When most people refer to the Battle of Northampton they usually are referring to that which occurred during the War of the Roses in 1460, of which there is a good deal of information available (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Northampton_(1460)).
What many do not realise is that there was in fact an equally dramatic battle 200 years previous, which just one year later lead to the beginnings of Parliament as we know it today.
The main protagonists in this affair were the then King, Henry the III and the upstart 6th Earl of Leicester, Simon de Montfort. The Battle is in fact a siege in which the King lay outside the walls of Northampton Castle demanding its surrender. Simon de Montfort himself does not play a part in this confrontation, but his sons Simon the younger and Peter de Montfort certainly do, as does the King’s own son, the young Prince Edward.
The story begins many years earlier and introduces the short but important creation of the University of Northampton. In 1238 a serious affray took place in Oxford between a number of the students and the followers of the papal legate (representative of the pope) named ‘Otto’. This dispute resulted in Otto hiding out in a church tower in Osney with Henry having to rescue him and take him to safety in Wallingford. Many of the Oxford scholars upped and left for nearby Northampton to continue their study and teachings. Whilst this is another story, the scholars play a key part in the battle.
During this time Simon de Montfort was becoming a powerful Earl and was in the Kings favour. Simon was married to the Kings sister although it appears this may have been after she had fallen pregnant, and was a move to avoid scandal. Simon later borrowed money in which he used the King as guarantor without the Kings knowledge. These events, plus Simon’s many feelings of frustration in the way the King ran the country lead to the fallout between them. Henry's failed campaign in Poitou, his lethargy in dealing with widespread famine and his general trend of catering to others (notably the pope) before the needs of his own people were good reasons for Simon to regard the King as unfit for rule.
In 1258 as very significant event occurred. The Provisions of Oxford were installed by a group of fifteen barons led by Simon de Montfort. The provisions forced King Henry to submit to a new form of government in which power was placed in the hands of the fifteen who would supervise ministerial appointments, local administration and the custody of royal castles.
Three years later the King, still under the control of the Barons issued a decree permitting the establishment of Northampton University. Within a few years the University swelled to house several thousand scholars coming from both Oxford and Cambridge. Over time however, Simon fell out with the barons which provided the King, emboldened by this situation, an opportunity to refuse to be bound by the Provisions. A disagreement ensued and Louis IX was used for arbitration and decided in Henry's favour largely due to the fact that the Pope had absolved the English King from his oath. Simon refused to accept this decision and immediately prepared for war.
In 1264 before hostilities had actually begun, Simon sent orders to his sons Simon the younger and Peter to secure Northampton for his purposes. The Castle was already in the hands of one of their party, a Ralph Basset and he welcomed them into the town walls. The town had a garrison and with the large number of Oxford scholars they prepared to offer resistance to the King.
Henry felt Northampton was of great importance and prepared to recapture it as soon as possible. In early April the king and young Prince Edward arrived with a ‘formidable’ army and lay siege to the town. The defenders inside the Castle grounds knew the king could not wait to starve them out as Earl Simon had a force elsewhere in the country which they would have to reckon with at some point. This delay at best wasted time, at worst left the royal forces vulnerable to attack.
The chain-mail clad knights accompanying the King would undoubtedly be superior in combat compared to those inside, keeping them out would be essential. The defenders could not sally forth into the field as they would be quickly cut down by the Kings well trained horsemen. The defenders were confident in the stalemate trusting that the strength of the walls would protect them. They were also expert bowman and slingers such that from within the walls they could likely repel any direct assault.
The townsfolk of Northampton were strong supporters of the government of fifteen but the Monks within the town were not. If you recall, Henry was unpopular as he allowed the Pope too much control and this offered the monks protection under his direct rule. The monks had not opposed the arrival of the De Montfort brothers but had already come to an understanding with the Kings party. In particular the Monks of St Andrews who’s Priory was on the edge of the inner Castle walls were colluding with the King.
After two days of the siege the defenders of the wall were protecting the southern gate where the Kings army was established. Henry requested the two party’s converse under a flag of truce to see if an arrangement could be made. Those within the Castle were confident an agreement could be made (Henry was known to seek a peaceful end during confrontations) and were ready to speak. A great many crowded around the south gate to see what could be done and were momentarily distracted by the excitement.
The Monks of St Andrews by this time had already undermined a portion of the town wall that adjoined the priory garden and now took this opportunity to complete their work. It is said a loud crash resounded as the wall finally came down which was heard all over the town. The defenders were apparently panic stricken and confusion ensued. The shrewd King had arranged for his son Prince Edward and a body of forty horsemen to be lying in wait some short distance away. At the sound of the wall collapsing they galloped rapidly towards the breach with young Prince at the forefront.
Within the walls it appears only three young knights kept their head and responded to the threat. Young Simon de Montfort and two friends leapt onto their horses and rode at full speed through the streets within the walls to the priory. They arrived at a gallop just as the royal knights were entering the breach. The three Knights rode at them and after a few moments of desperate fighting the royalists were driven out. Simon the younger was much like his father in that he was a formidable knight, a great swordsman and a brave warrior. The three friends repelled a second attack as the narrow breach owed little advantage to the royalist’s superior numbers.
The Castle itself held out for another day but was attacked and ultimately surrendered. Peter and Ralph were captured and many knights with them. The Kings army plundered the town stripping the churches of their ornaments and the merchants of their shops.
Henry entered in triumph and dealt with the Oxford scholars. He intended to hang them because of their part in the defence but his barons protested as many of the young rebels were sons of the Kings chief supporters. All the scholars were ordered to leave Northampton immediately.
Simon de Montfort the elder (the Earl) later triumphed at the Battle of Lewes barely a month later on May 14 where the King, Prince Edward, and Richard of Cornwall fell into his hands as a result of superior field strategy. The Parliament of 1265 (De Montfort's Parliament), which he then summoned was a true democracy in that he sent out representatives to each county and to a select list of boroughs asking for two elected representatives. Whilst this was not the first parliament in England it was the fact that De Montfort insisted the representatives be elected that the modern idea of a democratic representative exists.
After the Battle of Lewes, Northampton and its Castle fell back into the hands of the De Montfort family but these triumphs were short-lived as Prince Edward escaped, and soon the baronial allies turned against Simon. His armies were now greatly depleted and when he moved with his forces to rendezvous with his son at Evesham, the army he saw was in fact led by Prince Edward. Edward had captured a flag from a previous encounter with De Montfort's forces and was masquerading as an ally. In the ensuing Battle of Evesham in August 1265, de Montfort was killed and his army massacred. His last words are reported to have been “Now it is time to die!” In line with English tradition, his head was hung on London Bridge until it rotted. De Montfort is remembered by posterity as one of the fathers of modern democracy. His image adorns the wall of the American House of Representatives in Washington DC, and Napoleon described him as “one of the greatest Englishmen”.
Northampton reverted to welcoming the royal forces and once more restored the town to the Kings favour. A general pardon was then issued to all.
Much of this detail was found from internet searches for Simon de Montfort, the Provisions of Oxford, and the History of Parliament. The detail of the battle itself was largely found in books which were found with the assistance of the Northampton Central Library. In particular the book “The Story of Northampton” by A P White (SR Publishers Limited ISBN - 0 85409 573 X) provided the most detailed account.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_of_the_United_Kingdom
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_de_Montfort,_6th_Earl_of_Leicester
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provisions_of_Oxford
