Battle of Tewkesbury

On May 4, 1471, at the Battle of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, the final battle between the Houses of Lancaster and York took place. The Prince of Wales, Edward of Westminster was killed, and King Edward IV was restored to his throne. It restored the political stability of England until his death in 1483. Here is the short introduction to the article:

"Battle of Tewkesbury

Final defeat of the Lancastrians on 4th May 1471, with the death of Edward Prince of Wales and the murder in the Tower of King Henry VI, leaving the Yorkist King Edward IV free to continue his reign unopposed

The previous battle in the Wars of the Roses is the Battle of Barnet

The next battle in the Wars of the Roses is the Battle of Bosworth Field

Battle: Tewkesbury

War: Wars of the Roses

Date of the Battle of Tewkesbury: 4th May 1461

Place of the Battle of Tewkesbury: At Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire on the River Severn, near to the border of England and Wales

Combatants at the Battle of Tewkesbury: Lancastrians against the Yorkists

Commanders at the Battle of Tewkesbury:

The Duke of Somerset, Lord Wenlock and the Earl of Devonshire commanded the Lancastrian army, under the nominal leadership of Edward, Prince of Wales, son of the Lancastrian King Henry VI.

King Edward IV, with his brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later King Richard III) and Lord Hastings, commanded the Yorkist army.

Size of the armies at the Battle of Tewkesbury: The Lancastrian army probably comprised some 6,000 men; the Yorkist army some 5,000 men.

Winner of the Battle of Tewkesbury: The Yorkists, decisively.

Uniforms, arms and equipment at the Battle of Tewkesbury: The commanders and their noble supporters and knights rode to battle on horseback, in armour, with sword, lance and shield.

Their immediate entourage comprised mounted men-at-arms, in armour and armed with sword, lance and shield, although often fighting on foot.

Both armies relied upon strong forces of longbowmen.

Handheld firearms were beginning to appear on the battlefield but were still unreliable and dangerous to discharge.

Artillery, although widely used in warfare, was heavy, cumbersome and difficult to move and fire.

Both sides possessed artillery. Some of the Lancastrian cannon were taken by a raiding party from the Gloucester garrison.

The Yorkist artillery was the larger and the better served.

The end of the Hundred Years War caused numbers of English and Welsh men-at-arms and archers to return to their home countries from France. The wealthier English and Welsh nobles were able to recruit companies of disciplined armed retainers from these veterans, forming the backbone of their field armies."