Siege of Kenilworth

Siege of Kenilworth
	Part of Second Barons' War
	; Kenilworth Castle
Date	21 June – 13 December 1266
Location	Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire 52°20′52″N1°35′33″W / 52.3479°N 1.5925°W
Result	Royal victory Dictum of Kenilworth ;
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

Last updated November 12, 2024

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

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

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]

Dictum of Kenilworth

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]

Related Research Articles

The Dictum of Kenilworth, issued on 31 October 1266, was a pronouncement designed to reconcile the rebels of the Second Barons' War with the royal government of England. After the baronial victory at the Battle of Lewes in 1264, Simon de Montfort took control of royal government, but at the Battle of Evesham the next year Montfort was killed, and King Henry III restored to power. A group of rebels held out in the stronghold of Kenilworth Castle, however, and their resistance proved difficult to crush.

Kenilworth Castle is a castle in the town of Kenilworth in Warwickshire, England, managed by English Heritage; much of it is in ruins. The castle was founded after the Norman Conquest of 1066; with development through to the Tudor period. It has been described by the architectural historian Anthony Emery as "the finest surviving example of a semi-royal palace of the later middle ages, significant for its scale, form and quality of workmanship".

Year 1264 (MCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.

Year 1266 (MCCLXVI) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.

Edward I, also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 1254 to 1306 ruled Gascony as Duke of Aquitaine in his capacity as a vassal of the French king. Before his accession to the throne, he was commonly referred to as the Lord Edward. The eldest son of Henry III, Edward was involved from an early age in the political intrigues of his father's reign. In 1259, he briefly sided with a baronial reform movement, supporting the Provisions of Oxford. After reconciling with his father, he remained loyal throughout the subsequent armed conflict, known as the Second Barons' War. After the Battle of Lewes, Edward was held hostage by the rebellious barons, but escaped after a few months and defeated the baronial leader Simon de Montfort at the Battle of Evesham in 1265. Within two years, the rebellion was extinguished and, with England pacified, Edward left to join the Ninth Crusade to the Holy Land in 1270. He was on his way home in 1272 when he was informed of his father's death. Making a slow return, he reached England in 1274 and was crowned at Westminster Abbey.

The Battle of Evesham was one of the two main battles of 13th century England's Second Barons' War. It marked the defeat of Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, and the rebellious barons by the future King Edward I, who led the forces of his father, King Henry III. It took place on 4 August 1265, near the town of Evesham, Worcestershire.

Caerphilly Castle is a medieval fortification in Caerphilly in South Wales. The castle was constructed by Gilbert de Clare in the 13th century as part of his campaign to maintain control of Glamorgan, and saw extensive fighting between Gilbert, his descendants, and the native Welsh rulers. Surrounded by extensive artificial lakes – considered by historian Allen Brown to be "the most elaborate water defences in all Britain" – it occupies around 30 acres (12 ha) and is the largest castle in Wales and the second-largest castle in the United Kingdom after Windsor Castle. It is famous for having introduced concentric castle defences to Britain and for its large gatehouses. Gilbert began work on the castle in 1268 following his occupation of the north of Glamorgan, with the majority of the construction occurring over the next three years at a considerable cost. The project was opposed by Gilbert's Welsh rival Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, leading to the site being burnt in 1270 and taken over by royal officials in 1271. Despite these interruptions, Gilbert successfully completed the castle and took control of the region. The core of Caerphilly Castle, including the castle's luxurious accommodation, was built on what became a central island, surrounding by several artificial lakes, a design Gilbert probably derived from that at Kenilworth. The dams for these lakes were further fortified, and an island to the west provided additional protection. The concentric rings of walls inspired Edward I's castles in North Wales, and proved what historian Norman Pounds has termed "a turning point in the history of the castle in Britain".

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John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey was a prominent English nobleman and military commander during the reigns of Henry III of England and Edward I of England. During the Second Barons' War he switched sides twice, ending up in support of the king, for whose capture he was present at Lewes in 1264. Warenne was later appointed as "warden of the kingdom and land of Scotland" and featured prominently in Edward I's wars in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Barons' War</span> 1264–67 civil war in England

The Second Barons' War (1264–1267) was a civil war in England between the forces of barons led by Simon de Montfort against the royalist forces of King Henry III, led initially by the king himself and later by his son, the future King Edward I. The barons sought to force the king to rule with a council of barons, rather than through his favourites. The war also involved a series of massacres of Jews by de Montfort's supporters, including his sons Henry and Simon, in attacks aimed at seizing and destroying evidence of baronial debts. To bolster the initial success of his baronial regime, de Montfort sought to broaden the social foundations of parliament by extending the franchise to the commons for the first time. However, after a rule of just over a year, de Montfort was killed by forces loyal to the king at the Battle of Evesham.

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References

↑ 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.

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[1] 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._1904_p_380-2] Page, W., ed. The Victoria County History of the County of Warwick, vol. 1 (London, 1904), p 380

[ccandy-3] "Siege of Kenilworth". Archived from the original on 16 August 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2009.

[4] Blaauw, W. H., The Barons' War (London, 1871), p. 307

[conduit-5] Conduit, Brian (2004). Battlefield Walks in the Midlands. Sigma Leisure. pp. 12–13. ISBN 978-1-85058-808-5.

[6] The Chronicle of William de Rishanger of the Barons’ Wars, ed. J.O. Halliwell (Camden Society, 1840), p 51.

[7] Powicke, F.M. King Henry III and the Lord Edward (Oxford, 1947), p 531.

[8] M.C. Prestwich, Edward I (Berkeley, 1988), p 56;

[9] 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.

[10] ‘Chronicles of the Mayors and Sheriffs of London, 1259-66’, in English Historical Documents, 1189-1327 (London, 1975), p 193

[tft-11] 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.

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