History of some of the
World's medieval wars, battles and campaigns including the War of the
Roses and the battles between the Saxons and Normans.
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HERE TO SEE FULL RANGE OF OVER 90 MEDIEVAL AND ANCIENT ART PRINTS
Battles Fought (Click on Name to view art prints and more information):
 | Battle of Hastings
 | The Norman Conquest of England led to the battle of Hastings in
1066. King Harold was engaged in seeing off the Norse invasion at
Stamford Bridge when the Norman Duke William landed at Pevensey on
September 28th. King Harold quickly marched back to London and on
October 13th deployed his troops on the Senlac Hill near Hastings.
William attacked on the 14th. The Saxons managed to repel the
first charge of William's knights, and while the Normans were
retiring in disorder the Saxon infantry followed in pursuit. They
were, however, routed. Amazingly Harold managed to reform his line
before the next assault and his foot soldiers managed to hold
their ground. In the evening a feigned withdrawal by William
caused the Saxons to pursue William's troops, and they were
promptly dispatched by the knights. After King Harold was hit in
the eye by an arrow what remained of the Saxon army dissolved and
William was free to march to London to be crowned King of England.
Battle Abbey was later built by order of King William at the site. |
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| Richard the Lion Heart
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| Battle of Crécy
| One of the battles fought during the Hundred Years War, on 26th
August 1346. On 12th July Edward III landed in Normandy with his
army and marching north plundered the countryside. King Philip VI
assembled an army to stop Edward and tracked them across the Somme
River. When Edward reached Crécy he stopped and ordered his army
to take up defensive positions. King Philip surveyed the English
positions and decided to postpone his attack until August 27th.
However, the French vanguard pressed forward too far and so
committed the entire army to the battle. The hired Genoese
crossbowmen began the assault but came under severe attack from
the English longbows and so fled to the rear. King Philip then
ordered his cavalry to charge resulting in a huge loss of horse
and man under the barrage of arrows which rained down on them. By
the end of the night after several unsuccessful assaults the
French army was reduced by a third and King John of Luxemburg was
dead. Edward then turned towards Calais. |
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Crecy
For more than four
hundred years the words “King if France” were included in the
formal titles of the Kings of England, but the only English
Monarch, from the days of Edward III to those of George III, who
could lay claim to anything more than the empty name of King of
France was Edward III himself, with whom, indeed, the claim
originated.
It was in 1337 that Edward III formally asserted his right
to the French Throne, through his mother, Isabella, daughter of
Philip IV. This
audacious proceeding was probably an afterthought, indeed,
perhaps, by a desire for revenge for the many ill-turns which his
cousin, Philip VI of France, ha done him; for we know for eight
years previously Edward had done homage to him for his duchy of
Aquitaine. The
assertion of his claim, which most modern historians consider had
little or no legal basis, naturally led to the outbreak of
hostilities between England and France, but probably neither
combatant dreamt then that the quarrel between the two countries
was not to terminate till 1453, more than a hundred years later.
Edward followed up the assertion of his right by an
invasion of France, but neither this nor two subsequent invasion
that he attempted were successful, and in 1342 a truce was made
for three years. But
by 1345 it had become evident no permanent peace was to be
expected, and Edward resolved once more to take the offensive and
make a final effort to crush his rival.
He found no difficulty in getting together a large and
efficient armed force with which to prosecute the war.
Parliament had decreed in 1345 that every landowner should
provide armed men in proportion to the value at which your land is
assessed; and towns had to equip bodies of men in proportion to
their wealth; thus the City of London had to provide a 100 men at
arms and 500 foot soldiers. In
addition to these troops, the King arranged personally with
various noblemen to bring so many men with them into the field;
and these, being paid a fair wage, came voluntarily.
This system enabled the English army to attain a far
greater degree of discipline than the feudal levies, which the
king of France summoned his vassals to bring to his aid.
These latter, if they felt disinclined to fight for their
over-lord-and if he was not strong enough to force them to do
so-stayed away, or if they came, brought into the field an
ill-disciplined rabble of unwilling followers, without any
cohesion or though of acing together, while their leaders were
perpetually quarrelling for precedence in the field.
It was this want of homogeneity and lack of discipline,
which brought crushing defeats upon the armies of feudal France by
small but better disciplined English troops.
An army in the days of chivalry formed a striking and
beautiful spectacle. Friossart,
to whose “Chronicles” we owe vivid and picturesque
descriptions of the campaigns of Edward III, and from whom this
account of the battle of Crecy is chiefly taken, says it was “a
great pleasure to look upon the English army drawn up in battle
array, the knights each beneath his banner or pennon, mounted upon
horses whose housings, decorated with their arms, reached to the
ground.” The arms of the knights appeared, too, on the brilliantly
emblazoned sucroats, which they wore over their armour.
