Royal Standard of Richard III of England

Sir Percival Thirlwall was the standard-bearer of

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

during the

Battle of Bosworth Field The Battle of Bosworth or Bosworth Field was the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the houses of Lancaster and York that extended across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 Augu ...

, the penultimate battle in the Wars of the Roses which ultimately brought an end to the reign of the Plantagenets and inaugurated the Tudor dynasty. Thirlwall fought alongside Richard during his final charge against Henry VII – which was considered to be the "swan song of medieval chivalry" – as he was his standard-bearer. He was slain after the intervention of Sir William Stanley and his force. Legend has it that, although Richard's group was failing, Sir Percival held the standard of his King aloft whilst fighting a desperate fight, continuing to do so even with the loss of his legs during combat; he is said to have held the standard until his last breath.

Family

Sir Percival Thirlwall was of the Thirwall family, and so he would likely have lived in

Thirlwall Castle Thirlwall Castle is a 12th-century castle in Northumberland, England, on the bank of the River Tipalt close to the village of Greenhead and approximately west of Hexham. It was built in the 12th century, and later strengthened using stones f ...

, as his family had done so from around 1330 until 1748.

Portrayal in the Ballad of Bosworth Fielde

This is how Sir Percivall Thirlwall was portrayed in the Ballad of Bosworth Fielde: "Sir Percivall Thriball, the other hight, & in his hart was true; King Richards’ standard hee kept upright until both his’ leggs’ were hewen him froe; to the ground he wold neuer let itt goe, whilest the breath his brest ws within; yet men pray ffor the knights’ that ever was soe true to their King."

References

{{Reflist 15th-century English people People of the Wars of the Roses