The Battle of Bosworth - King Richard III's Charge by Graham Turner  With the two armies locked together in fierce hand to hand combat, Henry, surrounded by only a small body of men, becomes isolated from his main force. Seeing a chance to end the battle with one decisive stroke, Richard leads his household knights and retainers in a thunderous charge, seeking out his adversary.  The Battle of Bosworth - the Melee - Norfolk versus Oxford by Graham Turner  When Richard III succeeded his brother, Edward IV, in 1483, he found his throne threatened by the Lancastrian Henry Tudor, who was then exiled in France. Two years later, Henry landed in Wales with a small force and on the 22nd August 1485, he confronted the Royal army near Market Bosworth in Leicestershire. The Battle of Wakefield by Graham Turner  On December 30th, 1460, the heirs of the Lancastrian Nobles killed at St. Albans found themselves able to avenge their father's deaths when their army trapped the Duke of York and Earl of Salisbury in Sandal Castle, near Wakefield. Lured out from the safety of the castle walls and into open battle, York's heavily outnumbered force found themselves surrounded and in the fierce melee that followed, York and many of his followers lost their lives, his son, Edmund, amongst them. The Earl of Salisbury was captured and taken to Pontefract by the Duke of Somerset where he was summarily executed, his head joining those of the other Yorkist leaders over the gates of York. However, the Lancastrian triumph was to be short lived, for they were almost totally annihilated three months later at the battle of Towton. The Battle of St Albans - 22nd May 1455 by Graham Turner.On the 22nd May 1455, the struggle for control of the government of England boiled over into armed conflict in the first battle of what would become known as the Wars of the Roses. The following thirty years would see the throne itself become the prize for the rival Royal houses of Lancaster and York.When King Henry VI regained his sanity in January 1455, the Duke of York`s brief protectorate came to an end and his chief rival, the Duke of Somerset, regained his position of influence at court. York withdrew to the north and began mustering men, supported by his brother in law, the Earl of Salisbury, and Salisbury`s son, Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick, later known as the `Kingmaker`. Advancing towards London, the Yorkist force found the Royal army positioned in the small town of St. Albans. When negotiations for the Duke of Somerset's surrender broke down, York`s men stormed the town`s defences while Warwick broke into the market place through alleys and gardens, attacking the Lancastrian centre. The Battle of Tewkesbury, 4th May 1471 by Graham Turner.  Having reclaimed the throne of England and defeated the Earl of Warwick at the battle of Barnet, the Yorkist King, Edward IV, marched his forces from London to intercept those of Margaret of Anjou (wife of the Lancastrian Henry VI) and her son, Prince Edward, who had landed at Weymouth and were heading for Wales where supporters awaited them.  Denied entry to Gloucester and it's bridge over the River Severn, Margaret was forced to march her exhausted army to the next crossing point - at Tewkesbury. Here, with the Royal army hard on their heels and insufficient time to cross the river, they turned to confront their pursuers, the two armies meeting on the 4th May 1471. Following a heavy bombardment from the King's artillery, Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, led the Lancastrian right wing through the deep ditches and hedges that intersected the battlefield and attacked the Yorkist left, under the command of Edward's younger brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester. However, the other Lancastrian divisions failed to support the attack and Somerset's men were soon outflanked and routed, the rest of Margaret's army disintegrating in defeat. Challenge in the Mist by Graham Turner. At dawn on Easter Sunday, 14th April 1471, the armies of Edward IV and his one time ally, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, confronted each other near Barnet, 10 miles outside London.  A thick fog enveloped the battlefield, causing the opposing forces to misalign - Edward's right wing overlapping Warwicks left and visa versa. In the struggle that followed, the Yorkist left was outflanked and crumbled, it's remnants being persued off the field by the Earl of Oxford's men. However, when Oxford managed to regroup some of his force and return to the fray, the misalignment of the armies had caused the whole battle line to rotate and in the confusion, they found themselves engaged against their allies.A cry of treason threw the Lancastrians into dissaray and in the ensuing rout the Earl of Warwick met his end as he tried to reach his horse .At Barnet, as at Tewkesbury two weeks later, the Yorkist vanguard was commanded by Edward's 19 year old brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester. He was involved in some of the heaviest fighting - being slightly wounded himself - and he would later have several of his retainers remembered in prayers, 'slayn in his service at the batalles of Bernett, Tekysbery or at any other feldes'.   