Bosworth 1485 E-Book

Mike Ingram

• Herausgeber: The History Press
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 187

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

'[An] important book to grace your bookshelves.' – JoeAnn Ricca, Founder of the Richard III Foundation, Inc. Bosworth Field saw the two great dynasties of the day clash on the battlefield: the reigning House of York, led by Richard III, against the rising House of Tudor, led by Henry Tudor, soon to become Henry VII. On 22 August 1485 this penultimate battle in the Wars of the Roses was fought, with the might of the Yorkists ranged against Henry Tudor's small army. In Bosworth 1485, historian Mike Ingram describes how they came to meet on the battlefield and how the tactics employed by Henry Tudor and his captains eventually led to the larger force's defeat and the death of King Richard III. Illustrated throughout and supplemented with maps and accessible timelines, this book explores the unfolding action and puts the reader on the front line of this crucial battle.

Leseprobe

About the Author

Mike Ingram was a military historian, lecturer and battlefield guide. He had a Masters degree in ‘Britain in World War Two’ from the University of Birmingham. He was a member of the Guild of Battlefield Guides and the Battlefield Trust. He regularly lectured on the Wars of the Roses and consulted on a number of historical programmes.

Cover illustration: Battle of Bosworth Field, by Philip James de Loutherbourg; engraving from Williams, England’s Battles by Sea and Land (1857).

First published 2012 by Spellmount

This paperback edition first published 2022

The History Press

97 St George’s Place, Cheltenham,

Gloucestershire, GL50 3QB

www.thehistorypress.co.uk

© The History Press, 2012, 2022

The right of Mike Ingram to be identified as the Author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the Publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 0 75247 863 0

Typesetting and origination by The History Press

Printed and bound in Great Britain by TJ Books Limited, Padstow, Cornwall.

eBook converted by Geethik Technologies

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

List of Illustrations

Introduction

Timeline

Historical Background

A Family Divided

Descent into War

The War of Succession

The Destruction of the Nevilles and Lancaster

The Usurpation of the Throne

The Armies

The Commanders

The Soldiers

The Days Before Battle

Rebellion

The Storm Clouds Gather

Invasion

The Battlefield: What Actually Happened?

The Battlefield

Deployment

The Battle

After the Battle

The Legacy

Bosworth as a Tudor Victory

Bosworth’s Place in History

Orders of Battle

Further Reading

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Firstly, I must thank Jo de Vries, series editor, for her suggestion that I should write this book in the first place and for her guidance.

Special thanks must go to Ian Post for his support over the years, his suggestions, and our many, often long discussions on how events unfolded in 1485. The same must go to Joe Ann Ricca of the Richard III Foundation for her interest in the project, her suggestions and support. I must also thank Toby McLeod for his words of wisdom, Richard Mackinder at the Bosworth Battlefield Centre, Allan Harley and the members of the Beaufort Household and Medieval Siege Society who helped with the practicalities of medieval warfare. I must also thank all those, too many to mention by name, who were involved in finding the actual site of the battle, and making this book possible.

The last words, however, must go to my children, Finley and Ellen – this book is for you.

LIST OFILLUSTRATIONS

1. London from a fifteenth-century manuscript. (Author’s collection)

2. One of the earliest published copies of Shakespeare’s play Richard III. (Author’s collection)

3. Richard III. (Author’s collection)

4. Henry VII. (Author’s collection)

5. Thomas, Lord Stanley, Earl of Derby. (Author’s collection)

6. Shooting arrows at the butt. (Author’s collection)

7. Detail of the Battle of Grandson from the Luzerner-Schilling. (Author’s collection)

8. The standard of John de Vere. (Freezywater Publications)

9. Henry Tudor standard. (Freezywater Publications)

10. Richard III standard. (Freezywater Publications)

11. Thomas, Lord Stanley’s standard. (Freezywater Publications)

12. Trumpets were often used to communicate commands. (Author’s collection)

13. Sir William Stanley’s banner. (Freezywater Publications)

14. Rhys ap Thomas’ banner. (Freezywater Publications)

15. Thomas, Lord Stanley’s banner. (Freezywater Publications)

16. A modern reconstruction of Milanese armour with a barbute helmet. (Author’s collection)

17. Gothic-style breastplate. (Author’s collection)

18. One of the few surviving examples of English-style armour. (Armour Services Historical)

19. The Trevanion Sallet. (Armour Services Historical)

20. Gothic armour. (Author’s collection)

21. Two views of an Italian armet showing how it opened. (Author’s collection)

22.Brigandine. Maison Tavel, from an original in Geneva. (Armour Services Historical)

23. Arm protection. (Author’s collection)

24. Gothic-style gauntlets. (Author’s collection)

25. Inside a medieval flak jacket called the brigandine, made from small plates rivited to fabric. (Armour Services Historical)

