Battle of Boroughbridge 1322
Outline: officially registered battlefield boundary. Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 1322 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Medieval (500–1499) | derived from year |
| Location | England | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Despenser War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Kingdom of England | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 54.0969, -1.3958 | Wikidata P625 |
| Official record | Historic England list entry 1000003 | OGL v3 |
| Registered area | 28.4 ha | OGL v3 |
About the battle
The Battle of Boroughbridge was fought on 16 March 1322 in England between a group of rebellious barons and the forces of King Edward II, near Boroughbridge, north-west of York. The culmination of a long period of antagonism between the King and Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, his most powerful subject, it resulted in Lancaster's defeat and execution, ending the Despenser War. This allowed Edward to re-establish royal authority and hold on to power for almost five more years.
Though not a part of the Wars of Scottish Independence, the battle is significant for its employment of tactics learned in the Scottish wars in a domestic, English conflict. Both the extensive use of foot soldiers rather than cavalry and the heavy impact caused by the longbow represented significant steps in military developments.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Boroughbridge (revision 1370434911), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Battlefield boundary © Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. See also this battlefield on Battlefields of Britain.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Myton 1319 · 4 km
- Battle of Marston Moor 1644 · 18 km
- Battle of Old Byland 1322 · 21 km
- Battle of Tadcaster 1642 · 25 km
- Battle of York (867) 867 · 26 km
- Battle of Bramham Moor 1408 · 26 km
Other battles of the Despenser War
All 3 battles of the Despenser War →
Browse more: battles in England · Europe · Medieval battles