Battle of Stoke Field in the War of the Roses

Battle of Stoke Field in the War of the Roses Battle of Stoke Field: Conflict Date: The Battle of Stoke Field was fought on June 16, 1487, and was the last engagement of the Wars of the Roses (1455-1485). Armies Commanders House of Lancaster King Henry VIIEarl of Oxford12,000 men House of York/Tudor John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln8,000 men Battle of Stoke Field - Background: Though Henry VII was crowned King of England in 1485, his and the Lancastrian hold on power remained somewhat tenuous as several Yorkist factions continued plot ways to regain the throne. The strongest male claimant from the Yorkist dynasty was the twelve-year old Edward, Earl of Warwick. Captured by Henry, Edward was kept confined at the Tower of London. Around this time, a priest named Richard Simmons (or Roger Simons) discovered a young boy named Lambert Simnel who bore a strong resemblance to Richard, Duke of York, son of King Edward IV, and the younger of the vanished Princes in the Tower. Battle of Stoke Field - Training an Impostor: Educating the boy in courtly manners, Simmons intended to present Simnel as Richard with the goal of having him crowned king. Moving forward, he soon changed his plans after hearing rumors that Edward had died during his imprisonment in the Tower. Spreading rumors that young Warwick had actually escaped from London, he planned to present Simnel as Edward. In doing so, he garnered support from several Yorkists including John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln. Though Lincoln had reconciled with Henry, he had a claim to the throne and had been designated the royal heir by Richard III before his death. Battle of Stoke Field - The Plan Evolves: Lincoln most likely knew that Simnel was an imposter, but the boy provided an opportunity to unseat Henry and exact revenge. Leaving the English court on March 19, 1487, Lincoln traveled to Mechelen where he met with his aunt, Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy. Supporting Lincolns plan, Margaret provided financial backing as well as around 1,500 German mercenaries led by the veteran commander Martin Schwartz. Joined by a number of Richard IIIs former supporters, including Lord Lovell, Lincoln sailed for Ireland with his troops. There he met Simmons who had earlier traveled to Ireland with Simnel. Presenting the boy to the Lord Deputy of Ireland, the Earl of Kildare, they were able to secure his backing as Yorkist sentiment in Ireland was strong. To bolster support, Simnel was crowned King Edward VI at Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin on May 24, 1487. Working with Sir Thomas Fitzgerald, Lincoln was able to recruit around 4,500 lightly armed Irish mercenaries for his army. Aware of Lincolns activities and that Simnel was being advanced as Edward, Henry had the young boy taken from the Tower and publicly shown around London. Battle of Stoke Field -Â  The Yorkist Army Forms: Crossing to England, Lincolns forces landed at Furness, Lancashire on June 4. Met by several nobles led by Sir Thomas Broughton, the Yorkist army swelled to around 8,000 men. Marching hard, Lincoln covered 200 miles in fives days, with Lovell defeating a small royal force at Branham Moor on June 10. After largely evading Henrys northern army led by the Earl of Northumberland, Lincoln reached Doncaster. Here Lancastrian cavalry under Lord Scales fought a three-day delaying action through Sherwood Forest. Assembling his army at Kenilworth, Henry began moving against the rebels. Battle of Stoke Field - Battle is Joined: Learning that Lincoln had crossed the Trent, Henry began moving east towards Newark on June 15. Crossing the river, Lincoln encamped for the night on high ground near Stoke in a position that had the river on three sides. Early on June 16, the vanguard of Henrys army, led by the Earl of Oxford, arrived on the battlefield to find Lincolns army forming on the heights. In position by 9:00 AM, Oxford elected to open fire with his archers rather than wait for Henry to arrive with the rest of the army. Showering the Yorkists with arrows, Oxfords archers began to inflict heavy casualties on Lincolns lightly armored men. Faced with the choice of abandoning the high ground or continuing to lose men to the archers, Lincoln ordered his troops to charge forward with the goal of crushing Oxford before Henry reached the field. Striking Oxfords lines, the Yorkists had some early success but the tide began to turn as the better armor and weapons of the Lancastrians began to tell. Fighting for three hours, the battle was decided by a counterattack launched by Oxford. Shattering the Yorkist lines, many of Lincolns men fled with only Schwartzs mercenaries fighting until the end. In the fighting, Lincoln, Fitzgerald, Broughton, and Schwartz were killed while Lovell fled across the river and was never seen again. Battle of Stoke Field - Aftermath: The Battle of Stoke Field cost Henry around 3,000 killed and wounded while the Yorkists lost around 4,000. In addition, many surviving English and Irish Yorkist troops were captured and hung. Other captured Yorkists were given clemency and escaped with fines and attainders against their property. Among those captured after the battle was Simnel. Recognizing that the boy was a pawn in the Yorkist scheme, Henry pardoned Simnel and gave him a job in the royal kitchens. The Battle of Stoke Field effectively ended the Wars of the Roses securing Henrys throne and the new Tudor dynasty. Selected Sources UK Battlefield Resources Centre: Battle of Stoke FieldTudor Place: Battle of StokeWars of the Roses: Battle of Stoke

