Medieval Battles - Battle Of Lincoln 1217 AD


Battle Date
20 May 1217

Battle Site
Lincoln, England

Battle Combatants
England and France

Battle Leaders

For the English: William Marshall, 1st Earl of Pembroke as Regent for the young Henry III.
For the French: Comte de la Perche for Prince Louis of France.

Reason For Battle
Conclusion of the 1st Barons War and driving the French from England.

Battle Timeframe
1 day

Battle Key Points
There was an unusual situation in that the French were laying to siege to Lincoln Castle but helf the town of Lincoln. Marshall's army then attacked the town and stomed the gates. It seems that the French decided to concentrate on breaking the siege of the Castle so that they could then have a secure base. However they failed to do this in the short time available and were unable to defend themselves from the new attacks.
The role played by the mercenary Falkes de Breaute who with his crossbow men was able to decimate the mounted Barons within the narrow streets seems to have been pivotal.

Extra Notes
The First Barons war started in 1215 when some English Barons invited Louis VIII of France to take the French throne in place of King John 1st.

The death of John in 1216 took away the main reason for the war and after the Battle of Lincoln the defeat of the French in the sea battles of Dover and Sandwich effectively ended Louis's interest in England and the First Barons war came to an end with the signing of the |Teaty of Lambeth on September 11th 1217.

William Marshall was 70 at the time of the Battle of Lincoln and fought in the battle.

The looting of Lincoln became known as Lincoln Fair.

Many women sought to escape with their valuables but with too much weight and too little experience the boats they used capsized and many drowned.

The retreating French army was harrassed and attacked by local villagers as they fled south to Louis in London.

The timeline of medieval battles in the 13th century is useful to read in conjunction with this