BattlefieldsBattle of Stoke Field (1487)
Medieval

Battle of Stoke Field (1487)

1487
Nottinghamshire, England
Also known as: Battle of East Stoke · Stoke Field
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Nottinghamshire, England
Status
Registered · EHB19
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Yorkist pretenders (Lambert Simnel / Lovell / Schwartz)
Forces
c.8,000 Simnel rebels with German Landsknecht mercenaries
VS
Victor
Royalists (Henry VII)
Forces
c.8,000 Royalists
Outcome
Decisive Tudor victory; last battle of the Wars of the Roses
The Battle

History & Significance

Stoke Field — not Bosworth — was the true final battle of the Wars of the Roses, though history often overlooks it. Lambert Simnel, the ten-year-old pretender crowned "Edward VI" in Dublin, led a force of Irish kerne and German mercenaries under Martin Schwartz. They fought bravely but were destroyed. Simnel was captured and, in Henry VII's characteristic clemency, set to work in the royal kitchens. Lord Lovell vanished — legend says he walled himself into a room at Minster Lovell and starved.

Casualties & Losses

c.4,000 rebel dead including Schwartz

Registered Historic Battlefield

This battlefield is listed on the Register of Historic Battlefields — a national designation identifying Britain's most significant battle sites for protection and further research. Reference: EHB19.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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