Plot and Themes of J.R.R. Tolkiens Book The Hobbit

Plot and Themes of J.R.R. Tolkien's Book 'The Hobbit' The Hobbit: Or, There and Back Again was written by J.R.R. Tolkien as a childrens book and first published in Great Britain in 1937 by George Allen Unwin. It was published just before the outbreak of WWII in Europe, and the book acts as a prologue of sorts for the great trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. While it was originally conceived as a book for children, it has been accepted as a great work of literature in its own right. While The Hobbit was by no means the first fantasy novel, it was among the first to combine influences from multiple sources. Elements of the book draw from Norse mythology, classic fairy tales, Jewish literature, and the works of 19th century Victorian childrens authors such as George MacDonald (author The Princess and the Goblin, among others). The book also experiments with a variety of literary techniques including forms of epic poetry and song. Setting The novel takes place in the fictional land of Middle Earth, a complex fantasy world which Tolkien developed in detail. The book contains carefully drawn maps showing various parts of Middle Earth including the peaceful and fertile Shire, the Mines of Moria, the Lonely Mountain, and Mirkwood Forest. Each area of Middle Earth has its own history, characters, qualities, and significance. Main Characters The characters in The Hobbit include a wide range of fantasy creatures, most drawn from classical fairy tales and mythology. The hobbits themselves, however, are Tolkiens own creation. Small, home-loving people, hobbits are also called halflings. They are very similar to small human beings except for their very large feet. Some of the main characters in the book include: Bilbo Baggins, a quiet, unassuming Hobbit and the protagonist of the story.Gandalf, a wizard who initiates Bilbo’s journey with the dwarves. Gandalf causes Bilbo to set aside his reputation for cautious respectability and go on an adventure that will change the hobbit forever.Thorin Oakenshield, the leader of a group of 13 dwarves who wish to recover a treasure horde stolen by a dragon.Elrond, a wise leader of the elves.Gollum, a once-human creature who found and is governed by a great ring of power.Smaug, the dragon and antagonist of the story. Plot and Storyline The story of The Hobbit begins in the Shire, land of the hobbits. The Shire is similar to a pastoral English countryside, and the hobbits are represented as quiet, agricultural people who shun adventure and travel. Bilbo Baggins, the protagonist of the story, is surprised to find himself hosting a group of dwarves and the great wizard, Gandalf. The group has decided that now is the right time to journey to the Lonely Mountain, where they will retake the dwarves treasure from the dragon, Smaug. They have nominated Bilbo to join the expedition as their burglar. Though initially reluctant, Bilbo agrees to join the group, and they head off far from the Shire into the increasingly dangerous sections of Middle Earth. Along the journey, Bilbo and his company meet up with a wide range of creatures both beautiful and terrible. As he is tested, Bilbo discovers his own inner strength, loyalty, and cunning. Each chapter involves an interaction with a new set of characters and challenges: The group is captured by trolls and nearly eaten, but are saved when sunlight strikes the trolls and they are turned to stone.Gandalf leads the group to the Elven settlement of Rivendell where they meet the Elvish leader, Elrond.The group is caught by goblins and driven deep underground. Although Gandalf rescues them, Bilbo gets separated from the others as they flee the goblins. Lost in the goblin tunnels, he stumbles across a mysterious ring and then encounters Gollum, who engages him in a game of riddles. As a reward for solving all riddles Gollum will show him the path out of the tunnels, but if Bilbo fails, his life will be forfeit. With the help of the ring, which confers invisibility, Bilbo escapes and rejoins the dwarves, improving his reputation with them. The goblins and Wargs give chase, but the company is saved by eagles.The company enters the black forest of Mirkwood without Gandalf. In Mirkwood, Bilbo first saves the dwarves from giant spiders and then from the dungeons of the Wood-elves. Nearing the Lonely Mountain, the travelers are welcomed by the human inhabitants of Lake-town, who hope the dwarves will fulfill prophecies of Smaugs demise. The expedition travels to the Lonely Mountain and finds the secret door; Bilbo scouts the dragons lair, stealing a great cup and learning of a weakness in Smaugs armor. The enraged dragon, deducing that Lake-town has aided the intruder, sets out to destroy the town. A thrush has overheard Bilbos report of Smaugs vulnerability and reports it to Lake-town defender Bard. His arrow finds the chink and slays the dragon.When the dwarves take possession of the mountain, Bilbo finds the Arkenstone, an heirloom of Thorins dynasty, and hides it away. The Wood-elves and Lake-men besiege the mountain and request compensation for their aid, reparations for Lake-towns destruction, and settlement of old claims on the treasure. Thorin refuses and, having summoned his kin from the Iron Hills, reinforces his position. Bilbo tries to ransom the Arkenstone to head off a war, but Thorin is intransigent. He banishes Bilbo, and battle seems inevitable.Gandalf reappears to warn all of an approaching army of goblins and Wargs. The dwarves, men, and elves band together, but only with the timely arrival of the eagles and Beorn do they win the climactic Battle of Five Armies. Thorin is fatally wounded and reconciles with Bilbo before he dies. Bilbo accepts only a small portion of his share of the treasure, having no want or need for more, but still returns home a very wealthy hobbit. Themes The Hobbit is a simple tale when compared to Tolkiens masterpiece  The Lord of the Rings. It does, however, contain several themes: It explores the process by which an untested individual develops the insight and skills to become a leader;It guides the reader to question the value of wealth as opposed to peace and contentment;It builds on Tolkiens personal experience in World War I to consider the question of whether victory, though desirable, is worth the price of war.