Towton 1461: England's bloodiest battle (Campaign) [Paperback]

Christopher Gravett (Author), Graham Turner (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Campaign | Publication Date: April 20, 2003

On a bitterly cold Palm Sunday, 29 March 1461, the army of King Edward IV met that of his Lancastrian enemies on a snow-covered battlefield south of the village of Towton in Yorkshire. The struggle lasted all day in the longest and bloodiest battle of the Wars of the Roses (1455-1485). With the arrival of Yorkist reinforcements under the Duke of Norfolk, the Lancastrian line eventually broke and their troops fled, many being caught and slaughtered in the death trap known as ‘Bloody Meadow’. Christopher Gravett examines the campaign that marked the resurgence of the Yorkist cause and established Edward IV as king

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Highly visual guides to history's greatest conflicts, detailing the command strategies, tactics, and experiences of the opposing forces throughout each campaign, and concluding with a guide to the battlefields today.

About the Author

CHRISTOPHER GRAVETT is Senior Curator at the Royal Armouries and a recognised authority on the arms, armour and warfare of the medieval world. He has worked as an advisor for numerous television and film productions. His other Osprey titles include the three-volume analysis of the development of the English Medieval Knight, Warrior 35, 48 and 58, and Campaign 66 Bosworth 1485.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (April 20, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841765139
• ISBN-13: 978-1841765136
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.2 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #983,280 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Insight on 15th Century Warfare, April 29, 2003

By 

R. A Forczyk (MD, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Towton 1461: England's bloodiest battle (Campaign) (Paperback)

In Osprey Campaign #120, Towton 1461, English museum curator Christopher Gravett describes the bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil. While the battle itself is interesting, the campaign is set in the midst of the Wars of the Roses - a period of history that is confusing, complicated and murky. In large part, Gravett succeeds in bringing a tough subject to light and his summary is professional throughout.

Towton 1461 has a rather lengthy 9-page introduction, followed by somewhat brief sections on opposing commanders and forces. The campaign and battle narratives are adequately covered in 34 pages, supported by three 3-D "Birds Eye View" maps (all of the Battle of Towton in various phases) and five 2-D maps (England in 1460-1, the march to Towton, skirmish at Ferrybridge, final positions before battle and England after Towton). The volume also has four battle scenes by the talented artist, Graham Turner: the fight at Ferrybridge, the melee at Towton, the rout and the opening barrage. The final section, on the battle's aftermath in overly long at ten pages and includes and unusual discussion of modern examination of a gravesite on the battlefield. The section on the Battlefield Today and bibliography are decent.

Although any work on the Wars of the Roses is hindered by a paucity of detailed information, the author works through this deficiency rather well. He is somewhat less effective in explaining the complicated politics behind the campaign, and this subject virtually demands an appendix with capsule biographies on the major participants. The author's background as an authority on medieval arms and armor enables him to add considerable insight into his discussion of what 15th Century close combat was like at Towton. Furthermore, the Battle of Towton was rather unique in being a large-scale engagement fought amidst snow squalls.

In terms of military history, a study of Towton has relatively little to offer, since it was essentially a straight-up infantry on infantry fight until one side cracked. The leadership example of the young King Edward IV, who raced to join his troops in bucking up a crumbling flank, is interesting. Neither side made any egregious errors or did anything overly innovative, although each side employed a ruse or deceptive effort. Unlike many other battles of this period, cavalry only played a role in the pursuit phase, but the main battle was a pure infantry fight. While exact numbers are contentious, the author argues that about 45,000 troops from both sides fought in the battle and about 13,000 were killed in the space of a 6-hour battle, making Towton a very bloody day indeed.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Nice Account of the Battle, February 3, 2007

By 

Stephan Bullard "sgbullard" (Hartford, CT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Towton 1461: England's Bloodiest Battle (Praeger Illustrated Military History) (Hardcover)

This is another excellent addition to the Osprey Campaign Series. It describes Towton, a major engagement during the War of the Roses and one of the bloodiest battles to ever occur in England. During the introductory chapters the author provides a succinct background to the era and effectively introduces the reader to the major personalities and relevant events that led up to the campaign. This was especially helpful as I knew almost nothing about the War of the Roses, and had never heard of the Battle of Towton, before I read this book. The battle itself is particularly well described. One draw back (which is not really the authors fault) is that there is a fair amount of doubt about what actually happened. The few available primary accounts are vague and contradictory. However, the author does a great job of piecing together the available information and presenting the most plausible course of events. When several explanations are possible he describes all likely courses of action. Overall, this book should be a valuable addition to the library of anyone interested in medieval warfare or English history.

One particularly appealing aspect of the book is the inclusion of forensic evidence collected from grave pits at the battle site. Several very dramatic photographs are included that show incredible injuries to some of the battle participants; in one case a skull exhibits an ~1 inch square puncture wound possibly caused by a pollaxe, in another case the front of a skull has been crushed by a sword or axe. There is even a forensic reconstruction of the facial features of one solider based upon his skeletal remains. Thus, readers can almost literally look into the faces of soldiers that took part in this battle.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bloody Meadow, May 22, 2008

By 

J. Chippindale (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Towton 1461: England's bloodiest battle (Campaign) (Paperback)

I live not much more than a stone throw away from the battlefield of Towton and I don't know whether it is this fact or something else that has meant that I have always been fascinated by this battle above all others in the campaign called the War of the Roses. The area of the battlefield is relatively large and in the present day there is a cross at the side of the road that runs across the battlefield.

The Battle of Towton has been given the title of the Bloodiest Battle ever fought on English soil and there is no reason to doubt this. It was fought in atrocious conditions, in fact in the middle of a snow storm on palm Sunday and when the Yorkists finally routed the Ancestries a wave of slaughter spread over many miles. The beaten Lancastrians were followed back towards Tadcaster and York and many of them died in the `Cock beck' that bordered the battlefield.

The book is full of all the information necessesary to be able to get a vivid picture of what the battlefield was like at the time and to show how the opposing armies lined up their troops. It gives a detailed account of the battle, a battle that the Lancastrians appeared to winning until the Yorkists were re-inforced by more troops arriving and then the brutal and bloody rout that followed as the Lancastrians were chased from the field. The fighting was brutal and after the archers had done their bit, mainly hand to hand. There have been many skeletons unearthed from the many mass graves that littered the battlefield and some of the skulls have a square hole in them, a shape that suggests they had been pole axed. For anyone interested in battles in general and the battle of Towton in particular, it is a must read.