For the Bank Holiday weekend Charles Singleton from Helion, https://www.helion.co.uk/, invited Stuart, Martin Hughes, Simon Chick and myself for a wargame at Wightwick Manor. Whilst Stuart features regularly on the blog and covers his projects in fantastic detail at https://stuartsworkbench.blogspot.com/, Martin is a fellow 16th century wargame enthusiast and Simon runs Steelfist Miniatures, https://steelfistminiatures.com/, and of course has two superb blogs https://harness-and-array.blogspot.com/ and https://je-lay-emprins.blogspot.com/. Together all five of us used our combined terrain and miniature collections to put on an early 16th century spectacle.
Charles was keen that we did a game that focused on a "what if" scenario surrounding an invasion by the Yorkist claimant to the throne Richard de la Pole. De la Pole, also known as the "White Rose" because of his Yorkist credentials, has featured on the blog before. Back in 2018 Stuart and myself played a series of games based on an invasion by him, https://camisado1500s.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-last-white-rose.html, whilst I also played out a rerun of the 1487 Battle of Stoke, but this time setting it in 1514, with Jason, a friend from my re-enactment group. The 1514 version of the Battle of Stoke was based around de la Pole first landing in Ireland before then invading England and clashing with Henry VIII, https://camisado1500s.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-battle-of-stoke-field-1514_5.html.
As this is the third time a "what if" scenario featuring Richard de la Pole has been covered on the blog I thought it would be interesting to have a look at some of the evidence we have to suggest de la Pole was going to invade in 1514 before then going on to explain what the game was based on.
Charles was keen that we did a game that focused on a "what if" scenario surrounding an invasion by the Yorkist claimant to the throne Richard de la Pole. De la Pole, also known as the "White Rose" because of his Yorkist credentials, has featured on the blog before. Back in 2018 Stuart and myself played a series of games based on an invasion by him, https://camisado1500s.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-last-white-rose.html, whilst I also played out a rerun of the 1487 Battle of Stoke, but this time setting it in 1514, with Jason, a friend from my re-enactment group. The 1514 version of the Battle of Stoke was based around de la Pole first landing in Ireland before then invading England and clashing with Henry VIII, https://camisado1500s.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-battle-of-stoke-field-1514_5.html.
As this is the third time a "what if" scenario featuring Richard de la Pole has been covered on the blog I thought it would be interesting to have a look at some of the evidence we have to suggest de la Pole was going to invade in 1514 before then going on to explain what the game was based on.
 |
| Richard de la Pole and the Duke of Albany's siege guns batter the walls of Berwick. |
 |
| The French have brought over arms and armour to equip any Yorkist rebels that rally to de la Pole's cause. |
"The French king this yere appoyneted to Richard dela Pole traitor of England and banished the realme. xii.M. lanceknyghtes"
Richard III's defeat at the Battle of Bosworth in August 1485 is perhaps one of the most famous events in English medieval history. Henry Tudor, a claimant to the English throne, backed by the French King Charles VIII, landed with a small force of English exiles and Scots and French mercenaries in Wales before successfully marching into England to defeat the last Plantagenet King of England and usher in the Tudor dynasty. Far less well known is the fact that the result of Bosworth could have potentially been reversed three decades later when a Yorkist claimant to the throne, Richard de la Pole, backed by Charles VIII's successor, Louis XII, nearly invaded England with a far more formidable force of 12,000 landsknecht.
Richard de la Pole was the son of John de La Pole, Duke of Suffolk, and, more importantly, Elizabeth of York, the sister of the Yorkist Kings Edward IV and Richard III. Richard's eldest brother John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln had attempted to topple Henry Tudor, only two years after Bosworth in 1487 when he helped lead an invasion in support of the Yorkist pretender, Lambert Simnel. Purported to be Edward of Warwick, the son of the Duke of Clarence who was brother to the aforementioned Yorkist Kings Edward and Richard, Simnel had been crowned Edward VI in Dublin. The pretender's forces, comprising German and Irish mercenaries and some English rebels, were defeated at the Battle of Stoke where John de la Pole was slain.
