On this day, 550 years ago, the Battle of Towton is fought...

To complete my hatrick of “on this day” mini-series, I return again to the Wars of the Roses and in this instance, its showpiece, the Battle of Towton. I am speaking of an event that is beyond the current status of Jack Templeman novels, but rest assured, this battle, that took place on this day 550 years ago, was the focal point of the thirty-year conflict.

In essence, Edward Duke of York (who had already pronounced himself King several weeks previously and who would become King Edward VI) defeated Queen Margaret’s Lancastrians on a snow-capped field near Towton in North Yorkshire. Over one hundred thousand men fought in the ice-cold blizzards, making this the bloodiest and largest battle ever fought on English soil and mass graves are still being uncovered as testament to the severity of the bloodshed.

You have only to wait until book three to read about it…

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