First Barons' War
Date 1215 - 1217 Location England Result Eventual return to status quo, with some monarchic concessions Territorial changes None
Combatants
Pro-Angevin forces	Pro-Capetian forces, and Kingdom of France
Commanders
Hubert de Burgh	Prince Louis

The First Barons' War (1215–1217) was a combination of a civil war in England between the forces of a number of rebellious barons and King John, and a foreign invasion invited by the barons aimed at toppling him. The First Barons War (1215–1217) was a civil war in England between the forces of a number of rebellious barons and King John. ... The Second Barons War (1264–1267) was a civil war in England between the forces of a number of rebellious barons lead by Simon de Montfort, against the Royalist forces led by Prince Edward (later Edward I of England). ... Dover Castle is situated at Dover, Kent and has been described as the Key to England due to its defensive significance throughout history. ... This article is about the castle in Windsor. ... Hertford Castle was a Norman castle in Hertford, the county town of Hertfordshire, England, built on a site first fortified by Edward the Elder, around 911 A.D. It later became a royal residence, after passing to the crown in 1211. ... Second Battle of Lincoln. ... Rochester Castle seen from the cathedral door, showing the four-turreted keep. ... The battle of Dover was a naval battle fought in early 1217 between an English fleet of 30-40 ships under Hubert de Burgh and a French fleet of 80 (mostly small craft) under Eustace the Monk. ... Eustaces capture and death at the Battle of Sandwich Not to be confused with the Battle of Sandwich (1460). ... Image File history File links England_COA.svg‎ Source own work created in Inkscape, based on Image:EnglishcoatofarmsGFDL.png Date 2006-11-21 Author MesserWoland Permission Own work, copyleft: Multi-license with GFDL and Creative Commons CC-BY-SA-2. ... Image File history File links France_Ancient. ... Hubert de Burgh (~1165 - May 12, 1243) was Earl of Kent, Justiciar of England and Ireland, and one of the most influential men in England during the reigns of John and Henry III. De Burgh came from a minor gentry family about which little is known. ... Louis VIII the Lion (5 September 1187 – 8 November 1226) reigned as King of France from 1223 to 1226. ... A certified copy of the Magna Carta March 4 - King John of England makes an oath to the Pope as a crusader to gain the support of Innocent III. June 15 - King John of England was forced to put his seal on the Magna Carta, outlining the rights of landowning... April 9 - Peter of Courtenay crowned emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople at Rome, by Pope Honorius III May 20 - First Barons War, royalist victory at Lincoln. ... A civil war is a war in which parties within the same culture, society or nationality fight against each other for the control of political power. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Baron (disambiguation). ... This article is about the King of England. ...

Background

King John in June of 1215 was forced to sign Magna Carta by a group of powerful barons who had had enough of John's failed leadership and despotic rulership. "The law of the land" is one of the great watchwords of Magna Carta, standing in opposition to the king's mere will. A certified copy of the Magna Carta March 4 - King John of England makes an oath to the Pope as a crusader to gain the support of Innocent III. June 15 - King John of England was forced to put his seal on the Magna Carta, outlining the rights of landowning... Magna Carta Magna Carta (Latin for Great Charter, literally Great Paper), also called Magna Carta Libertatum (Great Charter of Freedoms), is an English charter originally issued in 1215. ...

Magna Carta of 1215 contained clauses that no medieval king could accept, unless he wished to remain ruler in name only. This included clause 61, the "security clause", that allowed a group of 25 barons to override the king at any time by way of force, a medieval legal process called distraint that was normal in feudal relationships but had never been applied to a king. After a few months of half-hearted attempts to negotiate in the summer of 1215, open warfare broke out between the rebel barons and the king and his supporters. Distraint is a condition under English law in which a debtor may be forced to surrender personal possessions for sale to account for a debt. ...

Course of events

Louis invited and welcomed

The war began over Magna Carta but quickly turned into a dynastic war for the throne of England. The rebel barons, faced with a powerful king, turned to Prince Louis, son and heir apparent of King of France Philip Augustus. The Norman invasion had occurred only 150 years before, and the relationship between England and France was not so simply adversarial as it later became. The contemporary document called the annals of Waverley sees no oxymoron in stating that Louis was invited to invade in order to "prevent the realm being pillaged by aliens". Louis VIII the Lion (5 September 1187 – 8 November 1226) reigned as King of France from 1223 to 1226. ... Philip II (French: Philippe II), called Philip Augustus (French: Philippe Auguste) (August 21, 1165 - July 14, 1223), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. ... A part of the ruins of Waverley Abbey. ...