Being in the line of succession to the English Crown had similarly dire consequences for two of Richard de la Pole's other brothers. Edmund de la Pole fled abroad in 1501 but was handed back to Henry in 1506 as a result of the English King's negotiations with Maximilian I whilst his brother William spent thirty seven years in the Tower of London due to his Yorkist ancestry. In 1513 Henry VIII had Edmund de la Pole executed which led Richard to assume the title of Duke of Suffolk. Unlike Edmund, who had remained within reach of Maximilian I whilst in exile, Richard had travelled to Buda and lived under the protection of the Hungarian King Vladislaus II.
By 1514 Richard de la Pole had already spent time in the service of the French. He took part in the 1512 Navarre campaign in command of a force of landsknecht and serving alongside the famous Chevalier Bayard where the two men became close friends. Jacques de Mailles, the author of Bayard's biography, recounted how
"The Duke of Suffolk was in this army, and had formed a very close friendship with our hero".
It is clear de la Pole was involved in heavy fighting as John Stile, the English Ambassador to Spain, wrote to Henry VIII in January 1513 stating: "yowr rebel Rychard De la Pole was yn the sayd warrys of Navar, cappytan of the Almaynys, where there yowr sayd rebel and hys cwmpany receveyd most hwrte and los of men then eny other of that party".
During 1513 Richard de la Pole remained in command of his landsknecht and may have fielded them against the English when Henry VIII invaded France in 1513 and captured the towns of Thérouanne and Tournai.
The Anglo-French war dragged on into 1514 and it was during this time that the invasion of England by de la Pole seems to have been proposed. Edward Hall wrote of 1514 in his chronicle that:
"The French king this yere appoyneted to Richard dela Pole traitor of England and banished the realme. xii.M. lanceknyghtes to kepe Normandie, and also to entre into England and to conquere thesame, where they made suche a Ryott that many of them were slayn & he was fayn to carye them to sente Malos in Britaigne to take shippe: for the Frenchmen woulde fayne haue bene rydde of them they cared not how, there conditions were so vyle and shameful, but by the reason that the French kyng suyd tor peace, this jornay toke no effect".
It looks as though the plan was for de la Pole to lead a force of 12,000 landsknecht to garrison Normandy from where they would then continue to the Breton port of St Malo to embark for the invasion of England. Only the fact the Louis XII of France and Henry VIII of England made peace prevented this invasion from taking place.
That England was to be the initial landing point seems unlikely. Thirty four years later a French army would muster at Le Pellerin, located on the Loire River near Nantes, before taking ship to land at Leith in Scotland in June 1548. In June 1514 the English solider and official Sir Thomas Lovell wrote from France to bishops Wolsey and Foxe "The Duke of Albany and Richard De la Pole are making preparations to go into Scotland". Henry Tudor had of course landed in Wales in 1485 whilst Lambert Simnel's invasion had been launched from Ireland so it makes perfect sense that de la Pole may have intended to land in Scotland before crossing the border into England. Hall's Chronicle recounts how in 1523 "the duke of Albany sailed out of Scotland into France, & the French king somuch favered him, that as it was shewed to the kyng of England for trueth, that when the Frenche king rode through Paris he rode on the one hand & Richard de la Pole a traitor to England & by parliament attainted on the other hand, & that the duke had asked of the French kyng v.M. horsemen &. x.M Alamaines (Landsknecht), & that he had promised the French kyng if he had those xv.M. men, he would do one of these. iii. thynges, either sley the kyng of England in battail, or els take him prisoner, or els drive him out of his realme. These were shamefull bragges of a noble man and very folishe". Whilst not quite the 15,000 men claimed by Hall the Duke of Albany would lead around 3,000 French against Wark castle later in 1523 whilst at the same time the Earl of Surrey wrote to Wolsey how the Duke of Albany "doth make grete boost off the londyng off Ricard de la Pole in Scotlond assewryng the Lords off Scotland that he shall have gret help in this realm".
