BattlefieldsScottish Ransom of Ripon 1318
Medieval

Scottish Ransom of Ripon 1318

1318
North Yorkshire, England
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
North Yorkshire, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Ripon
Forces
Ripon town and minster authorities
VS
Victor
Scottish raiders (James Douglas)
Forces
Douglas's Scottish raiding force
Outcome
Ripon paid ransom; town and minster spared immediate destruction; substantial resources transferred to Scottish war chest
The Battle

History & Significance

During Douglas's 1318 Yorkshire raid, Ripon was forced to pay a substantial ransom to avoid destruction. The minster town, with its important ecclesiastical establishment, purchased a short-term truce from the Scottish raiders who threatened to burn the buildings if payment was not forthcoming. The Ripon ransom, alongside similar payments at Knaresborough, Richmond and elsewhere, represented the systematic monetisation of Scottish raiding power and the extraction of wealth from deep inside England.

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