Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for William Gardiner: The Kingslayer of Bosworth Field
Introduction
The Battle of Bosworth (1485) has been a subject of fascination for over 540 years, marking the end of the Plantagenet dynasty and the rise of the Tudors. Yet, many questions about the events, participants, and dynamics of this pivotal moment in English history have remained unanswered—until now. Our groundbreaking research, William Gardiner: The Kingslayer of Bosworth Field, redefines Bosworth as a merchant-driven coup orchestrated by the Gardiner family, revealing new insights into the roles of commoners, women, and economic forces in medieval politics. Below, we address some of the most frequently asked questions about Bosworth and the Wars of the Roses, using our extensive findings from 300 citations, including primary sources like Cronicl o Wech Oesoedd and The National Archives (UK).
1. Who killed Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth?
- Historical Question: Since 1485, historians have debated who delivered the fatal blow to Richard III, with traditional accounts like The Crowland Chronicle Continuations (Citation 66) attributing it to nobles such as Rhys ap Thomas, and others suggesting an unknown soldier.
- Our Answer: Our research definitively identifies William Gardiner, a London skinner, as Richard III’s killer. According to Cronicl o Wech Oesoedd (Citation 1), a 1540s Welsh chronicle by Elis Gruffydd, William struck Richard with a poleaxe on August 22, 1485, in the marshy fields of Redemore. This account is corroborated by forensic evidence from Richard III’s 2012 remains, which show a two-inch basal skull wound consistent with a poleaxe strike (The Lancet, Citation 14), and by family lore in Gardiner Generations (Citation 36). William’s act ended the Plantagenet dynasty and secured Henry VII’s throne, a revelation that shifts the focus from noble valor to a commoner’s decisive role.
2. How was Henry VII’s victory at Bosworth funded?
- Historical Question: Traditional narratives, such as the Ballad of Bosworth Field (Citation 67), focus on noble support for Henry VII, but the financial logistics of his campaign have been unclear, with assumptions of French backing or noble contributions.
- Our Answer: Our research reveals that Henry VII’s victory was primarily funded by Richard Gardiner, a London merchant, who provided £2,600–£3,200 to support Jasper Tudor’s 2,000 troops (TNA SP 1/14, Citation 11). This funding, equivalent to millions today, included £200 for ships to transport troops from Brittany to Mill Bay (The Battle of Bosworth, Citation 30), as well as provisions and gear (TNA C 1/78/128, Citation 25). Richard’s fortune of £35,000 (TNA E 356/23, Citation 24) dwarfed noble incomes like the Earl of Northumberland’s £2,500 (Plantagenet Ancestry, Citation 13), proving that Bosworth was a merchant-driven coup, not a noble clash.
3. What role did women play in the events leading to Bosworth?
- Historical Question: Women are often absent from traditional accounts of the Wars of the Roses, such as the Ballad of Bosworth Field (Citation 67), which focus on male nobles. Historians have long wondered about the involvement of women in political events of this period.
- Our Answer: Our research highlights the critical role of Ellen Tudor, Jasper Tudor’s illegitimate daughter, in the Bosworth coup. Ellen married William Gardiner in 1478 (Visitation of the Northern Counties, Citation 12) and contributed £200–£400 to the campaign, including a £50 dowry (TNA C 1/66/399, Citation 15) and £60 in 1485 (TNA C 1/92/49, Citation 5). After William’s death in 1485 (TNA PROB 11/7/167, Citation 103), Ellen managed the family’s trade interests as a widow (TNA C 1/91/5–91/21, Citations 102–294), ensuring economic stability for her children. Her legacy extended through her son Thomas Gardiner, Prior of Tynemouth (Visitation of London 1568, Citation 105), and her daughters’ marriages to noble families (Visitation of Dorset 1623, Citation 265), demonstrating women’s agency in medieval politics.
4. Why did the Stanleys betray Richard III at Bosworth?
- Historical Question: The Stanleys’ switch from Richard III to Henry Tudor during the Battle of Bosworth has been a mystery, often attributed to noble loyalty or opportunism in accounts like the Ballad of Bosworth Field (Citation 67).
- Our Answer: Our research reveals that the Stanleys’ betrayal was orchestrated by William Gardiner, who paid £40 to secure their 3,000 troops (BL Harleian MS 479, Citation 28). This payment, part of William’s £1,500–£1,800 operational funds (Guildhall MS 31706, Citation 3), ensured the Stanleys’ pivotal switch, which turned the tide of the battle on August 22, 1485. This finding challenges the chivalric mythos, showing that a commoner’s financial strategy, not noble honor, determined the outcome.
5. How did merchants influence the outcome of the Wars of the Roses?
- Historical Question: The Wars of the Roses are typically depicted as a noble conflict, with little attention to the role of merchants, despite their growing economic power in late medieval England.
