Second Battle of Lincoln is the third scenario of the Rebellion chapter and overall tenth scenario of the The Normans campaign in Age of Empires IV. It is based on the Battle of Lincoln of May, 1217, fought between forces loyal to Henry III of England and the combined forces of the English rebel barons and Prince Louis of France during the final phase of the First Barons' War.
Intro[]
Scenario description[]
The succession of a child king left England vulnerable to revolt. Its protection fell to an aging knight and a female sheriff.
Opening cinematic[]
When forces loyal to King John undermined Rochester Castle, it spelled doom for the rebels inside. Within days, they had surrendered. But the rebel barons weren't done yet. Their ally, Prince Louis of France, had sent an invasion force to help the barons overthrow King John.
Then, in late 1216, the King fell ill with dysentery – and died. His son, just nine years old, was crowned King Henry III. It was now up to the young king's regent, the 70 year old legendary knight, William Marshal, to protect the crown.
He faced a near-impossible challenge. England was crumbling… Rebels were taking town after town. But William Marshal bided his time… and prepared to defeat the rebels. Then in May 1217 he got the chance that he'd been waiting for. William discovered that the rebels planned to simultaneously besiege both Dover Castle… and Lincoln Castle.
With rebel forces split… and weakened… William Marshal led his Royalist army to Lincoln. The castle on one side of the city was still controlled by Royalists, under its formidable constable… Lady Nicola de la Haye. But the streets of the city were under rebel control.
On May 20th 1217, the Royalist relief force led by William Marshal arrived to retake the rebel controlled city. The future of England rode on the success of this mission.
Loading screen[]
Rebel barons and their French allies besieged the castle at Lincoln. The king's knight, William Marshal, was tasked with retaking the city by force.
Start of scenario[]
Troops loyal to the king held the castle at Lincoln, while outside, rebels controlled the city. The defenders had to hold the castle until reinforcements arrived under the command of the king's knight, William Marshal.
Scenario instructions[]
- Age:
Castle Age - Units:
- 12
Man-at-Arms - 14 Longbowman
- 5 Villager
- 12
- Resources: 2,700 food, 900 wood, 1,100 gold, 300 stone
Objectives[]
- Defend Lincoln Castle until William Marshal arrives
- Destroy rebel military buildings
- Defeat the French army
- Destroy the southern fort
- Destroy the eastern fort
Players[]
- William Marshal: The player begins in control of Lincoln Castle, which they must defend from the rebels controlling the city of Lincoln. The castle includes a Keep, a couple of production buildings, and some Houses, and is surrounded by Stone Walls with Towers on each segment. The castle's defenders consist of a few Men-at-Arms and Longbowmen, and must repel the rebel assaults while awaiting the arrival of reinforcements under William Marshal. Once the latter arrives, the player will also gain control of the small town of Stowe, to the west of Lincoln, and will then be tasked first with eliminating the rebel forces in Lincoln, followed by those of Prince Louis of France. Although the player begins with a few Villagers in Lincoln, they are unable to build most buildings until Marshal arrives with his force of twenty-five Knights.
Allies[]
- Stowe (English): The town of Stowe lies to the west of Lincoln, and has access to every type of resource in its vicinity, except for stone. The town, along with its Villagers, will pass to the player's control once William Marshal reaches the settlement.
Enemies[]
- Rebel Barons (English): The rebels have taken over the city of Lincoln, and will begin assaulting Lincoln Castle soon after the scenario begins with a mixed force of Men-at-Arms, Veteran Spearmen, Longbowmen, Crossbowmen, and siege engines, including Battering Rams, Mangonels, and Springalds. Once William Marshal arrives, the player will be tasked with destroying their military production buildings in the city, which include three Siege Workshops, two Archery Ranges, and a Barracks. Once these are destroyed, the rebels cease to be a threat, although their Villagers outside Lincoln's walls will continue to gather resources. They have a Town Center in Lincoln, however it will not produce additional Villagers and will not attack the player's units.
- Prince Louis (French): Prince Louis has two forts in the south and in the east of the map, respectively. He will periodically send groups of units to attack Lincoln Castle as well, consisting mainly of Men-at-Arms, Arbalétriers, Spearmen, Royal Knights, and siege engines, such as Mangonels and Siege Towers. The forts are additionally guarded by Springalds and Veteran Archers. The French also have a few Outposts guarding Gold Mines around the map, with three surrounding the city of Lincoln, to the northwest, west and south, and another two across the river to the east, on the road to the eastern fort. These are guarded by a mix of units, including Spearmen, Arbalétriers, and Veteran Horsemen. They will resign once both of their forts are destroyed.
Strategy[]
The final scenario of the campaign begins as yet another siege survival, followed by the player going on the offensive to put an end to Prince Louis of France's aspirations in England.
The first task is to hold off the rebel attacks on Lincoln Castle while awaiting the arrival the reinforcements under William Marshal, which is marked by a six minute timer. The player has a small starting force of Men-at-Arms and Longbowmen, as well as a few Villagers, but will not have access to additional resources until Marshal arrives. The player is also initially unable to build a Market, a Blacksmith, or an Arsenal, and their starting stone is insufficient for a Town Center. While there is enough stone at the start to build an additional tower, or to upgrade one with a Springald Emplacement, it is best to preserve the stone for repairing the fortifications as they come under attack, and to research the Network of Citadels upgrade to increase their Longbowmen's effectiveness. While the Villagers should be used to repair any damaged fortifications, it is important to keep them away from the walls during enemy attacks, as their archers will actively target these when in range.
