Battle of Northampton (1264)

In April 1264 the encounter took place, as part of the Baron's War wherein Henry III of England besieged Simon de Montfort's supporters who were holed in at Northampton Castle. De Montfort (also recorded as de Montford, de Mountford etc.) mounted a rear-guard rescue attempt but on 6 April 1264 the castle fell and De Montfort's son (another Simon) was captured by the King's forces.

Participation of academics in the University of Northampton against the monarchy may have contributed to the abolition of the 1261–1265, short-lived, university. This was the third university in England, as followed Oxford and Cambridge, and the twenty-second in Europe. After being advised by bishops and magnates that Northampton was a threat to Oxford University, Henry III dissolved it in 1265 and signed a Royal Decree that banned the establishment of a university in Northampton. The decree was superseded by an Act authorising the University of Northampton to be established in the 21st century.

Account of the battle from Northamptonshire-History.org.uk

• R. F. Treharne. The battle of Northampton, 5 April 1264. In: Simon De Montfort and Baronial Reform: Thirteenth-Century Essays. R. F. Treharne, E. B. Fryde (editors). Hambledon Press, London, 1986. ISBN 0-907628-70-2; pp. 299–303