Fatal colours : the battle of Towton, 1461 ; [England's most brutal battle]

Description

Gripping account of the Wars of the Roses battle of Towton - the most brutal day in English history. Palm Sunday, 1461: the battle of Towton and its immediate aftermath was the day that the greatest proportion of living Englishmen ever died in one day and in one place. However, the brutal reality of the most desperate day in medieval history is strangely forgotten. Fatal Colours marks the 550th anniversary of Towton and provides a fresh and lively interpretation of the battle and its pivotal place in the Wars of the Roses. It will be based on original documents and include new research. It places Towton in its full historical context, showing how the madness of a monarch and the collapse of his authority could lead to blood feud, barbarism and civil war. Fatal Colours grippingly describes the events leading up to the battle and introduces at the most pertinent points descriptions of the armies and their commanders; the different troops and weapons; the horrific conditions of the battle; and the different types of men who fought and died there. The narrative alternates between the action from the airless, listless and leaderless court of 1450 London to its culmination in blood-spattered snow and body-choked rivers at Towton, less than a dozen years later. With a substantive and sparkling introduction by David Starkey, Fatal Colours brings to vivid life one of the most doom-laden dates in English history.