Battle of Towton

battle_name=Battle of Towton

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The Battle of Towton in the Wars of the Roses was the bloodiest ever fought on British soil, with casualties believed to have been in excess of 20,000 (perhaps as many as 30,000) men. The battle took place on a snowy 29 March 1461 (Palm Sunday) on a plateau between the villages of Towton and Saxton in Yorkshire (about 12 miles southwest of York and about 2 miles south of Tadcaster).

Related Topics:
Wars of the Roses - 29 March - 1461 - Palm Sunday - Yorkshire - York - Tadcaster

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Part of the reason so many died is perhaps because in the parley before the battle both sides agreed that no quarter would be given or asked, as they hoped to end it there and then.

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At this point in the civil war, the Lancastrians were on equal terms with the Yorkists, having eliminated York and Salisbury from the scene at the Battle of Wakefield, and been victorious at the Second Battle of St Albans. However, Richard Neville, "the Kingmaker", controlled London and had proclaimed the eldest of York's sons as King Edward IV. It was Edward himself who decided to take the initiative and march north in the hope of inflicting a final defeat on his rival, King Henry VI. Henry, a pious and peace-loving man, and by many reports mentally feeble, took no part in any military decisions, but allowed his queen, Margaret of Anjou, complete freedom to employ her battle commanders, chief of whom was Henry Beaufort the Duke of Somerset, on his behalf.

Related Topics:
Lancastrian - Yorkist - York - Salisbury - Battle of Wakefield - Second Battle of St Albans - Richard Neville - London - Edward IV - Henry VI - Margaret of Anjou - Henry Beaufort - Duke of Somerset

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It is thought that 50,000, or perhaps even 100,000 men fought, including 28 Lords (almost half the peerage), mainly on the Lancastrian side. The numbers often given are 42,000 for the Lancastrians and 36,000 for the Yorkists. This is one of the few battles in English history, perhaps the only, where the fighting was so violent that the front lines were frequently forced to stop and remove the bodies to be able to get at each other.

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