BattlefieldsBattle of Mortimer's Cross
Medieval

Battle of Mortimer's Cross

1461
Herefordshire, England
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Herefordshire, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Lancastrians (Pembroke / Wiltshire)
Forces
c. 3,500–5,500 Lancastrians (pitched battle)
VS
Victor
Yorkists (Edward, Earl of March)
Forces
c. 4,000–6,000 Yorkists
Outcome
Decisive Yorkist victory; helped Edward IV claim throne
The Battle

History & Significance

Edward of March, barely eighteen years old, witnessed a parhelion (three suns in the sky) before the battle and used it to inspire his troops — it became the Yorkist symbol of the Sun in Splendour. He then destroyed a Lancastrian force including Jasper Tudor's Welsh contingent. The captured Lancastrian leaders were executed at Hereford. This victory, combined with Towton weeks later, made Edward IV king.

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