The 1485 Battle of Bosworth Field in Leicstershire England is renowned for some very important decisions. This was the battle in which the War of the Roses came to end, in which Richard III lost his crown and his life to Welsh upstart Henry Tudor who was to become Henry VII, father of Henry VIII. It was the last time a monarch of England was at the head of a battle in the fray...and died there.
For centuries, historians thought they knew where the actual battlefield was, but archaeologists in England have made not one, but several surprising discoveries about Bosworth Field. One, it was in the wrong place, and two, they found bullets and cannon balls! (The picture below is of a silver coin and one of several quite small cannon balls found at the site.)
Now this is surprising, as it was not believed that movable artillery were often used this early. Yes, there were "handgonners" on occasion--unwieldly, lengthy "gonnes" with a long fuse and little accuracy--but this find puts a new spin on old news. When Richard lost his horse, making him vulnerable enough to lose his life, his horse might have been taken out by a cannon ball. This information creates a whole bevy of speculation about the nature of 15th century warfare and questions about a very famous and important battle that changed the face of England and its monarchy.
The story can be read here in The Guardian.
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