At first, in November 1215, Louis simply sent the barons a contingent of knights to protect London. However, even at that stage he also agreed to an open invasion, despite discouragement from his father the King of France and from the Pope. This came in May 1216 - on 21st, watchmen on the coast of Thanet detected sails on the horizon, and on the next day, the King of England and his armies saw Louis’s troops disembark on the coast of Kent. John decided to escape to the Saxon capital of Winchester, and so Louis had little resistance on his march to London. He entered London, also with little resistance, and was openly received by the rebel barons and citizens of London and proclaimed (though not crowned) king at the cathedral. Many nobles, along with Alexander II of Scotland (1214–49), gathered to give homage to him. is the 141st day of the year (142nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the area of the same name, see Isle of Thanet. ... is the 142nd day of the year (143rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Kent (disambiguation). ... Winchester is a historic city in southern England, with a population of around 40,000 within a 3 mile radius of its centre. ... This article is about the cathedral church of the diocese of London. ... Alexander II (August 24, 1198 – July 6, 1249), king of Scotland, son of William I, the Lion, and of Ermengarde of Beaumont, was born at Haddington, East Lothian, in 1198, and succeeded to the kingdom on the death of his father on 4 December 1214. ...

Many of John's supporters, sensing a tide of change, moved to support the barons. Gerald of Wales remarked: "The madness of slavery is over, the time of liberty has been granted, English necks are free from the yoke." On June 14 Louis captured Winchester (John had already left) and soon conquered over half of the English kingdom. Giraldus Cambrensis (c. ... is the 165th day of the year (166th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Winchester is a historic city in southern England, with a population of around 40,000 within a 3 mile radius of its centre. ...

First siege of Dover

In the meantime, the King of France rightly taunted his son for trying to conquer England without first seizing its key: Dover. The royal castles at Canterbury and Rochester, their towns, and indeed most of Kent had already fallen to Louis but when he did move on to Dover Castle on July 25, it was prepared. Its constable, Hubert de Burgh, had successfully defended the castle at Chinon in 1205 and he had a well-supplied garrison of men. Philip II Augustus (French: Philippe Auguste) (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223) was the King of France from 1180 until his death. ... Canterbury Castle was established by the Normans, in 1080, and replaced an earlier motte and bailey fortification built at the nearby Dane John. ... Rochester Castle seen from the cathedral door, showing the four-turreted keep. ... Dover Castle is situated at Dover, Kent and has been described as the Key to England due to its defensive significance throughout history. ... is the 206th day of the year (207th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Hubert de Burgh (~1165 - May 12, 1243) was Earl of Kent, Justiciar of England and Ireland, and one of the most influential men in England during the reigns of John and Henry III. De Burgh came from a minor gentry family about which little is known. ... Illustration of Chinon, circa 1892 For other uses, see Chinon (disambiguation). ... January 6 - Philip of Swabia becomes King of the Romans April 14 - Battle of Adrianople between Bulgars and Latins August 20 - Following certain news of Baldwin Is death, Henry of Flanders is crowned Emperor of the Latin Empire April 1 - King Amalric II of Jerusalem (born 1145) May 7...

The first siege began on 19 July, with Louis taking the high ground to the north of the castle. His men successfully undermined the barbican and attempted to topple the castle gate, but De Burgh's men managed to repulse the invaders, blocking the breach in the walls with giant timbers. (After the siege the weak northern gate was blocked and tunnels were built in that area, to St John's Tower, and the new Constable's Gate and Fitzwilliam's Gate were built.) After three months spent besieging the castle, and with a large part of his forces diverted by the siege, Louis called a truce on 14 October and soon after returned to London. is the 200th day of the year (201st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 287th day of the year (288th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Sieges of Windsor and Rochester

Apart from Dover, the only castle to hold out against Louis was that at Windsor, where 60 loyalist knights survived a two-month siege, despite severe damage to the structure of its lower ward (immediately repaired in 1216 by Henry III, who further strengthened the defences with the construction of the western curtain wall, much of which survives today). This is possibly due to its having been already besieged by the barons in 1189, less than 30 years earlier. This article is about the castle in Windsor. ... Events January 21 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade September 3- Richard I of England is crowned as king of England. ...