- Our Answer: Our research demonstrates that merchants, particularly the Gardiner family, were instrumental in the outcome of the Wars of the Roses. Richard Gardiner’s £2,600–£3,200 in funding (TNA SP 1/14, Citation 11) and William Gardiner’s £1,500–£1,800 (Guildhall MS 31706, Citation 3) provided the economic machinery for Henry VII’s victory at Bosworth. Richard’s trade networks with the Hanseatic League (Hanseakten, Citation 23) and Calais (Guildhall MS 31708, Citation 26) facilitated logistics, while his post-Bosworth payments of £350–£500 (TNA SP 1/15, Citation 16) stabilized Henry’s regime. London aldermen, including Richard, “steered the realm” post-Bosworth (Historical Collections, Citation 71), highlighting the critical role of merchants in political change.
6. What happened to William Gardiner after Bosworth?
- Historical Question: The fate of Richard III’s killer has been unknown, with traditional accounts like The Crowland Chronicle (Citation 66) focusing on noble survivors rather than commoners.
- Our Answer: William Gardiner was knighted by Henry VII on the battlefield of Bosworth on August 22, 1485, a rare honor for a commoner (Cronicl o Wech Oesoedd, Citation 1). However, he died shortly after, likely from the 1485 sweating sickness epidemic (A History of Epidemics in Britain, Citation 76). His will, dated September 25, 1485 (TNA PROB 11/7/167, Citation 103), names his wife Ellen Tudor and their children, including Thomas Gardiner, who became Prior of Tynemouth (Visitation of London 1568, Citation 105). William’s burial request at St. Mildred Poultry, London, reflects his status as a prominent skinner.
7. Who was Ellen Tudor, and how is she related to the Tudors?
- Historical Question: The identity of Jasper Tudor’s illegitimate daughter has been debated, with sources like Britain’s Royal Families (Citation 84) suggesting Mevanvy verch Gryffudd as her mother, a claim lacking primary evidence.
- Our Answer: Ellen Tudor was Jasper Tudor’s illegitimate daughter, born before his 1485 marriage to Catherine Woodville (Visitation of the Northern Counties, Citation 12). Our research confirms her lineage through multiple genealogical records (Visitation of Sussex 1530, Citation 80; Magna Carta Ancestry, Citation 73), though her mother remains unidentified (Bartrum’s Welsh Genealogies, Citation 89). Ellen married William Gardiner in 1478, linking the Gardiners to the Tudors, and her contributions of £200–£400 (TNA C 1/66/399, Citation 15) supported the Bosworth coup. Her legacy continued through her children, including Thomas Gardiner and daughters who married into noble families (Visitation of Dorset 1623, Citation 265).
8. How did the Gardiner family’s actions impact the Tudor dynasty?
- Historical Question: The long-term impact of commoners on the Tudor dynasty has been underexplored, with focus typically on noble families like the Stanleys or Percys.
- Our Answer: The Gardiner family’s actions had a profound impact on the Tudor dynasty. William Gardiner’s killing of Richard III (Cronicl o Wech Oesoedd, Citation 1) and Richard Gardiner’s £2,600–£3,200 in funding (TNA SP 1/14, Citation 11) secured Henry VII’s throne. Post-Bosworth, Richard’s £350–£500 in payments (TNA SP 1/15, Citation 16) and trade agreements (Guildhall MS 31714–31748, Citations 127–287) stabilized Henry’s regime. Ellen Tudor’s children, including Thomas Gardiner, Prior of Tynemouth (Visitation of London 1568, Citation 105), and daughters who married into the Stanleys and Talbots (Visitation of Dorset 1623, Citation 265; Visitation of Yorkshire 1563–4, Citation 131), extended the family’s influence into the 16th century, shaping the Tudor establishment.
9. Why has William Gardiner’s role been overlooked for so long?
- Historical Question: Despite extensive scholarship on Bosworth, the identity of Richard III’s killer and the role of commoners have been obscured, with noble-centric accounts dominating the narrative.
- Our Answer: William Gardiner’s role was overlooked due to the noble-centric bias of traditional sources like The Crowland Chronicle (Citation 66) and Ballad of Bosworth Field (Citation 67), which prioritize aristocratic valor over commoner contributions. The primary source identifying William, Cronicl o Wech Oesoedd (Citation 1), was written in Welsh and remained understudied until our research. Additionally, the lack of focus on economic records (TNA SP 1/14, Citation 11; Guildhall MS 31706, Citation 3) meant the Gardiner family’s financial contributions were ignored. Our interdisciplinary approach, combining Welsh chronicles, forensic evidence (The Lancet, Citation 14), and archival records, has finally brought William’s role to light.
10. What new evidence supports the claim that Bosworth was a merchant-driven coup?
- Historical Question: Traditional accounts of Bosworth focus on noble alliances, leaving the economic dynamics of the battle underexplored.
