Battle of Bosworth Field
Richard III ascended the throne in 1483 after his twelve-year-old nephew, Edward V, was declared illegitimate. The boy and his younger brother Richard soon disappeared from the Tower of London, and their fate remains a mystery to this day. Across the English Channel, Henry Tudor, a descendant of the diminished House of Lancaster, seized on these difficulties to lay claim to the crown. His first attempt to invade England in 1483 foundered in a storm, but his second arrived unopposed on the 7th of August 1485 on the south-west coast of Wales. Marching inland, Henry gathered support as he made for London while Richard hurriedly mustered his troops. The Yorkist king intercepted Henry's army near Ambion Hill, south of the town of Market Bosworth in Leicestershire. Lord Stanley and Sir William Stanley also brought a force to the battlefield, but held back while they decided which side it would be most advantageous to support. They initially lent only four knights to Henry's cause: Sir Robert Tunstall, Sir John Savage, Sir Hugh Persall, and Sir Humphrey Stanley.
Three groups stood on Bosworth Field, each with its own agenda and strategic positioning. Richard III commanded a Yorkist army that outnumbered Henry's forces, yet lacked unified loyalty among his nobles. John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk, was Richard's most loyal subject and a military veteran who had fought in the Battle of Towton in 1461. He supported Richard because Edward IV had circumvented inheritance laws regarding the Mowbray estate, depriving him of a fortune. Northumberland, the Earl of Northumberland, had been captured by Yorkists in 1461 but released eight years later. He served under Richard during the 1482 invasion of Scotland, hoping to dominate the north if Richard went south. However, after becoming king, Richard began moulding his nephew, John de la Pole, to manage the north, passing over Northumberland for the position. Henry Tudor relied on experienced veterans like John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, who had routed divisions at the Battle of Barnet before retreating from friendly fire. The Stanleys held their ground, vacillating between opposing sides until it was clear who would win.
On the 20th of August, Richard rode from Nottingham to Leicester, joining Norfolk at the Blue Boar inn. Northumberland arrived the following day as the royal army proceeded westwards to intercept Henry's march on London. Passing Sutton Cheney, Richard moved his army towards Ambion Hill and made camp there. His sleep was not peaceful, and according to the Croyland Chronicle, in the morning his face was more livid and ghastly than usual. The Yorkist army deployed on the hilltop along the ridgeline from west to east. Norfolk's force stood on the right flank, protecting cannon and about 1,200 archers. Richard's group formed the centre with approximately 3,000 infantry. Northumberland's men guarded the left flank with around 4,000 men, many mounted. Henry's force numbered between 5,000 and 8,000 men, augmented by recruits gathered in Wales and English border counties. As Henry's army advanced past the marsh at the south-western foot of the hill, Richard sent a message to Stanley threatening to execute his son if he did not join immediately. Stanley replied that he had other sons. Incensed, Richard gave the order to behead Strange but his officers temporised, saying battle was imminent. At this juncture Richard saw Henry at some distance behind his main force and decided to end the fight quickly by killing the enemy commander.
Richard led a charge of mounted men around the melee and tore into Henry's group. Several accounts state that Richard's force numbered 800, 1000 knights, though Ross says it was more likely accompanied only by household men and closest friends. He killed Henry's standard-bearer Sir William Brandon in the initial charge and unhorsed burly John Cheyne with a blow to the head from his broken lance. French mercenaries in Henry's retinue related how the attack caught them off guard. Oxford left a small reserve of pike-equipped men with Henry who slowed the pace of Richard's mounted charge. Meanwhile, seeing Richard embroiled with Henry's men and separated from his main force, William Stanley made his move and rode to the aid of Henry. Now outnumbered, Richard's group was surrounded and gradually pressed back. His force was driven several hundred yards away from Tudor near the edge of a marsh where the king's horse toppled. Richard gathered himself and rallied his dwindling followers, refusing to retreat. In the fighting, Richard's banner man lost his legs but held the Yorkist banner aloft until he was killed. Polydore Vergil recorded that King Richard alone was killed fighting manfully in the thickest press of his enemies.
