The battle at Northampton was the first major encounter in the conflict often described today as the ‘Second Barons’ War’, which broke out amid an extraordinary period of radicalpolitics in England. In 1258, a group of magnates, including the earls of Leicester and Gloucester, had executed a palace coup aimed at limiting the individual power of the king. An uneasy period of reforms and power struggles ensued until, in 1263, Henry felt strong enough to reassert his authority and defy the reformer barons. The subsequent dispute over how the country should be governed was brought before the French king, and the outcome – the socalled ‘Mise of Amiens’ in January 1264 – fell firmly in Henry’s favour. With the political crisis at an impasse, both parties prepared for war.
A shield for rebel heartlands
As civil war loomed, Northampton emerged as a crucial town for both sides to control due to a combination of political and physical
