The Battle of Towton was the "largest and bloodiest battle ever fought
on English soil". The engagement took place on 29 March 1461, a Palm
Sunday, near a village of the same name in Yorkshire. It was part of
the series of civil wars—the Wars of the Roses—fought between the
Houses of Lancaster and York. More than 50,000 supporters were mustered
for this battle. The reigning king of England, Henry VI, headed the
Lancastrians, while the Yorkists were led by Edward IV, who had
declared himself king and was using this battle to affirm his claim.
Their armies met on a plateau near Towton amidst a snowstorm. The
Lancastrians, superior in numbers, were lured out of their defensive
positions by the Yorkist archers, who took advantage of the strong wind
to outrange their counterparts and inflict casualties without suffering
any in return. The ensuing melee raged for hours, and the Yorkists
finally gained victory after the arrival of their reinforcements. Many
Lancastrians were killed in their panicked flight from the battlefield,
and the heralds reported a count of 28,000 dead. Henry fled to
Scotland, leaving Edward free to start the Yorkist dynasty.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Towton>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1461:
Yorkist troops defeated Lancastrian forces at the Battle of Towton in
Yorkshire, England, the largest battle in the Wars of the Roses up
until that time with approximately 20,000 casualties.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Towton>
1882:
The Knights of Columbus, the world's largest Catholic fraternal service
organization, was founded by Michael J. McGivney in New Haven,
Connecticut, US.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_of_Columbus>
1942:
World War II: The British Royal Air Force completed a bombing raid of
Lübeck, the first major success for RAF Bomber Command against a German
city.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_L%C3%BCbeck_in_World_War_II>
1946:
Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, one of Mexico's leading
universities, was founded.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instituto_Tecnol%C3%B3gico_Aut%C3%B3nomo_de_M%C3%A9xico>
1982:
Queen Elizabeth II gave Royal Assent to the Canada Act 1982, which
ended all remaining dependence of Canada on the United Kingdom by a
process known as "patriation".
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Act_1982>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
one fell swoop (n):
(idiomatic) One stroke; one action or event with many results
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/one_fell_swoop>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
She is young. Have I the right
Even to name her? Child,
It is not love I offer
Your quick limbs,
your eyes;
Only the barren homage
Of an old man whom time
Crucifies.
--R. S. Thomas
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/R._S._Thomas>
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