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Battle of Burton Bridge (1322) 1322

Battle of Burton Bridge (1322): Burton Bridge pre-1863
Image: Unknown, pre-1863, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.

Key facts

Year1322Wikidata P580 (start time)
EraMedieval (500–1499)derived from year
LocationEnglandNatural Earth (modern borders)
ContinentEuropeNatural Earth
War / conflictDespenser WarWikidata P361
ParticipantsKingdom of EnglandWikidata P710
Coordinates52.8067, -1.6238Wikidata P625

About the battle

The Battle of Burton Bridge was fought between Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster and his cousin King Edward II of England during the Despenser War, from 7 to 10 March 1322. Edward's army was proceeding northwards to engage Lancaster, having defeated his Marcher Lord allies in Wales. Lancaster fortified the bridge at Burton upon Trent, an important crossing of the River Trent, in an attempt to prevent the King from proceeding. Edward arrived at nearby Cauldwell on 7 March 1322 and intended to use the ford at Walton-on-Trent to cross the river and outflank Lancaster. Edward was delayed for three days by floodwaters, during which time some of his force was deployed opposite Lancaster's men at the bridge.

On 10 March 1322 Edward's main force crossed the river at Walton and proceeded to the south side of Burton. Lancaster moved his men outside the town, intending to face the King in open battle, but withdrew northwards when he saw that he was heavily outnumbered. Lancaster was pursued closely by the King's men and eventually captured at the Battle of Boroughbridge; he was later executed on the King's orders.

Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Burton Bridge (1322) (revision 1370108306), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.

Location

52.8067, -1.6238 · England

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Nearby battles

Other battles of the Despenser War

All 3 battles of the Despenser War →

Browse more: battles in England · Europe · Medieval battles

Further reading