Battle of Bosworth Field (Aug. 22, 1485) [Wars of the Roses] Search THE BATTLE OF BOSWORTH FIELD (Aug. 22, 1485), was fought between Richard III and Henry, Earl of Richmond, afterwards Henry VII . On August [7], Henry landed at Milford Haven and passed on without opposition to Shrewsbury, being joined by a large number of Welshmen. He then marched on to Tamworth, where he arrived on the 18th. On the 20th he was at Atherstone, where he was met by Lord Stanley and by Sir William Stanley , who both promised to desert Richard during the battle. Meanwhile Richard, having mustered his forces at Nottingham, marched to Leicester and encamped at Bosworth on the 21st. On the next morning the two armies met between Bosworth and Atherstone at a place known as Whitemoors, near the village of Sutton Cheneys. The battle was mainly a hand-to-hand encounter, the Stanleys for some time keeping aloof from the fight till, at a critical moment, they joined Richmond.

Richard, perceiving that he was betrayed, and crying out, "Treason, treason!" endeavoured only to sell his life as dearly as possible, and refused to leave the field till, overpowered by numbers, he fell dead in the midst of his enemies. The crown was picked up on the field of battle and placed by Sir William Stanley on the head of Richmond, who was at once saluted king by the whole army. Among those that perished on Richard's side were the Duke of Norfolk , Lord Ferrers, Sir Richard Ratcliffe , and Sir Robert Brackenbury, while the only person of note in Henry's army who was slain was his standard-bearer, Sir William Brandon, who is said to have been killed by Richard himself. The Dictionary of English History. Sidney J. Low and F. S. Pulling, eds. London: Cassell and Company, Ltd., 1910. 198. THE BATTLE OF BOSWORTH By C.

Oman At last on August 1 Henry of Richmond set sail from Harfleur; the Regent Anne of France had lent him 60,000 francs, and collected for him 1,800 mercenaries and a small fleet. The adventurer was accompanied by his uncle, Jasper Tudor , the Earl of Oxford , Sir Edward Woodville, Sir John Welles, heir of the attainted barony of Welles, Sir Edward Courtenay, who claimed the earldom of Devon, his kinsman the Bishop of Exeter [Peter Courtenay], Morton, Bishop of Ely , and some scores of exiled knights and squires, among whom Yorkists were almost as numerous as Lancastrians. The French auxiliaries were under a Savoyard captain named Philibert de Chaundé. The Marquis of Dorset and Sir John Bourchier had been left at Paris in pledge for the loan made by the French government. Richmond did not desire to have the marquis with him, for he had been detected in correspondence with his mother the queen-dowager , who urged him to abandon conspiracy and submit to King Richard .

Stealing down the Breton coast, so as to avoid the English fleet, Richmond turned northward when he had passed the longitude of Lands End, and came ashore in Milford Haven on August 7. He had selected this remote region as his landing point both because he knew that he was expected to strike at the English south coast, and because he had assurance of help from many old retainers of his uncle the Earl of Pembroke . He was himself a Welshman and could make a good appeal to the local patriotism of his countrymen. On landing he raised not only the royal banner of England but the ancient standard of Cadwallader, a red dragon upon a field of white and green, the beast which was afterwards used as the device of the house of Tudor, and the sinister supporter of their coat-of-arms. For a few days Henry received but trifling reinforcements, but he struck into the Cardiganshire mountains, a district where, if his adherents were slow to join him, he might hope to maintain an irregular warfare in the style of Owen Glendower .

After a short delay the Welsh gentry began to come in to his aid; the wealthiest and most warlike chief Rhys ap Thomas consented to put himself at their head, after he had been promised the justiciarship of South Wales. Sir Walter Herbert had charge of the district in King Richard's name, but the levies that he called out melted away to the invader's camp, and he himself was suspected of half-heartedness. Richmond met no resistance as he conducted his ever-growing host across Cardiganshire toward the upper Severn. By way of Newtown and Welshpool he came down on Shrewsbury, which opened its gates on August 15 after one day's parleying; this was a good omen, for hitherto the earl had received no help save from the Welsh. On the next day but one Sir Gilbert Talbot, uncle and guardian of the young Earl of Shrewsbury , joined him with 500 of the retainers of his old Lancastrian house.

From this moment onward English malcontents with small bodies of recruits kept pouring into Richmond's camp, but though he advanced boldly into the midlands, making directly towards Richard's post at Nottingham, his whole force was still small; he had not more than 5,000 men at the decisive battle that gave him the crown. His confidence was due to the fact that he had secret promises of aid from all sides; the Stanleys had let him pass Shrewsbury unmolested, and had sent him word that they would place the forces of Cheshire and Lancashire at his disposition when they had got Lord Strange [son of Thomas, Lord Stanley ] out of the king's hands. Many other magnates had already given similar assurances. Meanwhile Richard had received the news of the invader's landing somewhat later than he had expected, owing to the remoteness of Milford Haven. When he learnt that Richmond was marching straight towards him, he ordered out all the shire levies which had been so long ready, and summoned in his most trustworthy adherents in the baronage.

Norfolk , Northumberland , and some twenty more of the peers rallied to his standard at Leicester within a few days,1 but the lords of the extreme south and west were still absent when the crisis came. Lord Stanley , who had been summoned with the rest, sent a futile excuse, yet raised all Cheshire and Lancashire under his own banner and advanced as far as Lichfield. His son Strange made an attempt to escape from custody and join him, whereupon Richard put him in irons, and sent word to his father that if he turned traitor his son should be beheaded without a moment's delay. This did not prevent Sir William Stanley , who commanded a part of the Cheshire levies, from visiting Richmond's camp at Stafford, and pledging himself to join him on the battlefield; but the head of the house hung back as long as possible, to save the life of his heir. On August 20 the earl's army advanced from Tamworth to Atherstone, while the king had gathered his forces at Leicester.

On the 21st the one moved forward from Atherstone to the White Moor, a few miles south-west from Bosworth, while the other marched out from Leicester to Sutton Cheney; only two miles divided their camps, and it was obvious that a decisive engagement must take place next day. The host of the Stanleys, with Sir William leading its vaward, and Lord Stanley keeping discreetly to the rear, was near Bosworth that same evening, equidistant from the two hostile armies. Both the king and Richmond were aware of its approach, and neither was pleased, for Richard apprehended treason, and his rival had hoped to be openly joined by these cautious allies before the battle began. The king was well aware that the spirit of his troops was unsatisfactory; his confidential advisers had warned him that treachery was on foot; and unless he could bear down the enemy by his first onset, his superior numbers—he had two men to Richmond's one—were not likely to avail him much. But he trusted to his own energy and military skill, and hoped to conquer despite the lukewarmness of the majority of his followers.

Nevertheless he had dismal forebodings; his rest was broken by horrible dreams, and he showed next morning a face not only haggard, but disfigured with a death-like pallor.2 But his courage was unbroken, and he promised victory to his doubting captains in words of haughty confidence. His position was excellent; the army was drawn out in the usual three divisions on the slopes of Ambion Hill, a well-marked rising ground two miles south of Bosworth. It was partly divided from the enemy by marshy fields formed by the little river Sence. The king led the main battle, the Duke of Norfolk the vaward or right wing, the Earl of Northumberland the rear. His adversaries, on the other side of the marsh, had formed their smaller host in two divisions only; the Earl of Oxford led the vaward, while the main battle was under Richmond's own command. Contrary to what might have been expected, they took the offensive, reckoning, no doubt, on treachery in the king's ranks.

