Battle of Fornham

The Battle of Fornham was a military clash in medieval England in which royalist troops under the leadership of Richard de Luci against a rebel army led by Robert de Beaumont, 3rd Earl of Leicester and Lord High Steward won. It took place near the village of Fornham All Saints, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk on October 17, 1173.

Background

In 1173 the eldest son of King Henry II of England, Henry began a revolt of the boy against his father, both in England and in the French possessions of the house of Plantagenet (see: Angevinisches Empire) was held. Young Henry enjoyed doing the support of King Louis VII of France, Count Philip of Flanders and King William I of Scotland. Furthermore, the rebellion included a large number of discontented nobles of both on the Continent and in England, one of them was the powerful Earl of Leicester Robert de Beaumont, who barricaded himself in his castle of Breteuil in Normandy.

King Henry II entrusted the fight against the rebels in England to his Justiciar Richard de Luci, and devoted himself to the fight on the mainland. After he landed with an army in Normandy drew the king before Breteuil, which finally beginning September 1173 fell and was destroyed. Roger de Beaumont but managed to flee with his followers to Count Philip of Flanders. From this he received an army of 8,000 Flemish mercenaries provided, with which he entered on 29 September on the coast of Suffolk English soil. Here he joined forces with those of like-minded Earl Hugh Bigod of Norfolk and captured the royal castle of Walton, which had once belonged to the Bigods. From their base in Framlingham they conquered on 13 October, the castle of Haughley.

About that next goal, however, they got into an argument because Robert de Beaumont wanted to save his fief Leicester that has just been besieged by the Royal. The city had already fallen and burned, only the castle held the siege was still standing. Earl William de Ferrers of Derby should have, however, warned him of this train and predicted that he rather country in the Tower of London when he reach Leicester. As leader of the Flemish people themselves Beaumont could ultimately prevail and moved in with Bigod towards Leicester.

The Battle

While the rebels still fighting over how to proceed, the General Counsel Richard de Lucy had used the time to contract at the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds an army of 300 knights, who were led by the Constable Humphrey de Bohun. Furthermore, taking the Earl Reginald de Dunstanville of Cornwall, William d' Aubigny of Arundel and William FitzRobert of Gloucester, and Roger Bigod, the eldest son of Hugh Bigod rebellious, party for the royal cause.

Even before the rebels were able to leave the confines of the Suffolkshire they were put in the place Fornham on 17 October in 1173 by the Royal. These were under the banner of St. Edmund, that was led by the young Roger Bigod. The medieval chronicles, according to the then discharged battle was quickly decided by the royal knights overcome their opponents and were able to capture. The Earl of Leicester and its entrained from France knights were taken prisoner, Hugh Bigod was just able to flee from the battlefield. The in battle with present and armed wife of Earl crashed as they fled into a ditch and was also caught. Among the Flemish mercenaries de Beaumont but no prisoners were, in contrast, made ​​and only a few managed to escape from the battlefield.

Follow

The Battle of Fornham was an important victory for the forces King Henry II over the rebels represents the rebellion was finally crushed on English soil with the following in July 1174 defeat and capture of the king of Scotland at Alnwick. On the mainland, the struggle in favor of the king ended in September 1174 with a reconciliation with his sons.

Narrated was the battle of Fornham as well as the rebellion among others Radulfus de Diceto and Roger of Hoveden. The Trouvère Jordan Fantosme wrote a rhymed chronicle of these events and had stated, among other things, ( maint gentil chevalier d' Engleterre né ) insisted that the royal troops mainly from English knights birth.