The ''Ballad of Bosworth Field'' is a poem in the English language, believed to have been written before 1495; the earliest extant copy dates from the mid-17th century. The poem is thought to have been written by someone closely connected with the Stanley family, because of the way it praises

the Stanley brothers The Stanley Brothers were an American bluegrass duo of singer-songwriters and musicians, made up of brothers Carter Stanley (August 27, 1925 – December 1, 1966) and Ralph Stanley (February 25, 1927 – June 23, 2016). Ralph and Carter perform ...

for their role in the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. The ballad gives

primary source In the study of history as an academic discipline, a primary source (also called an original source) is an artifact, document, diary, manuscript, autobiography, recording, or any other source of information that was created at the time under ...

information about certain aspects of the battle, such as the names of four knights supposedly lent to the future King

Henry VII of England Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Henry's mother, Margaret Beauf ...

Lord Stanley Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the en ...

to serve as his bodyguard. These were Sir Robert Tunstall, Sir John Savage (nephew of Lord Stanley), Sir Hugh Persall and Sir Humphrey Stanley.The Ballad of Bosworth Fielde, Text from Bishop Percy’s Folio Manuscript. Ballads and Romances, ed. J.W. Hales and F.J. Furnivall, 3 vols. (London, 1868), III, pp. 233-59. Reproduced by kind permission of Department of Special Collections, University of Pennsylvania Library Sir John Savage was placed in command of the left flank of Henry's army.

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{{italic title 1490s works 15th-century poems Wars of the Roses