They moved off eastward, Oxford's corps leading, till they had circumvented the marshy ground, and faced the royalists with the sun at their backs and the wind also behind them—advantages of no mean importance in the archery-fight which always opened an English engagement. When they had cleared the boggy tract, and began to advance up the slopes of Ambion Hill, with their western flank still covered by the impassable marsh, the king first opened upon them with his artillery, and then charged down upon them. Norfolk 's corps came into collision with that of Oxford , while Richard attacked the earl's main body. Northumberland , on the other wing of the royal host, deliberately held back and would not get into action. Before ordering the line to advance, the king had sent orders to Lord Stanley to draw in to his banner, and, when he made no movement issued a command for the instant execution of his son Strange. But those charged with the matter wisely deferred obedience till the battle should be over, and the young man escaped with his life. When the two armies came into close contact it was at once evident that many of the king's men were not inclined to fight.

They hung back, kept up a feeble archery fire from a distance, and refused to close. Oxford , who had halted to receive the attack, bade his banner go forward again, and began to mount the slopes. On this more serious fighting began, for Norfolk with his son Surrey , and some others of the king's adherents, tried to do their duty, and fell hotly upon the earl's front. At the same moment Richard himself, having marked the position of Richmond in the hostile line, charged at the head of his bodyguard, broke into the Lancastrian main body and seemed for a moment likely to prevail. He slew with his own hand, as it is said, Sir William Brandon, Richmond's standard-bearer, and encountered the earl hand to hand for a short space. But by this moment the battle was lost, for Sir William Stanley , who had been drawing nearer ever since the fighting began, now fell upon Richard's host in flank and rear. With a cry of treason the royalist main body broke up and fled.

The Stanleys took up the pursuit, which passed away to the east with no great slaughter, for the pursuers understood that the vanquished had no heart in the struggle and had deliberately given them the victory. King Richard , however, refused to fly, though faithful friends brought him his horse, and bade him escape while they held back the enemy for a moment. The usurper replied that at least he would die King of England, and plunged back into the fight. A moment later, shouting "Treason! treason!" as he laid about him with his battle-axe, he was ringed round by many foes and hewn down; his helmet was battered through and his brains beaten out. It was the end of a brave man, and his courage touched the heart even of those who remembered his crimes.

The finest stanzas written in fifteenth century England were given to his memory by an admiring enemy, a retainer of the Stanleys, who wrote the Ballad of Lady Bessie:— Then a knight to King Richard gan say—good Sir William Harrington— He saith " all wee are like this day to the death aoone to be done; There may no man their strokes abide, the Stanleys' dints they be so stronge. Yee may come back at another tide, methinks yee tarry here too longe. Your home at your hand is ready, another day you may worshipp win And come to raigne with royaltye, and weare your crown and be our king". "Nay, give me my battle-axe in my hand, sett the crowne of England on my head so high, For by Him that made both sea and land, King of England this day I will dye.

One foot I will never flee whilst the breath is my brest within." As he said so did it be—if hee lost his life he died a king.3 The battered crown which had fallen from Richard 's helmet was found in a hawthorn bush, where it had probably been hidden by a plunderer, and set on the head of Richmond by Lord Stanley , while all the victorious army hailed the earl by his new title of Henry VII . Along with the king there fell his chief supporter, John Duke of Norfolk ; the Lord Ferrers of Chartley, Sir Richard Ratcliffe , his well-known councillor, Sir Robert Brakenbury, lieutenant of the Tower of London, Sir Robert Percy, controller of the royal household, Sir William Conyers, and about 1,000 others, as was reported, probably with some exaggeration, for the battle had not been hot nor the pursuit merciless. The victors lost not above 100 men, of whom the only personage of note was the standard-bearer Sir William Brandon. The Earl of Surrey was taken prisoner, grievously wounded, and lodged in prison.

Catesby was captured in the flight, and executed along with two yeomen of the king's chamber—a father and son named Breacher. These were the only lives taken in cold blood by Henry of Richmond. The corpse of Richard was stripped and carried to Leicester across the back of a horse in unseemly fashion, with head and arms hanging down. It was exposed to the public view for two days, and then decently buried in the church of the Greyfriars. His monument was destroyed and his bones scattered at the dissolution of the monasteries . 1.

If the Ballad of Bosworth Feilde can be trusted, there were with the king the following peers: Norfolk , Kent , Surrey , Lincoln , Northumberland , Westmorland [Ralph Neville, 3rd Earl], Zouch [John la Zouche, 7th Baron], Maltravers [Thomas Fitzalan, 7th Baron], Arundel , Grey of Codnor [Henry Grey, 7th Baron], Audley [James Touchet, 6th Baron], Berkeley [William, 1st Viscount Berkeley], Ferrers of Chartley [Walter Devereux, 7th Baron] and Ferrers of Groby [John Bourchier, 6th Baron], Fitzhugh [Richard, 6th Baron], Dacre [Thomas, 2nd Baron Dacre of Gillesland], Scrope of Bolton [John, 5th Baron], Scrope of Upsal [Ralph, 9th Baron], Lumley [George, 3rd Baron], and Greystock [Ralph de Greystoke, 5th Baron Greystoke]. Lovel seems to have been still with the fleet in the Channel. The list cannot be trusted for all the names.

2. Continuator of the Croyland Chronicle, Fulman, 1684, p. 374. 3. I have corrected some obvious verbal errors in Lady Bessie mainly from the parallel passage—nearly the same in wording—in Bosworth Feilde. See Percy Folio MS., iii., 257 and 362. Oman, C. The History of England. London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1906. 491-6. Other Local Resources: Memorials to the Battle of Bosworth, 1485: A moving tale | War Memorials Archive Blog Memorials to the Battle of Bosworth, 1485: A moving tale by Frances Casey, Project Manager Last week, a ceremony took place at the memorial sundial at the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre to commemorate those killed at the Battle of Bosworth on 22nd August 1485. This was the first anniversary to take place at the scene of the battle since the discovery of the body of King Richard III at the site of Greyfriars Church, Leicester in September 2012.

Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth as he tried to defend his reign of just over two years against a claim to the throne of England made by Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond. Battle of Bosworth Field sundial and thrones on the top of Ambion Hill (IWM WMA 64893, ©IWM 2013) Rather than lay wreaths at the sundial , participants at last Thursday’s event held a rose-laying ceremony. The roses make reference to the Wars of the Roses (1455-1487), the civil war between Richard III’s house of York (white rose) and the house of Lancaster (red rose), from which Henry Tudor descended. With the death of Richard III, the Battle of Bosworth became the deciding battle of the Wars of the Roses, yet assessment of Richard’s reign and its validity has continued to divide people to the present day. The discovery of Richard’s body will help to answer some questions about the fate of the King at the battle, but there are also questions surrounding, and revisions to, assumptions about where specific events took place leading up to and during the battle. These are reflected in the memorials on the battlefield.

