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Battle of Bosworth
22nd August 1485
THE BATTLEFIELDS TRUST HAS BEEN COMMISSIONED BY LEICESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL TO CARRY OUT A MAJOR STUDY OF BOSWORTH BATTLEFIELD
Click here to find out more
The battle of Bosworth, fought on the 22nd August 1485, is one of the best known and was one of the most influential of English battles. It saw perhaps the most dramatic of military reversals in English history. A rebel force defeated a royal army more than twice its size leaving Richard III, the last Plantagenet king, dead on the field and placing Henry VII on the throne as the first of a new, Tudor dynasty.
Today Bosworth is the most contentious of English battles, because at least three alternative sites have been proposed for the battlefield. When the dispute is finally resolved and the detail of the action is accurately placed within the historic terrain of 1485 our understanding of the battle is likely to be transformed. Rather than being a battle decided by treachery, as many would suggest, it is likely to prove one where the outcome was decided by the tactical brilliance of the rebel general, the Earl of Oxford.
Despite, or indeed in some ways because of the dispute over location, a visit to Bosworth can be very rewarding. Take copies of the original accounts and, with the varied modern interpretations in mind, walk the ground and judge for yourself the strengths and weaknesses of each alternative. Add to that England's only battlefield interpretation centre and a trip to Bosworth can be a really enjoyable and instructive day out.
KEY FACTS
Name: Battle of Bosworth Field (Redemore Field; Dadlington Field)
Type: Battle
Campaign: Bosworth
War period: Wars of the Roses
Outcome: Rebel victory; death of Richard III; crowning of Henry VII
Country: England
County: Leicestershire
Place: Dadlington, Stoke Golding, Shenton, Sutton Cheney
Location: disputed
Terrain: Open field, meadow and lowland moor/marsh
Date: 22 August 1485
Start: morning
Duration: circa 2 hours
Armies: Royal army commanded by King Richard III; Rebel army under Henry Tudor but effectively commanded by Earl of Oxford
Numbers: Royal 10-15,000 & rebel 5,000 + 5-8,000 initially uncommitted
Losses: Possibly 1000 royal & 100 rebel
Grid Reference: SP394986 (439487,298621)
OS Landranger map: 140
OS Explorer map: 232
English Heritage Battlefields Register report CLICK HERE
For a review from Leicestershire County Council of current theories on the battle and battlefield CLICK HERE
Battle of Bosworth pages compiled by G Foard, 2004
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