BattlefieldsSomerset Last Stand and Tewkesbury Fight 1471
Medieval

Somerset Last Stand and Tewkesbury Fight 1471

1471
Gloucestershire, England
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Gloucestershire, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Somerset (Lancastrians)
Forces
Edward IV with approximately 8000 to 9000 Yorkists
VS
Victor
Edward IV (Yorkists)
Forces
Somerset with approximately 6000 Lancastrians
Outcome
Somerset executed; Beaufort male line extinguished; Lancastrian cause militarily destroyed; Henry VI murdered shortly after
The Battle

History & Significance

Edmund Beaufort Duke of Somerset commanded the Lancastrian army at Tewkesbury on 4 May 1471 and ordered the disastrous advance from the defensive position behind the Swilgate and hedges. The Yorkist force under Edward IV, Gloucester and Clarence overwhelmed the Lancastrian force in detail. Somerset was captured, tried and beheaded. His death ended the Beaufort male line.

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