Map of the Battles

On this map of the battles of the Wars of the Roses click on a label to take you to a brief summary of that battle in the table below.

This link, will take you to a more detailed description of each of these battles. Each battle has its own further reading list in addition to the extensive bibliography for the Wars of the Roses.

Note that the Wars of the Roses battles all took place within England between 1455 and 1487. The initial driving force was the loss of all the Plantagenet land in France, some held since the mid-12th century (Henry II and Queen Eleanor), some lost and then recovered by Edward III and Henry V, but all lost by 1453 under the nominal kingship of Henry VI.

A blame game between the most senior English nobles erupted into violence at St Albans (1455) and was temporarily settled at Towton (1461) by the almost complete destruction of a Lancastrian army.

The first Yorkist King, Edward IV, ruled over a kind of peace but after being deposed (1470) he came back with a vengeance and utterly destroyed Lancastrian hopes in two decisive battles within a three week period of military manoeuvres: Barnet and Tewkesbury (1471).

The second and last Yorkist King, Richard III, faced one rebellion very early in his reign but this came to nothing. The next major battle (Bosworth, 1485) ended his reign and is traditionally regarded as the end of the medieval period in English history. His successor, Henry VII, faced a number of threats to his reign and the last major conflict at Stoke (1487) is generally regarded as the last battle in the Wars of the Roses.

This map of the battles was created for the Richard III Society.

Battle re-enactors walking on grass while visitors watch.
Battle re-enactors at Barnet: 2019 Matthew D Crosby Photographics

Barnet St Albans Tewkesbury Edgecote Mortimers Cross Ludford Northampton Bosworth Losecote Blore Heath Stoke Wakefield Towton Hexham Hedgeley Moor

BattleYorkLancasterVictor
The 1st Battle of St Albans
Date: 22 May 1455
Battle site: Fought in the town of St Albans, Hertfordshire.
Leaders in battle: Duke of York • Earl of Warwick

Casualties: c. 100 men in total		Leaders in battle: King Henry VI • Duke of Buckingham • Duke of Somerset • Earl of Northumberland • Lord Clifford

Casualties: Duke of Somerset • Earl of Northumberland • Earl of Dorset • Lord Clifford		York
The Battle of Blore Heath
Date: 23 September 1459
Battle site: Site crosses A53, Newcastle-under-Lyme to Market Drayton road, about 3 miles east of the latter, Staffordshire.
Leaders in battle: Earl of Salisbury

Casualties: Yorkist casualties minimal		Leaders in battle: Lord Audley • Lord Dudley

Casualties: Lord Audley • Sir William Troutbeck • Sir Hugh Venables • Sir John Donne • c. 2000 Lancastrians		York
The Rout of Ludford Bridge
Date: 12 October 1459 - 13 October 1459
Battle site: South of Ludlow, bridge crossing the River Teme, Shropshire.
Leaders in battle: Duke of York • Earl of Salisbury • Earl of Warwick • Earl of March • Earl of Rutland

Casualties: None		Leaders in battle: King Henry VI • Duke of BuckinghamLancaster
The Battle of Northampton
Date: 10 July 1460
Battle site: Immediately south-east of Northampton and north of Delapré Abbey.
Leaders in battle: Earl of Warwick • Earl of March

Casualties: c. 300 men in total		Leaders in battle: King Henry VI • Duke of Buckingham • Earl of Shrewsbury • Lord Grey of Ruthyn

Casualties: Duke of Buckingham • Earl of Shrewsbury • Lord Egremont • Lord Beaumont		York
The Battle of Wakefield
Date: 30 December 1460
Battle site: Sandal, about 1.5 miles south-east of Wakefield, West Yorkshire.
Leaders in battle: Duke of York • Earl of Salisbury • Earl of Rutland

Casualties: Duke of York • Earl of Salisbury (ex) • Earl of Rutland • Sir Thomas Neville • Sir Thomas Harrington • Sir Thomas Parre • Sir Hugh Mortimer • Sir John Mortimer		Leaders in battle: Duke of Somerse • Earl of Northumberland • Earl of Devon • Lord Clifford • Lord RoosLancaster
The Battle of Mortimer's Cross
Date: 2 February 1461 or 3 February 1461
Battle site: Approx. 4.5 miles north-west of Leominster, Hereford & Worcester, to the right of the A4410.
Leaders in battle: Earl of March • Sir William Hastings • Sir William Herbert • Walter DevereuxLeaders in battle: Earl of Pembroke • Earl of Wiltshire • Owen Tudor • Sir John Throckmorton

Casualties: Owen Tudor (ex) • Sir John Throckmorton (ex)		York
The 2nd Battle of St Albans
Date: 17 February 1461
Battle site: The town of St Albans, Barnard's Heath and Sandridge, Hertfordshire.
Leaders in battle: Earl of Warwick • Earl of Arundel • Duke of Norfolk • Lord Montagu

