The Barons’ Wars: Battle of Lewes

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When forward units came within sight of the bell tower of St. Pancras priory, where King Henry still slept, the baronial army halted and was formed into divisions by its commanders. The exact size of Simon’s force is not known, but most sources put it between 4,000 and 5,000 men, with an additional 600 cavalry. Not only were his troops outnumbered, but most of Simon’s most experienced and trusted commanders had also been taken prisoner in earlier skirmishes.

The baronial army, whose men were described as dressing in Crusader style with a red cross on a white shift, deployed in the customary three divisions, or ‘battles.’ The center was commanded by Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester, one of Simon’s most trusted lieutenants, also known as Gilbert the Red. The right was led by Henry de Montfort, Simon’s son and an experienced soldier in his own right. At the head of the left wing was Sir Henry de Hastings, a veteran of two Welsh campaigns. Though Sir Henry was an excellent commander, Simon expected little from his battle, since it consisted primarily of lightly armed Londoners with little or no combat experience.

As a reserve, another force of Londoners was placed behind the three main battles. Far to the rear were the baggage wagons, along with Simon’s personal cart, described as a four-wheeled chariot. The earl had recently broken his leg by falling from his horse and had had to direct operations from that cart, but at that time it was occupied by three frightened London businessmen who had been caught trying to sell information to Prince Edward. Simon would decide what to do about them after the battle.

By that time, the royalist army had been alerted and was drawn up for combat. Its estimated 9,000 men included 1,500 armored knights. At its head was King Henry himself, who had elected to lead his supporters despite his own military deficiencies. At his left was his brother Richard, Earl of Cornwall, who liked to call himself ‘King of the Romans.’ Commanding the right battle was Prince Edward.

Much has been made of Prince Edward’s military skill, and he has been romanticized at great length as ‘Longshanks’ and ‘Hammer of the Scots.’ Edward, however, was also greedy, sadistic and violent — attributes his adoring official biographers tend to overlook. In one instance, witnesses reported that he ‘horribly mutilated’ a young man he met on the street, for no apparent reason. He also stood by and watched as some of his men looted a priory at Wallingford — afterward, he probably collected his share of the loot. Edward’s courage remains undisputed, but his glaring character flaws also played a large part in his military career. His cruelty and obsession with vengeance would affect his judgment as much as his more publicized traits.

The royalists had advanced only about a quarter mile from Lewes when Earl Simon ordered the three battles of his force to charge — by taking the initiative, he reasoned, his outnumbered army would have an advantage. It is not known who on the royalist side first saw the charge coming and gave the order, but the order was given, and soon both sides were rushing toward each other.

The cavalry made contact first, as mounted knights crashed into each other with a clang of armor. Almost at once, the ordered ranks disintegrated, and the fight broke into individual combats as horsemen hammered and hacked at each other with maces and long, heavy swords. Some fell to the ground, their armor split. The chain mail that predominated among them could stop a blow from a club or mace, but the impact would pass right through it, often resulting in broken bones and hemorrhaging. The odd pieces of plate armor they wore and their flat-topped, cylindrical helmets were more effective against most weapons, although a heavy sword could split even plate. The horses too were sometimes protected with coverings of chain mail, leather or quilted cloth, depending on what the individual knight could afford.

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Tags: Ancient-Medieval, Historical Conflicts

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