Who was Nicola de la Haye?
She successfully defended Lincoln Castle against the
French forces led by Prince Louis in 1217. This happened after the death of
King John. A little back story: The English Barons, fed up with King John and
his overbearing rule had actually offered the English throne to the French just after John reneged on the Magna Carta. John felt betrayed by his barons and went on a rampage. In turn, the rebel barons fought back. After John died, Royalists, on behalf of John's son, Henry III kept up the fight when the rebel barons and Louie refused to back down.
Gerald of Wales (1146-123) had written about the
insurrection and campaign in his The
instruction of a Prince. In the document, Gerald stated “that England, so
oppressed for so long under the insufferable yoke of servitude, would see at
last complete liberation and liberty.” I wonder what he thought about events after John's death?
Meanwhile, our lady Nicola was notable for many reasons. She was the first
woman to serve as a county sheriff. If that wasn’t enough for de la Haye, she
then led the defense of Lincoln Castle. This was a key event in English history
for had the French forces managed to break through Nicola’s strongholds, history would
have changed. The Battle of Lincoln would be held in a higher, if not equal
standing, than the Battle of Hastings. Lincoln was a key castle and to lose it would have been a major blow.
So why is Nicola not a household name? Who was she?
Nicola (Nicolaa) was born to Richard de la Haye and
Matilda de Verdun. It is estimated she was born around 1150. Richard was a
minor landholder. He initially was said to owe 20 knights fee but by 1172 that
was reduced to 16. Richard died in 1169 and left his wealth to Nicola which
included a position as castellan of Lincoln Castle.
Nicola married twice. Her first husband was William
FitzErneis, who died in 1178. Her second marriage was to Gerard de Camville,
the son of Richard de Camville. Richard was notable for being an admiral in the navy for Richard I during his Crusade. Nicola and Gerard had three children: Richard,
Thomas, and Matilda. As common in her time, Nicola’s husbands claimed the right
of castellan on her behalf but she was no meek housewife. She stepped in when
hubby went off on errands for his lord.
Gerard was a Royalist and openly supported John. In 1191,
Gerard was with Prince John at Nottingham Castle. That left Nicola to manage
Lincoln. Richard sent his Chancellor, William Longchamps to put a stop to John.
On the way, WIlliam made a play for Lincoln and began a siege. Nicola held out for
40 days. The siege ended when Nottingham and Tickhill Castles fell to Richard’s
forces. As a result of John loosing, Camville had the castellan position taken away. John
returned it to the family once he ascended to the throne in 1199. Say what you will about bad King John but he did display some loyalty to a chosen few.
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| King John |
Gerard died around 1215 but that didn’t keep Nicola from
her position. She remained at Lincoln and even gave John her fealty when he
visited the castle. It was said she met the King outside carrying the keys to
the castle and offered them to John, stating she was a woman of great age and
was unable to bear such fatigue any longer. John was said to reply, “My beloved
Nicola, I will that you keep the castle as hitherto until I order otherwise.”
In 1216, the year
after the Magna Carta was signed; John declared the document null and void as
he had been forced to sign it. The King sought went after those barons
who were against him. Rebels led by Gilbert de Gant, the man who had occupied
the city of Lincoln, tried to attack Lincoln Castle but the wise Nicola paid
them off to leave her and the castle residents alone. In September of that year, John visited
Nicola and made her Sheriff of Lincolnshire. Sadly, for Nicola, her biggest
supporter died on October 19. The realm appointed William Marshall, the Earl of
Pembroke as Regent to the young Henry III.
 |
| William Marshall |
Despite the death of King John, Prince Louis didn’t back
down on his quest to take the English throne and unite England and France. In
early 1217, Louis’s forces took the City of Lincoln and began their siege of
Lincoln Castle. The Prince himself had been with half of his men at Dover. He put the Lincoln assault under the charge
of Robert FiztWalter, Saer de Quincy, and Thomas, the Count of Perche. Louis hoped they would break down Lincoln’s
defenses early but that was not the case for Nicola was steadfast in her
resolve.
When the Prince joined his men, he pleaded with Nicola to
surrender, assuring the Lady that no one would be hurt, but she refused. The
decision was made to starve the stubborn residents out. The French had to
request additional men. Nicola held out for three months. The castle dealt with
bombardments from war machines on the castle walls until on the 20th
of May, when William Marshall arrived with an army to help her. The Earl was an amazing man. At 70 years old
he still held the respect of his men. Louis’ Commander, Thomas the Comte du Perche,
was killed during the assault and the City of Lincoln sacked by the English. During
the melee, William’s helm was dented from three separate blows to the head
(according to his official biography).The Battle was referred to as the Lincoln
Fair. Afterwards, the Magna Carta was reissued and Henry III’s reign under his
regents were able to begin setting the country right again. Marshall gave
William Longsword, Earl of Salisbury, the City and Castle of Lincoln.
Nicola wasn’t done yet. She went to court and petitioned
to keep the positions John had granted her.
Some wrangling and dealing was done and in the end a compromise was
reached. Nicola was able to hold the city and castle while Salisbury kept the
title of Sheriff. Apparently, Nicola continued to contest this up until the day
Salisbury died in 1226. Another way de la Haye conspired to keep the title in
the family was by having her son Richard’s daughter, Idonea, marry Salisbury’s
son, William II. She did what she had to in order to keep the position within the family.
Our valiant Nicola died in 1230. I was unable to locate any pictures or memorials to her.
For more reading, see:
The Greatest Knight
BY Thomas Asbridge
2014 HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN # 978-0-06-226205-9
A Day to Venerated Through Our Age: The Battle of Lincoln
By Sean McGlynn
Medieval Warfare Magazine issue VII-2 (entire issue
devoted to the Battle of Lincoln)
Stay safe out there!
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