Richard III of England was killed in the Battle of Bosworth Field.
House of Plantagenet . The rivalry between the House of Plantagenet 's two cadet branches of York and Lancaster brought about the Wars of the Roses , a decades-long fight for the English succession , culminating in the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 , when the reign of the Plantagenets and the English Middle Ages both met their end with the death of King Richard III . Richard III ( 2 October 1452 -- 22 August 1485 ) was King of England from 1483 until his death in 1485 , at the age of 32 , in the Battle of Bosworth Field . He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty . His defeat at Bosworth Field , the last decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses , marked the end of the Middle Ages in England .