THE BATTLE OF NORTHAMPTON, APRIL 1264
April 1264 witnessed the battle of Northampton, a great victory for Henry III over the rebel Montfortians. Below is an extract from my book THE LEOPARD: THE WARS OF EDWARD I 1255-1274, describing the battle in detail.
I am posting the book chapter by chapter for paid subscribers: much of my content on this newsletter is free, but now and again I charge a fee. It’s only fair, after all.
The Battle of Northampton
On 6th March 1264 King Henry summoned the feudal host, ostensibly for a campaign against the Welsh. Henry soon dropped this pretence and further summonses on 18th March made it clear he meant to fight his own subjects. In early April he formally declared war by raising the dragon standard, a splendidly decorated banner with jewelled eyes and a tongue ‘seeming to flicker in and out as the breeze caught the banner, and its eyes of sapphire and other gems flashing in the light.’
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Medieval Realms to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.