kimerajamm
Joined: 28 Nov 2010
Posts: 785
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 Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 2:56 pm Post subject: Later historians |
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Learning of the encounter, Edward led the Yorkist main army to the bridge and was forced into a gruelling battle; although the Yorkists were superior in numbers, the narrow bridge was a bottleneck, forcing them to confront Clifford's men on equal terms. Edward sent Fauconberg and his horsemen to ford the river at another point and attack the Lancastrians from the side. The Lancastrians retreated but were chased to Dinting Dale and were all killed there; Clifford was slain by an arrow to his throat. Having cleared the immediate vicinity of enemy forces, the Yorkists repaired the bridge and pressed onwards to camp overnight at Sherburn-in-Elmet. The Lancastrian army marched to Tadcaster, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Towton, and made camp there.[15] As dawn broke on the next day, the two rival armies packed up their camps under dark skies and in strong winds.[16][17] Although it was Palm Sunday, a day of holy significance to Christians, the forces prepared for the battle ahead. As a result of this, a few documents named the engagement as the Battle of Palme Sonday Felde, but the name did not gain wide acceptance.[18] Popular opinion favoured naming the battle after the village of Towton because of the battlefield's proximity to the settlement, which was the most prominent in the area at that time.[19]
[edit] Force compositions
Contemporary sources declare that the two armies were huge,[20] stating that more than 100,000 men fought in the battle.[21] One of the sources, an account in William Gregory's Chronicle of London (15th century) by a soldier who had served in the Wars, claimed that the Yorkists had 200,000 soldiers, while the Lancastrian army had even more.[20] Later historians believe that these figures were exaggerated,[22] and that a figure of 50,000 is more likely.[22][23] Nevertheless, the armies gathered at Towton were among the largest at the time.[21] An analysis of skeletons found in a mass grave in 1996 showed that the soldiers came from all walks of life at that time; they were on average 30 years old, and several were veterans of previous engagements.[24] Many knights and noblemen, approximately three-quarters of the English peers at that time, fought in the battle.[23] Eight of them were sworn to the Yorkist cause whereas the Lancastrians had at least 19
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