John Stewart, Duke of Albany, was a grandson of the Scots King James II, having been born in France to a French mother, Anne de la Tour d'Auvergne. His royal blood made Albany an important figure in Scottish politics. The commanders of the Scots fleet, the Earl of Arran and Lord Fleming, had been in France towards the end of 1513 and as such had not been present at Flodden when the Scots King James IV was killed. They were keen for Albany to return with them to Scotland to continue a war which they felt had been undertaken for French interests in support of the "auld alliance".
The English also seemed to fear this with the town of Berwick, lying at the north-eastern corner of England on the Anglo-Scots border, being particularly at risk. On 10 March 1514 Henry VIII wrote to Lord Thomas Darcy, the Captain of Berwick, stating he "learns the news of the preparation made by the Scots against Berwick, and the desire of the town for aid. It shall be sent instantly". Henry then proceeded to berate Darcy over the reported state of the defences and defenders of Berwick. Ten days later Darcy wrote back to the king defending himself over the accusations of negligence in the defence and saying "On Friday, 10th March, the Scotch burnt five towns in the East Marches. On Saturday they came within two miles of Berwick, and at night removed up the Tweed and lay forgainst Foorthes, ready to cross into England....The Scots are ready to lay siege to Berwick, and only wait for Albany's coming with the French and the Danes, as he has written before". The Danes are mentioned as they too were part of the "auld alliance" at the time and it seems the Scots hoped for aid from them, especially as the Earl of Arran had supported them with a Scots naval expedition in 1502.
Luckily for Henry VIII and Lord Thomas Darcy the expected attack of 1514 never came. Albany did not arrive in Scotland to assume his role as regent until May 1515. Henry VIII and Louis XII made peace in August 1514, the peace deal being sweetened for Louis XII by his betrothal to Henry's 18 year old sister Mary. Being caught out in the cold by this diplomacy Richard de la Pole was sent to the free Imperial city of Metz with the Milanese Envoy, Marino Caracciolo, writing to the Duke of Milan on 17 August 1514 "A duke who has claims upon England and has served the King of France as a captain of lanzknechts will be dismissed".
 |
| Richard de la Pole's army outside the walls of Berwick. The army comprises a core of de la Pole's 12,000 landsknecht supported by some of Albany's French troops and Alexander Gordon, the Earl of Huntly's Scots. |
"The Scots are ready to lay siege to Berwick, and only wait for Albany's coming with the French"
So with the real events laid out what would have happened if Richard de la Pole with his 12,000 landsknecht had taken ship at St Malo in the summer of 1514 and landed at Leith accompanied by the Duke of Albany and a small French retinue? From the above it seems that an attack on Berwick could have been a possibility. Having changed hands numerous times from the twelfth to fifteenth centuries it was taken by Richard Duke of Gloucester (later to be Richard III) in 1482 and the Scots were keen to take it back as a matter of pride.
Besieging Berwick in 1514 would mean the Franco-Scots force could slip back to safety across the border if need be but it would also have the possible advantage of drawing potential rebels with Yorkist sympathies to de la Poles banner and perhaps even drawing Henry VIII himself to the north so de la Pole could, in Hall's words "either sley the kyng of England in battail, or els take him prisoner, or els drive him out of his realme". If de la Pole could defeat Henry in pitched battle he may even be able to take the crown as Henry's father had himself done in August 1485.
Our scenario focuses on exactly this, an invasion by Richard de la Pole, the Duke of Albany and a large force the core of which are de la Pole's 12,000 landsknecht. The landsknecht are accompanied by Albany's additional French troops whilst Albany's supporter, and survivor of Flodden, Alexander Gordon, Earl of Huntly has also rallied to his banner.
