BATTLE OF BOSWORTH 22ND aUGUST 1485

BETWEEN?

WHERE? WHEN? WHY?

• Henry Tudor wanted to go against King Richard
• Battle taken place at Leicester ,open field terrain
• 22nd August morning
• Duration : 2 circa hours
• Location : map attached

BEFORE BATTLE FOR HENRY

HIS JOURNEY

• 7th August - arrived at Milford Haven & passed on without opposition
• Stanley let him passed through Shrewsbury & promised to lend forces as long as his son is saved
• More Welshman joined, arrived at Tamworth on the 18th of August
• On the 20th of August , advanced from Tamworth to Atherstone.
• On the 21st moved froward to Whitemoor, two miles divided both their camps. 22nd battle starts.

FINANCIAL AID

• To launch such a campaign , Henry needed money
• Borrowed 60,000 francs from France (Charles VIII)
• Stepfather Lord Stanley & brother Sir William Stanley secretly gave him money
• France gave him 1,800 mercenaries and a small fleet as well

SUPPORT FROM HIS OWN PEOPLE

WHAT KIND OF AID WAS GIVEN TO HIM ?

• Assurances of support from many old retainers , exiled knights and squires
• From most influential landowner - Rhys ap Thomas who had been promised lieu tenancy of Wales
• Assurances from Earl Of Oxford, Sir Edward Woodville, Uncle Jasper Tudor etc
• Although his group was small, he had made many secret promises of aid & was confident
• Many English malcontents and their own people kept participating on the way as well

BEFOFE THE BATTLE FOR KING RICHARD

WHEN HE KNEW HENRY TUDOR WAS GATHERING FORCES

• Initially he did nothing
• Assumed major landowners would group their forces and attack Henry
• When he realized his mistake, he mustered forces at Nottingham, marched to Leicester
• Encamped at Bosworth
• Both forces met between Bosworth and Atherstone, at a place known as Whitemoors , near the village of Sutton Cheneys

Highlights
4000 men were from the Stanley family. They were known have the tendency to change sides during battle , & King Richard did not trust them. So to prevent The Stanley's from changing sides, King Richard imprisoned the first son -Strange & sent word to his father that if he turned traitor his son will be beheaded.

THE BATTLE BEGINS ....

MESS.

• Richard had 12,000 men whereas Henry only had 5000 men
• When the fighting begun, it was evident that Richard's men were not inclined to fight
• The Stanley army actually remained aloof and did nothing
• It was only a battle between Henry and Richards forces at first
• With a cry of treason, the main royalist body broke up and fled. Leaving the King's forces in a mess as the Stanley's took up the pursuit.

TURNING POINT !

• King Richard, however refused to run although his faithful friends brought him a horse to ask him to escape
• He plunged back into the fight , his main target was Henry.
• When Henry was seen making a move to where Lord Stanley was, with the intent of asking lord Stanley to join him
• Richard charged at Henry. Oh no!
• Just in time, William Brandon, Tudor's standard bearer, took the fall instead and was killed.

At the critical moment, Sir William Stanley's army attacked Richard, seemingly coming to the aid of Henry.
As the royal body watch their main army source turn to their enemy's side, they lost confidence and start to crumble.

Lord Stanley, therefore declaring him the new king, places the crown on Henry's head. Henry was famous for leading a rebel force & defeating a royal army more than twice its size, placing himself on the throne as the first of the new - Tudor Dynasty.

THE END