Sundial with crown on gnomon and throne to Henry Tudor in the background (IWM WMA 64893, ©IWM 2013) We have recorded 18 memorials to the Wars of the Roses, eight of which commemorate Richard III himself. Of the memorials to Richard, three are sited within the battlefield area and include the sundial at which last Thursday’s anniversary ceremony took place. The sundial commemorates Richard alongside other combatants and is located at the top of Ambion Hill. Viewing point over the proposed battlefield from Ambion Hill (©IWM 2013) Until 1985 it was thought that the battle had taken place on Ambion Hill, but historians now agree that the likelihood is that Richard’s troops gathered on the hill early on in the battle and that fighting took place to the south west of the hill. The sundial marks the points of the compass and distances to other battlefields of the Wars of the Roses.

A central gnomon, the time telling device, is topped with a crown, and at ground level is an inscription which tells the story of the battle, based on that of Polydore Vergil, an Italian at the court of Henry VII. Around the outer dial are three thrones bearing the names of Richard III; Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond; and Thomas, Lord Stanley. Stanley’s throne is shorter than the other two, and it may seem like a surprising addition, but he held sovereignty of the Isle of Man as the ’King of Mann’, and his action at the battle in support of Henry is thought to be decisive. Richard III Stone of Remembrance (IWM WMA 58484, ©IWM 2013) Beside the Battlefield Heritage Centre is a stone of remembrance which is dedicated to Richard III, erected by the Richard III Society. This was located in nearby Shenton until 1974, as it was thought that Richard had been killed in the area.

A plaque added to the memorial in 2009 informs us that ‘after several years of careful study and extensive fieldwork, the true site of the battle was discovered in the area around Mill lane and the Fenn Lane Roman road…The stone has been moved here to allow better and safer public access to it and to allow the field at Shenton to be returned to agricultural use.’ Further down the hill towards the south west of Ambion Hill is ‘Richard’s Well’ . This is a pyramid of stones erected in 1813 over a natural spring. The well commemorates the site where Richard is thought to have drunk spring water either before or during the battle. However, the historian Peter Foss notes that ‘there are several springs on Ambion’ (Foss, 1998, p23), raising the question of which would be the most likely site. ‘Richard’s Well’, Ambion Wood (IWM WMA 58477, ©IWM 2013) Other memorials to Richard include a floor tablet in Leicester Cathedral and a statue in Castle Gardens, Leicester .

The latter was erected by the Richard III Society to commemorate the King who was, echoing the report of Polydore Vergil, ‘Piteously slain fighting manfully in the thickest press of his enemies. Buried in Leicester’ In his book, The Field of Redemore, The Battle of Bosworth, 1485 (Kairos Press, 1998), Peter Foss reassesses evidence for the battle and notes that sixteenth century chroniclers were inclined towards a Tudor bias (1998, p.12). Since the 1980s, the Richard III Society in particular has gone some way to redress any bias against Richard by erecting memorials to him, even though the facts regarding their locations have been revised. The memorials we have recorded so far, commemorate the Battle as a whole or Richard III’s loss. We have yet to record a memorial which celebrates Henry VII’s victory.

What does seem certain, is that ongoing investigations mean that the debate about Richard III and the Battle of Bosworth is set to continue for a little while longer… Rate this: Ubique: This Day in History - Battle of Bosworth 22nd August 1485 Thursday, 22 August 2013 This Day in History - Battle of Bosworth 22nd August 1485 It was this day in history that the Henry Tudor defeated Richard III in the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses. With the recent discovery of Richard's body at Greyfriars in Leicester, plus the screening of the BBC television series 'The White Queen', has raised considerable interest in this time period. Following on from our visit earlier this year (click here) my brother and myself decided to once again to travel the fifty odd miles and spend a couple of nights in Leicester to explore the city at our leisure and to attend the anniversary re-enactment (I usually get some funny looks/reactions whenever I tell people where I go for my holidays). On the Sunday we visited Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre for their 528th anniversary re-enactment.

Once there we had the opportunity to attend the unofficial launch of the book "Bosworth 1485 A Battlefield Rediscovered" by Dr. Foard & Prof. Anne Curry. It's a fascinating read, finally revealing the location to the site that had been lost for hundreds of years. Also the authors convincingly argue that far less combatants were involved than is normally mentioned (the authors using different methods; Curry using the financial accounts and Foard using landscape archaeology to reach their conclusions). There are lots more fascinating insights but you'll have to buy the book to find out. As the visitor centre was due to be refurbished Leicestershire County Council with Lottery funding understandably wanted to know exactly where the battle took place. The relevant experts were given three years to find the precise site of the battlefield after numerous locations had been proposed. The main purpose of the book records the results of this search. In the talk, two years and fifty one weeks into the search Foard honestly admitted that he had given up hope of ever finding the site as no real evidence had been found. In what sounds like the plot from a thriller with just one week left he authorised one final use of metal detectors to check a field on the very outer edge of the possible locations.

A small lead shot, just 30mm diameter and undoubtedly from a medieval weapon, saved the day. Given extra funding, and just as importantly time, the team went on to find over thirty pieces of various sized shot along with various other pieces of contemporary military providence. View from Ambion Hill looking toward Fenn Lanes Farm - site of the conclusion of the battle of Bosworth. One of the many reasons people had been looking in the wrong place was mainly due from the misreading of historical maps which is discussed in detail in the book. Even though the site had been noted during numerous occasions, including a skirmish during the English Civil War, the location itself was eventually lost. It turns out all previous thoughts were wrong, historians Hutton, Nichols, Jones, Wright, Burne, Williams all misplaced the site with only Foss (1998) getting near. The site is actually on the old Roman road (on the particular stretch called Fenn Lanes) between Leicester and Mancetter, located west of Dadlington and north-west Stoke Golding.

The location of a long gone marshy area that was pivotal to the battle had also proved problematic but a local farmer mentioned to the team that his tractor had previously become bogged down for three days in a certain field. Further testing confirmed this was the site of the medieval marsh. This was where the high status silver boar livery badge was discovered and probably the site where Richard III died in his attempt to charge Henry Tudor to ground. The vicinity is on private land but there are numerous public paths through the area. A visit to the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre is highly recommended to give you a good idea of the background, plus how and why it happened and where. All of this has motivated me to get underway with my own long delayed Wars of the Roses period figures (side by side with two other projects). A Dudley Council historian has given my a far clearer idea of how to proceed with painting the (unknown) livery of Lord Dudley and his retinue which should then enable me to finally publish my eight part posting for this fascinating character.

Posted by Battle of Bosworth, 22 August 1485 The battle of Bosworth Field (22 August 1485) was the final major battle of the Wars of the Roses, and saw the Lancastrian claimant to the throne, Henry Tudor, defeat and kill Richard III, the last of the Yorkist monarchs. Background At the start of 1483 the Yorkist dynasty seemed to be firmly established on the English throne. Edward IV was still fairly young. He had two healthy sons, Princes Edward and Richard. Prince Edward was only twelve, but his uncle Richard of Gloucester was a loyal supporter of the king, and would have been expected to support them if anything happened to their father. Wars of the Roses The Lancastrian cause had suffered a crushing blow in 1471. At the start of that year the former King Henry VI was still alive, and had just been put back on the throne, while his wife Margaret of Anjou and teenage son Prince Edward were in France waiting for the right moment to return. They picked wrong, and the young prince was killed at the Battle of Tewkesbury (4 May 1471) .

