Whenever thoughts turn to that most controversial of kings Richard III, there's usually a mention of him being the last English monarch to die in battle. But how common was this before his violent end at Bosworth? Let's look at other monarchs who perished due to enemy action...
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The kings that died on the battlefield
Edward the Elder (899-924)
The son of Alfred the Great built on his father's achievements and expanded his kingdom into Mercia and East Anglia, defeating Vikings and Saxon rivals alike until only Northumbria remained beyond his control. But despite his power, he still faced rebellions. In 924, he was in the process of putting down an uprising near Chester in Mercia when he died suddenly – the implication being that the fighting was responsible. And thus, Edward the Elder grew no older.
Harold II (1066)
The last Saxon King of England, Harold led the English at the Battle of Hastings against William, Duke of Normandy. Legend (and an incorrect reading of the Bayeaux Tapestry) holds that Harold was killed by an arrow to the eye but many historians have challenged this. It's more likely that, as the Saxon lines wavered late in the battle, Harold found himself surrounded and hacked down by Norman knights as is depicted in the recent BBC series King and Conqueror.
William the Conqueror (1066-1087)
Not strictly killed by enemy action, William died while in battle. Despite his resounding victory at Hastings, he spent most of his life putting down rebellions in England and Normandy or fighting the French king who was allied with William's eldest son Robert. It was when attempting to capture Mantes on the border of Normandy and the land of French King Philip I that William was thrown from his horse and fatally injured on the pommel of his saddle.
Richard I (1189-1199)
The Lionheart spent most of his 10 years as king at war – either on the Third Crusade (1189-1192) or battling his rebellious French vassals. He was besieging the relatively minor castle of Châlus-Chambrol in Aquitaine in south-west France when he was hit by a crossbow bolt fired by one of the defenders. He died of his wound. Richard had championed the chivalric ideal so his death at the hands of a commoner using a weapon regarded as beneath a knight's dignity must have rankled.
Richard III (1483-1485)
Shakespeare has Richard famously cry out “My Kingdom for a horse” as the tide of battle turned against him. When Richard fought his rival Henry Tudor at Bosworth in Leicestershire in 1485, his hold on power already precarious. Then key allies swapped sides at the last minute leaving Richard outnumbered. But contemporary accounts suggest he almost snatched victory with an audacious final charge that breached Henry's bodyguard. Alas for Richard, he was surrounded and cut down.
Macbeth (1040-1057)
The real Macbeth was not as tormented or diabolical character as that portrayed by Shakespeare. His name was Macbethad mac Findláech and he was the Earl of Moray who, in 1040, had to defend his lands from King Duncan I.
Macbeth's defence was so successful he defeated and killed Duncan and was able to claim the kingship. But after a relatively peaceful reign of 17 years he was killed in battle with Duncan's son Malcolm at Lumphanan in Aberdeenshire. Chroniclers seem to agree that Macbeth died at Malcolm's hand.
More Scottish kings
Macbeth is one of at least 11 kings of Alba or later Scotland who were killed in battle. Notable casualties include James II who was an early adopter of cannons and paid for his enthusiasm when one of his precious guns exploded during the siege of English-held Roxburgh Castle in 1460, killing the king instantly. His son James III also died in battle, fighting rebels including his son, the future James IV, at the battle of Sauchieburn in 1488. James IV would also fall on the battlefield...
Who was the last British king to die in battle?
While Richard III was the last English king to die on the battlefield, James IV of Scotland is the last British monarch to die in battle. Infact, his family had had a bad run – both his father and grandfather had suffered violent deaths in war (above).
James was an ambitious and powerful king who seized his opportunity to invade England in 1513 while Henry VIII was busy on military adventures with France. But his large army was soundly defeated by the English at Flodden in Northumberland, and James was killed by an arrow to the mouth while leading a charge.
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