August 22nd marks the anniversary of the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. The battle was fought between Richard III, and Henry Tudor, Duke of Richmond. Henry was a rank outsider for the crown. He was the son of Edmund Tudor, half brother to King Henry VI through his mother, the dowager Queen Katherine and her second marriage to Owen Tudor, and Margaret Beaufort, descended through the bastard line of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford. (They were later legitimised by Gaunt). Recent fiction has done a lot to damage the reputation of Margaret Beaufort, with the idea she was plotting to put her son on the throne during the reign of Edward IV. Utterly ridiculous and of course a work of fiction, but I've had people cite it to me as 'historical fact'. That would make Margaret an incredible woman with the superb gift of hindsight. During the reign of Edward IV, the House of York should have been triumphant in the so-called War of the Roses. Edward had 2 sons with his wife Elizabeth Woodville, and he also had 2 brothers, George, Duke of Clarence, for a while his brother's heir, who also had a son, and Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who also had a son, and then there was their relative, the Duke of Buckingham, with a claim to the throne. However, the House of York destroyed itself, with Edward executing his brother George and alienating his brother Richard to such an extent that following the death of Edward IV, Richard usurped the throne from his nephews, imprisoning them in the Tower of London from which they never emerged. Richard executed Buckingham, his own son died, and there was dissatisfaction at his reign after only 2 years. It was then that eyes turned to Brittainy, where Henry Tudor had been living in exile with his uncle, Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke, to keep him safe from Yorkist plots. All Margaret Beaufort had wanted was to keep her son safe from plots, and that he should have his title Duke of Richmond and live safely in the court of Edward IV. It was only Richard III's usurpation that drove her to plot with Edward IV's former wife, Elizabeth, and arrange a marriage between Henry and the eldest Yorkist princess, also called Elizabeth. Richard III was an experienced soldier from a young age and facing an inexperienced Henry Tudor, (it was Henry's first battle) who was barely known in England, Richard should have been victorious. Instead, the battle was a short one, with Richard making a calamitous mistake which meant he was trapped between Henry Tudor's army and the so far uninvolved army belonging to Lord Stanley, step-father to Henry Tudor, and whose son was being held hostage by Richard III to ensure he fought on his side. Lord Stanley seized his chance and Richard was cut down. This is a well known story, and much has been made of Stanley's so-called treachery, but there was another army, led by the Earl of Northumberland, another supporter of Richard, who also did not engage in the battle.
There is a superb museum at Bosworth, and whilst there is some debate over where the actual battle took place, you can walk the battle trail. I've been there twice, and it is well worth a visit. Every year, on August 22nd, there's a re-enactment of the battle and this year is no different. Check out their website here - https://www.bosworthbattlefield.org.uk/
Here are some photos from my last visit.
I saw this model as a child and was delighted it was still on show in 2018!
