At least the Second Barons War only involves two battles to remember.

You may recall from the previous post that Henry III formally rejected the Provisions of Oxford in 1261 after Louise of France gave a ruling in Henry’s favour known as the Mis of Amiens. Fighting and skirmishing was wide spread but the two key dates are:

14 May 1264 – The Battle of Lewes- Simon de Montfort won the battle when the cavalry led by Prince Edward left the battlefield thinking only to rout the men they were chasing. It left the king exposed and he was captured. He was forced to sign the Mise of Lewes that gave power to Simon de Montfort, his brother-in-law. The document no longer exists but he was required to accept the Provisions of Oxford and to hand over his eldest son, Prince Edward, as a hostage of this good behaviour.

1265 The Great Council – also called the 1265 Parliament. Simon invited 2 knights from every county and burgesses from every borough. Its not quite a parliament but this was the foundation of the House of Commons. Simon de Montfort has sometimes been called the Father of Democracy – but it is over egging the omelette. Ordinary people – the peasants and villeins still had no say in how the country was governed. However, it was a radical departure from what went before.

Many of the barons thought that it was going a bit far too imprison the king and the Prince of Wales, so Simon said he would release Edward and return his castles to him. In Derbyshire, this irritated the Earl of Derby who refused to comply. Simon sent him to the Tower – this caused the barons even more concern – because Simon wasn’t the king, he was one of them. Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester changed his mind about supporting the barons and helped Prince Edward escape.

4 August 1265 Battle of Evesham – round two. Having learned from his Uncle Simon how to win battles the prince and his supporters won the day at Evesham.   As a lesson to every one else, Simon de Montfort’s body was quartered and sent to several towns to remind everyone not to rebel against the king.

King Henry III ruled until 1272 but never called another meeting of the Great Council. When Edward ascended the throne as King Edward I he knew that he would have to keep the barons on side – and that meant making concessions – like having a parliament to give them a say – of course, it also turned out he was rather good at winning battles – all of which pleased the barons.