Chronica Majora at Lincoln Castle

Visitors have the chance to see a stunning document showing the seismic role the city played in shaping the course of English history.

Matthew Paris’s Chronica Majora is one of medieval England’s most important documents and transports us back more than 800 years to the French invasion of 1216 - a time of rebellion and civil war, legendary knights and remarkable heroines.

Now, thanks to a historic loan agreement with Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, the document will be shown at the castle for the first time, alongside Magna Carta, until 25 May 2026.

The precious manuscript contains the most famous and earliest known illustration of the 1217 Battle of Lincoln – a showdown that turned the tide of the war against the invaders and defined England’s future.

Paris’ illustration captures one of the defining moments of the battle. In it an archer’s arrows reign down on fleeing French Knights. A figure, thought to be the commander of the invading army, lies slain at the foot of the battlements.