Document I

Matthew of Westminster, The Flowers of History

Simon de Montfort, the illustrious earl of Leicester, and the barons, having assembled
their forces from all quarters, and collected troops, both of the Londoners, whose
army had increased to fifteen thousand men, and of men from other parts in countless
numbers, marched thither with great impetuosity and courage. Accordingly, they
encamped at Flexinge, in Sussex, which is about six miles from Lewes, and three days
before the battle, they addressed a message of the following tenor to their lord the
king-
"To the most excellent lord Henry, by the grace of God, king of England, &c. The
barons and others, his faithful subjects, wishing to observe their oaths and the fidelity
due to God and to him, wish health, and tender their lawful service with all respect
and honor. As it is plain from much experience that those who are present with you
have suggested to your highness many falsehoods respecting us, intending all the
mischief that they can do, not only to you but also to us, and to your whole kingdom,
we wish your excellency to know that we wish to preserve the safety and security of
your person with all our might, as the fidelity which we owe to you demands,
proposing to overthrow, to the utmost of our power, all those who are not our enemies
but yours too, and the foes of the whole of your kingdom; and if any other statement is
made to you respecting these matters, do not believe it; for we shall always be found
your faithful subjects. And we, Simon de Montfort, earl of Leicester, and Gilbert de
Clare, at the request of the rest, have, for us and for them too who are here present,
affixed our seals. Given at," etc.
But the king, despising this letter from his barons, was eager for war with all his heart,
and sent them back the following letter of defiance-
"Henry, by the grace of God, king of England, &c., to Simon de Montfort and Gilbert
de Clare, and their partisans. Since, from the war and general confusion existing in
our kingdom, which has all been caused by you, and by the conflagrations and other
lawless mischiefs, it is distinctly visible that you do not preserve the fidelity which
you owe to us, and that you have in no respect any regard for the safety of our person,
since you have wickedly attacked our nobles and others our faithful subjects, who
have constantly preserved their fidelity to us, and since you still design to injure them
as far as in your power, as you have signified to us by your letters, we consider their
grievances as our own, and look upon their enemies as ours; especially since those our
faithful subjects before mentioned are manfully standing by us and maintaining their
fidelity in opposition to your disloyal conduct, and we do not care for your safety or
for your affection, but defy you, as the enemies of us and them. Witness my hand, at
Lewes, on the twelfth day of May, in the forty-eighth year of our reign."
Battle of Evesham: 4 August 1265

And when Simon, the son of the aforesaid earl of Leicester, had, with many barons
and knights, traversed and plundered all Kent, and the country about Winchester and
the other southern districts of England, and then proceeded, to his own misfortune,
with great speed to Kenilworth to meet his father, the aforesaid Edward and Gilbert
and their armies, being, by the favor of God, forewarned of his approach, attacked his
army at dawn on the day of Saint Peter ad Vincula, and took them all prisoners, except
Simon and a few with him who escaped into the castle, and put them in chains, and
stripped those robbers and plunderers of all their booty, and so celebrated a day of
feasting at the New Chains.

The earl of Leicester and his companions, being ignorant of this event, and marching
on with all speed, reached the River Severn that very same day, and having examined
the proper fords, crossed the river at twilight with the design of meeting and finding
the aforesaid Simon [i.e. de Monfort's son] and his army, who were coming from
England, and having stopped the two next days on the borders of Worcestershire, on
the third day they entered the town of Evesham, and while they were occupying
themselves there with refreshing their souls, which had been long fainting under
hunger and thirst, with a little food, their scouts brought them word that the lord
Edward and his army were not above two miles off. So the earl of Leicester and the
barons marching out with their lord the king (whom they took with them by force) to
the rising ground of a gentle hill, beheld Edward and his army on the top of a hill, not
above a stone's throw from them, and hastening to them. And a wonderful conflict
took place, there being slain on the part of the lord Edward only one knight of
moderate prowess, and two esquires. On the other side there fell on the field of battle
Simon, earl of Leicester, whose head, and hands, and feet were cut off, and Henry, his
son, Hugh Despenser, justiciary of England, Peter de Montfort, William de
Mandeville, Radulph Basset, Roger St. John, Walter de Despigny, William of York,
and Robert Tregos, all very powerful knights and barons, and besides all the guards
and warlike cavalry fell in the battle, with the exception of ten or twelve nobles, who
were taken prisoners. And the names of the nobles who were wounded and taken
prisoners were as follows: Guy de Montfort, son of the earl of Leicester John Fitz-
John, Henry de Hastings, Humphrey de Peter de Montfort the younger, Bohun the
younger, John de Vescy, and Nicholas de Segrave. . . .