The Forgotten Invasion of England 1216. 150 years after the Norman Conquest, history came within a hair's breadth of repeating itself. In 1216, taking advantage of the turmoil created in England by King John's inept rule and the war over Magna Carta, Prince Louis of France and his army of mercenaries and French soldiers invaded England and allied with English rebels. The prize was the crown of England. Within months Louis has seized control of one-third of the country, including the capital, London. This is the first book to cover the events of the invasion, one of the most dramatic but most overlooked episodes in British history.