Battle of Bosworth 1485

Bosworth Field was the site of one of the most pivotal battles in English history on 22 August 1485, ending the Wars of the Roses and the Plantagenet dynasty in a single afternoon. Richard III — the last English king to die in battle — was defeated by Henry Tudor, who took the crown as Henry VII and founded the Tudor dynasty that would produce Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. The battle's outcome hinged partly on betrayal: Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, withheld his forces from Richard at a critical moment. For centuries the exact battlefield location was disputed; archaeological surveys from 2005 onwards relocated it using evidence including lead cannonballs and a silver-gilt Bosworth Crown pendant. The site today is managed as a heritage landscape with walking trails and an interpretive centre displaying original finds from the battlefield.