battles
pilltown
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William Catesby, a Northamptonshire lawyer, was one of only three people executed in the aftermath of Bosworth, the others being a West Country father and son. From this and other circumstantial evidence, we are inexorably drawn to the conclusion that this happened because he was the only surviving layman who knew the details of Edward…
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“There was I, waiting at the church, Waiting at the church, waiting at the church; When I found he’d left me in the lurch. Lor, how it did upset me! All at once, he sent me round a note Here’s the very note, this is what he wrote: “Can’t get away to marry you today,…
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There’s quite an interesting (48-minute lecture) take on Henry VII at http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/magnificence-a-tale-of-two-henrys. The lecturer points out that when Henry arrived in Westminster after Bosworth, he was the first King of England who had no experience whatsoever of how an English court worked. The lecturer thinks he was reliant upon his mother and wife to guide…
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Another example: Someone wrote to suggest that Richard’s final charge at “Tudor”, in which he killed Mr. William Brandon (“Tudor”‘s standard bearer) and unhorsed Sir John Cheney, was a sign of cowardice. Never mind that thosee paid by the first two “Tudors” to lie about him admitted that the King died “fighting manfully” ….. “in…
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On this date in 1485, the last Plantagenet king of England died on Bosworth Field defending his crown from Henry Tudor. Today, thanks to archaeological investigations on the battlefield, we know whereabouts the combat took place and that at least one side (probably the king’s) deployed artillery. The question of exactly how Richard III came…
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Amid the wide-ranging (and often wildly raging) debates that have taken place since the unearthing of his remains in Leicester in September 2012, I have seen it suggested that Richard III may have been unable to wear armour on account of his severe scoliosis (curvature of the spine). I find this unlikely for several reasons.…
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There is only one last goodie in my hoard of photographs from the Gloucester Richard III Exhibition in the spring this year. Well, one that is clear enough to be worthy of posting. It’s of the Towton Ring, and the notice with it said as follows: “This gold signet ring was found on the site…
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The Battle of Pavia, 1525 (Bretwalda Battles) Kindle ebook ASIN: B00JJ4XEJW Author: Stephen Lark Published by Bretwalda Books, April 2014 For me, this little book’s initial attraction was that it features the rise—and eventual fall—of the noble de la Pole family of England, centring specifically on the sons of John de la Pole, 2nd…
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Three weeks after Northampton, a Scottish army gathered in the grounds of Roxburgh Castle, determined to add to Lancastrian woes. The castle had been in English hands almost continuously since Edward I’s time, although it was not in good condition. James I had attempted to take it on several occasions but his assassination in…
