Fifty years later, that struggle continued on the battlefield at Evesham in 1265, where Prince Edward defeated Simon de Montfort, once an ally of the crown and later a champion of change.
During the 18 months De Montfort ran England, he had summoned what is widely recognised as England’s first representative parliament. It included not only nobles and clergy, but also commoners such as knights and burgesses from towns and counties across the realm. This was a revolutionary step toward giving ordinary people a voice in government.
The Battle of Evesham
At dawn on 4 August 1265, Simon de Montfort awoke to grim news. Prince Edward’s army, flying the familiar standard of three golden lions, had taken position on Greenhill overlooking Evesham.
Gathering his knights, de Montfort gave them a choice: to stay and fight, or to withdraw from the looming battle. Few left his side.
Riding up the exposed slope toward Greenhill, de Montfort would have seen the odds stacked heavily against him. The ground favoured Prince Edward, whose forces outnumbered de Montfort’s three to one. Even so, de Montfort attacked without hesitation, marching straight into what became one of the bloodiest battles in English history.
Prince Edward had chosen twelve of his fiercest men-at-arms with a single purpose: to find and kill de Montfort. In the chaos of battle, he was unhorsed, yet refused to yield. Fighting on foot, he stood his ground. Surrounded and overwhelmed, he was finally struck down—Roger de Mortimer delivering the fatal blow. De Montfort’s body was later cruelly dismembered.
Unlike most battles of the time, few prisoners were taken. The royalists showed little mercy, and while Edward’s army suffered only light losses, de Montfort’s men were almost entirely destroyed.
King Henry III, who had been held captive, was freed after the fighting, and royal authority was restored. The bold attempt to limit the king’s power had failed, and Prince Edward’s influence grew rapidly—long before he would ascend the throne in 1272.
Today, the Battle of Evesham is remembered not only for its dramatic clash of power but also for its place in a greater story, the rise of representative democracy and the long journey toward the rights and freedoms we value today.
The Battle of Evesham Festival takes place in Crown Meadow, Evesham on the first weekend of August each year.