As Lord Thomas Darcy, the Captain of Berwick, and the vice-captain Sir Anthony Ughtred, attempt to hold the town against the French and Scots guns an enraged Henry VIII has quickly raised an army and headed north with his close friend and newly created Duke of Suffolk, Charles Brandon, in command of the vanguard. The Duke of Suffolk of course being the same title assumed by de la Pole. The game focuses on Henry's arrival at the siege lines where the Franco-Scots forces have turned to face him. As the battle begins Darcy and Ughtred lead a sally out into the siege lines.
 |
| Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, arrives outside the walls of Berwick with the English cavalry vanguard... |
 |
| ...whilst King Henry arrives with a core of loyal troops and some local borderers who have been mustered to defend England's northern border. It looks as though the Royal forces are heavily outnumbered! |
Scenario
The game was played using our modified Renaissance Rampant, Lion Rampant Rules. Each army was formed of three retinues. The Franco-Scots army comprised Richard de la Pole in command of his landsknecht, Albany in command of a force of French and Scots and Alexander Gordon, Earl of Huntly, in command of more Scots. The relieving army comprised the vanguard under Charles Brandon and the mainward under Henry VIII whilst Lord Thomas Darcy would lead the garrison of Berwick.
The game started with Henry VIII and Suffolk facing Richard de la Pole, Albany and Huntly in the siege lines around Berwick. During the game Thomas Darcy would lead a sally from the walls of Berwick (see the rules below).
We had quite a few extra rules for this scenario focusing on potential treachery in Henry's ranks, the presence of the Bastard Heron in the English army and the use of the guns from both the walls of Berwick and the Franco-Scots camp to aid in the battle. In all the discussion and chaos of the day I managed to forget to include all of these once the game was underway!
We had quite a few extra rules for this scenario focusing on potential treachery in Henry's ranks, the presence of the Bastard Heron in the English army and the use of the guns from both the walls of Berwick and the Franco-Scots camp to aid in the battle. In all the discussion and chaos of the day I managed to forget to include all of these once the game was underway!
Turn sequence
To further add to the confusion the order in which the retinues acted changed each turn. Each retinue, the three English and three Franco-Scots, had a coloured dice. At the start of the game 5 dice were placed in a bag. Each turn a dice was taken from the bag and the retinue whose dice was drawn would then act. As soon as the fist melee took place the dice for the Berwick Garrison was also added to the bag. This was done for all retinues every turn. If a retinue was wiped out its dice was removed from the bag.
The sally from the walls of Berwick
The Berwick garrison did not start on the table. As soon as the first melee was fought the following turn the garrison could emerge from the gates via normal activations. The garrison could emerge via a move or attack activation, they could not emerge via a shooting activation.
Victory
The victory conditions were simple. Each side had three retinue leaders. As soon as one side had two of the retinue leaders killed or routed the other side won. If this happened on the same turn then the game was considered a draw.
 |
| From the walls of Berwick the huge Scots, landsknecht and French army prepares for battle. |
 |
| The Franco-Scots army is short on cavalry as the French have arrived by ship and the Scots can provide only a small number of border horse. |
 |
| Richard de la Pole, the "White Rose", is surrounded by his landsknecht but has also managed to rally a small number of English rebels to his cause. |
 |
| A view of the table from above. The walls of Berwick can be seen to the right of the photo. The garrison under the command of Lord Thomas Darcy will sally from the gatehouse during the battle. Top right is John Stewart, Duke of Albany's retinue of French, Scots and landsknecht. Top middle is Alexander Gordon, Earl of Huntly's retinue of Scots and top left is the landsknecht retinue of Richard de la Pole with a few Yorkist rebels. Bottom left of the photo is the English vanguard under Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk whilst bottom centre is Henry VIII and the English mainward. At present it looks as if the English have miscalculated in their attack and are heavily outnumbered! |
The Armies
For the game Stuart and Martin took command of Richard de la Pole's invasion force whilst Simon and I took command of the Tudor army. Charles took on the role of host overseeing the action and providing the tiring commanders with excellent refreshments during the heat of battle!
With five of us involved and large numbers of troops on the field as you can probably imagine there was a lot going on in this game. The captions under the photos capture some of the action but a very brief summary of what went on also follows.