Henry VI was killed when Edward returned to London, and the Lancastrian claim descended to Henry Tudor, earl of Richmond. Henry Tudor's claim was valid, if a little thin. John of Gaunt, Edward III's third son, had four children with his mistress Katherine Swynford. In 1396 Gaunt had married Swynford, and in 1397 Richard II had legitimized their children, giving them the family name Beaufort. In 1407 the Beaufort's half-brother Henry IV had confirmed their legitimacy, but also barred them from the succession to the throne. Henry Tudor's mother Margaret was the only child of John Beaufort, first duke of Somerset, the son of John Beaufort, the oldest of Gaunt and Swynford's children. She was thus the great-grand daughter of John of Gaunt. Tudor was almost unknown in England. He was born in 1457, while Henry VI was still fairly secure on the throne, and grew up in Wales. His uncle Jasper Tudor was forced into exile after the Yorkist victories of 1461, and Henry was raised by William Herbert.

In 1469, when Henry was only twelve, Herbert was murdered on the orders of the earl of Warwick. In the following year Warwick briefly restored Henry VI to the throne, and Jasper Tudor was able to return and regain control of Henry, but in 1471 Edward IV regained the throne. Jasper Tudor spent most of 1471 in Wales attempting to keep the Lancastrian cause alive, but the events of 1471 had left Henry Tudor as the Lancastrian claimant to the throne and in September Jasper Tudor decided that it would be safer to seek refuge in France. The escape attempt went wrong when storms forced the Tudors to land in Brittany. Duke Francis II of Brittany was an ally of Edward's, and although he refused to hand the Tudors over to Edward he did restrict their freedom. From 1471 until the death of Edward in 1483 Henry Tudor thus lived a rather restricted life in Brittany. The Usurpation of Richard III On 9 April 1483 Edward IV died after a short illness.

He was succeeded by his young son Edward V, and as almost always happened the succession of a minor was followed by a power struggle. In this case the fight was between the new king's uncle, Richard of Gloucester, and his mother's family, the Woodvilles. On 30 April Richard seized control of the young king at Stony Stratford, before he could reach London, and over the next few weeks most of the Woodvilles were eliminated. At first Richard's actions didn't cause much alarm, at least outside the Woodville family. He had been made the king's protector in Edward IV's will, and so taking personal control of the king was hardly shocking. The Woodvilles were unpopular, so their fate didn't upset many people. If Richard had stopped at this point, then the Yorkist dynasty would probably have been safe. He could have ruled as his nephew's regent for the next ten years and Henry Tudor's claim would have faded from memory. Instead Richard decided to seize the throne and in doing so he began to gain a bloodthirsty reputation that would soon lose him many supporters. On 13 June he had one of his earliest supporters, William Hastings, Lord Hastings, executed.

On 17 June Prince Richard was forced to leave sanctuary, and joined his brother Edward in the Tower. On 22 June, the day that should have seen Edward's coronation, Dr Ralph Shaw preached a public sermon at St. Paul's in which he asked Richard to take the throne. On 26 June Henry Stafford, duke of Buckingham, another of Richard's allies, presented him with a petition making the same request, and on 6 July Richard was crowned as King Richard III. Soon after this the two Princes in the Tower disappear from sight. At the time the general assumption was that Richard had killed them, and he was never able to produce the Princes to disprove this. During the rest of his reign there were many occasions when the appearance of the two Princes would have been useful for Richard, and his failure to produce them strongly suggests that they were indeed dead. Given the history of the Yorkist family, and the events of 1471, it seems unlikely that Richard would have allowed two potential rivals for the throne to stay alive for two years. The nature of Richard's usurpation, combined with the disappearance of the two princes, quickly began to undermine his position.

The first attempt to overthrow him came as early as October 1483, and involved another of his early allies, the duke of Buckingham. This revolt revealed the big weakness in Richard's position. By usurping the throne he had splintered the Yorkist establishment. He had the support of much of the old Neville affinity in the north, but he was losing the support of the old York affinity. Amongst the rebels were supporters of the Woodvilles, and members of Edward IV's household, including the old king's brother-in-law Sir Thomas St Leger. Amongst the early leaders of the plot were two of the Woodville brothers - the marquis of Dorset and the bishop of Salisbury. Richard's seizure of the throne has also encouraged the Lancastrians, both at home and abroad. The biggest shock was that the duke of Buckingham, who only a few months earlier had helped Richard to the throne, joined the plot. His motives are unknown but perhaps including an increasing concern that he might share the fate of Lord Hastings. The plotters also drew in Henry Tudor.

His mother was now married to Lord Stanley, Richard's steward and one of his most important supporters, but that didn't stop her plotting in favour of her exiled son. The plan appears to have been for a series of uprisings, in Kent, the south-west and the Wiltshire-Berkshire area, all of which were to begin in October. Buckingham would raise an army at Brecon, and Henry Tudor would land on the south coast. Richard would be overwhelmed by all of these attacks. Instead Richard was able to deal with each threat in turn. Buckingham failed to gather the sort of support he must have been hoping for, and especially that of Lord Stanley, who remained loyal to Richard. Buckingham got close to Hereford before he lost his nerve and abandoned his army. He was betrayed by one of his supporters, and beheaded in front of the king at Salisbury on 2 November. Henry Tudor got as far as the south coast, where he learnt that the revolt had collapsed, and returned to Brittany. The rapid collapse of the revolt did have one unexpected consequence - most of the rebel leaders managed to escape to the Continent, and a sizable court in exile began to form around Henry Tudor.

The aim of the Buckingham revolt had been to put Henry Tudor on the throne, a clear indication that most people believed that the Princes in the Tower were already dead. Tudor now became something of a unity candidate, combining a Lancastrian claim to the throne with a backing largely made up Yorkist supporters alienated by Richard. On 25 December 1483 Tudor went one step further and made a public oath to marry Elizabeth of York, the eldest daughter of Edward VI. 1484 saw both sides preparing for the inevitable clash. The year began with Richard's only parliament. The three main events of the parliament were the acknowledgement of Richards's son Edward of Middleham as heir to the throne, the embodiment of the petition of June 1483 calling for Richard to take the throne as the statute Titulus Regius, and the attainting of one hundred of the rebels of 1483. In his entire reign, which included two major periods of civil war, Edward IV had only attainted 140 people. Richard's regime was already seen as being overly dependent on his northern following, became increasingly narrowly based as the year progressed. Richard did achieve some successes during the year.

He finally came to terms with Elizabeth Woodville, and on 1 March she and her daughters left sanctuary. He was also able to apply pressure on Francis II of Brittany, and in September or October Henry Tudor was forced to flee to France. The biggest blow came in April. His son Edward hadn't been a healthy child, and in April he died. His parents were distraught. Richard had suffered both a personal and a political blow - with no heir he was now a dynastic dead-end. Things only got worse after the death of his wife Anne Neville on 16 March 1485. If Richard's regime had survived he would have remarried and perhaps produced an heir, but in the heated atmosphere of 1485 damaging rumours soon spread. Richard was said to have poisoned his wife so that he could marry his niece Elizabeth of York. These rumours threatened to alienate Richard's crucial Neville supporters, who were largely tied to him through his marriage to Anne, and on 30 March he was forced to make a public statement in which he promised not to marry Elizabeth.

