The battle that killed the man who gave the Yorkist cause its name. Richard Duke of York sallied from Sandal Castle with a force smaller than the Lancastrian army surrounding him — why remains debated, possibly lured out under a truce, possibly running low on supplies. He was killed in the fighting; his son Edmund was killed fleeing. York's head, adorned with a paper crown, was displayed on the gates of York. His surviving son would become Edward IV and take revenge at Towton six weeks later.
Richard Duke of York, Earl of Salisbury, Edmund Earl of Rutland killed
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: EHB13.
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