Well I have just finished reading 'Richard III and the Bosworth Campaign' by Peter Hammond and my initial feeling from reading the book is that Richard really went out in a blaze of glory. It's interesting to think what drives a man when he has lost his wife and child. Not only had he lost his own family but his three brothers and his father as well. I suppose it was a sign of the times and we shouldn't put twenty first century ideas in the minds and bodies of those living and fighting at the end of the fifteenth century. Being a converted Ricardian I feel a sense of 'what if.' I think it was a sad loss for England. Richard had tried to establish so many positive steps in his short reign. His downfall was that he was not his brother, the late King Edward IV.
My next book to read is 'The Red Rose and the White' by John Sadler. The book promises to give a comprehensive account of the campaigns, battles and sieges of the conflict and it also discusses the men involved, the tactics they employed and the weapons used.
Have you read Michael K. Jones, Bosworth 1485: Psychology of a Battle? I think it's the best account of the battle and the point about the importance of the French mercenaries is a really important one. Remember these hardened veterans, armed with pikes, made a big difference when meeting Richard's last charge.
ReplyDeleteI heartily agree with you. Henry had a very capable general in the Earl of Oxford and to be fair his army had had the time and opportunity to live together for a number of weeks prior to the battle. Factor in that they were professional soldiers and fought in a continental style Rivhard would have been quite surprised by their determination and abilities. If they hadn't had held up his charge for as long as they did before the arrival of William Stanley there may have been a different outcome to the battle.
ReplyDeleteI've got to agree about M.Jones book. It's a very interesting read indeed.
ReplyDeleteA view from another perspective is always usefull. He write a paper on the Battle of Verneuil that heavily influenced me when I was thinking of how to put together the Verneuil game we did at Salute in 2011.
darrell.
With my birthday arriving very shortly I'll put ithat book down on my list, see if I cannot get a family member to get it for me.
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