Editing Louis VIII of France (section)

===Pretender to the English throne===
[[File:Arrival of Louis of France in England (1216).jpg|thumb|Arrival of Louis of France in England (from the ''[[Chronica Majora]]'', [[Matthew Paris]], {{Circa|1236}}–1259)]]
In 1215, the English barons rebelled against the unpopular King John in the [[First Barons' War]]. The barons, seeing Louis' wife as a descendant of Henry II of England, offered the throne to him.{{sfn|Harper-Bill|2003|p=312}} While Louis prepared an army to press his claim to the English throne, a new papal legate, Cardinal [[Guala Bicchieri]], who was traveling through France to England, explicitly condemned Louis' plan.{{sfn|Harper-Bill|2003|p=312}}

Louis landed unopposed on the [[Isle of Thanet]] in eastern Kent, England, at the head of an army on 21 May 1216. There was little resistance when the prince entered London, and he was proclaimed King Louis I of England at [[Old St Paul's Cathedral]] with great pomp and celebration in the presence of all of London.{{sfn|Jones|2012|p=17}} Even though he was not crowned, many nobles, as well as King [[Alexander II of Scotland]] on behalf of his English possessions, gathered to give [[Homage (feudal)|homage]].{{sfn|Daniell|2003|p=59}} At Winchester on 29 May 1216, Cardinal Bicchieri excommunicated Louis and all his followers.{{sfn|Harper-Bill|2003|p=312}}

On 14 June 1216, Louis captured [[Winchester]] and soon controlled over half of the English kingdom.{{sfn|Harding|1993|p=10}} King John's death in October 1216 caused many of the rebellious barons to desert Louis in favour of John's nine-year-old son, [[Henry III of England|Henry III]].{{sfn|Hanley|2016|pp=118–126}} Louis, undeterred by Henry's reissuing of the Magna Carta, besieged and invested the castle of Hertford in December 1216.{{sfn|Hanley|2016|pp=125, 126}} By 20 December 1216, he received a proposal for a truce, from regent William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, lasting from Christmas until 13 January.{{sfn|Hanley|2016|p=129}} Louis accepted these terms and traveled back to London, on the way threatening to burn the abbey at St. Albans for the abbot's refusal to recognize him as King of England.{{sfn|Hanley|2016|p=129}}

After his army was beaten at the [[Battle of Lincoln (1217)|Battle of Lincoln]] on 20 May 1217 and his naval forces were defeated at the [[Battle of Sandwich (1217)|Battle of Sandwich]] on 24 August 1217, Louis was forced to make peace on English terms.{{sfn|Harding|1993|p=272}} The principal provisions of the [[Treaty of Lambeth]] were an amnesty for English rebels, a pledge from Louis not to attack England again, and 10,000&nbsp;marks to be given to Louis – a considerable sum at the time.{{sfn|Hanley|2016|p=176}}<ref>{{cite book |author=Gérard Sivéry|title=Louis VIII le Lion|publisher=Fayard|date=1995|ISBN=2-213-59395-7|pages=187 }}</ref> In return Louis' excommunication was lifted.{{sfn|Hanley|2016|p=177}}