The Treaty of Lambeth, 1217

In September 1217, a series of negotiations brought one of the most extraordinary episodes in English history to an end.

A French prince had been proclaimed King of England. Much of the country had fallen into his hands. King John was dead, his heir was nine years old, and England had been fighting a civil war in which English barons stood on both sides.

But by the end of September, Prince Louis of France had renounced his claim to the English throne and was preparing to leave the country.

The settlement is usually known as the Treaty of Lambeth. And one of the events that made that peace possible had taken place four months earlier, at Lincoln Castle, where Nicola de la Haye had refused to surrender.