Battle of Lincoln 1217
Marker: recorded battle location (no official boundary).
Key facts
| Date (year) | 1217 | Wikidata P585 point in time |
|---|---|---|
| Century | 13th century | derived |
| Period | Norman & medieval | derived |
| Country | England | derived |
| War / conflict | First Barons' War | Wikidata |
| Participants | Kingdom of England, Kingdom of France | Wikidata |
About the battle
The Second Battle of Lincoln occurred at Lincoln Castle on Saturday 20 May 1217, during the First Barons' War, between the forces of the future Louis VIII of France and those of King Henry III of England. Louis's forces were attacked by a relief force under the command of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke. Thomas, Count of Perche, commanding the French troops, was killed and Louis was expelled from his base in the southeast of England. The looting that took place afterwards is known as the "Lincoln Fair". The citizens of Lincoln were loyal to Louis so Henry's forces sacked the city.
Visiting the battlefield
Medieval Lincoln was an ancient walled city with a Norman castle near its centre, straddling the crossroads of two important Roman-built highways: Ermine Street and the Fosse Way. These trans-England routes were historic and major arteries for national trade and government, making Lincoln a strategic location. William the Conqueror had ordered the construction of Lincoln Castle on a hilltop over an old Roman fort 150 years earlier.
At the time of the battle in May 1217, Louis' forces had taken the city of Lincoln, but Lincoln Castle remained intact.
Location
- Recorded location (Wikidata; may be approximate): 53.2333, -0.5386
Battlefields are often on private farmland: please keep to public rights of way and respect landowners.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Lincoln (1217) (revision 1370447654), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section and section(s) “Battlefield”; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations removed. No text added.
Battle location from Wikidata (CC0).
Nearby battlefields
- Battle of Lincoln 1141 · 1 km
- Battle of Gainsborough 1643 · 22 km
- Battle of Stoke Field 1487 · 33 km
- Battle of Winceby 1643 · 34 km
- Battle of Worksop 1460 · 40 km
- Storming of Shelford House 1645 · 41 km
Browse more: battles in England · Norman & medieval · 13th century battles