Siege of Kenilworth: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Siege during the Second Barons' War}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} |
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{{Use British English|date=May 2022}} |
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{{Infobox military conflict |
{{Infobox military conflict |
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|conflict=Siege of Kenilworth |
| conflict = Siege of Kenilworth |
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|partof=[[Second Barons' War]] |
| partof = [[Second Barons' War]] |
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|image=Kenilworth Castle gatehouse landscape.jpg |
| image = Kenilworth Castle gatehouse landscape.jpg |
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|image_size=250px |
| image_size = 250px |
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|caption=Kenilworth Castle |
| caption = Kenilworth Castle |
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|date=21 June – 13 December 1266 |
| date = 21 June – 13 December 1266 |
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|place=[[Kenilworth Castle]], [[Warwickshire]] |
| place = [[Kenilworth Castle]], [[Warwickshire]] |
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|coordinates={{coord|52.3479|-1.5925|type:event_region:GB|display=inline,title}} |
| coordinates = {{coord|52.3479|-1.5925|type:event_region:GB|display=inline,title}} |
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|result=Royal victory |
| result = Royal victory |
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* [[Dictum of Kenilworth]] |
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|combatant1=Royal forces |
| combatant1 = Royal forces |
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|combatant2=Baronial forces |
| combatant2 = Baronial forces |
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|commander1 |
| commander1 = [[Henry III of England|Henry III]]<br />[[Edward I of England|Prince Edward]]<br />[[Edmund Crouchback|Prince Edmund]]<br />[[John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey|John de Warenne]] |
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| commander2 = [[Henry de Hastings (died 1268)|Henry de Hastings]]<br />[[Simon de Montfort the Younger]] |
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|commander2= |
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|strength1= |
| strength1 = Unknown |
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|strength2=c. 1,200 |
| strength2 = c. 1,200 |
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|casualties1= |
| casualties1 = Unknown |
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|casualties2= |
| casualties2 = Unknown, all survivors captured |
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}} |
}} |
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{{Campaignbox Second Barons' War}} |
{{Campaignbox Second Barons' War}} |
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The '''siege of Kenilworth''' ( |
The '''siege of Kenilworth''' (21 June – December 1266), also known as the '''great siege of 1266''', was a six-month siege of [[Kenilworth Castle]] and a battle of the [[Second Barons' War]]. The siege was a part of an [[England|English]] civil war fought from 1264 to 1267 by the forces of [[Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester|Simon de Montfort]] against the Royalist forces led by [[Edward I|Prince Edward]] (later Edward I of England). The siege was one of few castle attacks to take place during the war.<ref>{{Cite book | last=Prestwich | first=Michael | author-link=Michael Prestwich | title=Armies and warfare in the Middle Ages: the English experience | year=1996 | publisher=Yale University Press | location=New Haven | isbn=0-300-07663-0 | pages=297}}</ref> |
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==Castle defences== |
==Castle defences== |
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[[Kenilworth Castle]]'s structure was unique and contributed to the longevity of the siege. The castle was a formidable structure due to its heavy defences.<ref name="Page, W. 1904 p 380">Page, W., ed. The Victoria County History of the County of Warwick, vol. 1 (London, 1904), p 380</ref> The most notable defence was a dam to the south of the castle, across which a causeway led from the entrance to the bailey and keep. Behind the dam was an artificial lake along the south and west sides of the castle, protecting it from a land approach. Ditches along the north side and a second pool on the east side of the causeway extended the water protection to surround the castle. |
[[Kenilworth Castle]]'s structure was unique and contributed to the longevity of the siege. The castle was a formidable structure due to its heavy defences.<ref name="Page, W. 1904 p 380">Page, W., ed. The Victoria County History of the County of Warwick, vol. 1 (London, 1904), p 380</ref> The most notable defence was a dam to the south of the castle, across which a causeway led from the entrance to the bailey and keep. Behind the dam was an artificial lake along the south and west sides of the castle, protecting it from a land approach. Ditches along the north side and a second pool on the east side of the causeway extended the water protection to surround the castle. |