Richard's regime was increasingly narrowly based, but for the moment he could hope to rely on his northern supporters, and in particular Henry Percy, earl of Northumberland, and Thomas, Lord Stanley . Stanley had carried the mace at Richard's coronation, and was lord steward of his household, but he had briefly been arrested at the start of Richard's reign, and he was married to Henry Tudor's mother, Margaret Beaufort. Stanley would remain neutral at Bosworth, despite having promised to support Henry Tudor, and it would be his brother Sir William Stanley who made the decisive intervention in the battle. Henry Percy, fourth earl of Northumberland, had only been restored to his titles and land in 1470, and effectively remained neutral throughout all of the upheavals of 1470-71. Neither man was thus entirely trustworthy, and neither man would actively fight for Richard at Bosworth.

By the end of 1483 Henry Tudor had been joined by most of the surviving rebels, amongst them Elizabeth Woodville's son Thomas Grey, marquis of Dorset, Peter Courtenay, bishop of Winchester, Edward Courteney, the Lancastrian head of the Courtenay family, and many of Edward IV's former courtiers including Sir Giles Daubeney, Sir John Cheyne and Sir William Berkeley. The move to France worked in his favour, placing him out of Richard's reach and gaining him the active support of Charles VIII's regents. In France Tudor was joined by John de Vere, earl of Oxford, a dedicated Lancastrian who had been in prison at Hammes, one of the Calais fortresses. He was accompanied by James Blount, the captain of Hammes Castle, and John Fortescue, gentleman porter of Calais. These defections worried Richard, and he replaced the garrison. In March 1485 he went one step further and put his illegitimate son John of Gloucester in charge. John was a minor and so Richard had effectively taken personal command of the garrison.

In December 1484 Richard began to prepare for an invasion, which was expected to come in the summer of 1485. On 7 December he issued his first proclamation against Henry Tudor. On 8 December he issued commissions of array for most English counties, the first step in raising the local levies and on 18 December he ordered a survey of the lords and gentry's military capability, asking how many men they could raise on half a days notice. Henry Tudor's Invasion In the spring of 1485 Henry moved to Rouen and began to gather a fleet. In April Richard sent his fleet to sea under Sir George Neville, and in June he ordered the commissioners of array to be ready to mobilise their men at short notice. Richard then moved to Nottingham to wait for the upcoming invasion. One of Henry's most important tasks was to try and gain supporters in England and Wales.

By the spring of 1485 he had received promises of support from the Stanleys, from Gilbert Talbot, uncle of George Talbot fourth earl of Shrewsbury (the earl was only seventeen in 1485, although he did fight at the battle of Stoke in 1487 ), from Lord Stanley's nephew Sir John Savage, and from Rhys ap Thomas, a powerful figure in south Wales. As far as we know nothing was heard from the Percies. The Tudors still had their family link to Wales, and Henry's uncle Jasper Tudor, still hoped to be able to raise some troops there. With most of their support thus coming from the north-west and Wales, the Tudors decided to land in Wales, move north to gather their supporters and then turn east to find Richard. Henry Tudor set sail from Harfleur on 1 August 1485. His army had two components - a core of several hundred English exiles and a contingent of Norman mercenaries led by Philibert de Chandée.

This force was somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 strong and was described by Commynes as being made up of 'the most unruly men that could be found', but Henry did make their leader Earl of Bath in 1486 so they can’t have performed too badly. Richard's navy failed to interrupt Henry's passage, and his fleet landed at Milford Haven on 7 August 1485. Henry's men knew that they would be vulnerable until their allies showed their hands, and for the first few days they were rather nervy. On the first evening they advanced five miles towards Cardigan, but a rumour spread that Walter Herbert was about to attack them with a large army. Henry's scouts found no such army, but there was also no sign of Sir John Savage (he didn’t actually join Henry until the day before the battle of Bosworth) or of Rhys ap Thomas. There were also worrying rumours that both men were planning to resist Henry's invasion. Henry marched north up the coast towards Aberystwyth, with his fleet shadowing him. Rhys ap Thomas was offered the lieutenancy of Wales, and decided to stick to his word.

From Aberystwyth Henry turned east to head towards Shrewsbury, and ap Thomas joined him on the road. Henry was welcomed into Shrewsbury. He then advanced across Shropshire and into Staffordshire. Gilbert Talbot and 500 men joined him at Newport. He then advanced to Stafford, where he had an interview with Sir William Stanley. The main Stanley army had just withdrawn from Lichfield to Atherstone, on the road towards Richard's muster at Leicester, and Sir William's task was presumably to reassure Henry that this was just a ploy designed to deceive Richard. The Stanleys now had a serious problem. Lord Stanley had left court just before Henry had landed, but had had to leave his son Lord Strange behind as a hostage. On 11 August Richard learnt that Henry had landed and one of his first moves was to summon Lord Stanley back. Stanley claimed to have the sweating sickness and refused to move. Lord Strange then attempted to escape from court, but was captured. Under questioning he admitted that his uncle Sir William was with Henry, but claimed that his father was now loyal.

Lord Stanley knew that if he was to save his son, then he would have to remain neutral for as long as possible and only openly support Henry once the battle was underway. From Stafford Henry moved to Lichfield, and then to Tamworth. On his way he was joined by Sir Walter Hungerford and Sir Thomas Bourchier, two former members of Edward IV's household. They had taken part in Buckingham's revolt, but had since been pardoned. Richard had summoned them to his muster, but didn’t entirely trust them so had ordered one of his men to accompany them. Despite these efforts the two men had escaped from their guard and joined Henry. From Tamworth Henry went to Atherstone, where he had a secret meeting with the Stanleys, who once again assured him of their support. On 21 August both armies moved towards Market Bosworth. Richard arrived first and was able pick his battlefield. Henry arrived later in the day and camped a few miles away. 22 August would see the decisive and only battle of the campaign, and would decide which man would wear the crown. The Battle of Bosworth Field Contemporary documents give us two clues for the location of the battle.

The York city records place it on Redmoor Plain, bordered by Market Bosworth in the north, Stoke Golding three and half miles to the south, Sutton Cheney in the east and Upton three and a half miles to the west. This is an area of gentle hills, with the steepest being Ambion Hill, just to the west of Sutton Cheney. This is the site of the visitor centre, but possibly not of the battle itself. An alternative site to the south of Ambion Hill has also been credibly suggested as the site of the battle, although the two locations are close enough for it not to really be a significant issue. According to the proclamation Henry issued after the battle Richard was killed at Sandeford but we don’t know where that was, and the area is crossed by many streams that might have been had a sandy ford in 1485. The main water feature in the area now is the Ashby de la Zouch Canal, which of course has to be ignored when looking at the medieval terrain. The area was also rather more marshy in 1485, and so the presence of a swamp on the battlefield also doesn't really help. We are better informed about the deployment of the two armies.