Richard Duke of Gloucester at Middleham Castle by Graham Turner  Following the death of the Earl of Warwick at the battle of Barnet in 1471, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was granted the Lordship of Middleham in Yorkshire. He had spent many formative years there as a boy, in the care of Warwick, and it is generally accepted that he preferred Middleham to his other castles. In 1472 he married Warwick's youngest daughter, Anne Neville, and their only son, Edward, was born in the castle in c.1473. The March from Leicester by Graham Turner  King Richard III leads his army out of Leicester, past Austin Friars and over Bow Bridge, en-route to Bosworth and his fateful confrontation with the invading army of his adversary for the throne, Henry Tudor. Reverie by Graham Turner.  Sitting at the window of a great castle, a fashionably dressed Lady looks up from her book, her mind clearly lost in distant thoughts.  The view from the window identifies the setting as the Great tower at Raglan, Gwent, a fact confirmed by the heraldic stained glass panel. The arms are those of William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, and his wife, Anne Devereux, so perhaps this is Anne herself, awaiting news of her absent husband. She knows the feeling of vulnerability that went hand in hand with power during the Wars of the Roses, with the great rewards available to the supporters of the victorious faction becoming possible attainder, exile or death when the tables turned.  By allying himself to Edward, Earl of March, in 1461, and assisting him to accede the throne as Edward IV, William Herbert rose through the ranks of the English nobility at an incredible rate, to become the most powerful man in Wales when he was created Earl of Pembroke in 1468. However, on 26th July 1469, he was defeated at the battle of Edgecote while leading an army to crush 'Robin of Redesdale's' rebellion and, along with his brother, was summarily executed the following day on the orders of the Earl of Warwick.  So, as she passes the time, the Lady in Graham Turner's sensitive and highly detailed painting has every reason to be concerned, for her future is inextricably linked to that of her husband and remains uncertain until he is safely returned. The Arrival by Graham Turner  Edward IV enters London through Bishopsgate to reclaim the throne on the 11th April 1471.  The Battle of Towton by Graham Turner  With the wind and driving snow at their backs, the Yorkist archers shoot their final deadly volleys of armour piercing arrows into the advancing Lancastrian army while Edward IV and his knights and men-at-arms move through the ranks to meet their oncoming foe. Joust - Pas d armes de l Arbre d Or by Graham Turner  In July 1468, Margaret of York, sister to King Edward IV of England, was married to Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. This great dynastic marriage was marked by processions, pageants and banquets, so magnificent that contemporaries marveled at the wealth and splendour of the Burgundian court. The highlight of the celebrations was undoubtedly the tournament - the Pas d armes de l Arbre d Or (tournament of the Golden Tree) - held in the Market Place at Bruges in the shadow of the famous tower of the Market Hall.  Anthony, Count de la Roche - Grand Bastard of Burgundy - undertook to defend the golden tree against a succession of challengers for eight days, jousting against each one for half an hour, with the winner being the knight to break the most lances in the prescribed time.  Graham Turners painting shows the moment the Count spurs his horse forward, releasing its pent up energy into spectacular action as he launches himself down the lists towards his opponent. Whitecoats Defiant (Battle of Marston Moor) by Graham Turner.  The Marquis of Newcastle's 'Whitecoat' regiment stands firm as Parliamentarian cavalry press home their attack during the battle of Marston Moor on the 2nd July 1644. Their stand to the last man has gone down in history, the regiments final destruction bringing the battle to an end. The Relief of York by Graham Turner.  George, Lord Goring leads his cavalry through Bootham Bar and into York, formally lifting the siege of the City the day before the battle of Marston Moor Investiture in York by Graham Turner.  King Richard III, Queen Anne and their son Edward, emerge from the gothic grandeur of York Minster on the occasion of Edwards Investiture as Prince of Wales on the 8th September 1483.