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==Siege== |
==Siege== |
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The feudal summons for the siege was pushed back from December 1265, finally occurring on 21 June the next year. From that point on, the siege occurred in earnest. The castle's garrison was large, over a thousand,<ref name=ccandy>{{cite web |url=http://www.cusd.claremont.edu/~ccandy/his/kenil.html |title= |
The feudal summons for the siege was pushed back from December 1265, finally occurring on 21 June the next year. From that point on, the siege occurred in earnest. The castle's garrison was large, over a thousand,<ref name=ccandy>{{cite web |url=http://www.cusd.claremont.edu/~ccandy/his/kenil.html |title=Siege of Kenilworth |accessdate=2009-01-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090816030037/http://www.cusd.claremont.edu/~ccandy/his/kenil.html |archive-date=2009-08-16 }}</ref> usually estimated at twelve hundred men, and active in defending themselves.<ref>[[William Henry Blaauw|Blaauw, W. H.]], ''The Barons' War'' (London, 1871), p. 307</ref> Outside of the castle was the feudal host of England as summoned by [[Henry III of England|Henry III]], along with his sons, the Lord Edward and [[Edmund Crouchback|Edmund]], who had been attempting to contain the garrison since the prior autumn.<ref name=conduit>{{Cite book | last=Conduit | first=Brian | author-link=Brian Conduit | title=Battlefield Walks in the Midlands | year=2004 | publisher=Sigma Leisure | isbn=978-1-85058-808-5 | pages=12–13}}</ref> |
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The attack on Kenilworth Castle began on 21 June. It was the largest siege to ever occur in England. |
The attack on Kenilworth Castle began on 21 June. It was the largest siege to ever occur in England. The royal forces tried all manners of devices. Numerous stone-throwing devices, presumably [[trebuchet]]s, were brought to the siege, as well as "turres ligneas", or wooden towers. An "ursus" or "bear" was built, with separate compartments for archers.<ref>The Chronicle of William de Rishanger of the Barons’ Wars, ed. J.O. Halliwell (Camden Society, 1840), p 51.</ref><ref>Powicke, F.M. King Henry III and the Lord Edward (Oxford, 1947), p 531.</ref> Barges were sent from Chester to attempt an attack via the lake; this did not work.<ref>M.C. Prestwich, Edward I (Berkeley, 1988), p 56;</ref> |
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==The Dictum of Kenilworth== |
==The Dictum of Kenilworth== |
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Archbishop [[William Freney]] tried to negotiate with the garrison, but was refused entry.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |author-link=Peter Jackson (historian) |first=Peter |last=Jackson |title=Freney, William (fl. 1263–1286) |encyclopedia=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2005 |edition=Online [2014] |accessdate=6 December 2015 |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/92436}}</ref> Time, however, was the only weapon left at their disposal, and the patient waiting finally paid off; with the garrison running out of food and suffering from disease, they finally surrendered on 13 December 1266<ref>‘Chronicles of the Mayors and Sheriffs of London, 1259-66’, in English Historical Documents, 1189-1327 (London, 1975), p 193</ref> and accepted the terms of the [[Dictum of Kenilworth]].<ref name=tft>{{Cite book | last=Tout |
Archbishop [[William Freney]] tried to negotiate with the garrison, but was refused entry.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |author-link=Peter Jackson (historian) |first=Peter |last=Jackson |title=Freney, William (fl. 1263–1286) |encyclopedia=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2005 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/92436 |edition=Online [2014] |accessdate=6 December 2015 |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/92436}}</ref> Time, however, was the only weapon left at their disposal, and the patient waiting finally paid off; with the garrison running out of food and suffering from disease, they finally surrendered on 13 December 1266<ref>‘Chronicles of the Mayors and Sheriffs of London, 1259-66’, in English Historical Documents, 1189-1327 (London, 1975), p 193</ref> and accepted the terms of the [[Dictum of Kenilworth]], which later became part of the [[Statute of Marlborough]], four chapters of which are still in force in English law.<ref name=tft>{{Cite book | last=Tout |
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| first=Thomas Frederick | title=The History of England from the Accession of Henry III. to the Death of Edward III. (1216-1377) | year=1905 | publisher=Longmans, Green and Co. | page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofengland03tout/page/131 131] |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofengland03tout | accessdate=July 6, 2007}}</ref> |
