Battle of Tewkesbury
The Battle of Tewkesbury, fought on May 4, 1471, was a pivotal confrontation in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars for control of the English throne. Following a victory at the Battle of Barnet, King Edward IV pursued the Lancastrian forces led by Queen Margaret and her son, Prince Edward, who had allied with Jasper Tudor. Edward IV's forces, numbering between 4,000 and 4,500, engaged the Lancastrians near Tewkesbury, who had around 3,000 troops. The battle featured a tactical maneuver where Richard, Duke of Gloucester, feigned a retreat to lure the Lancastrians into a vulnerable position. This led to a decisive attack that shattered the Lancastrian lines and resulted in significant casualties, including the death of Prince Edward. The outcome of Tewkesbury marked a critical turning point, effectively extinguishing the Lancastrian claim to the throne, despite the survival of their king, Henry VI, who was later killed. Edward IV's victory solidified his rule until his own death in 1483, shaping the future of the English monarchy.
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Battle of Tewkesbury
Type of action: Ground battle in the Wars of the Roses
Date: May 4, 1471
Location: Plain south of the town of Tewkesbury, on border of England and Wales
Combatants: 3,000 Lancastrians vs. 4,000-4,500 Yorkists
Principal commanders:Lancastrian, Edmund Beaufort, earl of Somerset (1439–1471); Yorkist, King Edward IV (1442–1483)
Result: Yorkist victory ends Lancastrian claims to English throne
After winning the Battle of Barnet in April, 1471, Edward IV with 4,000-4,500 troops pursued Lancastrian Queen Margaret and Edward, the Lancastrian prince of Wales. The Lancastrians linked up with forces under their ally, Jasper Tudor, to form an army of 3,000, which was caught by King Edward IV near Tewkesbury on the Severn River.
Edward IV attacked, with his brother Richard, the duke of Gloucester, first advancing, then pretending to retreat, luring Edmund Beaufort, the earl of Somerset, into an attack. Richard then assaulted Somerset’s flanks, and, when Lord Wenlock failed to send the reinforcements Somerset ordered, the Lancastrians fell back in disorder. In a rage, Somerset himself killed Wenlock with his battle mace.
Richard then shattered the Lancastrian center, and in the resulting pursuit, many Lancastrians were slain, even those seeking sanctuary in nearby Tewkesbury Abbey. As many as 2,000 Lancastrians were killed, among them Prince Edward. Yorkist losses, though unknown, were much less.
Significance
The Yorkist victory at Tewkesbury, and the death of Edward, the Lancastrian heir, effectively ended that family’s claim to the English throne. Although the Lancastrian king Henry VI remained alive, he was a Yorkist prisoner and was soon killed in the Tower of London. Edward IV would rule England until his death in 1483.
Bibliography
Lander, J. R. The Wars of the Roses. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1990.
Ross, Charles. The Wars of the Roses. London: Thames and Hudson, 1976.
Steward, Desmond. The Wars of the Roses. New York: Viking, 1995.
Weir, Alison. The Wars of the Roses. New York: Ballantine Books, 1995.