26. Mounted man at arms in composite Gothic armour with an equally well-protected horse. (Author’s collection)

27. The wounded man. A contemporary illustration showing the ways a man could be wounded in battle. (Author’s collection)

28. Reproduction medieval arrow heads. (Author’s collection)

29. An English archer. (Author’s collection)

30. Fifteenth-century halberds. (Author’s collection)

31. Pollaxe. The weapon of choice for the man at arms. (Author’s collection)

32. Crossbowmen and their protective shield called a pavise from a contemporary manuscript. (Author’s collection)

33. Re-enactors portraying the French infantry at Bosworth; note the 16ft longspears, more commonly known today as pikes. (Author’s collection)

34. Early bronze cannon mounted on a wheeled carriage from a contemporary manuscript. (Author’s collection)

35. Fifteenth-century hand-gunner. (Author’s collection)

36. The type of cannon known as a hackbut on a wooden frame from a contemporary manuscript. (Author’s collection)

37. A single-edged sword known as a hanger and a small metal shield called a buckler. (Author’s collection)

38. John Howard, Duke of Norfolk. (Author’s collection)

39. Sutton Cheney church. (Richard III Foundation inc.)

40. Looking towards the area on the battlefield where the boar was found. (Ian Post)

41. Looking west across Henry’s position. (Ian Post)

42. Looking east across the battlefield towards Stoke Golding and Crown Hill. (Ian Post)

43. Looking west across the battlefield, where Richard was initially deployed. (Ian Post)

44. One of the lead cannonballs in situ on the battlefield. (Author’s collection)

45. A modern reconstruction of a fifteenth-century cannon. (Author’s collection)

46. The battle started with an archery duel. (Author’s collection)

47. After the archery duel, Richard’s army charged and vicious hand-to-hand fighting followed. (Author’s collection)

48. Richard had a contingent of hand-gunners, possibly from Burgundy, in his army. (Author’s collection)

49. The last charge of the Plantagenets. (Author’s collection)

50. Victorian engraving of Henry being given the crown by Thomas, Lord Stanley. (Author’s collection)

51. Richard III’s badge and motto in stained glass at York Minster. (Author’s collection)

52. Richard’s livery badge. (Author’s collection)

INTRODUCTION

A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!

William Shakespeare, Richard III, Act V, Scene VII

These are the famous last words of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth, at least according to William Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s version of events and the image that the last Plantagenet King of England was a misshapen antichrist have always clouded the truth of Richard III’s life. Since then, there have been many tomes written by both the supporters and detractors of Richard III; of the mysterious death of the Princes in the Tower; and of the usurpation of the throne itself. Indeed, scholars and historians will no doubt continue to debate Richard’s character and life for many years to come.

This book, however, is not about a king, but about one of, if not the, most important battle in English history after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The Battle of Bosworth (or Redemoor) was fought on 22 August 1485 and was the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses, a series of dynastic civil wars fought for the throne of England. It is often regarded as the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance, although in reality the change was much more gradual. Nevertheless, it does mark the beginning of the reign of the Tudors, with Henry VII taking the throne at the end of this fateful day, before his son Henry VIII and his granddaughter Elizabeth I would go on to lead the country to previously unknown greatness.

Considering its importance, very little was written about the battle either at the time or during Henry’s reign. Not only that, but most accounts were written by people with either little or no concern for military tactics, making any reconstruction of the battle difficult. It would be another 160 years and another important battle in English history, Naseby, before the tactics and dispositions of the troops would be recorded in any detail. It is also an old adage that history is written by the victor, but in the medieval period it usually was, and as such was heavily biased.

Of all the accounts, the Crowland Chronicle is probably the most contemporary. It was commissioned by the Benedictine Abbey of Crowland (or Croyland) in Lincolnshire and was written in two parts known as the First and Second Continuations. The Second Continuation, which details the battle and the events leading up to it, was probably written the year after the event. Its author was most likely John Russell, Bishop of Lincoln, who was keeper of the privy seal for Edward IV and chancellor under Richard III. He probably accompanied Richard III on the campaign and as such was well informed. However, he was not an eyewitness to the battle and does little to disguise his dislike of Richard’s rule.

Polydore Vergil was an Italian who came to England in 1502 as a deputy to the collector of papal taxes, Cardinal Adriano Castelli. He wrote his description of the battle in his Historiae Anglicae between 1503 and 1513, probably at the request of Henry VII. Unusually for the time, he gives a detailed description of events during the battle, no doubt using eyewitness testimony. Vergil himself says that his account is truthful and, considering he had no allegiance to either party, is probably correct. Both the Tudor chroniclers Hall and Holinshed made use of it, and later Shakespeare would use these two texts to write his history of Richard III. Another source for the battle is Jean Molinet’s Chroniques. Molinet, who was the historian to the Burgundian court and sympathetic to the Yorkist cause, wrote his account of Bosworth in around 1504, probably based on stories told by French troops and in the court.

