Northampton is a town and civil parish in the East Midlands region of England. It lies on the River Nene, 60 miles north-west of London and 50 miles south-east of Birmingham. As the county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is the largest settlement within the unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; it had a population of 212,100 at the 2011 census.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates to the Bronze Age, Romans and Anglo-Saxons. In the Middle Ages, the town rose to national significance with the establishment of Northampton Castle, an occasional royal residence which regularly hosted the Parliament of England. Medieval Northampton had many churches, monasteries and the University of Northampton, all enclosed by the town walls. It was granted a town charter by Richard I in 1189 and a mayor was appointed by King John in 1215. The town was also the site of two medieval battles, in 1264 and 1460.
Northampton supported the Parliamentary Roundheads in the English Civil War, and Charles II ordered the destruction of the town walls and most of the castle.