Editing Battle of Bosworth Field (section)

===Stanleys===
In the early stages of the Wars of the Roses, the Stanleys of Cheshire had been predominantly Lancastrians.{{sfn|Carpenter|2002|p=159}} Sir [[William Stanley (Battle of Bosworth)|William Stanley]], however, was a staunch Yorkist supporter, fighting in the [[Battle of Blore Heath]] in 1459 and helping Hastings to put down uprisings against Edward IV in 1471.<ref>{{harvnb|Hicks|2002|p=163}}; {{harvnb|Ross|1997|p=164}}.</ref> When Richard took the crown, Sir William showed no inclination to turn against the new king, refraining from joining Buckingham's rebellion, for which he was amply rewarded.{{sfn|Carpenter|2002|p=212}} Sir William's elder brother, [[Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby|Thomas Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley]], was not as steadfast. By 1485, he had served three kings, namely [[Henry VI of England|Henry VI]], [[Edward IV]] and [[Richard III]]. [[Lord Stanley]]'s skilled political manoeuvrings—vacillating between opposing sides until it was clear who would be the winner—gained him high positions;{{sfn|Coward|1983|pp=2, 9–10}} he was Henry's chamberlain and Edward's steward.{{sfn|Ross|1997|p=334}} His non-committal stance, until the crucial point of a battle, earned him the loyalty of his men, who felt he would not needlessly send them to their deaths.{{sfn|Gravett|1999|p=15}}

[[Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby|Lord Stanley]]'s relations with the king's brother, the eventual [[Richard III]], were not cordial. The two had conflicts that erupted into violence around March 1470.{{sfn|Ross|1997|p=134}} Furthermore, having taken [[Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby|Lady Margaret]] as his second wife in June 1472,{{sfn|Jones|Underwood|1993|p=59}} Stanley was Henry Tudor's stepfather, a relationship which did nothing to win him Richard's favour. Despite these differences, Stanley did not join [[Buckingham's revolt]] in 1483.{{sfn|Carpenter|2002|p=212}} When Richard executed those conspirators who had been unable to flee [[England]],{{sfn|Ross|1999|p=117}} he spared Lady Margaret. However, he declared her titles forfeit and transferred her estates to Stanley's name, to be held in trust for the [[Yorkist]] crown. Richard's act of mercy was calculated to reconcile him with Stanley,{{sfn|Jones|Underwood|1993|p=64}} but it may have been to no avail—Carpenter has identified a further cause of friction in Richard's intention to reopen an old land dispute that involved Thomas Stanley and the Harrington family.{{sfn|Carpenter|2002|p=216}} Edward IV had ruled the case in favour of Stanley in 1473,{{sfn|Ross|1997|p=409}} but Richard planned to overturn his brother's ruling and give the wealthy estate to the Harringtons.{{sfn|Carpenter|2002|p=216}} Immediately before the Battle of Bosworth, being wary of Stanley, Richard took his son, [[George Stanley, 9th Baron Strange|Lord Strange]], as hostage to discourage him from joining Henry.{{sfn|Horrox|1991|p=323}}