Discover more about Britain’s final medieval battle

The 22^nd August 1485 spelled not only the end of the Battle of Bosworth but also the reign of King Richard III one of Britain’s most hated kings. As the anniversary of the battle takes place this month, it’s the perfect time to find out more about the end of the War of the Roses.

King Richard III became king in June 1483 after he had parliament declare that the king, his nephew Edward V, was actually illegitimate. Richard had already imprisoned his nephews, the child king Edward V and his younger brother, the Duke of York, in the Tower of London, neither were ever seen again, allowing Richard to ascend the throne as the next in line. His reign was not an easy one, his brother’s supporters continued to question what happened to the two princes and there was of course the continuing issue of the threat of the Lancastrians. By the time Richard came to the throne, the Yorks were firmly seen as the royal family, however, their Lancastrian cousins were still vying for power and the remaining Lancastrian heir, Henry Tudor, wouldn’t waste any time returning to England to challenge Richard. The pair would meet at Bosworth and here is everything you need to know about the battle that ushered in the Tudor era.

1 – It might be known as the Battle of Bosworth but it wasn’t actually fought on Bosworth Field.

The battle actually took place three miles away from Market Bosworth, with many historians believing that it actually took place at a site known as Ambion Hill, which when excavated revealed over 22 medieval cannonballs.

2 – The odds were in Richard’s favour

We all know the outcome of the battle, Richard III becomes the last English king to die in battle and Henry Tudor goes on to become Henry VII, but actually, Richard was known for his military leadership skills. After his father died when he was still a young man, he was sent to live with the Earl of Warwick where he was trained as a knight and would go on to lead military campaigns in Scotland and participate in several of the big battles in the War of the Roses. In contrast, Henry Tudor was relatively inexperienced, Bosworth is thought to have been his first battle, so really, Richard should have won. Henry did not receive knightly training, he spent much of his life in exile in France under the care of his uncle Jasper Tudor after having to flee Wales as the remaining Lancastrian heir.
If that wasn’t enough to think that Richard had the upper hand, Henry landed in England with just 2000 men, he managed to double his numbers on his march to Bosworth but the Royal army outnumbered him by several thousand men.

3 – Henry won because of his mother

Ok, so Henry’s mother, Margaret Beaufort wasn’t actually on the battlefield, but he can thank her for his victory. It was his step father, Sir William Stanley’s army which influenced the final outcome of the battle.

For most of the fighting, Sir William and his brother, Sir Thomas, remained neutral. Richard III had imprisoned Sir Thomas’ son in the hope that he would fight on his side, however after Richard led a direct charge on Henry, the Stanely brothers and their private army attacked Richard from behind and changed the whole outcome of the battle.

4 – Shakespeare made up Richard’s most famous line

According to Shakespeare’s version of events, King Richard III offered his kingdom for a horse, however, he didn’t actually try to flee the battlefield on horseback or not. Records from the time say that Richard wore a crown on his helmet to identify himself as the king and while many tried to get him to stay back or even leave the field, he refused, resolved to have a personal win or to die trying.

5 – The Battle of Bosworth saw the beginning of the Tudor era

Bosworth is widely believed to be the final battle of the medieval period, with historians agreeing that the medieval era ended with the battle and Henry’s reign as Henry VII began the early modern period of history. It is also considered to be the end of the War of the Roses, as after winning the crown, Henry VII married Elizabeth of York, the daughter of Edward VI and Richard III’s niece, uniting the two families.

6 – Richard was the final English king to die in battle

This is true, though there were still battles led by English kings, however, no other kings would be killed on the battle field. The final king to actually fight in a battle was George II in 1743.

7 – Henry was crowned on the field

This is somewhat debated, but many contemporaries claim that Henry was crowned on the battlefield with Richard’s crown which had fallen from his helmet when he was mortally wounded. Henry would officially become King Henry VII some months later in October.

8 – Winning didn’t give Henry an easy reign

Though he was the last Lancastrian heir, Henry’s link to the crown was a somewhat tenuous one. His mother was a direct descendant of John of Gaunt, the father of Henry IV and his father was the half-brother of Henry VI, however, there were others who had a much more direct claim to the throne. Throughout Henry’s reign there were several Yorkist uprisings and claims that the princes in the tower had escaped and were returning to claim their thrones. Henry would show mercy to Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck who both claimed to be the Yorkist heir. Perkin was later executed in November 1499.

Find out more about Richard III here and Henry VII here.