What is it about?
On 31 March 1264 every citizen of London over the age of twelve took an oath to stand with and support the barons, led by Simon de Montfort, then in rebellion against King Henry III. This paper transcribes and translates that oath, and discusses the context in which it was made. Through this discussion new light is shed on how tightly bound the Londoners were to the cause of baronial reform and rebellion.
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Why is it important?
This oath was mentioned by a contemporary chronicler, but historians made little of that passing reference. This paper prints the oath, in both the original French and English translation, for the first time. This allows us to see just how closely aligned the Londoners and the rebel barons were, just six weeks before the Battle of Lewes was fought. It also tells us a great deal about the sympathies and loyalties of a contemporary chronicler.
Perspectives
I was taken aback when I first found this oath. It had lain undiscovered in a medieval manuscript for 750 years, ignored by the manuscript's two previous editors, and unknown to historians of the period of baronial reform and rebellion. It is an extraordinary document.
Dr Ian William Stone
King's College London
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The Rebel Barons of 1264 and the Commune of London: An Oath of Mutual Aid, The English Historical Review, January 2014, Oxford University Press (OUP),
DOI: 10.1093/ehr/cet342.
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