Burgundian nobleman Philippe de Commines (or Commynes) wrote his eight-volume Memoirs during the 1490s, although as he was one of Louis XI of France’s most trusted advisors, his account of the battle and the events leading up to it are biased towards Henry Tudor and his supporters. Although well written, his account has to be treated with caution because his information would have been based on rumour and second- or third-hand accounts, and it also appears that in parts he was guilty of altering events to suit his own ends. A further foreign account was written for the Spanish king and queen, Ferdinand and Isabella, in March 1486 by Diego de Valera, a Castilian courtier, but much of his information appears to come from Spanish merchants returning from England and is confused in places. There are a number of other sources such as Historia Johannis Rossi Warwicensis de Regibus Anglie written by John Rous (c. 1490); The Chronicle of Fabian by Robert Fabian (c. 1510); and the Pittscottie’s Chronicles by Robert Lindsay of Pittscottie (c. 1570). All these works mention the battle in passing, but give little detail. Edward Hall, a London lawyer, also wrote The Union of the Two Noble Families of Lancaster and York in around 1550, which primarily follows Vergil’s work and includes other parts from de Commines, Fabian and other now obscure sources. Throughout his work Hall includes lengthy speeches, no doubt dramatic invention, and it is likely that Shakespeare derived some of his history from here.

Probably written early in the sixteenth century, The Ballad of Bosworth Field gives a poetic account of the battle in over 600 lines. It was commissioned by a member of the Stanley family, with Lord Thomas and Sir William Stanley playing a central role. Its accuracy has long been debated, although it does contain information collaborated by other sources as well as detail not found anywhere else. The same anonymous author probably wrote two other ballads, The Song of Lady Bessy and The Rose of England, both including accounts of the battle with a strong bias towards the Stanleys. Again they contain information found elsewhere, but like The Ballad of Bosworth Field are considered suspect by some historians. Another poetic account of the battle was written by Baronet, Sir John Beaumont around 1600 and is called Bosworth Field. Beaumont studied at Broadgate’s Hall (now Pembroke College), Oxford, and lived at Thringstone, not far from the battlefield. He was a descendant of both William Hastings, who was controversially executed by Richard III, and the earls of Oxford, whilst his father was a judge of the Common Pleas. It is written in the style of the heroic poems of old and much of what he wrote is found in other sources such as Hall, although there are a few interesting sections that go into extraordinary detail and are not recorded anywhere else.

For many years the location of the battle was thought to be on Ambion Hill, close to the village of Sutton Cheney in Leicestershire. In 2010, after a major archaeological project, the actual site of the battle was announced to the public as being 3km from Ambion Hill, close to Fenn Lane. Although the site of the famous battle is now known, there are still many more unanswered questions: the dispositions of the three armies; their locations before and during the battle; the location of the artillery; and how events unfolded that day. All of these questions are open to a number of interpretations due to the scarcity and ambiguities of the sources.

Battles are notoriously difficult to interpret and we still do not know exactly what happened during many of the battles of the First World War, even with the huge amounts of documentation and plentiful eyewitness testimony available. So for the medieval period it is almost impossible to say what happened with any degree of certainty. The Battle of Bosworth is a prime example and, until very recently, events have all been based on Ambion Hill, with more than one historian making the events fit the site. This book is therefore just one interpretation of that day and there will no doubt be others – until someone invents a time machine the truth will probably never be known.

TIMELINE

1411

22 September

Birth of Richard Plantagenet, future Duke of York

1413

20 March

Death of Henry IV; uncontested accession of Henry V

1415

25 October

Battle of Agincourt – Henry V wins major victory over the French

1420

22 May

Treaty of Troyes recognises Henry V as heir to Charles VI of France

2 June

Henry V marries Catherine of Valois, daughter of Charles VI of France

1421

6 December

Prince Henry, son of Henry V and future Henry VI, is born at Windsor

1422

31 August

Death of Henry V; accession of 9-month-old Henry VI

6 November

Henry VI is crowned King of England at Westminster

1442

28 April

Birth of Edward, Earl of March, eldest son of the Duke of York and future Edward IV

1445

23 April

Henry VI marries Margaret of Anjou

1449

21 October

Birth of George, son of the Duke of York, and future Duke of Clarence

29 October

English surrender Rouen, the capital of Normandy, to the French

1450

June–July

Jack Cade’s rebels occupy London

12 August

The French capture Cherbourg and end English rule in Normandy

1452

2 October

Birth of Richard, youngest son of the Duke of York and future Richard III

1453

17 July

French victory at Castillon ends English rule in Gascony

c. 1 August

Onset of Henry VI’s first bout of mental illness

13 October

Birth of Edward of Lancaster, son of Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou

