 mounted spearmen to ambush the Lancastrian rear. Panic set in amongst the retreating Lancastrians, and Somerset is alleged to have killed one of his own commanders, Lord Wenlock, as punishment for his fatal lack of initiative or possible treachery. There are some who contend that there is evidence Wenlock survived the day and was allowed to escape by the Yorkists (until Warwick's recent rebellion, Wenlock had been a Yorkist captain of long standing). In a field known as the "Bloody Meadow", perhaps as many as half of Somerset's forces were slaughtered. Some fled to the nearby Tewkesbury Abbey, where their enemies are said to have pursued them. One of the casualties was Edward, Prince of Wales, though whether he died fighting or was executed after the battle is uncertain. He remains the only Prince of Wales to have died in battle. All the Lancastrian commanders, including Somerset, were summarily executed shortly afterwards, leaving Queen Margaret and her daughter-in-law, Anne Neville, captured and imprisoned. King Richard III, already imprisoned in the Tower of London, was murdered there a few days later. Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset (1438? - May 4, 1471) was an English nobleman and military commander during the Wars of the Roses. ... Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 1483 until his death. ... Sir John Wenlock, as portrayed in stained glass window in the Wenlock chapel at St. ... The Abbey of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, one of the finest Norman buildings in England, is the second largest parish church in England, having become so at the Dissolution of the Monasteries. ... Anne Neville (June 11, 1456–March 16, 1485) was Queen consort of King Richard III of England 1483-1485. ... 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. ...

Re-enactment

Every year the battle is re-enacted in the second week of July at the Tewkesbury Medieval Festival. The event is now in its 22nd year, and is the largest event of its kind in Europe, attracting enthusiasts from all over the world.

References

• A contemporary account