Siège de Leeds

Le siège de Leeds est conduit par le roi Édouard II d'Angleterre en octobre 1321, au cours de la guerre des Despenser. L'assaut du roi d'Angleterre sur le château de Leeds résulte d'une attaque de la garnison sur la personne de la reine Isabelle de France, épouse d'Édouard, qui y était venue chercher refuge au cours d'un pèlerinage et dont l'accès au château avait été refusé par l'épouse du gouverneur de la forteresse, Marguerite de Clare. La victoire décisive du roi à cette occasion lui permet de reprendre l'initiative contre ses barons, qui ont fait exiler en août de la même année son favori Hugues le Despenser. La campagne que mène ensuite Édouard pendant l'hiver 1321-1322 contre les rebelles lui permet d'éradiquer l'opposition baronniale et de régner de manière absolue jusqu'à sa déposition en 1327. Plusieurs historiens ont par la suite suggéré qu'Édouard aurait intentionnellement demandé à Isabelle de s'arrêter à Leeds au cours de son pèlerinage, sachant pertinemment que Marguerite de Clare, épouse du rebelle Bartholomew de Badlesmere, refuserait d'admettre la reine dans l'enceinte du château en raison d'une inimitié personnelle entre les deux femmes ainsi qu'en application des consignes données avant son départ par son époux. Quoi qu'il en soit, ce casus belli fissure l'opposition baronniale et fournit au roi le prétexte pour éliminer un à un ses vassaux félons. Après la capitulation de Leeds, Marguerite de Clare est incarcérée à la Tour de Londres pour son rôle dans l'attaque sur la reine, tandis que le roi assouvit sa vengeance en faisant pendre une partie de la garnison du château.

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County Borough of Leeds

The County Borough of Leeds, and its predecessor, the Municipal Borough of Leeds, was a local government district in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England, from 1835 to 1974. Its origin was the ancient borough of Leeds, which was reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. In 1889, when West Riding County Council was formed, Leeds became a county borough outside the administrative county of the West Riding; and in 1893 the borough gained city status. The borough was extended a number of times, expanding from 21,593 acres (8,738 ha) in 1911 to 40,612 acres (16,435 ha) in 1961; adding in stages the former area of Roundhay, Seacroft, Shadwell and Middleton parishes and gaining other parts of adjacent districts. In 1971 Leeds was the fifth largest county borough by population in England. The county borough was abolished in 1974 and replaced with the larger City of Leeds, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire.

Forest of Leeds

The Forest of Leeds was originally the Forest of Loidis in which today's city of Leeds arose. It now refers to patches of woodland throughout the metropolitan district, managed by Leeds City Council amounting to 1200 hectares. These are in 55 units of various kinds of woodlands, including those of Belle Isle, Gledhow, Golden Acre Park, Lotherton Hall, Meanwood Valley, Middleton Park, Moortown, Roundhay Park, Temple Newsam and Woodhouse Ridge, formed as a forest in 1993.

Leeds City Region

The Leeds City Region, or informally Greater Leeds, is a local enterprise partnership city region located in West Yorkshire, England. Prior to the West Yorkshire devolution deal, the partnership covered parts of South and North Yorkshire. According to the Office for National Statistics, as of 2017 the city region ranked 2nd behind Greater London for both population and GVA in the United Kingdom. It has a population of 2,320,214 million and a GVA of £69.62 billion. A renewed focus on city regions in the UK led to Leeds City Region's foundation in 2004. It was the third major city region to be established in the United Kingdom, after Greater London in 1965 and Greater Manchester in 1974. The city region encompasses numerous cities and towns throughout Yorkshire. It includes Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Halifax and Huddersfield. A multi-area agreement was established in 2008 and since 2011 economic development has been supported by the Leeds City Region LEP, which forms a business-led local enterprise partnership. The activities of the city region are coordinated by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority since 2012, previously the Leeds City Region Partnership, and Leeds City Region Leaders Board, since April 2007 strategic local governance decisions have been made by the joint committee. As part of a 2012 'city deal' the Combined Authority was established in order receive devolved powers for transport, economic development and regeneration. The secretariat for the city region is based within Leeds City Council. The Leeds City Region Enterprise Zone promotes development in four sites along the A63 East Leeds Link Road.

Leeds city centre

Leeds city centre is the central business district of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is roughly bounded by the Inner Ring Road to the north and the River Aire to the south and can be divided into several quarters.

Leeds Town Hall

Leeds Town Hall is a 19th-century municipal building on The Headrow (formerly Park Lane), Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Planned to include law courts, a council chamber, offices, a public hall, and a suite of ceremonial rooms, it was built between 1853 and 1858 to a design by the architect Cuthbert Brodrick. With the building of the Civic Hall in 1933, some of these functions were relocated, and after the construction of the Leeds Combined Court Centre in 1993, the Town Hall now serves mainly as a concert, conference and wedding venue, its offices still used by some council departments. It was designated a Grade I listed building in 1951. Imagined as a municipal palace to demonstrate the power and success of Victorian Leeds, and opened by Queen Victoria in a lavish ceremony in 1858, it is one of the largest town halls in the United Kingdom. With a height of 225 feet (68.6 m) it was the tallest building in Leeds for 108 years from 1858 until 1966, when it lost the title to the Park Plaza Hotel, which stands 26 feet (8 m) taller at 253 feet (77 m). The distinctive baroque clock tower, which serves as a landmark and a symbol of Leeds, was not part of the initial design but was added by Brodrick in 1856 as the civic leaders sought to make an even grander statement. The project to build the Town Hall came about as Leeds underwent rapid growth and industrialisation during the 19th century, helped by a desire to compete with Bradford and symbolise Leeds's dominance within the region. Proceedings began in July 1850, carried through by a dedicated committee of the Town Council, which held a competition selecting the relatively unknown Brodrick to prepare a design, with construction underway by July 1853. The building cost much more than the original estimates due to rising prices and constant additions to its design throughout construction. The form of Leeds Town Hall has been used as a model for civic buildings across Britain and the British Empire, being one of the largest and earliest. As a key heritage asset for the city, its history as a court and prison is demonstrated in guided tours for the public. Several recurring cultural events use the Town Hall as a performance space, such as the Leeds International Piano Competition.