Battle of Lewes

50.878611111111 - 0.013888888888889Koordinaten: 50 ° 52 ' 43 "N, 0 ° 0' 50 " W

The Battle of Lewes was held 14th May 1264 in Lewes, England. It represented the culmination of the efforts for power Simon V. de Montfort and made him the " uncrowned king " of England.

The battle arose from the refusal of King Henry III. of England to keep the agreements in 1258 the commission of Oxford taken with several barons. In this treaty, Henry III had. against the nobles led by Simon de Montfort required to disclose the government violence in the 15-member Council of a hand that would watch various royal decisions and check. This advice should be monitored by the Parliament, which should meet three times a year.

In the dispute with Simon de Montfort had King Henry III. Sought refuge in a monastery. His son Edward, the future King Edward I held, at which time the Castle Lewes Castle. A night march allowed the troops Montforts to surprise Edward and possess the highlands of the Sussex Downs above the town of Lewes and prepare there for battle. The troops wore white crosses as a badge.

Edward's troops were numerically twice as large as the Montfort. He led his men out of the castle and won a first victory over the enemy troops. Carelessly, he decided to pursue the retreating troops. So he took the chance of overall victory. Because in the meantime succeeded Montfort to beat the remaining troops of Edward, which were led by the king's brother Richard. Edward was taken prisoner. The king was forced to accept the agreements of Oxford in the bargain of Lewes. Montfort obtained by a plenitude of power that lasted until the Battle of Evesham.