March 29, 1461 · England Theater
March 29, 1461
Fought in a blizzard on Palm Sunday, Towton was the largest and bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil. Edward IV commanded a Yorkist army that caught a strong Lancastrian force on a plateau above the River Cock. A blizzard drove snow into Lancastrian faces, giving Yorkist archers an enormous advantage — their arrows outranged the Lancastrian return fire. As the line collapsed, fleeing Lancastrians were cut down at the Cock Beck in scenes of wholesale slaughter. Edward reportedly gave no quarter. The fighting lasted ten hours.
Commanders