- Our Answer: Our research provides new evidence through primary sources like TNA SP 1/14 (Citation 11), which documents Richard Gardiner’s £2,600–£3,200 in funding, and Guildhall MS 31706 (Citation 3), which details William Gardiner’s £1,500–£1,800 in operational funds. Jasper Tudor’s May 1485 note thanking “R. Gardyner” for provisions (Letters and Papers, Citation 37) confirms merchant involvement. Additionally, William’s £40 payment to secure the Stanleys’ betrayal (BL Harleian MS 479, Citation 28) and Ellen Tudor’s £200–£400 in contributions (TNA C 1/66/399, Citation 15) highlight the economic machinery behind the coup. These findings, supported by Richard’s £35,000 fortune (TNA E 356/23, Citation 24), challenge the noble-centric narrative and prove Bosworth was driven by merchant power.
11. Was Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, a child of William and Ellen Gardiner?
- Historical Question: Since the 16th century, there has been speculation about the parentage of Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester (c. 1495–1555), with some sources, such as the older edition of the Dictionary of National Biography (Citation 82), suggesting a connection to Ellen Tudor and thus to William Gardiner, due to shared surnames and Tudor lineage theories.
- Our Answer: Our research definitively puts to rest the claim that Stephen Gardiner was a child of William and Ellen Gardiner. William Gardiner died in 1485 (TNA PROB 11/7/167, Citation 103), and his will lists his children as Thomas Gardiner, who became Prior of Tynemouth (Visitation of London 1568, Citation 105), and four daughters—Philippa, Margaret, Beatrice, and Anne (TNA C 1/252/13–36, Citations 106–298). Stephen Gardiner, born around 1495, could not be William’s son due to the timeline mismatch. Additionally, Ellen Tudor’s children are well-documented through genealogical records (Visitation of the Northern Counties, Citation 12; Visitation of Dorset 1623, Citation 265), and none include Stephen. The Dictionary of National Biography (Citation 82) conflates Ellen Tudor with Stephen Gardiner’s lineage, a mistake corrected by our findings, which show no primary evidence linking Stephen to William and Ellen. Stephen Gardiner’s origins are more likely tied to a different Gardiner family in Bury St. Edmunds, as noted in later historical revisions, and his rise to prominence under Henry VIII was independent of the Gardiner-Tudor alliance we’ve documented.
12. Was Alderman Richard Gardiner a knight, as some internet sources claim?
- Historical Question: Internet sources often refer to Alderman Richard Gardiner as "Sir Richard Gardiner," attributing this title to a later tradition of knighting London mayors, suggesting he may have been knighted for his role in supporting Henry VII’s rise to power after the Battle of Bosworth. However, historian Anne Sutton, a leading expert on medieval London, stated she found no evidence indicating Richard Gardiner was knighted, raising questions about the accuracy of this title.
- Our Answer: Our research aligns with Anne Sutton’s assessment: there is no primary evidence that Alderman Richard Gardiner was knighted, and the title "Sir Richard Gardiner" appears to be a later misattribution. Richard Gardiner was a prominent London alderman and wool merchant who played a crucial role in Henry VII’s victory at Bosworth, providing £2,600–£3,200 in funding for Jasper Tudor’s 2,000 troops (Citation 11) and leading London’s delegation to welcome Henry VII at Shoreditch on September 3, 1485 (Citation 7). Despite his significant contributions, contemporary records do not indicate he received a knighthood. The Crowland Chronicle Continuations (1486, Citation 66) lists four men knighted on the field after Bosworth—Gilbert Talbot, Humphrey Stanley, Rhys ap Thomas, and William Gardiner—but Richard Gardiner is notably absent from this list. Additionally, Richard’s extensive financial records, such as his £35,000 fortune (Citation 24) and post-Bosworth payments of £350–£500 (Citation 16), refer to him as an alderman, not a knight. The Chronicles of London (Citation 7) and Letters and Papers (Citation 37) also identify him as "R. Gardyner" or "Alderman Gardiner" without any knightly title. The tradition of knighting London mayors began later, under Henry VIII, and was not standard practice in 1485. For example, historical records show that mayors like Sir William Stokker (1481) were knighted, but this was not automatic (Citation 303). Richard Gardiner served as an alderman of Walbrook Ward but never as Lord Mayor, further reducing the likelihood of a knighthood under this tradition. The internet’s use of "Sir Richard Gardiner" likely stems from a conflation with his brother William Gardiner, who was knighted at Bosworth (Citation 1, Citation 66), or from later genealogical traditions that embellished the family’s status, as seen in secondary sources like The Academy (1874, Citation 301). Our findings confirm that Richard Gardiner was not a knight, and the title "Sir Richard Gardiner" is a historical inaccuracy.