The Battle of Towton 1461
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During a snow blizzard on Palm Sunday, 1461 the biggest, longest and probably bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil took place near Towton in Yorkshire.
The battle was fought during the Wars of the Roses - the dynastic feud that split the ruling royal house of Plantagenet between two rival faction: the Lancastrians and the Yorkists.
Estimates suggest that well over 50,000 Englishmen fought each other on this day and that 28,000 were killed.
It resulted in a crushing victory for the Yorkists and their leader, to be crowned King Edward IV of England.
This is the story of that gigantic, bloody battle - the Battle of Towton 1461.
Edward, Earl of March (the future King Edward IV) was now leader of the Yorkist faction after his father was killed at the Battle of Wakefield.
Edward was just 18 years old.
Edward along with Warwick and an army of over 20,000 men marched north from London towards Yorkshire to take on the leader of the Lancastrian faction, King Henry VI and his formidable wife, Margaret of Anjou.
On the 29th March 1461, Palm Sunday, 12 miles south east of York these two gigantic armies met at Towton.
Something between 50-60,000 men (although some medieval chroniclers claimed a figure closer to 75,000).
The Lancastrians moved to block him and they drew up on a rise south of the village of Towton, blocking the road to York.
The battle was fought in a snow blizzard.
Some sources at the time claimed the fighting lasted 10 hours.
It certainly lasted until dusk.
Just when Lancastrian victory was dawning, the Duke of Norfolk finally arrived with his reinforcements.
Whether under Edwards orders or using his own tactical nouse, Norfolk sound his men round to attack the Lancastrians left flank.
Despite gallant resistance the Lancastrian line broke.
As they fell back towards the Cock Beck it became a rout.
It is generally agreed by most historians that something like 28,000 (two-thirds of them from the Lancastrian army) died at the battle of Towton.
It is regarded as the biggest, longest and the bloodies battle ever fought on English soil.
King Henry, Queen Margaret and young Edward Prince of Wales rode as hard as they could the 150 miles to the Scottish border and safety.
Edward returned in triumph to London and there on the 28th June 1461, he was crowned King Edward IV at the age of 19.
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My name is Chris Green ("The History Chap") and I am on a mission to share the amazing history of Britain so that we can appreciate where we have come from and why we are here.
History should not be stuffy or a long list of dates or kings & queens.
So rather than lectures or RU-vid animations, I tell stories that bring the past to life.
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Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Chris Green Communication Ltd t/a The History Chap. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Chris Green Communication Ltd does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.
11 сен 2024
