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The Battle of Tewkesbury, 4th May 1471 by Graham Turner.
Fresh from his victory at the battle of Barnet, the Yorkist King, Edward IV, marched his forces from London to intercept those of Margaret of Anjou (wife of the Lancastrian Henry VI) and her son, Prince Edward, who had landed at Weymouth and were heading for Wales where supporters awaited them. Denied entry to Gloucester and its bridge over the River Severn, Margaret was forced to march her exhausted army to the next crossing point - at Tewkesbury. Here, with the Royal army hard on their heels and insufficient time to cross the river, they turned to confront their pursuers, the two armies meeting on the 4th May 1471. Following a heavy bombardment from the Kings artillery, Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, led the Lancastrian right wing through the deep ditches and hedges that intersected the battlefield and attacked the Yorkist left, under the command of Edwards younger brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester. However, the other Lancastrian divisions failed to support the attack and Somersets men were soon outflanked and routed, the rest of Margarets army disintegrating in defeat. Edward IVs victory at the battle of Tewkesbury and the subsequent death of Henry VI in the Tower of London shortly afterwards, secured the throne for the remaining twelve years of Edwards life. |
