THE BATTLE OF TEWKESBURY
The Battle of Tewkesbury, which took place on 4th May 1471, was one of the most decisive battles of the Wars of the Roses, in England.
King Edward IV and his forces loyal to the House of York completely defeated those of the rival House of Lancaster.
As the morning of the 4th May dawned, the two sides lined up for battle.
Edward IV led the Yorks, while the Duke of Somerset with Edward of Lancaster~Prince of Wales led the Lancastrians.
Despite their loss at Barnet, the Lancastrians had regained enough men to slightly outnumber the Yorkists, but this wasn’t to help them in the end.
Somerset and his men were attacked by Edward IV’s hidden spearman, waiting in the woodland.
The Lancastrians tried to flee, but they were sandwiched between different wings of the Yorkist army.
They were herded into a narrow strip of field, that is still today called the Bloody Meadow.
Many that survived the meadow, found themselves drowning in the River Swilgate.
Those that managed to escape, including Somerset himself, claimed sanctuary at Tewkesbury Abbey.
This would not save them.
Edward IV had the men dragged out of sanctuary.
This caused so much blood to be shed, that the abbey had to be reconsecrated.
Days after, they were put on trial and exEcuted in the centre of Tewkesbury, before being buried without markers in the abbey.
Meanwhile, what happened to Edward of Lancaster, the 17-year-old Prince of Wales, it is still unclear.
One thing is certain, he died that day.
But history does not definitively say how.
Some claims say that he was cut down while fleeing, possibly amidst the chaos of Bloody Meadow.
Others say he was captured by Edward IV, then was summarily exEcuted on the orders of the victorious king.
However it happened, Edward of Lancaster ended his days in a small West Country town, buried in a lowly abbey, although he does at least have a plaque.
He remains the only heir to the English throne to die in battle.
Edward IV had not only won both battles, he had won the war. Margaret of Anjou was found at Little Malvern Priory and was dragged back to London.
Henry VI, already under Edward IV’s care, would find himself dying as soon as the Yorkist king arrived in the capital.
The only direct heir to the throne was dead, and almost everyone further down the line was as well.
In effect, Edward IV had wiped at the Lancastrian dynasty.
That would have been the end of the Wars of the Roses, if he hadn’t died twelve years later, leaving the throne to his 12-year-old son ~ and starting the political turmoil all over again…….
