The Last Warrior Kings

The British monarch retains the ultimate power to send the country to war, but the decision is actually delegated to government Ministers. Gone are the days when a King would lead his men into battle. Here are the last warrior Kings:-

King Richard III (1452-85) and his successor, King Henry VII (1457-1509), both led from the front on opposite sides in the Battle of Bosworth (1485) in Leicestershire, which ended the Wars of the Roses. Richard was killed and Henry took the crown, establishing the Tudor dynasty.

Just 28 years later, King James IV (1473-1513) fatally led his invading Scottish army at the Battle of Flodden (1513) in Northumberland. It was the largest and most decisive battle fought between Scotland and England and James and many Scottish nobles died in the English victory, directed by the Earl of Surrey.

Finally, the German-born King George II (1683-1760) spent only half his time here and was more concerned with his homeland of Hanover. George purloined the British Army to further his German interests. He led them in an alliance with Hanoverian and Austrian troops in the Battle of Dettingen (1743) against the French in southern Germany. This alliance was poorly coordinated in battle, but it just about managed to triumph.

(Images LtoR: Richard III, Henry VII, James IV all by Ann Longmore-Etheridge at Flickr.com / Public domain, George II at picryl.com / Public domain)