BOSWORTH 1485

◗ Christopher Gravett

◗ Osprey (2021)

◗ £15.99

◗ 96 pages (softback)

◗ ISBN:9781472843418

◗ ospreypublishing.com

Richard III must surely be one of the most enigmatic of English kings – a foul murderer, or a victim of circumstance?

The author combines expertise on armour and weapons, with learned research of chronicles and the battlefield itself. Like so many British battles up to and including the English Civil War, the details are lost in history. Only recently has the battlefield been properly located, but we don’t know the dispositions, including for example the number of divisions in Richard’s army or their alignment: the author favours two wings and no central division, aligned northsouth, facing a single large division on Henry’s side, with the two Stanleys to the south (now there’s a couple of wargame allies you could do without...).

You find yourself both admiring and querying Richard’s tactical nous (and he was a widely-respected commander): his left wing, and artillery, were secure behind a marsh, but it also hampered any advance or any lateral movement to support his right wing...

This is an intriguing account of the battle and also the personalities and conspiracies: a fine read.