why did the yorkists win the battle of towton
Battle of Towton
On reaching the battlefield , the Yorkists found themselves heavily outnumbered . Part of their force under the Duke of Norfolk had yet to arrive . The Yorkist leader Lord Fauconberg turned the tables by ordering his archers to take advantage of the strong wind to outrange their enemies . The one - sided missile exchange , with Lancastrian arrows falling short of the Yorkist ranks , provoked the Lancastrians into abandoning their defensive positions . The ensuing hand - to - hand combat lasted hours , exhausting the combatants . The arrival of Norfolk 's men reinvigorated the Yorkists and , encouraged by Edward , they routed their foes . Many Lancastrians were killed while fleeing ; some trampled each other and others drowned in the rivers , which are said to have made them run red with blood for several days . Several who were taken as prisoners were executed . 
On reaching the battlefield , the Yorkists found themselves heavily outnumbered . Part of their force under the Duke of Norfolk had yet to arrive . The Yorkist leader Lord Fauconberg turned the tables by ordering his archers to take advantage of the strong wind to outrange their enemies . The one - sided missile exchange , with Lancastrian arrows falling short of the Yorkist ranks , provoked the Lancastrians into abandoning their defensive positions . The ensuing hand - to - hand combat lasted hours , exhausting the combatants . The arrival of Norfolk 's men reinvigorated the Yorkists and , encouraged by Edward , they routed their foes . Many Lancastrians were killed while fleeing ; some trampled each other and others drowned in the rivers , which are said to have made them run red with blood for several days . Several who were taken as prisoners were executed .
The Yorkist leader Lord Fauconberg turned the tables by ordering his archers to take advantage of the strong wind to outrange their enemies.  The one - sided missile exchange, with Lancastrian arrows falling short of the Yorkist ranks, provoked the Lancastrians into abandoning their defensive positions.   The arrival of Norfolk's men reinvigorated the Yorkists and, encouraged by Edward, they routed their foes.
The Yorkist leader Lord Fauconberg turned the tables by ordering his archers to take advantage of the strong wind to outrange their enemies . The one - sided missile exchange , with Lancastrian arrows falling short of the Yorkist ranks , provoked the Lancastrians into abandoning their defensive positions . The arrival of Norfolk 's men reinvigorated the Yorkists and , encouraged by Edward , they routed their foes .