1454

27 March

York is named Lord Protector during the king’s illness

c. 25 December

Henry VI recovers from mental illness

1455

January

York surrenders the office of protector

22 May

First Battle of St Albans – York and his allies, the Neville earls of Salisbury and Warwick, win control of the king and kill their chief enemies: Somerset, Northumberland and Clifford

19 November

York is appointed Lord Protector for the second time

1457

28 January

Birth of Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, the future Henry VII

1459

23 September

Battle of Blore Heath – Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, defeats a Lancastrian force trying to block his junction with York

12–13 October

Heavily outnumbered, the Yorkist lords flee from Ludford Bridge; York goes to Ireland; Warwick, Salisbury and March go to Calais

1460

26 June

Yorkist earls of Warwick, Salisbury and March land in England from Calais

10 July

Battle of Northampton – Warwick captures Henry VI and control of the government

30 December

Battle of Wakefield – defeat and death of York and Salisbury, and York’s second son, Edmund Plantagenet, Earl of Rutland

1461

2 February

Battle of Mortimer’s Cross – Yorkist victory in Wales

17 February

Second Battle of St Albans – Margaret of Anjou defeats Warwick and reunites herself and her son with Henry VI

4 March

Edward, Earl of March, is proclaimed King Edward IV at Westminster

27–28 March

Battle of Ferrybridge – Lancastrian attempts to prevent a Yorkist crossing of the River Aire

29 March

Battle of Towton – Edward IV wins throne and Henry VI and his family flee into Scotland

28 June

Official coronation of Edward IV

1464

1 May

Edward IV secretly marries Elizabeth Woodville

25 December

Elizabeth Woodville is publicly introduced to the court as queen

1465

13 July

Henry VI is captured in Lancashire and imprisoned in the Tower of London

1469

April–July

Robin of Redesdale’s rebellion is fomented by Warwick

26 July

Battle of Edgecote Moor – a royal army led by William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, is beaten by Warwick’s rebels

1470

12 March

Battle of Losecote Field – Edward IV defeats rebels operating under the direction of Warwick and Clarence

2 November

Birth of Prince Edward, eldest son of Edward IV, future Edward V

1471

14 April

Battle of Barnet – Warwick is defeated and killed; Margaret of Anjou lands at Weymouth

4 May

Battle of Tewkesbury – Prince Edward of Lancaster is killed

7 May

Margaret of Anjou is captured and taken to the Tower of London

21 May

Edward IV enters London in triumph; Henry VI is murdered in the Tower of London

2 June

Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke, escapes from England with his nephew, Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond

1473

c. 17 August

Birth of Richard, second son of Edward IV, future Duke of York

1478

18 February

George, Duke of Clarence, is executed in the Tower of London

1483

9 April

Death of Edward IV; accession of Edward V

30 April

Richard, Duke of Gloucester, takes charge of his nephew, Edward V, at Stony Stratford on the road to London

22 June

Dr Ralph Shaa delivers a public sermon at Paul’s Cross in London setting forth Richard of Gloucester’s claim to the throne

26 June

Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, presents Richard of Gloucester with a petition requesting him to take the throne

6 July

Richard of Gloucester is crowned Richard III in Westminster Abbey

25 December

Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, takes oath to marry Elizabeth of York, eldest daughter of Edward IV

1484

23 January

Richard III’s only Parliament opens at Westminster; Titulus Regius is passed

April

Death of Edward of Middleham, only child of Richard III

September

Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, flees from Brittany to France

1485

7 August

Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, lands with an invasion force at Milford Haven in Wales

22 August

Battle of Bosworth Field – Richard III is defeated and killed; accession of Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, as Henry VII

30 October

Coronation of Henry VII

7 November

Henry VII’s first Parliament opens at Westminster

1486

18 January

Henry VII marries Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV

19 September

Birth of Prince Arthur, first child of Henry VII

1487

24 May

Lambert Simnel, who claims to be a nephew of Edward IV, is crowned King of England in Dublin

16 June

Battle of Stoke – Henry VII defeats Yorkist supporters of Lambert Simnel

1491

28 June

Birth of Prince Henry, future Henry VIII

HISTORICALBACKGROUND

Ye shall hear of wars and rumours of war;

see that ye be not troubled, for all these things

must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

Matthew 26:6

The Wars of the Roses were like no other in the medieval world as they were neither for land or wealth nor religious ideals, but the right to rule the country. For the majority of the time it was relatively peaceful, with most of the ‘war’ being fought with words and political manoeuvring within the royal court. In fact, there were only sixteen major battles and half of these occurred between 1460 and 1465. The wars began with Jack Cade’s rebellion against Henry VI in 1450 and lasted thirty-seven years, but rather than one long war it was a series of interconnected campaigns in five distinct phases.

A Family Divided