Leicestershire history

The city of Leicester was the site of a Celtic settlement and later was the Roman town of Ratae. For a time it was the capital of the Saxon Kingdom of Mercia. Later it became a part of the Danelaw, but, strangely, was largely unaffected by the Normans.

The major events of history largely passed Leicestershire by, the only famous incident being the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, when Henry Tudor founded his dynasty by defeating Richard III not far from Market Bosworth. There was some action during the Civil War at Belvoir Castle in the north-east of the county, which was held for most of the war by the royalists.