Battle of Bosworth Field

battle_name=Battle of Bosworth Field

The Campaign and its politics

Henry had landed in Pembrokeshire, the county of his birth, on 7 August with a small force—consisting mainly of French mercenaries—in an attempt to claim the throne of England. Richard III had fought similar battles with Lancastrian usurpers in the past, but this one would be his last. Although Henry did not have his opponent's military experience, he was accompanied by his uncle, Jasper Tudor, 1st Earl of Pembroke (later 1st Duke of Bedford) and John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, each of them being a brilliant and seasoned soldier. Henry gathered supporters in the course of his journey through his father's native Wales, and by the time he arrived in the Midlands, he had amassed an army of an estimated 5,000 men. The King, by contrast, could command nearly 8,000. The decisive factor in the battle was to be the conduct of the Stanley brothers—Sir William Stanley and Thomas Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley, the latter being Henry's stepfather. Richard had good cause to distrust them, but was dependent on their continued loyalty.

Related Topics:
Pembrokeshire - 7 August - French - Mercenaries - Military - Jasper Tudor, 1st Earl of Pembroke - John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford - Soldier - Wales - Midlands - Sir William Stanley - Thomas Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley

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The battlefield site, now open to the public, is close to Sutton Cheney and Market Bosworth in Leicestershire. The actual site of the battle has been the topic of often contentious debate among professional and amateur historians, with a compelling case being made for situating the battle closer to the villages of Dadlington and Stoke Golding, although most are agreed that Richard's encampment the night before the battle was indeed on Ambion Hill. Another school of thought is that the battle actually took place at Merevale, just above Atherstone in Warwickshire; certainly reperations were made by the king to Atherstone after the battle. Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, with Lord Stanley and Sir William Stanley and their troops, watched the beginning of the engagement as the rest of Richard's army fought Henry's French mercenaries and loyal exiles. The Stanleys seem to have taken up a position some distance away from the two main armies.

Related Topics:
Sutton Cheney - Market Bosworth - Leicestershire - Dadlington - Stoke Golding - Ambion Hill - Merevale - Atherstone - Warwickshire - Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland

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The two notorious vacillators in 1469–71 were the young John Talbot, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury, and the older more experienced Lord Stanley. They acted with a circumspection that bordered on deceitfulness, consistently holding back from final commitment to either side, and always keeping on good terms with the winners. Richard had taken hostages to ensure that, even if Talbot and Stanley did not join him, they would at least remain neutral during the battle.

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