Bosworth stands alongside Naseby and Hastings as one of the three most iconic battles ever fought on English soil. The action on 22 August 1485 brought to an end the dynastic struggle known as the Wars of the Roses and heralded the dawn of the Tudor dynasty. However, Bosworth was also the most famous lost battlefield in England. Between 2005 and 2010, the techniques of battlefield archaeology were used in a major research program to locate the site.
Bosworth 1485: A Battlefield Rediscovered is the result. Using data from historical documents, landscape archaeology, metal detecting survey, ballistics and scientific analysis, the volume explores each aspect of the investigation – from the size of the armies, their weaponry, and the battlefield terrain to exciting new evidence of the early use of artillery – in order to identify where and how the fighting took place. Bosworth 1485 provides a fascinating and intricately researched new perspective on the event which, perhaps more than any other, marked the transition between medieval and early modern England.
1. A battlefield lost 2. The armies: an historical perspective 3. The battle: an historical perspective 4. The battlefield terrain 5. Surveying the battle archaeology 6. Interpreting the artefacts 7. Gunpowder weapons 8. A new perspective on the battle
Professor of History and Dean of Faculty of Humanities University of Southampton
"An excellent book describing a remarkable story."
~Tim Sutherland, Antiquity, 88 (2014)
"The first large, systematic survey of a complete medieval battlefield yet published, this is an important, pioneering book."
~Mike Pitts, British Archaeology, 133, December 2013
"It demonstrates quite clearly the value of historians and archaeologists working together to fill the gaps in our knowledge. The book also provides some fascinating insights into medieval battles. The patience and sheer determination of all involved is to be admired and applauded."
~Lynda Pidgeon, The Ricardian, XXIV (2014)
"This is a groundbreaking study and presents a convincing case for a methodology that could doubtless shed light on countless battlefields across medieval and Renaissance Europe and beyond."
~David Grummitt, University of Kent, Renaissance Quarterly, 67.3 (Fall 2014)
“[F]or anyone interested in warfare of any period, it deserves a place on your shelves.”
~The Medieval Review
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