Battle of Tewkesbury

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Battle of Tewkesbury
Part of the Wars of the Roses
The battle depicted in a Ghent manuscript
Date 4 May 1471 Location Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England 51°59′11″N 2°9′41″W / 51.98639°N 2.16139°W / 51.98639; -2.16139 Result Yorkist victory
Belligerents
House of York	House of Lancaster
Commanders and leaders
Edward IV Richard, Duke of Gloucester William Hastings, Baron Hastings	Prince Edward † Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset  John Courtenay, Earl of Devon † John Wenlock, Baron Wenlock †
Strength
5,000–6,000 men[1][2]	Approx. 6,000 men[3][1][2]
Casualties and losses
Unknown	2,000[4]
class=notpageimage| Location within England

The Battle of Tewkesbury, which took place on Saturday 4 May 1471, was one of the most decisive battles of the Wars of the Roses in England.

King Edward IV and his forces loyal to the House of York completely defeated those of the rival House of Lancaster. The Lancastrian heir to the throne, Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, and many prominent Lancastrian nobles were killed during the battle or executed. The Lancastrian king, Henry VI, who was a prisoner in the Tower of London, died shortly after the battle, perhaps murdered. Tewkesbury restored political stability to England until the death of Edward IV in 1483.