Our best source for the battle is Polydore Vergil, who was writing under Henry VII, and so presumably had access to eyewitnesses and participants in the battle. Most other sources agree with his basic account. Richard decided to put most of his men in an unusually wide and powerful vanguard, containing a mix of infantry and cavalry, and with a line of archers in front. John Howard, duke of Norfolk, was placed in charge of the vanguard which was apparently designed to intimidate Henry's men. In most medieval battles the vanguard was actually the right wing of the army, the rearguard formed the left wing and the main battle was in the centre, but here both sides appear to have used their vanguard as a genuine front line. Richard took up a position behind the front line, with a select force of his own men. It isn’t entirely clear where Henry Percy, earl of Northumberland, was posted with his powerful force, but he may have been placed to watch Lord Stanley. Overall Richard is said to have had at least 10,000 men, but many of them fought without enthusiasm. Henry had around 5,000 men.

He had a narrow vanguard, with a line of archers in front. John de Vere, earl of Oxford, was certainly in charge of the archers, and probably also of the vanguard. Gilbert Talbot was posted on the right wing, and John Savage on the left. Edward was in the centre with a small force of cavalry and infantry. The Stanleys are said to have taken up a position between the two armies, presumably meaning somewhere off to one side, equally distant from both forces. On the morning of the battle Henry asked Stanley to join his army, but Lord Strange was still a hostage in Richard's army. Lord Stanley's response was that Henry should array his own men. Stanley would put his men in battle order and then bring them to the battlefield. The Stanleys probably had 3,000 men at Bosworth, under the command of Sir William Stanley, but it is possible that they had 8,000 men, with 3,000 under Sir William and the rest under Lord Stanley. In most modern accounts the Stanleys don’t join the battle until Sir William's intervention towards the end, but other early sources have Lord Stanley join with Oxford soon after the fighting began.

There was a swamp between the two armies. Henry advanced around the left-hand side of this swamp, using it to protect his right flank against attack. One source says that he had the sun on his back at this stage, and this is often taken to mean that he was moving north, but the only problem with this detail is that the fight was taking place on an August morning, so the sun would have been in the east or south-east. As Henry advanced around the swamp Richard ordered his men to attack. The battle began when Richard's archers opened fire. Henry's archers returned fire and the two armies then advanced towards each other and a fierce melee began. Oxford feared that his men would be outflanked, and so ordered them not to go more than ten feet from their standards. This move caused a pause in the battle as Richard's men feared that it might have been the start of some sort of trick (perhaps the entry into battle of Lord Stanley). Oxford then renewed the battle, attacking in a wedge. This might have been when the duke of Norfolk was killed, although that isn't at all clear. The battle wasn’t decided by this melee.

While the fighting was going on Richard's scouts noticed Henry, a little way away from his main army and guarded by a small bodyguard (presumably his own household troops). Richard decided to attack Henry and attempt to end the battle by killing his rival. He led his select force around the edge of the main battle, and charged Henry's force. For some time the outcome of this fight appears to have been in doubt. Henry's banner was cast down, and his standard bearer William Brandon was killed (Polydore Vergil says he was the only one of Henry's nobles to be killed in the battle). Richard was held up by Sir John Cheney, but Henry was in real danger. At this point Sir William Stanley finally committed to the battle, leading his 3,000 men to Henry's assistance. Most of Richard's men fled from the scene, but the king himself remained behind and was killed in the fighting. With Richard dead the rest of his army is said to have fled or surrendered. Polydore Virgil says that Richard lost around 1,000 dead, while Henry only lost 100. As most casualties happened after one line had broken, this would suggest some sort of pursuit of Richard's defeated vanguard.

Amongst the dead were the duke of Norfolk, Lord Ferrers, Robert Brackenbury and Sir Richard Radcliffe. Others escaped from the battlefield. Lord Francis Lovell and Humphrey and Thomas Stafford all reached the sanctuary of St. John at Colchester. Amongst the many prisoners were Earl Thomas of Surrey (Norfolk's son), who was imprisoned for some time, and Henry Percy, earl of Northumberland, who was very briefly imprisoned but then released without punishment. Percy's behaviour at the battle was widely judged to have been a betrayal of Richard III, but is no evidence of an actual agreement with Henry so it is possible that the battle ended before Percy's men were actually ordered into the fight. According to Polydore Vergil Richard wore his crown into battle. It was discovered on the field, and placed on Henry's head by Lord Stanley. Henry Tudor was acclaimed king as Henry VII on the battlefield. Aftermath The battle of Bosworth Field really ended the third and final phase of the Wars of the Roses. Henry was crowned on 30 October, and on 18 January 1486 he kept his vow to marry Elizabeth of York.

Their first son, Prince Arthur, was born on 19 September of the same year. There were a few die-hard Yorkists who refused to accept the verdict of Bosworth, but the House of York had rather torn itself apart and so they were lacking clear alternatives to Henry. There were two possible heirs - Clarence's son Edward Plantagenet, earl of Warwick, but he was soon securely in Henry's hands, or John de la Pole, earl of Lincoln and the son of Richard's sister Elizabeth. Neither of these men was a convincing claimant, and so when the Yorkists did attempt to overthrow Henry they used imposters as their figureheads. The first, and most serious of these revolts, Lambert Simnel's revolt, broke out in 1487. Simnel was said to be the earl of Warwick, although Henry was able to produce the real earl in London. Simnel's supporters eventually risked an invasion of England, but this ended in a disastrous defeat at the battle of Stoke (16 June 1487 ). Lincoln was killed in the battle and Simnel was captured in what is generally seen as the last battle of the Wars of the Roses.

A second pretender, Perkin Warbeck, appeared in the 1490s, but was never a real threat. The Battle of Bosworth Field The Battle of Bosworth Field Navigation Rent a Castle Whether it's a folly for 2 or a fort for 20, try our castles for rent page. By Ellen Castelow , Contributing Writer | Comments One of the most important battles in English and Welsh history took place at Bosworth during the 15th century Wars of the Roses . Early in August 1485 the would-be Lancastrian king, Henry Tudor sailed across the English Channel from France to south Wales with a force of around 2,000 men. Marching through the Welsh countryside the ranks of the Lancastrian army swelled, until by the time they crossed the border into Shrewsbury their number had more than doubled in size. On hearing the news of Henry’s landing, King Richard III (pictured at the top of this article) began to muster his Yorkist army at Leicester. With his royal army now almost 10,000 strong, the king deployed his troops on a hill top, just south of Market Bosworth in Leicestershire.

On an adjacent hilltop stood the forces of Henry’s stepfather Thomas, Lord Stanley, with a fairly substantial private army totalling around 6,000 men. In the bloody battle that followed, Stanley elected to simply stand and spectate. As the battle swayed first one way and then the other, Richard appears to have decided to bring the encounter to a swift end by leading a charge aimed directly at Henry. Click here for a battlefield map. On seeing Richard separated from his main force, Lord Stanley finally decided to join the battle on the side of his stepson. After his horse became trapped in boggy ground, the king continued to fight on foot before he was finally overwhelmed. Richard was the last Plantagenet king of England , and the last English monarch to be killed in battle. On seeing their leader’s fate, the Yorkist army abandoned the field. Richard’s crown was brought to Henry who was proclaimed king on the nearby Crown Hill. The new Tudor dynasty would rule England for the next hundred years. Richard’s body was interred in a plain unmarked tomb at Greyfriars in Leicester and forgotten about, until it was rediscovered under a car park by archaeologists in September 2012.

