It was a grim morning of August 4th, 1265 for Simon de Montfort. Having been slowed down at Evesham because of the King his ragtag rebel army now had been trapped in a vulnerable position with their backs to a river, blocking any escape. A royal army had formed at the crest of a nearby hill, outnumbering them greatly. And if that wasn't enough, a severe thunderstorm had begun, as if God Himself was angry on this day. Simon knew he had no realistic chances of survival. His English troops were tired and scared, and the several thousand Welshmen his ally Llywelyn ap Gruffydd had sent him were demoralized, unwilling to die for an English squabble. With their backs to the wall, Simon delivered a speech that nevertheless rallied his army to fighting spirit once more. And he had a plan. Leading with cavalry, followed by the men-at-arms, sergeants, and levied militias on foot, themselves followed by the unreliable Welshmen, Simon planned to drive a wedge through the solid royal lines and escape, if not flank and rout the royal army altogether.
But it was not to be. Edward, who was commanding the royal force, was no fool like his father, and the royal lines were strong and firm. With Montfort's former ally Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester, commanding his right flank while he held the left, they stood on the top of Green Hill and awaited the baronial rebel assault. Sure enough, Simon's entire force, including the uneasy Welshmen, held firm and charged. The royal line was broken, and a glimmer of hope appeared for the rebels. But as they drove into the royal lines and smashed them, the cavalry on the flanks hit Simon's force. And then all hell broke loose.
A furious melee erupted the likes of which were unmatched in English history. Simon rode through the ranks causing a path of bloody slaughter, but he ended up unhorsed and fighting for his life on foot, back to back with his son Henry. The King, who Simon had dragged into the fight with his knights, was stumbling around in a mad panic, afraid for his life and practically crying. His panic ended when a stray arrow fired by an unknown archer flew straight into his eye, ending the life of Henry III, King of England. Elsewhere, Guy de Montfort, son of Simon, and his knights had charged towards the banner of the turncoat de Clare and killed him with a lance, only to be stabbed himself and left wounded on the battlefield. Henry, who had been separated from his father, was not so lucky and had died fighting. Simon himself had been attacked by a great multitude of men, and had eventually succumbed to a great many wounds, dying with the rest of his army. Simon's ally Peter de Montfort was also slain by this point. But Edward did not see this, and as he continued to drive at the rebels' flank, he found himself and his retinue surrounded by large force of cutthroat Welshmen, who slaughtered them with spears and bows, and killing the wounded with knives they took their armor and belongings.
Simon the Younger, second son of Simon de Montfort and the man responsible for this slaughter, arrived from Kenilworth Castle just in time to see his father's head mounted on a pike. In a furious rage, he rode down to the field and slaughtered his father's killers, redeeming himself before retreating back to Kenilworth. And so the Massacre of Evesham had ended, for battle it was not. Every commander who went into the fray now lay dead or dying upon the blood soaked fields. The King and his son, the rebel baron who had been uncrowned king for a year, two of his sons, his allies and his enemies. All dead. England was in trouble
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Sooo, I had this idea of how best to preserve Welsh independence, and it basically turned into more of an idea of how to most screw up the English. I know this seems unrealistic, but battles can be chaotic and anything can happen, especially at a massacre like Evesham with so many important people involved on this field. Henry III really was almost killed. The PoD I took for the battle is that the commanders of the Welsh troops with Simon realized that escape is not likely, and decide that this day is as good a day as they can get to kill Englishmen, and stay in the fight instead of running before it even starts. Therefore the royalist cavalry charge into the flanks isn't as successful as OTL, whereas Simon's charge is a bit more lucky, and the end result is a total massacre. The only people to survive the battle are the ones with the sense after it is done to run the hell out of there instead of continuing to kill eachother. But what really matters are the consequences.
Now I think the likely contender for the throne is Edmund Crouchback if I am not mistaken. But if am not mistaken, there will still be a civil war going on, an even worse one without any clear leadership. I know little of Crouchback, but Edward Longshanks was the one who really got things under control. Even if he was a cruel, black-hearted monster with hooves for feet, he was infinitely more competent than his bumbling father (and his imbecile of a son), but now he's dead before he gets a chance to make his mark. There are still allies of Simon who have survived, and probably plenty of greedy barons wanting more.
And England's enemies outside the borders are sure to take advantage. When the news of the bloody massacre goes out they are sure to take advantage by attacking every nearby royal garrison or English baron who ever looked at them funny. Wales at this point is stronger than it ever has been, with Llywelyn having made vassals of every other Welsh prince and without a royal army left to stop him he's free to stomp all over the Marcher Lords, especially the de Clares who lost their earl and the Mortimers. In Scotland border raids might increase, and in Ireland the English might be in a fair bit of trouble.
So, what do you guys think on this? What happens to England and their neighbors? What happens to France?