Wednesday October 22, 2008

As is common with medieval battles, there is little agreement on the size and composition of the two sides.  Received wisdom is that the Royalist army probably numbered 10,000 men, including 3,000 cavalry.  The Barons’ rebel army numbered around 5,000 men with only 5-600 cavalry.  The soldiers on both sides would have been of much the same quality alought Nicholas de Segrave’s men, in the rebel army, had a good many militia who, although enthusiastic and with some drill, would have been poorly equipped and probably indifferently trained.

On the eve of the battle the King must have had little apprehension of disaster.  De Montfort’s army was outnumbered two to one, so it was likely that they could easily be outflanked.  They had an insignificant number of cavalry either to deliver the decisive charge or to cove their flanks.  They had few bowman or crossbows to balance their inferior numbers and de Montfort’s men had no element of surprise that might have offset the King’s numerical superiority.

It is known that the following nobles were present in the Royal army:  King Henry III and Prince Edward, Richard Earl of Cornwall, William de Valence, Humphry de Bohun, John de Warenne and Roger Mortimer.  Simon de Montfort was accompanied by Henry de Montfort, Nicholas de Segrave, Gilbert de Clare, John de Beauchamp, William de Mandeville, Hugh le Despenser and probably Ralph Basset.

Estimates of the dead at the Battle of Lewes range from 3-4,000, with 2,700 Royalist and 1,300 Rebels on the highest estimate.