18. When King Richard III Threatened to Execute Thomas Stanley’s Son, he Replied “Sire, I Have Other Sons“
The rivals met at the Battle of Bosworth on August 22, 1485. Thomas Stanley was still undecided, however. So he held back his forces while waiting to see which side looked like a winner. A livid Richard III sent Stanley a message, threatening to execute his son unless he immediately attacked the Lancastrians. The Earl coolly handled that pressure by responding: “Sire, I have other sons“. Richard ordered Stanley’s son executed, but the order was not immediately carried out, and soon, it was too late. As the afternoon wore on, Stanley figured that Richard was losing the battle. So he ordered an attack – against Richard and the Yorkist forces.
That decisively tipped the scales in favor of Henry Tudor. Richard launched a desperate attack to try and reach and cut down his rival but was cut down himself. Following Richard’s death, Stanley found his fallen crown in some shrubs, and personally placed it on the head of Henry Tudor, henceforth Henry VII. Stanley’s stepson and new king ended the Plantagenet Dynasty and replaced it with his own, the Tudors. Stanley’s treachery paid well, and he was generously rewarded for betraying Richard.
