Fatal Rivalry Flodden 1513 Henry Viii And James Iv And The Decisive Battle For Renaissance Britain

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.

This is the first book-length study of the award-winning historical drama The Tudors. In this volume twenty distinguished scholars separate documented history, plausible invention, and outright fantasy in a lively series of scholarly, but accessible and engaging essays. The contributors explore topics including Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, his other wives and family, gender and sex, kingship, the court, religion, and entertainments.

The Battle of Flodden in 1513 was the largest battle ever to take place between England and Scotland. James IV himself led an army of 30,000 men over the border into England, ostensibly in revenge for the murder of a Scotsman, but in reality to assist their ally the French by diverting the forces of Henry VIII. Yet the Scots were hampered by old-fashioned weapons and tactics, whereas the English deployed more accurate artillery and their vaunted longbowmen. When King James IV was killed while leading a charge, and many of their officers died, the Scots were left in disarray and the English victory was decisive. As the first new history of the battle in a decade, this authoritative and eye-opening account marks the 500th anniversary and brings our knowledge of the conflict up to date. Expert knowledge and detailed maps look at the key events, the 1135 campaign and the minor battles of Millfield and Norham, and a full profile of the respective forces and deployments, and convey the battle's course concisely and clearly. A key read for those interested in military history or the period in general.

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

A fateful day for Scotland The Battle of Flodden Field was founded upon the soundest of military maxims-'to take the enemy in rear whilst he is directed upon another enemy.' Unfortunately, as with all strategies, it is never more than a 'plan' and being good or sound is no guarantee of success as James IV, King of Scotland, found out to his fatal cost. In 1513, the year of the battle, Henry VIII, the formidable Tudor king sat upon the throne of England though he was on the continent as war raged with France. The King of Scotland was persuaded by the Queen of France to join in the fray, to his own advantage, in a renewal of that famous alliance said to exist between the two kingdoms. A Scots invasion force moved south into Northumbria where, upon a pretext, King James crossed the Tweed at Coldstream, burning castles and property, as he advanced at the head of a formidable Scottish Army of over 60, 000 men. Whilst King Henry was abroad the defence of the realm was put into the capable hands of Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, who moved northwards, gathering forces as he marched. The initial position as the armies faced one another was close to Millfield Plain where each side fielded approximately 30,000 men with the Scots holding the high ground. However both sides manoeuvred for position along the River Till, the English finally crossing it unopposed. The battle, which was originally known as the Battle of Branxton after the site of the Scottish position on its heights, was mostly fought at close quarters, in the manner of the 16th century, and was a scene of barely conceivable carnage as thousands of men blew each other to pieces, pierced each other with arrows, trampled men under the hooves of chargers or hacked with edged weapons. This book describes this pivotal battle and the campaign that accompanied it. When it was over the King of Scotland was lying dead on the field among the bodies of 10,000 of his countrymen including the flower of Scottish aristocracy. It had been the largest battle ever fought between the two nations. Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.

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.