Besides the Earls, barons, knights, and esquires who formed
the mainstay of his army, Edward’s force consisted of light
armed horsemen, who wore steel caps and coats of mail, and were
armed sometimes with lances and swords, but more often, at
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| Battle of Agincourt
| One of the battles fought during the Hundred Years War, on 25th
October 1415. King Henry V marched towards Calais after his
conquest of Harfleur only to be stopped by a swollen river Somme
and French defences. Henry was forced towards Amiens while a
French army was raised under constable Charles d'Albret and
marshal Jean Bouciquaut and stationed between Calais and Henry V's
army. Realising he must fight, Henry chose the battlefield by
deploying his troops near the village Agincourt. With horses to
the rear and three divisions of men supported by archers he opened
the battle at 11 o'clock. The French had deployed their cavalry
first which trudged through the mud towards the English lines,
taking heavy casualties at the hands of the archers and those that
made it to the line were cut down by axes and swords. The second
French line under the Duc d'Alencon marched forward only to be
beaten back with the Duc himself being killed. The third and final
French line lost their will to fight after seeing the mounds of
bodies slain on the battlefield. The battle took less than 3
hours, resulted in 7,000 French casualties and c1,600 English
casualties, and afterwards Henry marched on to Calais. |
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| War of the Roses
| 1455 Battle of St Albans
 | On 22nd May Richard of York along with the earls of
Salisbury and Warwick, assaulted the Lancastrians at St
Albans. The earl of Warwick attacked the rear and gave the
royalists a good routing. In the end the King had to submit to
the control of the Yorkists. Another battle ensued in 1461. |
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| 1459 Battle of Blore Heath |
| 1459 Battle of Ludford |
| 1460 Battle of Sandwich |
| 1460 Battle of Northampton |
| 1460 Battle of Wakefield |
| 1461 Battle of St Albans |
| 1461 Battle of Ferrybridge |
| 1461 Battle of Towton |
| 1464
Battle of Hedgeley Moor |
| 1464
Battle of Hexham |
| 1469
Battle of Banbury |
| 1470
Battle of Lose-coat Field |
| 1471
Battle of Ravenspur |
| 1471
Battle of Barnet |
| 1471
Battle of Tewkesbury |
| 1485
Battle of Bosworth |
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| The Battle of the Spurs
| Four years after his ascent to the throne, Henry VIII, fired
with that spirit of martial enterprise which had been the natural
heritage of so many of his predecessors, found his plans ripe for
the invasion of France. A long peace had made the project
popular, and on the 30th June 1513, the King landed at Calais with
a vanguard of 8,000 men, leavened with a body of English archers,
who, notwithstanding the new but cumbrous practice of firearms,
were still renowned throughout Europe. The Swiss, armed with
pike and sword, and the Germans, under the Emperor Maximilian, to
whom 120,000 crowns had been advanced by Henry, were counted upon
as allies. Only the former fully kept their word, but the
Emperor of Germany, on finding that he could not fulfil his bond
to supply a complement of auxiliaries, was chivalrous enough to
enlist himself in the King of England's service. Henry, on
his part, showed his appreciation of this magnanimity by
appointing the Emperor to direct the combined operations. At
the outset, the small town of Terouane was successfully besieged,
but the French King Louis, advancing to Amiens, despatched a body
of 800 light horse under Fontrailles to create a diversion.
This body was successful enough to surprise the English camp,
without, however, having the strength to maintain this
advantage. In the meantime Henry prepared for the main
advance of the French cavalry, and a body of English troops
crossed the Lis in readiness. When suddenly confronted with
this unexpected opposition, the French gave an illustration of one
of the most unaccountable panics in military history, and this
despite the fact that the force consisted of the gentlemen of
France. A mad sauve qui peut ensued, and in the headlong
flight at Guinegate the pink of the French chivalry were cut down
or captured. Chief among the prisoners was the Chevalier
Bayard - the knight "sans peur et sans reproche" - and
in the unhappy company was the Duc de Longueville, the General in
command. After this amazing incident a straight road seemed
clear to Paris, but, as was manifested later, the expedition had
been designed by Henry for glory - not for conquest. |
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Death of Richard
The Lion heart (Coeur-de-Lion)
Richard
of the Lion heart is a type of the Knight errant who has made captive the
imagination of posterity. His passion for adventure carried him into many
lands and his courage and prowess in ware were so great that a century
after his death Saracen mothers stilled the cry of their children by the
terror of his name. England it is said, owes him nothing but barren fame
and blood-stained laurels. his lust for conquest may have drained the
country of its wealth, yet his chief exploit-the Crusade to free the
Holy Sepulchre, had the fervent support of his subjects and all Christendom
like Cromwell, he made the name of England feared and respected aboard.