In 1206, John had spent £115 on repairs to Rochester Castle, and he had even preemptively held it during the year of the negotiations leading up to Magna Carta, but the Charter's terms had forced him to hand it back into the custody of Stephen Langton, archbishop of Canterbury, in May 1215. The rebel barons had then sent troops under William de Albini to the castle, to whom its constable Reginald de Cornhill opened the castle's gates. Thus, during October 1216 on his marching from Dover to London, John found Rochester in his way and on 11th October began besieging it in person. Rochester Castle seen from the cathedral door, showing the four-turreted keep. ... Magna Carta Magna Carta (Latin for Great Charter, literally Great Paper), also called Magna Carta Libertatum (Great Charter of Freedoms), is an English charter originally issued in 1215. ... Stephen Langton (c. ... William dAubigny or William DAubeney, Lord of Belvoir, (died May 1, 1236) was prominent during the baronial rebellions against King John. ... Reginald de Cornhill was kings justiciar, the High Sheriff of Kent from 1191 to 1198 and High Sheriff of Surrey from 1213 to 1215. ...

The rebels were expecting reinforcements from London but John sent fire ships out to burn their route in, the city's bridge over the Medway. Robert Fitzwalter rode out to stop the king, fighting his way onto the bridge but eventually being beaten back into the castle. He also sacked the cathedral, took anything of value and stabled his horses in it, all as a slight to Langton. Orders were then sent to the men of Canterbury saying " We order you, just as you love us, and as soon as you see this letter, to make by day and night, all the pickaxes that you can. Every blacksmith in your city should stop all other work in order to make them and you should send them to us at Rochester with all speed".^{[citation needed]} Five siege engines were then erected and work carried out to undermine the curtain wall. By one of these means the king's forces entered and held the bailey in early November, and began attempting the same tactics against the keep, including undermining the south-east tower. The mine-roof was supported by wooden props, which were then set alight using pig-fat (on 25th November 1215 John had sent a writ to the justiciars saying "Send to us with all speed by day and night, forty of the fattest pigs of the sort least good for eating so that we may bring fire beneath the castle" ^[1]), causing the whole corner of the keep to collapse. The rebels withdrew behind the keep's cross-wall but still managed to hold out. A few were allowed to leave the castle but on John's orders had their hands and feet lopped off as an example. Robert Fitzwalter (d. ... Rochester Cathedral is a Norman church in Rochester, Kent. ...

Winter was now setting in, and the castle was only taken (on 30th November) by starvation and not by force. John set up a memorial to the pigs and a gallows with the intention of hanging the whole garrison, but one of his captains (Savari de Mauleon) persuaded him not to hang the rebels since hanging those who had surrendered would set a precedent if John ever surrendered - only one man was actually hanged (a young bowman who had previously been in John's service). The remainder of the rebel barons were taken away and imprisoned at various royal-held castles, such as Corfe Castle. Of the siege - against only 100 rebels, and costing over a thousand pounds a day - the Barnwell chronicler wrote "No one alive can remember a siege so fiercely pressed and so manfully resisted" and that, after it, "There were few who would put their trust in castles". Corfe Castle is a small village and ruined castle ( ) dating back to the 11th century, situated in a gap in the Purbeck Hills, five miles south of Wareham, in Dorset, England. ... Barnwell is a city located in Barnwell County, South Carolina. ...

The round tower (right), in contrast to two square towers (centre and left)

John died the next year, so it fell to Henry III to repair the castle. He spent over a £1000 on rebuilding, with new stables and gateways, and a further ditch to strengthen the defences. A new chapel was built next to the Royal apartments in the bailey. The most notable surviving feature is the new south-east tower, which was rebuilt according to the latest defensive design and is three-quarters round better to deflect missile attack and work against attempts at undermining (see image left, right-most corner of the keep). Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixels, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixels, file size: 2. ... Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272) was the son and successor of John Lackland as King of England, reigning for fifty-six years from 1216 to his death. ...

