British Royals Royalists TROOPS 14,000 INFANTRY 12,000 ARCHERS 2,000 01 Spies observe Hotspur at Berwick Field Hotspur based his army on a low hill in a predominantly open area sown with peas The pea stems were wound together in order to trip up advancing horses and men 01 02 The king marches Henry and his army marched in formation, divided into two battalions: the vanguard (including the archers) were led by the Earl of Stafford, with the king in charge of the main army, and his son Prince Henry joining with another force from the south 03 Final attempts at negotiations HENRY IV OF ENGLAND LEADER Having usurped Richard II as king of England, Shrewsbury would prove to be the biggest challenge to his rule Strengths Strong and capable Weakness Unable to mobilise as many men as he’d have liked DISGUISED KNIGHT KEY UNIT One of Henry’s strategies was an attempt to focus enemy attention elsewhere, prompting him to disguise two knights as him Strengths An effective decoy for the king Weakness Only effective as long as they’re alive; potential for enemy to see through the ruse quickly 06 Henry offered the rebels a chance at safe conduct if they could work things out, but the Earl of Worcester, sent in Hotspur’s stead, refused to negotiate 02 04Initial assault The Stafford-led Royal vanguard led the assault Despite incurring heavy casualties from the rebel archers, the vanguard managed to engage them in contact after the archers ran out of arrows, thus sapping their strength Regardless, the king’s men were beaten back and retreated, with Stafford being killed in the process 05 Henry attacks SWORD KEY WEAPON The standard weapon for the royal infantry, it was interchangeable with other pole-type weapons, like bills or daggers Strengths Highly versatile Weakness Required high amounts of skill to wield effectively 56 With much of the vanguard either killed or deserted and the rebel forces pressing the attack, it fell to Henry to lead the assault On his mark, his trumpeters gave the signal for the main bulk of his army to charge, with Henry leading the assault, meeting the rebel forces at the bottom of the slope The fighting here was especially fierce, with the king being the main target of the rebels’ attacks vk.com/englishlibrary vk.com/bastau attacks 06 Prince on flank At the same time as the main assault, the king ordered Prince Henry to attack Hotspur’s army on the flanks in order to divert the destructive archers from the main force The attack went well, weakening Henry’s forces and decimating the archers However, the prince was grievously injured when an enemy arrow struck him in the face and penetrated his skull just below his visor, although he would ultimately recover from this wound