Fatal Rivalry Flodden 1513

Describes the family drama, political and royal court intrigue and bloody military battles that erupted between Henry VIII of England and his brother-in-law James IV of Scotland during the splendor of the Renaissance as Scotland tried to assert its independence.

The relationship of England and Scotland became defined by events on 9 September 1513 in a battle of great size, bloodshed and finality - the Battle of Flodden. In 1509 the young Henry VIII renewed his father's Treaty of Perpetual Peace with Scotland. Yet by 1511 he was already planning an invasion of France, Scotland's traditional ally. Over the next two years, the King of Scots, James IV, resisted both the threats of Henry VIII and the blandishments of Louis XII of France. But in 1513 he was forced to choose. In FATAL RIVALRY, George Goodwin, the bestselling author of FATAL COLOURS, captures the vibrant Renaissance splendour of the royal courts of England and Scotland, with their new wealth, innovation and artistic expression. He shows how the wily Henry VII, far from the miser king of tradition, spent vast sums to secure his throne and to elevate the monarchy to a new magnificence. He demonstrates how James IV competed with the older Henry, even claiming Arthurian legend to support Scottish independence. Such rivalry served as a substitute for war - until Henry VIII's belligerence forced the real thing. As England and Scotland move towards their biggest ever battle, Goodwin deftly deploys a sparkling cast of characters. There are manoeuvring ministers, cynical foreign allies, conspiring cardinals, and contrasting queens in Katherine of Aragon and Margaret Tudor. Finally, at Flodden on 9 September 1513, King James faces an old military foe. He seems poised for a crushing victory that will confirm his reputation - until that day at least - as Scotland's greatest king.

The relationship of England and Scotland became defined by events on 9 September 1513 in a battle of great size, bloodshed and finality - the Battle of Flodden. On the back of historian George Goodwin's critically acclaimed debut, FATAL COLOURS, comes FATAL RIVALRY, providing the first in-depth examination of the Battle of Flodden, the biggest and bloodiest in British history. This book captures the importance of the key players in the story - the kings and their respective queens, their nobles, diplomats and generals - as the rivalry brought the two countries inexorably to war. Fatefully, it would be an error by James, that most charismatic of commanders, and in the thick of engagement, that would make him the last British king to fall in battle, would condemn the bulk of his nobility to a similarly violent death and settle his country's fate.

Osprey's examination of the Battle of Flodden, in which the Scottish and English armies clashed on 9 September 1513. The Scots were superior in terms of artillery and well-trained in the new Renaissance tactics, whereas the English deployed more traditional methods. Historically, this battle is well-known as the last in which the longbow played a role and the first in which artillery had a considerable effect. Recognized as the greatest Scottish defeat in history, it resulted in the death of Scotland's king. It plunged the country into mourning and extinguished Scotland's threat to Henry VIII's reign for the next three decades. This book examines battle, the different tactics of the opposing armies and the personalities of the commanders.

In the breadth of bitter-sweet Scottish history there is no more poignant, not more important, battle than Flodden. Before Scotland's disastrous defeat at the hands of the English under the Earl of Surrey, a proud country under its dynamic Stewart king, James IV, was emerging as a distinct and flourishing nation within Europe. With defeat the inevitability of Scotland's Reformation and union with England is hard to deny. Flodden was an ignominious and disastrous moment for the Scots, all the more so for being a largely unnecessary encounter, fought with superior numbers and arms, which left the country weak, exposed and leaderless. In this bestselling study of one of the most famous battles in history, Peter Reese recreates the drama and calamity of the battle fought just south of the River Tweed on 9 September 1513. Drawing together the political, military and historical background to the conflict, he examines the two armies and their leaders and explains the crucial tactical moves both before and during the encounter. The result is a thoroughly researched yet always accessible and realistic account of the battle Scotland has tried to forget.

Barr (defense studies, Joint Services Command and Staff College, Shrivenham) views Flodden as important because the battle lay on the cusp of several developments: a new Renaissance understanding of the past, profound military developments in the 16th century, and the Reformation. Barr's sources inc

Variously described as the largest, longest and bloodiest battle on English soil, Towton was fought with murderous intensity in atrocious conditions. There was, for the defeated, little chance of escape and none for surrender.