Death of John

Meanwhile, on October 18, 1216, John died in Lincolnshire and with him the main reason for the fighting. Louis now seemed much more of a threat to baronial interests than John's nine year old son, Henry. Pierre des Roches,bishop of Winchester, and a number of barons rushed to have the young Henry to be crowned as king of England. London was held by Louis (indeed, it was his seat of government) and therefore could not be used for this coronation so, on October 28, 1216, they brought the boy from the castle at Devizes to Gloucester Abbey in front of a small attendance presided over by a Papal Legate, Guala Bicchieri (d. 1227, bishop of Vercelli, papal legate in England 1216–1218). There, using as a crown a band of gold made from a necklace, they “crowned” Henry. is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... // Prince Louis of France, the future King Louis VIII, invades England in the First Barons War Henry III becomes King of England. ... Peter des Roches (died 1238) was bishop of Winchester in the reigns of John of England and his son Henry III. Roches was not an Englishman, but a Poitevin. ... Arms of the Bishop of Winchester The diocese of Winchester is one of the oldest and most important in England. ... is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... // Prince Louis of France, the future King Louis VIII, invades England in the First Barons War Henry III becomes King of England. ... , Devizes is a town and civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire. ... Gloucester Cathedral from the north east in 1828. ... A papal Legate, from the Decretals of Boniface VIII (1294 to 1303). ... Guala Bicchieri (c. ... Vercelli (Varséj in Piedmontese; Vercellae in Latin) is a commune and city of about 46,000 inhabitants in the Province of Vercelli, Italy. ...

On November 12, 1216 Magna Carta was reissued in Henry's name with some of the clauses, including clause 61, omitted. The revised charter was signed by the young kings' regent William Marshal. A great deal of the country was loyal to Prince Louis but the southwest of England and the Midlands favoured Henry. Marshall was highly respected and he asked the barons not to blame the child Henry for his father's sins. The prevailing sentiment, helped by self interest, disliked the idea of depriving a boy of his inheritance. William also promised that he and the other regents would rule by Magna Carta. Furthermore, he managed to get support from the Pope, whom had already excommunicated Louis in any case. is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... // Prince Louis of France, the future King Louis VIII, invades England in the First Barons War Henry III becomes King of England. ... Regent, from the Latin, a person selected to administer a state because the ruler is a minor or is not present or debilitated. ... William Marshal is the name of two important men in English history. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Louis's losses

See also History of the Royal Navy.

William slowly managed to get most barons to switch sides from Louis to Henry and attack Louis. The two opposing sides fought for about a year. On December 6, 1216 Louis took Hertford Castle but allowed the defending knights to leave with their horses and weapons. He then took Berkhamstead in late December. And again Louis allowed the royal garrison to withdraw honourably with their horses and weapons. The British Royal Navy does not have a well-defined moment of formation; it started out as a motley assortment of Kings ships during the Middle Ages, assembled only as needed and then dispersed, began to take shape as a standing navy during the 16th century, and became a... is the 340th day of the year (341st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... // Prince Louis of France, the future King Louis VIII, invades England in the First Barons War Henry III becomes King of England. ... Hertford Castle was a Norman castle in Hertford, the county town of Hertfordshire, England, built on a site first fortified by Edward the Elder, around 911 A.D. It later became a royal residence, after passing to the crown in 1211. ...

Since the truce had been arranged with Dover, the Dover garrison had repeatedly disrupted Louis's communication with France, and so Louis returned to Dover to begin a second siege on 12 May 1217. is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... April 9 - Peter of Courtenay crowned emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople at Rome, by Pope Honorius III May 20 - First Barons War, royalist victory at Lincoln. ...

However, this new siege diverted so much of Louis's forces that William Marshal and Falkes de Breaute were able to attack and heavily defeat pro-Louis barons at Lincoln Castle on May 15 or May 20, 1217, in what became known as the Second Battle of Lincoln William Marshal was the greatest jouster of his age. ... Falkes de Breauté (d. ... A view of the East Gate of Lincoln Castle. ... is the 135th day of the year (136th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... April 9 - Peter of Courtenay crowned emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople at Rome, by Pope Honorius III May 20 - First Barons War, royalist victory at Lincoln. ... Second Battle of Lincoln. ...