For the game Stuart and Martin took command of Richard de la Pole's invasion force whilst Simon and I took command of the Tudor army. Charles took on the role of host overseeing the action and providing the tiring commanders with excellent refreshments during the heat of battle!
The English army of Henry VIII
Henry VIII and the English mainward
1 Unit of Yeoman of the Guard with arquebus (unit includes Henry VIII, King of England, retinue leader)
2 Units of Retinue Bill
2 Units of Retinue Archers
1 Unit of Border Foot
1 Culverin
Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk and the English vanguard
1 Unit of Kings Spears (unit includes Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, retinue leader)
2 Units of Demilancers
1 Unit of Mounted Archers
2 Units of Border Horse
Lord Thomas Darcy and the garrison of Berwick
1 Unit of Foot Knights (unit contains Lord Thomas Darcy, Captain of Berwick, retinue leader)
1 Unit of Foot Knights (unit contains Sir Anthony Ughtred, Vice-captain of Berwick)
3 Units of Shire Bill
2 Units of Shire Archers
Richard de la Pole's landsknecht and John Stewart, Duke of Albany's French and Scots
Richard de la Pole, "Duke of Suffolk" and the "White Rose"
1 Unit of Foot Knights (unit contains Richard de la Pole, "Duke of Suffolk", retinue leader)
4 Units of Landsknecht Pike
1 Unit of Landsknecht Arquebusiers
1 Unit of Landsknecht Halberdiers
1 Unit of Shire Archers (Yorkist Rebels)
1 Unit of Shire Bill (Yorkist Rebels)
1 Culverin
John Stewart, Duke of Albany
1 Unit of Gendarmes (unit contains John Stewart, Duke of Albany, retinue leader)
1 Unit of French men at arms
1 Unit of Landsknecht
2 Units of Aventuriers
1 Unit of French Pike
2 Units of Lowland Pike
Alexander Gordon, Earl of Huntly
1 Unit of Foot Knights (unit contains Alexander Gordon, Earl of Huntly, retinue leader)
2 Units of Lowland Pike
1 Unit of Scots Arquebusiers
1 Unit of Border Horse
2 Units of Highlanders
With five of us involved and large numbers of troops on the field as you can probably imagine there was a lot going on in this game. The captions under the photos capture some of the action but a very brief summary of what went on also follows.
 |
| Henry VIII, surrounded by his yeoman of the guard and household troops, surveys the traitor's host that opposes him. |
 |
| The fighting begins with English border horse launching skirmishing attacks on de la Pole's landsknecht whilst the English archers advance to prepare to shoot at the enemy force. |
 |
| Some of Albany's French troops advance to fire upon the English. |
 |
| A view of the field as the opposing forces skirmish and shoot at one another. |
 |
| Brandon and the mounted English vanguard are preparing to attack de la Pole's landsknecht. |
 |
| English levies raised on the border shoot at the highlanders from Huntly's Scottish contingent. |
 |
| As the English archers send a storm of arrows into the Franco-Scottish army Henry orders his artillery to open fire. |
 |
| Some of the English rebels, Yorkist diehards who have joined de la Pole's army, take casualties as the English border horse attack. |
 |
| Albany has brought a small cavalry contingent over from France and they lead his advance past the gates of Berwick. |
 |
| The landsknecht arquebusiers under de la Pole's command fire back at the border horse who have been making skirmishing attacks against them. |
 |
| French arquebusiers and English archers exchange shots at each other. |
 |
| Some of Brandon's demilancers charge into the highlanders and drive them back... |
 |
| ...whilst more highlanders charge Henry's archers and fierce fighting takes place. |
As Charles Brandon arrived on the field with the mounted English vanguard he was horrified to find a vast army arrayed beneath the walls of Berwick. Brandon had been informed that Richard de la Pole, the traitor who was using the same title as Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk, had brought over thousands of landsknecht and a small contingent of French but had not realised quite how many Scots had also crossed the border, keen to avenge the death of their King, James IV, the previous autumn at Flodden. Had this information been deliberately kept from the Royal army in an attempt to lure Brandon and his king, Henry, into a trap?
