The Barons' War

England's king was captured in battle. His conqueror governed in the king's name while keeping the monarch under armed control.The struggle known as the Second Barons' War was far more than a private conflict among ambitious nobles.King Henry III had inherited a monarchy rescued from invasion and civil war. His reign brought stability, magnificent rebuilding at Westminster and the survival of royal government after the disasters of King John. It also brought foreign favourites, failed military expeditions, crushing financial commitments and repeated promises of reform that Henry later attempted to escape.Simon de Montfort entered England as a foreign-born claimant to the earldom of Leicester. Through military service, royal marriage and personal determination, he became one of the kingdom's most powerful magnates.He also became Henry's most dangerous opponent.The Barons' War traces the crisis from the Provisions of Oxford and the attempt to place royal government under permanent supervision to open warfare at Lewes and Evesham.At Lewes in 1264, Montfort defeated the royal army and captured both Henry III and Prince Edward. His government summoned knights and burgesses to the Parliament of 1265, creating one of the most important moments in the development of English representative politics.Yet Montfort was not a modern democrat. His regime relied on coercion, family patronage and control of a captive king. It also failed to prevent brutal violence against Jewish communities.When Edward escaped captivity, the balance changed. At Evesham, the royalists destroyed Montfort's army and killed him with deliberate savagery. His followers continued the struggle from Kenilworth and other strongholds until confiscation gave way to settlement.Drawing on chronicles, royal records, reform documents and modern historical scholarship, Gordon J. MacKenzie examines Henry, Simon and Edward without turning any of them into uncomplicated heroes.The Barons' War is the story of a failed revolution whose ideas survived defeat and helped reshape Parliament, royal government and the political community of England.

England's king was captured in battle. His conqueror governed in the king's name while keeping the monarch under armed control.The struggle known as the Second Barons' War was far more than a private conflict among ambitious nobles.King Henry III had inherited a monarchy rescued from invasion and civil war. His reign brought stability, magnificent rebuilding at Westminster and the survival of royal government after the disasters of King John. It also brought foreign favourites, failed military expeditions, crushing financial commitments and repeated promises of reform that Henry later attempted to escape.Simon de Montfort entered England as a foreign-born claimant to the earldom of Leicester. Through military service, royal marriage and personal determination, he became one of the kingdom's most powerful magnates.He also became Henry's most dangerous opponent.The Barons' War traces the crisis from the Provisions of Oxford and the attempt to place royal government under permanent supervision to open warfare at Lewes and Evesham.At Lewes in 1264, Montfort defeated the royal army and captured both Henry III and Prince Edward. His government summoned knights and burgesses to the Parliament of 1265, creating one of the most important moments in the development of English representative politics.Yet Montfort was not a modern democrat. His regime relied on coercion, family patronage and control of a captive king. It also failed to prevent brutal violence against Jewish communities.When Edward escaped captivity, the balance changed. At Evesham, the royalists destroyed Montfort's army and killed him with deliberate savagery. His followers continued the struggle from Kenilworth and other strongholds until confiscation gave way to settlement.Drawing on chronicles, royal records, reform documents and modern historical scholarship, Gordon J. MacKenzie examines Henry, Simon and Edward without turning any of them into uncomplicated heroes.The Barons' War is the story of a failed revolution whose ideas survived defeat and helped reshape Parliament, royal government and the political community of England.