This is indeed a detailed study of the campaign that lead to the battle of Lewes, where Simon de Montfort triumphed and captured the King and his heir (the future Edward I), and the battle of Evesham, which he lost and during which he and one his sons were killed. Readers should be aware, if only not to be disappointed, that this title is NOT about the whole of the Second Barons’ War but only about its climax, the aforementioned campaign. It is NOT either about the events prior to the campaign, the Barons’ grievances with their “feckless and divisive” King, although the author does provide a very short introduction that touches briefly on this.
Instead, the whole focus of the title is on explaining and detailing the campaign itself, the respective armies and commanders and the two battles. It is very successful in achieving this and in making a number of key points. The first of these is that the whole campaign was marked by a high degree of mobility, strategy and tactics. Both sides trapped the other one each in turn. At Lewes, Simon de Montfort attacked downhill and trapped the more numerous Royalists against the town. At Evesham, he was in turn caught by Edward with his back against a river with no time to retreat across its bridge.
The author also describes and discusses in detail the two battlefields, making a convincing case for slightly different locations that those that were traditionally admitted. He also demonstrates the relatively small size and similar composition of armies on both sides. In both cases the Royalists outnumbered their foes.
As shown by the author, this was especially the case at Evesham after Edward had managed to defeat the forces of Simon de Montfort the Younger and prevent him from joining with his father’s troops. The desertion of the Earl of Gloucester who rallied the Royalists also made sure that the odds were against the elder Simon de Montfort. Richard Brooks also shows that the later committed errors and let himself be trapped but nevertheless refused to flee and seems to have fought a battle that he could not hope to win. Also well shown was the fact that Simon de Montfort and his son were deliberately targeted by Mortimer and a few others who did not intend to let them leave the field alive or surrender.
Finally, the illustrations, maps of army movements and schematics of the two battles are good and support the main text rather well. All in all, this is a valuable title that delivers exactly what it promises: a detailed description of an eventful campaign that included several battles and sieges. Five stars.
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From the Publisher
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Full colour battlescenesBeautifully illustrated battlescenes are included to bring the narrative of the conflict to life. |
Three-dimensional ‘bird’s-eye-views'Each three-dimensional 'bird's-eye view' is meticulously researched to recreate the actual battlefield at that point in history with accurate contour detail, scaling, landscaping and terrain features. |
MapsDetailed historical maps frame each battle or campaign, and provide the key historical context. |
