Osprey Campaign 120 : Towton 1461 : England's Bloodiest Battle

On a bitterly cold Palm Sunday, 29 March 1461, the army of King Edward IV met that of his Lancastrian enemies on a snow-covered battlefield south of the village of Towton in Yorkshire. The struggle lasted all day in the longest and bloodiest battle of the Wars of the Roses. With the arrival of Yorkist reinforcements under the Duke of Norfolk, the Lancastrian line eventually broke and their troops fled, many being caught and slaughtered in the death trap known as 'Bloody Meadow'. Christopher Gravett examines the campaign that marked the resurgence of the Yorkist cause and established Edward IV as King. Text by Christopher Gravett with illustrations by Graham Turner.

Contents

• Introduction
• Chronology
• Origins of the Campaign
• The Commanders
• Opposing Forces
• The March to Towton
• The Battle
• Aftermath
• The Grave Pits
• The Battlefield Today
• Further Reading
• Index