BOSWORTH FIELD, BATTLE OF, a decisive battle fought on August 22, 1485, on ground i 2m. W. of Leicester, from which city King Richard III. moved out with his host. Its military insignificance is altogether disproportionate to its political results, which were to place the Tudor dynasty on the English throne and largely to aggrandize the autocracy of the Crown. Richard's usur pation and tyrannous acts incited many among the English nobility to support Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, in his claim to the Crown as heir in. the Lancastrian line. Richmond, who had fled to France, organized rebellion, and landed on August 7 at Milford Haven with a small group of friends and 5,800 mercenaries. This force was augmented as he marched through Wales; Shrewsbury opened its gates to him ; and he reached Atherstone, in Warwick shire, on August 20, by which time a considerable English con tingent had joined his banner. At the battle his army did not exceed 5,000 men. King Richard had thrice this strength in numbers, but the loyalty of his followers was questionable. The king arrayed his force on the gently rising slope of Ambion Hill, Leicestershire, in the customary three bodies, or "battles" Rich mond's army was drawn up in two divisions.
Although so greatly outnumbered, the earl attacked, confident of treachery in his enemy's ranks. A short march to circumvent a morass brought him upon the lower slope, where the first colli sion occurred. The earl of Northumberland, in command of the royalist left wing, held back when an advance should have taken place. The fate of the battle was decided by the defection from the royalist cause of Lord Stanley, who threw his retainers from Lancashire and Cheshire upon the king's flank and rear. All at tempts to keep an order of battle thereupon ended. Richard was advised to quit the field, but declared that he would die King of England, and, sighting Richmond's banner flying, he charged with maddened fury upon it, accompanied only by his bodyguard. He killed Sir William Blandon, Richmond's standard bearer, with a blow, unhorsed Sir John Cheney, and was said to have actually engaged Richmond himself, but being borne down by numbers his head was split open and his brains scattered. The golden crown that had fallen from his head was picked up in a gorse bush, and Sir William Stanley (Lord Stanley's brother) set it upon the victor's head, while the ranks loudly acclaimed Richmond as king. The victor's losses were less than zoo. The accepted estimate of I,000 as Richard's losses is probably exaggerated. Richmond was crowned at Westminster five weeks later as King Henry VII.
(W. G. B.)