Page 53 - All About History - Issue 27-15

A king cut off
Soon after his charge, Richard became
cut off from his bodyguard and his
horse got stuck in the marshland.
Modern scans of the king’s remains
have indicated he was wounded at least
11 times, twice fatally to the head, by the
tip of a blade or the thrust of a poleaxe.

BOSWORTH

SUTTON CHENEY, LEICESTERSHIRE 22 AUGUST 1485

n a sunny morning in a field in the north The Lancastrian would-be heir to the throne,
of England, the future of the British Isles Henry Tudor, had sat exiled in France under the
would be decided forever with the blood protection of Francis II, Duke of Brittany, for years,
of a thousand or more English, Welsh and waiting for his chance to strike. After Richard took
O French lives. Casting his eye over the scene the throne for himself, the young pretender crossed
and the force come to meet him, Henry Tudor, Earl from France and landed in his native Wales in a
of Richmond, could see the standard of his rival bid to drum up substantial support for his claim.
fluttering in the wind – the white boar of Richard He then marched east into England with an army
Plantagenet, one of the last remaining sons of York. of a few English knights, a host of Welsh fighters
He stood not just between him and the route to sympathetic to his cause and close to 2,000 French
London but, crucially, the English throne. Peering mercenaries. However, King Richard would still be
purposefully across the divide separating the two able to call upon far more noble houses and their
armies, Richard in turn was able to spot Henry’s levies to line up against him.
standard – the red dragon of Wales. If he could win Richard chose to camp close to Ambion hill
the day, he would secure his legitimacy as king and near to Bosworth Field, more than 100 miles
send a message to any other pretenders and traitors. from London, to cut off Henry’s advance towards
The hatred between Richard’s family and the capital as well as to give him a commanding
their rival for the crown of England, the House view of the southern approach. Henry’s force had
of Lancaster, had been raging on and off the spent the night further to the south west, at White
battlefield for decades in the bitter civil struggles Moors. Much of the strategic decisions, as well as
known as the Cousins’ War. Horrific slaughter had direct control of the army, was given to the Duke of
torn the country in two, but had not resulted in a Oxford, one of Henry’s allies and a fierce enemy of
lasting peace or a decisive end to the struggle. The the Yorkists.
Wars of the Roses, as we know them today, would A third force, which would be capable of tipping
come to a final end on the field of Bosworth. the coming clash in either man’s favour, was under
After the death of Richard’s brother, the Yorkist the command of the Stanley brothers. Seemingly
king Edward IV, and then the untimely and staunch supporters of Richard’s cause even before he
mysterious passing of his nephew Edward V, the took the throne, both Sir William and Lord Thomas
political cogs of the English nobility sprung into Stanley had been rewarded handsomely for their
action again after some 12 years of relative peace. loyalty to the crown. On the day of the battle, the
Many objected to Richard taking the throne for Stanley brothers had arrived each with a contingent
himself in 1483, and numerous nobles began to of men, and each with a mind to choose the battle’s
question their own loyalty to the crown. victor for himself.

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