The player should immediately begin producing Men-at-Arms and Longbowmen to defend the fort at Lincoln, posting the Longbowmen to the walls facing the city to pick off the rebels' infantry which escort their siege engines. To avoid damage to their walls and towers, the player will want to be proactive with their Men-at-Arms, rushing them to attack enemy siege engines as soon as they come within range of the towers and Longbowmen. As such, the Armor Clad technology will be useful for keeping them alive long enough to destroy the Battering Rams and retreat back to the safety of the fort. It is not recommended to attack the enemy Springalds with the Men-at-Arms, as these will have large groups of enemy infantry, Longbowmen, and Mangonels waiting just behind to protect them.
After six minutes have passed, William Marshal will arrive in the west with a relief force of twenty-five Knights, and head towards the town of Stowe, which will subsequently switch to the player's control. The rebels in Lincoln will continue to attack the castle, so the player should waste no time in sending Marshal and his men to Lincoln and begin wiping out the enemy forces. Marshal's Charge ability improves the attack damage and movement speed of his Knights, so this additional force should be enough to wipe out the rebels quickly. However, the player should continue producing Longbowmen and Men-at-Arms with their available resources, as from this point on, the French will begin attacking Lincoln Castle as well from the southeast. The player should also use the Knights to destroy the enemy gates in Lincoln city, as this will give access to resources in the vicinity. There is plenty of gold on the map, though several Gold Mines are guarded by French Outposts and units. As the rebels are cleared out of Lincoln, the player can then use the space in the city to build up their own base.
Before heading out to face the French, the player should take out their Outposts in the vicinity of Lincoln, to provide access to the nearby Gold and Stone Mines. However, they should also leave a few Knights near Lincoln Castle to deal with the French siege engines which Prince Louis will periodically send to attack it. It is also a good idea to build a Monastery and train some Monks to heal the player's units. There are three Relics on the map which can be collected: one to the northeast of Lincoln, near the road at the edge of the map, one to the south of Lincoln, near the French Outpost, and one further south, to the west of the southern French fort, not far from the player's starting location in the First Battle of Lincoln.
All of the enemy assaults at this point will come from the east, so once the nearby Outposts are dealt with, the player should gather their forces and place them on the crossroads to the southeast of Lincoln, just west of the northern of the two bridges across the River Witham. The enemy will bring large numbers of cavalry and Spearmen, so the player's forces should include a sizeable number of Longbowmen, Men-at-Arms and Knights, as well as Counterweight Trebuchets, which will allow the player to safely destroy the French forts from afar. As in the previous scenario, the Wynguard Palace makes for an ideal Imperial Age landmark, as it will allow the player to save resources on the production of Trebuchets and Knights. The southern fort is just south of the crossroads and should be taken out first; on the Easy and Intermediate difficulties, once the southern fort is destroyed, the French will cease sending units to attack Lincoln, giving the player all the time they need to build up and prepare their forces for the final assault.
At this point, the scenario is quite simple to complete. With the southern fort destroyed and passage across the river secured, it is simply a question of building up the player's forces and heading east to destroy the remaining French fort, eliminating the two enemy Outposts along the way. It may be worthwhile for the player to research Shattering Projectiles, Arrow Volley, and the various applicable Blacksmith and Arsenal upgrades, if they had not already done so, as the eastern fort will have more units defending it. The player's Trebuchets should be able to eliminate much of the enemy base from afar, although they may require Scouts to provide Line of Sight. There are some Springalds guarding the western approaches to the fort, so the player should take care to position their Scouts so that the Springalds can be targeted by the Trebuchets, without entering their range. With the eastern fort eliminated, the scenario, and the campaign, is complete.
Outro[]
End of scenario[]
William Marshal and Nicola de la Haye had saved the city, and with it, the kingdom.
Post-game screen[]
William Marshal reclaimed Lincoln for the throne. The rebellion had been subdued, and the rule of the child king, Henry III, was secure.
Closing cinematic[]
William Marshal's success in retaking Lincoln was an overwhelming victory for the Royalists. The rebel barons had been defeated. And their French allies driven out of England altogether.
William Marshal now focused on creating a stable kingdom for the young King Henry III. To maintain the backing of the rebels, in 1217 a royal seal of approval was given to a re-issued Magna Carta, limiting the power of the monarchy.
Many barons held lands in both England and Normandy; but now they faced a choice… on which side of the Channel would they make their home? Many chose England. The cross-Channel kingdom was over… establishing a clear English identity. But the impact of the Normans on England's evolution… is still felt today. Almost a thousand year later, the surviving Norman castles and cathedrals still dominate the landscape.
In the midst of the modern city, William the Conqueror's fortress, the Tower of London, remains a powerful reminder of their legacy. But it's the unseen influence of the Normans that endures. The Norman invasion changed the English language and established the foundations of modern parliament and governance.
And it's all because one man, William the Conqueror, claimed the English crown that he believed, by rights, was his. The Normans conquered a country and changed the course of England forever.
Page From History: Nicola, Sheriff of Lincolnshire[]
| “ | In the upheaval of civil war, Lincoln Castle became a critical fortification in the fight for England's crown. At the forefront of its defense was an unlikely figure - an aging woman. Lady Nicola de la Haye lived in a time when husbands were the gatekeepers of their wives' power. Yet, through grit and loyalty, Nicola became an admired - and even feared - custodian of Lincoln. She personally planned and directed the defense of the castle through two sieges and regular attacks, staunchly holding her position against the odds. King John and his heir, Henry III, owed their crowns to Nicola. They spoke of her fondly as "our beloved and faithful Nicola de la Haye". |
” |