Key Facts: War: Wars of the Roses Location: near Market Bosworth, Leicestershire Belligerents: Lancastrians and Yorkists (and the Stanley family who remained at the edge of the battlefield until they decided which side to support) Victors: Lancastrians Numbers: Lancastrians 5,000, Yorkists around 10,000, Stanley family 6,000 Casualties: Lancastrians around 100, Yorkists around 1,000 Commanders: King Richard III of England (Yorkists), Henry Tudor (Lancastrians), Thomas Stanley (Stanley family) Location: The Battle of Bosworth 1485 Part 1 - The Wars of the Roses - The Anne Boleyn Files Posted By Claire on August 22, 2010 Edward III On this day in history, the 22nd August 1485, the Battle of Bosworth (or Battle of Bosworth Field) took place in Leicestershire, England.

The battle took place during the Wars of the Roses, a civil war between the Houses of York and Lancaster, and is famous for being the battle which gave birth to the Tudor dynasty. It was also the last time that a King of England was killed in battle. The Wars of the Roses Between c1455 and 1485, England was torn apart by the Wars of the Roses, a dynastic civil war between two branches of the House of Plantagenet: the House of York and the House of Lancaster, who both believed they had claims to the English throne as they were both descended from Edward III. Obviously, I could write a book about the Wars of the Roses, but here I just want to give a brief overview to give you the context for the Battle of Bosworth. I realise I’ve missed lots out so I apologise in advance! The House of Lancaster Henry VI The Lancastrian claim to the throne came from Edward III’s fourth son, John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster.

In 1399, John’s son, Henry of Bolingbroke, deposed his cousin, Richard II (son of Edward, the Black Prince, eldest son of Edward III), became King Henry IV and established the Royal House of Lancaster. On his death in 1413, the crown passed to his son Henry V who subsequently passed the crown on to his son, Henry VI, on his death in 1422. Henry VI, however, was mentally unstable, so some of his nobles allied themselves with the Duke of York, Richard Plantagenet, who was looking to act as regent and ultimately take the throne. The House of York Richard, Duke of York, was descended from the second son of Edward III, Lionel of Antwerp, through his mother, Anne Mortimer, and from the fifth son of Edward III, Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, through his father, Richard of Conisburgh. Although Richard’s father had been executed as a traitor in the reign of Henry V, Richard had been allowed to inherit his title and lands from his uncle, Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York, who was killed at the Battle of Agincourt.

His inheritance enabled him to become the richest and most powerful noble in England. Civil War Richard, Duke of York Henry VI’s mental problems led to great social unrest and his policy of peace with France also made him unpopular with some of his nobles, including the Dukes of Gloucester and York. In 1445 Henry VI married Margret of Anjou and, as part of the Treaty of Tours, yielded the lands of Maine and Anjou to the French king, Charles VII, a move that was hugely unpopular. As Henry’s reign went on, he became increasingly unpopular, due to the economic situation in England, the corruption in his government and his policy of peace with France. In 1452, disaffected nobles called Richard, Duke of York, back from Ireland (he had been made Lieutenant of Ireland to keep him out of the way) and begged him to put a stop to what was going on in England and make a stand against Henry VI and his government.

To cut a rather long story short, Richard, was able to take control of England as Protector of the Realm (regent) in 1454 after Henry VI had a nervous breakdown, but it was shortlived as Henry recovered at Christmas 1454 and set about reversing all of Richard’s policy and good work. However, many nobles supported Richard’s regency and this led to a war between Henry’s house, the House of Lancaster, and Richard’s house, the House of York. Richard was killed in one of the battles of the Wars of the Roses, the Battle of Wakefield in December 1460, but just weeks after his death, his son, Edward, Earl of March, was crowned King Edward IV of England after defeating the Lancastrians in a succession of battles, supported by his cousin, Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (Warwick the Kingmaker). Edward IV To cut another long story short, Edward IV fell out with Warwick (the Kingmaker) and this led to Warwick plotting against Edward and supporting the claims to the throne of George, Duke of Clarence (Edward’s younger brother), and then Henry VI.

Henry was briefly restored to the throne in 1470 but this was shortlived as Edward was able to claim the throne back in 1471 after taking Henry prisoner, defeating and killing Warwick at the Battle of Barnet and then defeating the Lancastrians at the Battle of Tewkesbury. Henry VI died in May 1471, although it is not clear whether he died naturally or whether he was murdered on Edward IV’s orders. In 1483, Edward IV died unexpectedly. His brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was appointed Lord Protector to act as regent for Edward’s son, Edward V, who was just a child. To cut another long story short, Edward IV’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville was deemed to be invalid, thus making the claims of their sons, Edward and Richard, to the throne invalid, and Richard seized the throne becoming Richard III. The boys, who were lodged in the Tower of London, disappeared and it is not known what exactly happened to them.

In 1483, Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, rose up against Richard III, planning to replace him with Lancastrian, Henry Tudor, but the revolt was unsuccessful and Buckingham was executed as a traitor. In 1485, Henry Tudor, 2nd Earl of Richmond, and his uncle, Jasper Tudor, rebelled against Richard. Henry’s claim to the throne came through his mother, Margaret Beaufort, who was a great-granddaughter of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and in 1485 he was the senior Lancastrian claimant because Henry VI and his son, Edward, Prince of Wales, were both dead. On Christmas Day 1483, in Rennes Cathedral, France, Henry pledged to marry Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV and the sister of the Princes in the Tower (Edward V and his brother Richard), thus gaining more support for his claim to the English throne. Henry also had the support of the Welsh, being descended through his father, Edmund Tudor, from Rhys ap Gruffydd, The Lord Rhys. William Brandon, Kt.

(c.1448 - 1485) - Genealogy William Brandon, Kt. in Market Bosworth, Leicestershire, England Cause of death: Slain by Richard III in battle. Immediate Family: Henry Tudor's standard-bearer at the Battle of Bosworth, Knight Managed by: Sir William Brandon (1456 – 22 August 1485) was Henry Tudor's standard-bearer at the Battle of Bosworth Field, where he was killed by King Richard III. He was the father of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. Biography William was son of a senior Sir William Brandon, of Soham Court, Suffolk, Marshal of Marshalsea (1425 or c. 1430 - 4 March 1491) and wife (m. 1462) Elizabeth Wingfield (c. 1430 - 28 April 1496), daughter and co-heiress of Sir Robert Wingfield, of Letheringham, and wife Elizabeth Gousell, daughter of Sir Robert Gousell and wife Lady Elizabeth FitzAlan (c.

1360 - 8 July 1425).[3] He married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Henry Bruyn and Elizabeth, widow of Sir Robert Darcy, by whom he had five children: William Brandon, (b. 1476) Charles Brandon (b. 1484 – 24 August 1545) Sir Thomas Brandon Sir Robert Brandon Eleanor Brandon He had two sisters: Eleanor Brandon, born c. 1462, who married to John Glemham (c. 1460 - 1499) and had issue (ancestors of Sara Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Samuel P. Bush, Prescott Bush, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, Jeb Bush, Sam Waterston, James Waterston and Elisabeth Waterston); and Anne Brandon, who married Nicholas Sydney, and had issue (ancestors of the Earls of Leicester and Lord Byron).

