Battle of Evesham
Coordinates: 52 ° 5 ′ 33 " N , 1 ° 56 ′ 50" W.
Depiction of the Battle of Evesham from the Chronica majora of Matthew Paris, 13th century.
| date | 4th August 1265 |
|---|---|
| place | Evesham / Worcestershire |
| output | Royal victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
|
royal troops |
English barons |
| Commander | |
|
|
|
| Troop strength | |
| unknown | unknown |
| losses | |
|
approx. 160 fallen knights |
|
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The Battle of Evesham was a military clash in the England of the Middle Ages in the 13th century . It brought the decision in the Second War of the Barons between the English royal family on the one hand and the opposition of English barons on the other. It took place on the morning of August 4, 1265 near Evesham Abbey in Worcestershire .
background
The battle also marked the end of a decade-long constitutional conflict between the kingship and the barons, since they first rebelled against King John Ohneland in the First Barons' War in 1215 . Both camps struggled to develop different concepts for shaping the English state. While that of Heinrich III. and whose eldest son, Lord Eduard , insisted on monarchical omnipotence, the barons around their leader Simon de Montfort endeavored to limit the power of kingship with a parliamentary framework, in which the barons should be given a say in the formation of politics .
In 1258 the barons had compelled the king to recognize the Provisions of Oxford , to which they could introduce their main demands and thus make a reform of the English state possible. King Henry III but resolutely refused to restrict his royal authority and pursued a policy aimed at lifting the commission. This ultimately led to the outbreak of open civil war in 1264, which was also the Mise of Amiens , an arbitration ruling by the French King Louis IX. couldn't stop. On May 14, 1264, the barons around Montfort were able to achieve a complete victory over the royal in the Battle of Lewes , with almost the entire royal family in their captivity. Simon de Montfort thus advanced to become the de facto ruler of England, which enabled him to implement the Provisions of Oxford, which King Henry III, who was in Montfort's power, had. had to approve. On January 20, 1265, Montfort convened the De Montfort's Parliament , named after him , to which, for the first time in English history, the urban parishes ( boroughs ) could send elected representatives. De Montfort's Parliament is equated in historiography with the establishment of the House of Commons , the House of Commons .
After the king and the crown prince had recognized the new order under oath, their captivity was formally ended; However, care was taken that they always stayed in an environment loyal to de Montfort. De Montfort himself remained the true ruler of the country, but he was never able to fully assert himself, especially among his noble peers. Especially the Marcher Lords , the barons on the border with Wales, rejected his rule, as the expansion policy of the Welsh prince Llywelyn ap Gruffydd , who was allied with Montfort, threatened their rule.
The way to battle
On May 28, 1265, Lord Eduard escaped from the supervision of the supporters of Montfort and fled to the Welsh Marches . There he allied himself with William de Valence, 1st Earl of Pembroke , John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey , and Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Gloucester , who had previously been a follower of de Montforts. Simon de Montfort mobilized his followers to counter the threat and moved to the Welsh Marches. He led King Heinrich III. with himself. Lord Eduard managed, however, to take the strategically important river crossings of the Severn , Gloucester and Worcester , whereby Montfort was cut off from its connection to England and was established in Wales. His son of the same name, Simon the Younger , tried to bring in reinforcements for his father. In order to prevent the unification of his opponents, Lord Eduard carried out on the night of July 31st to August 1st a successful surprise attack on the younger Montfort, encamped at Kenilworth Castle , whose army was broken up and who himself was forced to flee. Montfort learned nothing of this, and on August 2nd he succeeded in crossing the Severn east at Kempsey . Then he moved into the nearby abbey of Evesham. During the morning mass on August 4th he was informed that his son was approaching from the direction of Kenilworth, whereupon he immediately set out with his army to ride to meet him. With this, however, he ran into a trap of Prince Edward, who had captured the banner of the younger Montfort from Kenilworth and was now leading it. When Montfort had recognized the true identity of the army advancing towards him, it was already too late, the prince's allies had already blocked the retreat to Evesham from Worcester. With a bend in the Avon in the back, Montfort had no choice but to face the battle. Before the battle began, he received absolution from Walter de Cantilupe , the Bishop of Worcester present .
The battle
The king's supporters outnumbered Montfort's army three times. Crown Prince Edward divided his army into three divisions at the highest point of Greenhill, about 1.5 km north of Evesham. While he commanded the center himself, the Earl of Hertford commanded the left wing and Roger Mortimer of Wigmore commanded the right wing. Montfort attacked the royal army in a bold cavalry attack, presumably hoping to break through the opposing line. His foot troops should support the attack. Sections of the royal party initially withdrew, but after a counterattack by the royal troops, the knights of Montfort were trapped. Contrary to customary practice, the royal followers showed no mercy and initially did not take any prisoners. Prince Edward is said to have specifically instructed a group of twelve knights to kill Montfort. Montfort was surrounded, lost his horse and was allegedly killed by Roger Mortimer, who is also said to have killed lawyer Hugh le Despenser . In addition, Montfort's son Henry , Ralph Basset , Peter de Montfort and at least 31 other knights of Montforts fell. The king accompanying Montfort involuntarily was initially not recognized by his son's followers and was attacked, although he tried to identify himself to them. Only Roger of Leybourne recognized him and brought him to safety. The escaping troops of Montfort were captured by the royal troops pursuing them and driven into the city. In the city and even in the abbey the struggle continued relentlessly until the Montfort army was completely defeated and disbanded. Humphrey V. de Bohun , Henry Hastings and John Fitz John were captured.
consequences
The body of Montfort was dismembered, his head is said to have been sent as a trophy to the vengeful Baroness Mortimer. The remains of his body and the bodies of his son Henry and Hugh le Despenser were buried in the abbey church by the monks of the abbey. The victory of the king's supporters decided the outcome of the Second War of the Barons, since Montfort and most of the other leaders of the rebellion had been killed. The supporters of the king nevertheless continued to take irreconcilable revenge on the remaining rebels, who thus fought bitterly on, so that it took until 1267 before the country was pacified again.
The former battlefield is privately owned but accessible. The story of the battle is told through panels from the Simon de Montfort Society .
literature
- David C. Cox: The Battle of Evesham (Vale of Evesham Historical Society, 1965)
- John Sadler: Second Baron's War: Simon de Montfort and the Battles of Lewes and Evesham (Pen and Sword, 2009)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ John Sadler: The Second Barons' War. Simon de Montfort and the battles of Lewes and Evesham. Pen & Sword Military, Barnsley 2008. ISBN 978-1-84415-831-7 , p. 123.
- ^ Michael Altschul: A baronial family in medieval England. The Clares . The Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore 1965, p. 110.
- ↑ Battle of Evesham 750th Anniversary: Battlefield. Retrieved September 5, 2015 .