Editing Battle of Evesham (section)

==Battle==

[[File:A Chronicle of England - Page 251 - Death of de Montfort.jpg|thumb|left|[[Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester]], in rebellion against [[Henry III of England|Henry III]], dies at the Battle of Evesham.]]
Heeding a lesson learned at the [[Battle of Lewes]], the royalists took position on the high ground. Along a ridge called [[Greenhill, Worcestershire|Green Hill]], just north of [[Evesham]], Edward set up his forces on the left, with Gloucester commanding the right.<ref>Burne, pp. 167–8.</ref> At about eight in the morning, de Montfort left the town of Evesham as a great thunderstorm began to rage.<ref>Maddicott, p. 341–2.</ref> At Lewes, the baronial forces had gained confidence to win the day by a sense of divine destiny, reinforced by white crosses on their uniforms.<ref>Maddicott, p. 271.</ref> This time the royal army had taken their lead, and wore a red cross as their distinguishing mark.<ref>Prestwich (2005), p. 116.</ref> According to the chronicler [[William Rishanger]], when de Montfort saw the advance of the royal troops, he exclaimed that "They have not learned that for themselves, but were taught it by me."<ref name="P51">Prestwich (1988), p. 51.</ref>

The respective forces of the baronial and royal armies have been estimated to be 5,000 and 10,000 strong.<ref>Burne, p. 168.</ref> De Montfort, facing such unfavourable numbers, decided to concentrate his forces on the centre of the enemy's front, hoping to drive a wedge through the line. Though the tactics were initially successful, the baronial forces soon lost the initiative, especially as the [[Wales|Welsh]] infantry provided by [[Llywelyn ap Gruffudd]] had proved unreliable, and deserted at an early point.<ref name="Maddicott, p. 340"/> The flanks of the royal army closed in on de Montfort's, surrounding them. With de Montfort confronted by a force twice the size of his own, on unfavourable ground, the battle rapidly turned into a massacre.<ref>Burne, pp. 170–1.</ref>

With their defeat at Lewes still fresh in memory, the royalists fought with a strong sense of bitterness and resentment. As a result, and despite attempts to surrender, most of the baronial rebels were killed on the battlefield rather than taken prisoner and ransomed, as was the common custom and practice.<ref name="P51" /> In what has been referred to as "an episode of noble bloodletting unprecedented since the Conquest", de Montfort's son [[Henry de Montfort|Henry]] was killed first, then Simon himself lost his horse and died fighting.<ref name="Maddicott, p. 342">Maddicott, p. 342.</ref> His body was mutilated; his head, hands, feet and testicles cut off.<ref name="Maddicott, p. 342"/> King Henry himself, who had been in the custody of de Montfort and dressed up in his colours, was barely rescued from the mêlée by [[Roger de Leybourne]], a converted rebel.<ref>Powicke, p. 202.</ref>