Even by medieval standards, Bosworth is a poorly documented clash of arms and it has proved to be very difficult for modern historians to pick up the pieces.

So why does the story still matter? On August 22, 1485, Richard III of England was killed in battle against Henry Tudor. His victorious challenger seized his crown and founded one of England’s most famous ruling dynasties.

The battle itself was a brief affair, marred by treachery and shrouded in confusion, and it has proved extremely difficult to reconstruct. The numbers on both sides were small. At a pivotal moment in our history, when the Middle Ages were coming to an end and the modern era beginning, many of England’s inhabitants wisely decided that discretion was the better part of valour and stayed away from the field of combat. The few that remained witnessed an extraordinary transition.

The year 1485 represents the ending of a millennium of medieval history and the opening of a new chapter in England’s development. The events of this time were ultimately, though somewhat inaccurately, brought to life by Shakespeare: his misrepresentation makes it even more difficult to do justice to what actually took place.

He casts Richard III as a monstrous deformed tyrant, who received his just deserts on the field of battle. There is no denying the play’s dramatic power, as it reaches its climax in the famous Bosworth scene where Richard, betrayed and alone, cries out desperately for a horse.

Sir Laurence Olivier’s film of 1955 brilliantly captures that moment, though — concerned more about atmosphere than topographical niceties — he shot the battle scenes in Spain. There has been much historical debate about Richard III’s brief but dramatic reign and the course and location of the battle that unseated him.

The intricacies of these arguments may hold little interest for the general public, but the broader interpretation of the King’s notorious reign remains a fascinating one.

Was Richard really the murderous villain that Shakespeare and the Tudors so cleverly presented? Revising history’s good guys and bad guys is a game that everyone enjoys playing and modern educational displays now invite their audience to make up their own mind rather than telling them what to think.

This continuing engagement with the past through the tale of the battle of Bosworth is a wonderful opportunity to understand how a story can be spun — there is nothing new in the world of public relations.

Bosworth now boasts a magnificent new battlefield centre and every year, on the weekend closest to the anniversary of the battle, thousands of visitors descend on the site to enjoy jousting tournaments, history displays and a re-enactment of Richard’s fatal last charge.

Walking the actual field of combat remains one of the most powerful ways to connect with the past.

Michael Jones is the author of Bosworth 1485: Psychology of a Battle