Did the age of chivalry ever really exist? The discovery of 38 mutilated skeletons from the War of the Roses in the late 15th century casts doubt on this age.

The bodies had multiple stab wounds and their noses and ears had been cut off which, suggests archaeologist Chris Knusel, was to prevent their souls going to heaven.

Want to watch more full-length Documentaries?
Click here: goo.gl/zCIIDC

Content licensed from Digital Rights Group (DRG).

Produced by Granada Media Group.

source

49 COMMENTS

  1. At least we know what side they were on – the descendant of the Usurper, Henry. Given that Edward won the battle and was in position to take and execute captives.
    As for the end of Chivalry…. Chivalry ended at the Battle of Evesham. That was also brutal.

  2. "28,000 dead or dying?" Antietam Creek (AKA Sharpsburg, Maryland) in the War of Northern Aggression", Sep't 1862, produced 23,000 casualties on both sides, north and south; Shiloh, Tennessee, 1862 produced 23,000 casualties, both sides; Gettysburg PA, July 1863 produced 53,000 casualties, both sides and the list goes on and on.

  3. They seemed to skip the wind factor with the arrows. With the wind behind them the yorkist could out range the LANCS, and just stand off and slaughter them. The pit is full of Archers, and the vetnaur was prob number 16. They could have been captives before the battle even.

  4. Bosh to the head, Bosh to the face, and lop off a trophy… Seems par for the course… it's not like they were hung drawn and quartered like the aristocracy were wont to do. I bet one or two modern veterans still have ears from Nam. Till we get some working class historians the toffs of academia will obsess obsequious with royalty… and class the rest as barbarous

  5. ''Honor. Glory. Lies to make idiot boys want knighthood, and idiot girls spread their legs for it. Let me tell you what makes a knight: killing. Either enough men, or the right man''
    Sandor ''The Hound'' Clegane

  6. This was a great program all the way up until the put the researcher from the University of Utah on. The U of U is the 2 nd worst public school in the United States. It has been since the cold fusion scandal showed the world the total lack of academics, ethics, integrity and lack of standards. What a way to ruin a great show.

  7. To talk about the concepts of chivalry, as if a handbook called 'code of chivalry' was published in 1100 and regularly consulted thereafter (or not) until The Renaissance, is nonsense. As if there was a five hundred year period called The Middle Ages when ideas didn't change or evolve. Would you talk about, say, 'Democracy' in that way?

  8. I was born and brought up in Bromborough Wirral. At that time the Playing field in the Village was called The Bradmoor field. A road next to it was named Bradmoor Rd. I presume alluding to the great Battle of Brunenbugh on the broad moor. Thank you for your comments Darklinger.

  9. Other than Knusel's word, is there any evidence that the English at that time believed that cutting off noses and ears prevented souls from going to heaven? That was certainly never a Christian belief. It would have to be a pagan superstition that the English Church never eradicated — but then we would see other signs of it.

  10. England's bloodiest battle for sure but the Battle of Watling Street in 61 AD (long before England was a unified state) may have been deadlier. Roman sources say 80,000 Britons were slain- even allowing for exaggeration, it is possible tens of thousands died. Still, Towton was horrendous.

  11. 31:00 expresses disbelief that 28000 dead exceeds number of British dead on day 1 of the Somme offensive. He makes a completely irrelevant comparison, eg Cannae 80000 Roman losses in a battle lasting several hours.
    32:00 square-shaped puncture wound, could also be from a crossbow bolt that was later recovered (if they were employed at Towton) or a two-handed pole-arm. And footmen were not armed with a 'horseman's hammer', it is a war hammer.
    40:00 Disfigured by injury? Look at the nose they constructed for him, worse than almost any wound.
    43:00 Many killed in the rout, same as the majority of pre-gunpowder actions. Not news.

    The upshot? Medieval combat is nasty, people die, the same as any battle in any period of warfare.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here