The English King, Henry VIII, then took the field with his artillery and the mainward, made up of Henry's best household troops with a seasoning of local border levies who had been quickly raised to defend the northern border. Brandon's cavalry were first to move as the border horse in the English vanguard made skirmishing attacks on de la Pole's landsknecht. At the same time Henry's archers advanced and sent a shower of arrows into the Franco-Scots army which responded by sending forward its own arquebusiers to fire back supported by highland archers and a small force of English archers who had joined de la Pole.
These firefights and skirmishes soon led to melees breaking out. Brandon's demilancers charged down a force of Gordon highlanders whilst a second group of highlanders made repeated attacks on the English army's centre. The gaelic charge brought the highlanders dangerously close to Henry but they were driven back by Henry's archers and guns.
The English King, Henry VIII, then took the field with his artillery and the mainward, made up of Henry's best household troops with a seasoning of local border levies who had been quickly raised to defend the northern border. Brandon's cavalry were first to move as the border horse in the English vanguard made skirmishing attacks on de la Pole's landsknecht. At the same time Henry's archers advanced and sent a shower of arrows into the Franco-Scots army which responded by sending forward its own arquebusiers to fire back supported by highland archers and a small force of English archers who had joined de la Pole.
These firefights and skirmishes soon led to melees breaking out. Brandon's demilancers charged down a force of Gordon highlanders whilst a second group of highlanders made repeated attacks on the English army's centre. The gaelic charge brought the highlanders dangerously close to Henry but they were driven back by Henry's archers and guns.
 |
| The Earl of Huntly's Gordon forces advance on the English king's position. |
 |
| A group of French pikemen, brought over by John Stewart, Duke of Albany, prepare to advance. |
 |
| The fight sways back and forth in the centre of the field... |
 |
| ...with the attacks by the highlanders getting dangerously close to Henry and his yeoman of the guard. |
 |
| The gates of Berwick suddenly swing open and billmen from the garrison charge into Albany's Scottish troops... |
 |
| ...a bloody melee takes place... |
 |
| ...and Albany's French men at arms charge into the fray. |
 |
| Determined to lead from the front the Captain of Berwick, Lord Thomas Darcy, charges into the French men at arms only by to caught by lance thrust and instantly slain! |
 |
| Determined to avenge his captain Sir Anthony Ughtred, vice-captain of Berwick, also joins the fight. Ughtred has more success and succeeds in driving Albany's men back. |
 |
| Sir Anthony Ughtred and the Duke of Albany's bodyguard of gendarmes exchange blows. |
 |
| More of the garrison of Berwick, supported by armed citizens from the town, charge out of the gates into the fighting. |
As skirmishes and melees took place beyond the siege lines the gates of Berwick suddenly flung open and the Captain of Berwick, Lord Thomas Darcy, led his men in a sally from the town walls. John Stewart, the Duke of Albany's troops were closest to the walls and took the full force of the garrison's attack. A handful of French men at arms had made the sea crossing with Albany and were now to play a key role in the battle. Seeing Darcy emerging from the walls, the men at arms, who had ridden past the gates of Berwick, turned and charged. Lord Thomas Darcy took a direct hit from a French lance and was killed. The English forces had now lost one of their commanders.
Despite the death of their captain the garrison of Berwick did not retreat back into the town. Instead command fell to the vice-captain, Sir Anthony Ughtred, who led a renewed assault on the French and Scots troops outside the gatehouse. The fighting was particularly bloody, with both sides taking heavy casualties, but it did not take long for the sallying garrison to gain the upper hand. Ughtred's men unhorsed Albany in the chaotic fight and seeing this the rest of Albany's troops fled or withdrew.