Although he claimed fourth-generation maternal Lancastrian descendancy, Henry seized the crown by right of conquest. After the battle, Richard's circlet is said to have been found and brought to Henry, who was proclaimed king at the top of Crown Hill near Stoke Golding. According to Vergil, Lord Stanley found the circlet. The bodies of the fallen were brought to St James Church at Dadlington for burial. However, Henry denied any immediate rest for Richard; instead the last Yorkist king's corpse was stripped naked and strapped across a horse. His body was brought to Leicester and openly exhibited to prove that he was dead. Early accounts suggest this occurred in the major Lancastrian collegiate foundation, the Church of the Annunciation of Our Lady of the Newarke. After two days, the corpse was interred in a plain tomb within the church of the Greyfriars. On the 12th of September 2012, archaeologists announced the discovery of a buried skeleton with spinal abnormalities and head injuries under a car park in Leicester. DNA testing convinced scientists beyond reasonable doubt that the remains were those of King Richard. Parliament reversed his attainder and recorded Richard's kingship as illegal while restoring Elizabeth's status to a royal princess.
Contemporary accounts of the Battle of Bosworth can be found in four main sources including the English Croyland Chronicle written by a senior Yorkist chronicler who relied on second-hand information from nobles and soldiers. Other accounts were written by foreigners such as Vergil, Jean Molinet, and Diego de Valera. Whereas Molinet was sympathetic to Richard, Vergil was in Henry's service and drew information from the king to portray them in a good light. The multitude of different accounts has proved an obstacle to historians as they try to reconstruct the battle. Their common complaint is that except for its outcome very few details are found in the chronicles. According to historian Michael Hicks, the Battle of Bosworth is one of the worst-recorded clashes of the Wars of the Roses. Tudor literature paints a flattering picture of Henry's reign depicting the battle as the final clash of the civil war and downplaying subsequent uprisings. For England the Middle Ages ended in 1485 according to English Heritage claims. Elton does not believe Bosworth Field has any true significance pointing out that the 20th-century English public largely ignored the battle until its quincentennial celebration.
William Shakespeare gives prominence to the Battle of Bosworth in his play Richard III where it serves as the one big battle. No other fighting scene distracts the audience from this action represented by a one-on-one sword fight between Henry Tudor and Richard III. Shakespeare uses their duel to bring a climactic end to the play and the Wars of the Roses while championing morality. Richard the villainous lead character has been built up in earlier plays as a formidable swordsman and courageous military leader. Although the Battle of Bosworth has only five sentences to direct it three scenes and more than four hundred lines precede the action developing background and motivations for characters. The fight between the two armies is simulated by rowdy noises made off-stage while actors walk on stage deliver lines and exit. To build anticipation for the duel Shakespeare requests more alarums after Richard's councillor William Catesby announces that the king is enacting more wonders than a man. Richard punctuates his entrance with the classic line A horse a horse My kingdom for a horse. He refuses to withdraw continuing to seek to slay Henry's doubles until he has killed his nemesis.
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Common questions
When did the Battle of Bosworth Field take place?
The Battle of Bosworth Field took place on the 20th of August 1485. Richard III rode from Nottingham to Leicester and joined Norfolk at the Blue Boar inn before the royal army proceeded westwards to intercept Henry's march on London.
Who won the Battle of Bosworth Field and how was he crowned king?
Henry Tudor won the Battle of Bosworth Field by right of conquest after seizing the crown following the death of Richard III. He was proclaimed king at the top of Crown Hill near Stoke Golding after Lord Stanley found Richard's circlet.
Where exactly was the Battle of Bosworth Field fought?
The battle occurred near Ambion Hill south of the town of Market Bosworth in Leicestershire. The Yorkist army deployed on the hilltop along the ridgeline while Henry's force advanced past the marsh at the south-western foot of the hill.
How many men were present at the Battle of Bosworth Field for each side?
Richard III commanded a Yorkist army that outnumbered Henry's forces with approximately 3,000 infantry in his centre group and around 4,000 men on Northumberland's left flank. Henry Tudor's force numbered between 5,000 and 8,000 men augmented by recruits gathered in Wales and English border counties.
What happened to the body of King Richard III after the Battle of Bosworth Field?
King Richard III's corpse was stripped naked and strapped across a horse before being brought to Leicester where it was openly exhibited to prove he was dead. After two days the body was interred in a plain tomb within the church of the Greyfriars until archaeologists discovered remains under a car park in Leicester on the 12th of September 2012.