Casualties: Lord Bonville (ex) • Sir Thomas Kyriell (ex)		Leaders in battle: Queen Margaret • Duke of SomersetLancaster
The Battle of Towton & Ferrybridge
Date: 28 March 1461 - 29 March 1461
Towton Battle site: Between Towton and Saxton to the right of the B1217, North Yorkshire.
Leaders in battle: King Edward IV • Duke of Norfolk • Earl of Warwick • Lord Fauconberg

Casualties: Lord Fitzwalter		Leaders in battle: Duke of Somerset • Earl of Northumberland • Lord Clifford

Casualties: Earl of Northumberland • Earl of Devon (ex) • Earl of Wiltshire (ex) • Lord Clifford • Lord Dacre • Sir Andrew Trollope		York
The Battle of Hedgeley Moor
Date: 25 April 1464
Battle site: Approximately 6 miles south-east of Wooler, Northumberland.
Leaders in battle: John Neville • Marquess MontagueLeaders in battle: Duke of Somerset • Lord Roos • Lord Hungerford • Sir Ralph Percy

Casualties: Sir Ralph Percy		York
The Battle of Hexham
Date: 15 May 1464
Battle site: OS site known as Hexham Levels is 2 miles south-east of Hexham, Northumberland. Alternative site about one mile north-east near Swallowship Hill.
Leaders in battle: John Neville, Marquess MontaguLeaders in battle: Duke of Somerset • Lord Roos • Lord Hungerford

Casualties: Duke of Somerset (ex) • Lord Roos (ex) • Lord Hungerford (ex) • Sir Philip Wentworth • Sir William Tailboys		York
The Battle of Edgecote
Date: 26 July 1469
Battle site: Site known as Danes Moor south-east of Edgecote which is 5.5 miles north-east of Banbury, Oxfordshire.
Leaders in battle: Earl of Pembroke • Earl of Devon • Sir Richard Herbert

Casualties: Sir Thomas Vaughan • Earl of Pembroke (ex) • Earl of Devon (ex) • Sir Richard Herbert (ex)		Leaders in battle: 'Robin of Redesdale' • Sir Henry Neville

Casualties: Sir Henry Neville		Lancaster
The Battle of Empingham, also known as The Battle of Losecote Field
Date: 12 March 1470
Battle site: 2.5 miles north-east of Empingham, Rutland and just east of the Great North Road (A1).
Leaders in battle: King Edward IV
Leaders in battle: Sir Robert Welles • Sir Thomas de Launde • Richard Wauren

Casualties: Sir Robert Welles (ex) • Sir Thomas de Launde (ex) • Richard Wauren (ex)		York
The Battle of Barnet
Date: 14 April 1471
Battle site: Close to Hadley Wood about 1 mile north-east of Barnet, formerly in Middlesex.
Leaders in battle: King Edward IV • Duke of Gloucester • Duke of Clarence • Sir William Hastings

Casualties: Lord Say and Sele		Leaders in battle: Earl of Warwick • Earl of Oxford • Marquess of Montagu

Casualties: Earl of Warwick • Marquess of Montagu • Lord Cromwell • Sir Humphrey Bourchier		York
The Battle of Tewkesbury
Date: 4 May 1471
Battle site: About 0.5 miles south of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.
Leaders in battle: King Edward IV • Duke of Gloucester • Duke of Clarence • Sir William HastingsLeaders in battle: Edward Prince of Wales • Duke of Somerset

Casualties: Edward Prince of Wales • Duke of Somerset (ex) • Earl of Devon • Lord Wenlock • John Beaufort • Sir John Delves • Sir Robert Whittinhgham		York
The Battle of Bosworth
Date: 22 August 1485
Battle site: Traditional site about 4.5 miles north-west of Hinckley between the villages of Sutton Cheney and Shenton, Leicestershire.
Leaders in battle: King Richard III • Duke of Norfolk • Earl of Northumberland

Casualties: King Richard III • Duke of Norfolk • William Catesby (ex) • Sir Richard Radcliffe • Sir Richard Brackenbury • Sir Robert Percy		Leaders in battle: Henry Tudor • Earl of Richmond • Earl of Oxford • Jasper Tudor • Lord Stanley • Sir William Stanley

Casualties: William Brandon		Lancaster
The Battle of Stoke
Date: 16 June 1487
Battle site: East Stoke 5 miles south-west of Newark, Nottinghamshire.
Leaders in battle: Earl of Lincoln • Martin Schwartz • Thomas FitzGerald •

Casualties: Earl of Lincoln • Martin Schwartz • Thomas FitzGerald		Leaders in battle: King Henry VII • Earl of Oxford • Lord StrangeLancaster