Despite the death of their captain the garrison of Berwick did not retreat back into the town. Instead command fell to the vice-captain, Sir Anthony Ughtred, who led a renewed assault on the French and Scots troops outside the gatehouse. The fighting was particularly bloody, with both sides taking heavy casualties, but it did not take long for the sallying garrison to gain the upper hand. Ughtred's men unhorsed Albany in the chaotic fight and seeing this the rest of Albany's troops fled or withdrew.
 |
| At the other end of the field de la Pole's troops are still being held back by Brandon's outnumbered cavalry forces. |
 |
| The heaviest fighting has taken place outside the gates of Berwick. In the chaos John Stewart, the Duke of Albany, is unhorsed whilst fighting Sir Anthony Ughtred's men. Both the English and Franco-Scottish armies have now lost a commander. |
 |
| At the other end of the field Brandon's demilancers drive back a force of English rebels. |
 |
| Albany's forces begin to withdraw from the gates of Berwick. |
 |
| In the centre of the field Huntly's Scottish contingent continue to advance on Henry's position... |
 |
| ...but the smaller English contingent contains Henry's household troops and they rain shot and arrows into the attacking Scots. |
 |
| English borderers clash with Scots borderers... |
 |
| ...whilst more Scots attempt to force their way across the bridge. |
 |
| A priest briefly tries to quell the bloodshed... |
 |
| ...but the fighting continues with the Scots being unable to successfully storm Henry's position. |
As the fighting subsided around the gatehouse the Scots under the command of Huntly and the landsknecht under de la Pole pushed forward towards the Tudor king in an attempt to overwhelm the English forces. Although the English were heavily outnumbered Sir Charles Brandon's demilancers and border horse continued to attack the advancing landsknecht whilst the English infantry and guns positioned around Henry ensured that as the Scots and landsknecht advanced they were repeatedly driven back.
Fierce melees took place as Scots and landsknecht pikemen attempted to reach Henry. De la Pole's mercenaries suffered terribly as they were lured towards the English light guns which unleashed a hail of grapeshot into the closely packed ranks of landsknecht, slaughtering many of them. As the Franco-Scots attack began to falter Sir William Brandon saw an opportunity to charge the Earl of Huntly. At the head of the King's Spears Brandon thundered into Huntly and his personal bodyguard and in a one on one duel the Scots nobleman was slain. With his two allies, Albany and Huntly, out of the battle de la Pole quickly slipped back into Scotland.
It had been a bloody engagement. Berwick had been relieved but much to Henry's fury the final Yorkist claimant to the English throne remained at large. He may have saved his position as king but Henry knew he couldn't rest easily until de la Pole was eliminated.
Fierce melees took place as Scots and landsknecht pikemen attempted to reach Henry. De la Pole's mercenaries suffered terribly as they were lured towards the English light guns which unleashed a hail of grapeshot into the closely packed ranks of landsknecht, slaughtering many of them. As the Franco-Scots attack began to falter Sir William Brandon saw an opportunity to charge the Earl of Huntly. At the head of the King's Spears Brandon thundered into Huntly and his personal bodyguard and in a one on one duel the Scots nobleman was slain. With his two allies, Albany and Huntly, out of the battle de la Pole quickly slipped back into Scotland.
It had been a bloody engagement. Berwick had been relieved but much to Henry's fury the final Yorkist claimant to the English throne remained at large. He may have saved his position as king but Henry knew he couldn't rest easily until de la Pole was eliminated.
 |
| As de la Pole's landsknecht advance on Henry his guns open fire at very close range sending murderous grapeshot into the densely packed ranks of landsknecht. The attack has faltered. |
 |
| As the Franco-Scottish attack stalls Brandon sends his Kings Spears into the field and is able to seek out the Earl of Huntly. The two men engage in a brief duel in which Huntly is slain. With his two main commanders gone Richard de la Pole calls a retreat and his army abandons it's camp and siege lines slipping back into Scotland. De la Poles invasion has been stopped but the traitor still lives! |
This game was quite the spectacle and a lot of fun to play through. It was a joy to see everyone's figures and pieces of terrain on the table and great to meet Martin, Charles and Simon. Charles was a fantastic host and of course there was plenty of chat about the hobby and history. We thought it only fitting to take a suitably ridiculous group photo before having a few post battle wines and beers!
 |
| A picture of the Captains and the Tudor standard! |
.jpg)
