What really happened at Wakefield?

Traditional accounts of the Wars of the Roses describe the Duke of York losing his head, and the Earl of Rutland his life, after a martial conflict with the forces of Henry VI in Wakefield, Yorkshire. These deaths were a pivotal moment in English history, as they paved the way for Edward IV and the Yorkist dynasty. Some historians say there had been a pitched battle; others say it was an ambush not far from Sandal Castle where duke was residing with his family. Exciting new research into medieval archives, however, reveals another interpretation that busts almost all the myths and legends about the duke’s death and the events of 30 December 1460.

Paul Lindsey Dawson will talk about his research and how it shows the duke was not killed in Wakefield but rather Pontefract, under circumstances very different from a pitched battle. He will also talk about his new biography on the Duke of York, which reveals him to be a man with profound flaws that threw England into turmoil and cost him his own life.