| first=Thomas Frederick | title=The History of England from the Accession of Henry III. to the Death of Edward III. (1216-1377) | year=1905 | publisher=Longmans, Green and Co. | page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofengland03tout/page/131 131] |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofengland03tout | accessdate=July 6, 2007}}</ref> |
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[[Category:1266 in England]] |
[[Category:1266 in England]] |
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[[Category:Conflicts in 1266]] |
[[Category:Conflicts in 1266]] |
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[[Category:Second Barons' War]] |
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[[Category:Henry III of England]] |
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[[Category:Edward I of England]] |
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Latest revision as of 20:10, 25 February 2024
| Siege of Kenilworth | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Second Barons' War | |||||||
 Kenilworth Castle | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Royal forces | Baronial forces | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Henry III Prince Edward Prince Edmund John de Warenne |
Henry de Hastings Simon de Montfort the Younger | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | c. 1,200 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown, all survivors captured | ||||||
The siege of Kenilworth (21 June – December 1266), also known as the great siege of 1266, was a six-month siege of Kenilworth Castle and a battle of the Second Barons' War. The siege was a part of an English civil war fought from 1264 to 1267 by the forces of Simon de Montfort against the Royalist forces led by Prince Edward (later Edward I of England). The siege was one of few castle attacks to take place during the war.[1]
Castle defences
[edit]Kenilworth Castle's structure was unique and contributed to the longevity of the siege. The castle was a formidable structure due to its heavy defences.[2] The most notable defence was a dam to the south of the castle, across which a causeway led from the entrance to the bailey and keep. Behind the dam was an artificial lake along the south and west sides of the castle, protecting it from a land approach. Ditches along the north side and a second pool on the east side of the causeway extended the water protection to surround the castle.
Siege
[edit]The feudal summons for the siege was pushed back from December 1265, finally occurring on 21 June the next year. From that point on, the siege occurred in earnest. The castle's garrison was large, over a thousand,[3] usually estimated at twelve hundred men, and active in defending themselves.[4] Outside of the castle was the feudal host of England as summoned by Henry III, along with his sons, the Lord Edward and Edmund, who had been attempting to contain the garrison since the prior autumn.[5]
The attack on Kenilworth Castle began on 21 June. It was the largest siege to ever occur in England. The royal forces tried all manners of devices. Numerous stone-throwing devices, presumably trebuchets, were brought to the siege, as well as "turres ligneas", or wooden towers. An "ursus" or "bear" was built, with separate compartments for archers.[6][7] Barges were sent from Chester to attempt an attack via the lake; this did not work.[8]
The Dictum of Kenilworth
[edit]Archbishop William Freney tried to negotiate with the garrison, but was refused entry.[9] Time, however, was the only weapon left at their disposal, and the patient waiting finally paid off; with the garrison running out of food and suffering from disease, they finally surrendered on 13 December 1266[10] and accepted the terms of the Dictum of Kenilworth, which later became part of the Statute of Marlborough, four chapters of which are still in force in English law.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ Prestwich, Michael (1996). Armies and warfare in the Middle Ages: the English experience. New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 297. ISBN 0-300-07663-0.
- ^ Page, W., ed. The Victoria County History of the County of Warwick, vol. 1 (London, 1904), p 380
- ^ "Siege of Kenilworth". Archived from the original on 16 August 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
- ^ Blaauw, W. H., The Barons' War (London, 1871), p. 307
- ^ Conduit, Brian (2004). Battlefield Walks in the Midlands. Sigma Leisure. pp. 12–13. ISBN 978-1-85058-808-5.
- ^ The Chronicle of William de Rishanger of the Barons’ Wars, ed. J.O. Halliwell (Camden Society, 1840), p 51.
- ^ Powicke, F.M. King Henry III and the Lord Edward (Oxford, 1947), p 531.
- ^ M.C. Prestwich, Edward I (Berkeley, 1988), p 56;
- ^ Jackson, Peter (2005). "Freney, William (fl. 1263–1286)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Online [2014] ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/92436. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ^ ‘Chronicles of the Mayors and Sheriffs of London, 1259-66’, in English Historical Documents, 1189-1327 (London, 1975), p 193
- ^ Tout, Thomas Frederick (1905). The History of England from the Accession of Henry III. to the Death of Edward III. (1216-1377). Longmans, Green and Co. p. 131. Retrieved 6 July 2007.