‘On Palme Sonday he wan the palme of glorye,
And put his enemyes to endelez languor.’
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The Battle of Towton
‘…Boardman has an unrivalled knowledge of the ground and the record, such as it is, of the battle fought there…' - The Times Higher Educational Supplement
‘…an admirably comprehensive account…’ - Yorkshire Post
On Palm Sunday 1461 a ruthless and bitterly contested battle was fought by two massive medieval armies on an exposed Yorkshire plateau for the prize of the crown of England. This singular battle in the Wars of the Roses has acquired the auspicious title of the longest, biggest and bloodiest battle ever fought on British soil.
But what drove the contending armies of York and Lancaster to fight at Towton and what is the truth behind the legends about this terrible encounter, where contemporaries record that rivers ran red with blood? Andrew Boardman answers these questions and many more in a fascinating account which brings the reality of the battlefield to life. Every aspect of the battle and its context is covered, from the political and dynastic causes and effects to the military tactics and the topography of the battlefield.
Illustrated throughout with contemporary drawings and paintings, modern photographs and detailed maps and plans, this book is an unrivalled and invaluable account of the harrowing and brutal battle which led to the coronation of Edward of March the first Yorkist king of England.
First published by Alan Sutton Publishing Ltd 1994
ISBN 0-7509-0771-1
Paperback edition by Sutton Publishing Ltd 1996
ISBN 0-7509-1245-6
Pocket paperback edition (not illustrated) by Sutton Publishing Ltd 2000
ISBN 0-7509-2479-9
Available at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/-Battle-Towton/dp/0750924799/sr=8-4/qid=1156868401/ref=sr_1_4/202-0066603-1030211?ie=UTF8&s=gateway
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‘Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths,
Our bruised arms hung up for monuments.’
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The Medieval Soldier in the Wars of the Roses
What did a Wars of the Roses battle look like and how was it fought once both sides had finally resorted to all-out conflict? What did noble and commoner think about killing their fellow Englishman? How were the fighting men recruited and where were they billeted? How much were they paid? What sort of weapons did they use and how? What were the tactics employed in the Wars of the Roses and what was the fate of the soldier after a battle had been fought?
In this revealing study of the medieval soldier Andrew Boardman uses a variety of documentary sources to answer these and other questions. Eyewitness accounts of the men who fought as captains, archers, artillerymen, billmen, men-at-arms and cavalry – both in England and abroad – are used to paint a vivid picture of fifteenth-century conflict in all its confusion and violence.
Important new evidence gleaned from a mass grave discovered close to the battlefield at Towton in North Yorkshire adds further authority to this study and sheds new light on the kind of men who fought the Wars of the Roses. The informative text is fully supported by a selection of contemporary illustrations and diagrams which together make The Medieval Soldier and indispensable guide to medieval soldiering.
Published by Sutton Publishing Ltd 1998
ISBN 0-7509-1465-3
Available at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/-Medieval-Soldier-Men-Who-Fought-Wars-Roses/dp/0750914653/sr=8-21/qid=1156868664/ref=sr_1_21/202-0066603-1030211?ie=UTF8&s=gateway |
‘…and by his light did all the chivalry of England move to do brave acts.
He was indeed the glass wherein the noble youth did dress themselves.’
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Hotspur: Henry Percy Medieval Rebel
‘If you like the end of the fourteenth century, and want to understand the code of chivalry as it was lived during that time, this book should be in your hands!’ - Medieval History
Henry Percy –‘Hotspur’- has become an almost legendary character. Immortalised by Shakespeare in Henry IV, he is seen as the archetypal anti-hero – the chivalrous medieval rebel who challenged Henry IV. In this first full-length account of Hotspur’s life, Andrew Boardman reveals the real Henry Percy – his background, his overbearing family and the rise to fame which brought him into direct confrontation with the king.
Henry Percy was probably born at Spofforth Castle, North Yorkshire, in 1364, to the powerful Percy family, who were major landowners in the north, second only to the Duchy of Lancaster. Brought up in an atmosphere of ambition and greed, knighted in 1377 and in his first battle at the age of fourteen, Hotspur was trained in arms from an early age and followed a chivalrous but warlike code of honour. This mixture of blind ambition and chivalric idealism shaped and drove the young Henry Percy through an eventful life of sieges, pitched battles, Scottish border raiding, treachery and shifting alliances.The contemporary of such well-known figures as Richard II, John of Gaunt, Owain Glyndwr and the Black Douglases, Hotspur’s exploits came to a disastrous end at the battle of Shrewsbury in 1403 where longbow was used against longbow and Henry IV almost lost his throne.
With new historical perspectives on three of the most important battles of the period – Otterburn, Homildon Hill and Shrewsbury – Hotspur is not only an invaluable military biography of one of the most enigmatic figures of the time, but also a study of one of the most turbulent periods in medieval English history.
Published by Sutton Publishing Ltd 2003
ISBN 0-7509-2878-6 |
‘I saw a man fall with his brains beaten out, another with his throat cut, a third with a stab wound to his chest, while the whole street was strewn with corpses.’
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The First Battle of St Albans 1455
‘Anyone with the smallest interest in the history of our city should read The First Battle of St Albans...' - St Albans Observer
'This is a thorough re-examination of the sources, terrain, and their interpretation'. - Michael Hicks, BBC History Magazine
For many years the battle of Bosworth was traditionally regarded as the final encounter of the Wars of the Roses. However, today most historians agree that the final pitched battle of the wars was fought at Stoke Field in 1487. So if the battle of Stoke signified the end of the conflict where did York and Lancaster first cross swords?
Contrary to popular opinion, the first battle of St Albans was an extremely significant event in England’s medieval history. Not only did it mark the beginning of the Wars of the Roses, but it also proclaimed the start of an intense family blood feud which fuelled the wars over many generations to come. Indeed, the great vendetta pursued by the great northern families of Neville and Percy in the second half of the fifteenth century was instigated in the streets of St Albans.
What prompted Richard of York to take up arms in the first place? What remains of the medieval town today? Where did the main action take place? How was the murder of leading nobles covered up after the battle? Andrew Boardman answers these tantalising questions and discusses other misinterpreted theories about the first battle of St Albans: a battle of the Wars of the Roses where the streets ran red with blood.
Published by Tempus Publishing Ltd 2006
ISBN 0-7524-2983-3
Available online |
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