In 1478 Sir John Paston wrote that "young William Brandon is in ward for the rape of a widow." Brandon was one of the key London connections behind the Buckingham Revolt of 1483, along with his brother Thomas and brother-in-law, Wingfield. Pardoned in March 1484 he boarded a ship at Mersea and sailed for France, where he was joined by his wife, who gave birth to their eldest son in Paris. He joined his brother Thomas in the relief of the Hammes fortress and both were knighted by Henry Tudor when he landed at Milford in 1485. Along with Sir John Cheney, a well-known jousting champion, Brandon was one of the few notable fatalities in Henry's army at Bosworth, having been killed by King Richard III while carrying Henry's royal standard. References 1.^ Chrimes, S.B., Henry VII, (Yale University Press, 1999), .49 2.^ Cokayne, George (1982). The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct, or Dormant. XII/1.

Gloucester England: A. Sutton. p. 454. ISBN 0904387828. 4.^ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sir William Brandon (1456 – 22 August 1485) was Henry Tudor's standard-bearer at the Battle of Bosworth Field, where he was killed by King Richard III. He was the father of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Battle of Bosworth Field which took place on the 22nd August 1485 near Market Bosworth in Leicestershire marked the end of the War of the Roses. The Battle was fought between the supporters of King Richard III and Henry Tudor. As the battle progressed with a stalemate to his front, Henry accompanied by a bodyguard of about 200 knights including Sir William Brandon of Soham (his standard bearer), decided to ride across to the Stanleys to see if he could persuade them to enter into the fray on his side. Richard observed Henry's dragon banner moving across the battlefield and saw an opportunity to end the battle at one fell stroke.

Richard led the charge of his knights (approximately 1,000 men) downhill towards Henry's banner. With the whole power of the charge behind him, Richard transfixed Sir William Brandon of Soham with his lance. The lance broke and Sir William Brandon and the dragon banner crashed to the ground. The battle was eventually won by Henry Tudor with the death of Richard III and as a result he became King Henry VII of England and Wales. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- William was son of a senior Sir William Brandon of Soham Court, Suffolk (1425-1491) and Elizabeth, daughter and co-heiress of Sir Robert Wingfield. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Henry Bruyn and Elizabeth, widow of Sir Robert Darcy, by whom he had five children: William Brandon, (b. 1476) Charles Brandon (b.

1484 – 24 August 1545) Sir Thomas Brandon UK Battlefields Resource Centre - Wars of the Roses - The Bosworth Campaign - The Battle of Battle of Bosworth Click here to find out more The battle of Bosworth, fought on the 22nd August 1485, is one of the best known and was one of the most influential of English battles. It saw perhaps the most dramatic of military reversals in English history. A rebel force defeated a royal army more than twice its size leaving Richard III, the last Plantagenet king, dead on the field and placing Henry VII on the throne as the first of a new, Tudor dynasty. Until 2009 Bosworth was the most contentious of English battles, because at least three alternative sites had been proposed for the battlefield. We now know that the battle was fought not far from Stoke Golding, some two miles or so south-west of Ambion Hill, the ‘traditional’ location of the action.

In addition to locating the battlefield, the archaeological survey has unearthed the largest group of cannonballs ever found on a medieval battlefield – no less than 22 lead shot of a variety of calibres – ranging from bullets fired from handguns to roundshot from substantial artillery pieces. The Battle of Bosworth - History Learning Site Home » Tudor England » The Battle of Bosworth The Battle of Bosworth Citation: C N Trueman "The Battle of Bosworth" historylearningsite.co.uk. The History Learning Site, 16 Mar 2015. 16 Aug 2016. The Battle of Bosworth was fought on August 22nd 1485. Henry Tudor had marched with his force from Milford Haven in Wales where he had landed with about 2000 men. The Battle of Bosworth is one of England’s defining battles as it ended the reign of Richard III and led to Henry Tudor becoming Henry VII, the first of the Tudor monarchs, a dynasty that lasted to 1603 and included the reign of two of England’s most famous monarchs – Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I. To launch his campaign against Richard III, Henry needed money.

This he got from Charles VIII of France who hoped that a conflict in England would suitably distract any attention away from his wish to take Brittany. Henry sailed from Harfleur on August 1st with a force of between 400 and 500 loyal followers and about 1500 French soldiers. The force landed at Milford Haven on August 7th and marched north along the Cardigan coastline before turning inland towards the Cambrian Mountains and then the River Severn which he followed to the English border. By August 12th, Henry had won the support of the most influential landowner in South Wales – Rhys ap Thomas – who had been promised the Lieutenancy of Wales if Henry won. However, regardless of his support in Wales, Henry needed more support in England. He turned to his step-father Lord Stanley and his brother Sir William Stanley. They owned large areas of land in north Wales and in the Border region. Both men secretly gave money to Henry – Lord Stanley’s eldest son was being held prisoner by Richard III as an insurance of good behaviour. The uncle of the Earl of Shrewsbury, Gilbert Thomas, also gave his support to Henry along with 500 men.

Richard III was at Nottingham Castle when he learned about Henry’s invasion. He did nothing as he assumed that the major landowners of Wales would see Henry as a threat and group their forces together and attack him. When he realised that he had made a mistake, Richard marched his forces to Leicester. The two armies fought two-and-a-half miles south of Market Bosworth. Henry had a force of about 5000 men while Richard’s army probably was nearer 12,000. However, 4,000 of these soldiers belonged to the Stanley family and no one was sure if the Stanley’s could be trusted. It is thought that Richard did not trust Lord Stanley as he had a reputation of fighting for whoever he felt was going to be the most generous in victory. For Richard it was to be a shrewd judgement of character – and one that led to his death. The fighting began early in the morning of August 22nd. The two Stanley armies stayed away from the actual fighting at this stage so that the contest was literally a battle between Richard’s and Henry’s forces. Richard held the crest of Ambien Hill with Henry at the bottom in more marshy land.

When Henry’s men charged up the hill, they sustained heavy casualties. However, Henry had recruited long bow men while in Wales and these inflicted equally severe wounds on the forces of Richard as being at the top of a hill did not protect them from a deluge of long bow arrows. Though there are no contemporary accounts of the battle, it is generally accepted that it lasted about two to three hours. Casualties on both sides were heavy. What turned the battle seems to have been a decision made by Richard III to target Henry himself. Henry was seen making a move to where Lord Stanley was almost certainly with the intent to urge Stanley to use his forces on Henry’s side. With some trusted men Richard charged at Henry. He nearly succeeded in getting to Henry, and Tudor’s standard bearer, William Brandon, who was very near his leader, was killed. However, Henry’s bodyguards closed ranks and the future king was saved. For the duration of the battle, the forces of the Stanley family had stood by the sides – therefore fulfilling what Richard believed – but at this critical moment the army of Sir William Stanley attacked Richard, seemingly coming to the aid of Henry. Richard was killed and his forces broke up and fled.

Lord Stanley picked up the slain Richard’s crown and placed it on Henry’s head. Richard’s naked body was put over a mule and taken to Leicester to be buried. The defeat of Richard ended the reign of the Plantagenet’s and introduced the reign of the Tudors. By marrying Elizabeth of York, Henry unified both houses of Lancaster and York.

Question: Which battle took place on August 22nd 1485?
Answer: Bosworth (Field)