The Battle of Towton, fought in a snowstorm on 29 March 1461 in Yorkshire, is said to be the largest and bloodiest battle fought on English soil. In four hours of hand-to-hand fighting between the Yorkists and Lancastrians, 28,000 people died.
The Lancastrians outnumbered the Yorkists but lost the advantage because they were firing their arrows into the wind and swirling snow. These were falling short of the enemy while the Yorkist arrows carried further in the wind to deadly effect, killing many who were without protective armour, and paving the way for a victory that brought Edward IV to the throne.
For those who could afford it, these were the great days of full body armour made strong enough both to deflect arrows and withstand heavy swords. The weight made the wearer into a human tank. Not needing a shield, the knight could carry a weapon in each hand.
It was for these battles that the poleaxe was invented. With an axe on one side and a hammer on the other, the person inside the armour could suffer broken bones and internal injuries because of the shock waves from the heavy blows these weapons could inflict on an opponent.
However, wearing armour in wet weather brought its own problems. The suits of interlocking plates were made of tempered steel. Kept indoors, they required little maintenance but, outside in the damp of Yorkshire, they rusted quickly.
The steel needed treating daily with a mixture of sand and vinegar. Once the coating of rust had been removed, the armour was rubbed with olive oil as lubrication to ensure the smooth movement of the knight inside and to keep the water off.
• This article was amended on 30 March 2017. An earlier version said the battle was “on the Yorkshire Moors”.
