On August 22, 1485, the final battle of the War of the Roses was fought near the village of Bosworth in Leicestershire. Richard III, commanding the royal forces in support of the House of York, had become very unpopular. A third of the royal army disobeyed the order to advance, and another third joined the enemy. Realizing that there was no turning back, Richard plunged into the battle and was slain. In the aftermath, his opponent in the battle, Henry Tudor, took the crown and became Henry VII, the first of the House of Tudor.
Richard's naked body was displayed at Greyfriars for two days. Shakespeare, in his play Richard III, gave him the memorable phrase, "My kingdom, my kingdom for a horse."