William Marshall prepared for a siege against London next. But in the meantime, Louis suffered two more heavy defeats, this time at sea, at the Battle of Dover and Battle of Sandwich in the Straits of Dover, this time at the hands of Guillaume’s ally and Dover's constable, Hubert de Burgh. Louis’ reinforcement convoy, under Eustace the Monk, was destroyed, making it nearly impossible for Louis to continue fighting. The battle of Dover was a naval battle fought in early 1217 between an English fleet of 30-40 ships under Hubert de Burgh and a French fleet of 80 (mostly small craft) under Eustace the Monk. ... Eustaces capture and death at the Battle of Sandwich Not to be confused with the Battle of Sandwich (1460). ... The Strait of Dover (Fr. ... Hubert de Burgh (~1165 - May 12, 1243) was Earl of Kent, Justiciar of England and Ireland, and one of the most influential men in England during the reigns of John and Henry III. De Burgh came from a minor gentry family about which little is known. ... Eustace the Monk (c. ...

Peace

After a year and a half of war, most of the rebellious barons had defected and so Louis VIII had to give up his claim to be the King of England by signing the Treaty of Lambeth on September 11, 1217. Louis accepted a symbolic sum to relinquish his English dominions and returned home. Though it was not in the treaty, it was often reported that Louis would try to convince the King of France, his father, to give to Henry what he had conquered from his father John. The Treaty of Lambeth was signed in 1217 by Louis VIII of France, ending his campaign in the First Barons War, and his claim to the throne of England. ... is the 254th day of the year (255th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... April 9 - Peter of Courtenay crowned emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople at Rome, by Pope Honorius III May 20 - First Barons War, royalist victory at Lincoln. ...

Louis a king of England?

Since other English Kings such as Edward V and Edward VIII were not crowned but only proclaimed, and - more to the point - Louis occupied so much of England and was recognised as king by the barons^[1] as well as by the king of Scotland^[2], there is a good case for including Louis VIII in the list of Kings of England. This case was backed by the 'Monarch' episode of Terry Jones' Medieval Lives. Edward V (4 November 1470 – 1483?) was the King of England from 9 April 1483 until his deposition two months later. ... Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; later The Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972) was King of Great Britain, Ireland, the British Dominions beyond the Seas, and Emperor of India from the death of his father, George V (1910–36), on 20... England was first unified as a state by Alfred the Great of Wessex. ... Terry Jones Medieval Lives is a series of documentaries written and hosted by ex-Python Terry Jones and originally aired by the BBC. Each half-hour episode examines a particular Medieval personality, with the intent of separating myth from reality. ...

Museums

• "The 1216 Experience" at Dover Castle (in the keep rather than at the site of the siege at the north gate) recounts the two sieges and battle of Sandwich, and there is also material on them at the town museum.
• Rochester City Museum contains a model of the castle keep under siege.

Dover Museum is a museum in Dover, Kent, in south-east England. ...

Notes

1. ^ David Carpenter: "The Struggle for Mastery, The Penguin History of Britain 1066-1284" page 300: Louis, eldest son of the king of France, to whom the rebels had offered the throne, held London and the allegiance of nineteen of the twenty-seven greatest barons.
2. ^ David Carpenter in "The Struggle for Mastery, page 299" ... Carlisle was surrendered to Alexander who then came south to do homage to Louis for the Northern Counties.

, Carlisle is a city in the far north-west of England, and is the largest urban area in Cumbria. ...

See also

• Second Barons' War

The Second Barons War (1264–1267) was a civil war in England between the forces of a number of rebellious barons lead by Simon de Montfort, against the Royalist forces led by Prince Edward (later Edward I of England). ...

Sources

1 Contemporary source quoted in Salter (2000)

• Salter, Mike (2000). The Castles of Kent. Folly Publications, Malvern. ISBN 1-871731-43-7

Siege of Dover

• Photos and article
• Goodall, John, "Dover Castle and the Great Siege of 1216", Chateau Gaillard v.19 (2000) (the online version lacks the diagrams of the print version)