fate surely was in the mood for irony , in an obscure quarrel, the warrior
who had faced the hosts of Saladin and had carried the sword and fire
though France and had escaped the prison of his enemies sand the plot's by
his brother John. Ever in the need to raise money for war, Richard
demanded a treasure that had been found at Chaluz. The owner of the castle,
a vassal of Richards enemy, the viscount of Limoges, offered part of the
treasure but would not give it all up. This refusal the King, a strict
disciplinarian, looked upon it as an act of rebellion. he laid siege to
the castle, rejecting all proposals to surrender on terms. The situation
of Chaluz 3was strong but the means of defense were small. Richard was
riding round the outer wall's to discover a weak point for his assault
when a arrow from a long bow struck him in the shoulder. Enraged at this
wound the King's men stormed the castle, carried it with sword and lance
and hange3d the defenders. the sole survivor was the archer was the archer
who had fired the fateful bolt. Him Richard with th4e generosity of a
brave soldier, pardoned on his death bed, for the wound being treated by
an unskillful surgeon proved fatal. Marchadie, who had not the nobility of
soul of his master, caused the archer to be flayed alive. Whatever his
faults as a ruler Richard -Coeur -de Lion will always be one of the
most romantic heroes in British history. (text
from British Battles 1898)
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Richard the Lionheart by Brian Palmer.
Richard the Lionhearts tactical skills and military training played a substantial role in the capture of Acre in 1191 by the Crusaders. But Richard the Lionheart was ruthless and after the capture of the city he marched 2,700 Muslim soldiers onto the road of Nazareth and in front of the Muslim army positions, had them executed one by one. But Richard the Lionheart was up against a great leader in Saladin and the crusades did not always go his way. After he negotiated the Treaty of Jaffa with Saladin and secured the granting of special rights of travel around Palestine and in Jerusalem for Christian pilgrims, Richard the Lionheart started his journey back to England in 1192. He was shipwrecked, and captured by the German Emperor Henry VI, only being released after a 150,000 mark ransom was paid. This money was raised by taxes in England.
Signed limited edition of 1150 prints. Image size 25 inches x 15 inches (64cm x 38cm). Price £95.00
Limited edition of 50 artist proofs. Image size 25 inches x 15 inches (64cm x 38cm). Price £135.00
Limited edition of 50 giclee canvas prints. Image size 36 inches x 24 inches (91cm x 61cm). Price £590.00
Limited edition of 50 giclee canvas prints. Image size 30 inches x 20 inches (76cm x 51cm). Price £460.00
Original painting by Brian Palmer. Image size 30 inches x 20 inches (76cm x 51cm). Price £2300.00
ITEM CODE DHM1382
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Richard I (The Lion Heart) During the 3rd Crusade by Chris Collingwood.
Richard the Lionhearts tactical skills and military training played a substantial role in the capture of Acre in 1191 by the Crusaders. But Richard the Lionheart was ruthless and after the capture of the city he marched 2,700 Muslim soldiers onto the road of Nazareth and in front of the Muslim army positions, had them executed one by one. But Richard the Lionheart was up against a great leader in Saladin and the crusades did not always go his way. After he negotiated the Treaty of Jaffa with Saladin and secured the granting of special rights of travel around Palestine and in Jerusalem for Christian pilgrims, Richard the Lionheart started his journey back to England in 1192. He was shipwrecked, and captured by the German Emperor Henry VI, only being released after a 150,000 mark ransom was paid. This money was raised by taxes in England.
Signed limited edition of 1150 prints. Image size 25 inches x 17 inches (64cm x 43cm). Price £95.00
Limited edition of 50 artist proofs. Image size 25 inches x 17 inches (64cm x 43cm). Price £135.00
Limited edition of 50 giclee canvas prints. mage size 40 inches x 30 inches (102cm x 76cm). Price £690.00
Limited edition of 50 giclee canvas prints. Image size 36 inches x 26 inches (91cm x 66cm) . Price £590.00
Original painting by Chris Collingwood. Image size 40 inches x 30 inches (102cm x 76cm). Price £14000.00
Postcard size 6 inches x 4 inches (15cm x 10cm). Price £2.00
**Signed limited edition of 1150 prints. (1 copy reduced to clear) Image size 25 inches x 17 inches (64cm x 43cm). Price £70.00
ITEM CODE DHM1016
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Richard Lionheart at the Battle of Acre by Matania.
Richard the Lionhearts tactical skills and military training played a substantial role in the capture of Acre in 1191 by the Crusaders. But Richard the Lionheart was ruthless and after the capture of the city he marched 2,700 Muslim soldiers onto the road of Nazareth and in front of the Muslim army positions, had them executed one by one. But Richard the Lionheart was up against a great leader in Saladin and the crusades did not always go his way. After he negotiated the Treaty of Jaffa with Saladin and secured the granting of special rights of travel around Palestine and in Jerusalem for Christian pilgrims, Richard the Lionheart started his journey back to England in 1192. He was shipwrecked, and captured by the German Emperor Henry VI, only being released after a 150,000 mark ransom was paid. This money was raised by taxes in England.
Open edition print. Image size 9 inches x 12 inches (23cm x 31cm). Price £14.00
ITEM CODE DHM0122
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Death of Richard Coeur-de-Lion, 1199 by Henry Dupray.
Siege of the castle of Chaluz, 1199, where Richard received a arrow in the shoulder
Antique print c.1890 mounted on thick card at the time. Image size 8 inches x 12 inches (20cm x 31cm). Price £85.00
ITEM CODE HD0014
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