HENRY III 1216 - 1272  (H3)  Lived 1207 - 1272

Including:

Matthew

Paris

xxxxxHenry was nine years old when his father died. A regency of barons and churchmen ruled the country until he came of age in 1227. At the commencement of the reign much of eastern England remained under the control of a group of rebel barons led by the heir to the French throne, Prince Louis. By 1217, however, the rebels had been routed and Louis had been forced out of the country following the defeat of a French invasion force.


xxxxxOnce in power Henry did little if anything to give England the peace and stability it so badly needed. He raised taxes in a vain attempt to regain the lost lands in France, was over-generous to foreign favourites, and - doubtless with his father's troubles in mind - was openly subservient to the papacy. He did not include the barons in any major decision making, preferring a few close advisors, often French friends or relatives of his wife or mother. In 1258 the barons, alarmed at a costly and ill-considered scheme by Henry to put his second son, Edmund, on the throne of Sicily, compelled him to accept a series of reforms, known as the Provisions of Oxford. These provided for the setting up of a privy council to advise on policy and to oversee all aspects of administration. In 1261, however, Henry renounced these provisions and, three years later, was supported by Louis IX of France by what was known as the Mise (Statement) of Amiens. This proved the final straw: civil war was inevitable.


xxxxxIn his earlier troubles at home Henry could always depend upon one of his favourites, the powerful and ambitious French nobleman Simon de Montfort (son of the Montfort who had led the Albigensian Crusade). He came to England to claim the earldom of Leicester, once held by his grandmother, and quickly climbed the social ladder by marrying Henry's sister, Eleanor. As time passed, however, he had a number of violent quarrels with his friend and brother-in-law, and in 1263, following the Mise of Amiens, threw in his lot with his fellow barons and led a rebellion against the king.

                                    

xxxxxIn the ensuing civil war, the barons defeated Henry at the Battle of Lewes in 1264 and both he and his son Edward were imprisoned. Montfort at once assumed power as a sort of constitutional monarchy and, in 1265, summoned a parliament in which, for the first time, towns were represented. In taking this action, he was probably motivated by the need to widen his support rather than by any genuine desire at constitutional reform, but whatever his motives, his experiment, though significant, was short-lived. Henry's son, Prince Edward, having escaped, raised an army against “the traitor” and Montfort was defeated and killed at the Battle of Evesham. Henry regained his throne but, being infirm and senile, it was Edward who took over the reins of government.


xxxxxHenry's ventures outside of England fared no better. Expeditions to France to regain the lands lost by his father proved extremely costly and unsuccessful. In 1230 he landed in Brittany but later withdrew his forces without swinging a sword in anger. Then in 1242 he took a more powerful force to the continent but, following a skirmish at the bridge of Taillebourg, Royan, he conceded defeat and once again turned for home. In 1259 he paid the price for failure. At the Treaty of Paris he retained the Duchy of Guyenne but, in return, was obliged to renounce claims to any other territories in France and to acknowledge that he was a vassal of the King of France, Louis IX.


xxxxxHenry's troubled reign came to an end with his death in November 1272, though as noted earlier, he had taken little part in the government of the country since regaining his throne in 1265. He was succeeded by his able son, Edward I.


xxxxxIncidentally, many of the details known about this period are due to an English Benedictine monk called Matthew Paris (d.1259). He knew many leading figures of the day, including the king himself. For many years a member of the Abbey of St. Albans, he carefully recorded contemporary events over a period of some twenty-five years (1235 to 1259) and his History of the English was therefore a mine of information. He also wrote a detailed history of the monastery of St. Albans, as well as biographies on a number of historical figures, including Edward the Confessor, Thomas Becket and Stephen Langton. (Below the picture of Mary and Child, Paris has drawn in his own figure, kneeling at her feet.)

1217



1220

The Fifth Crusade is launched, led by Andrew II, King of Hungary. Directed against Egypt, it fails to capture Cairo and, lacking necessary reinforcements, ends in failure.


Work is begun on the building of Salisbury Cathedral in southern England. When completed in 1266, its decorated spire (404ft) is the highest in England.

1225

The French poet Guillaume de Lorris writes the first section of The Romance of the Rose, one of the most famous of the allegorical poems in medieval literature.


1227

Henry III comes of age and takes over the government of the country.


Following the death of Genghis Khan, his Mongol empire is divided into four Khanates, which stretch from the Black Sea to the shores of the Pacific. Its army numbers some 129,000.


1228

The Sixth Crusade, led by Emperor Frederick II, re-occupies Jerusalem as part of a peace

treaty with the Sultan of Egypt. The city remains in Christian hands until 1244.


1231

The Inquisition is established by Pope Gregory IX to combat heresy in northern Europe.

Later, its scope is widened, and torture is authorised in 1252 to extract confessions.


1235

The Empire of Mali is created in West Africa following the victory of the Malinke leader Sundiata over King Sumanguru of the Susu, conqueror of the ancient Ghana Empire.


1236




1241

Ferdinand III of Castile and Leon captures Cordoba from the Spanish Muslims. With the taking of Seville in 1248, only Granada with its fortress of Alhambra (illustrated) remains in their hands.


The Mongols, having advanced into Hungary, Poland and the Danube Valley, are poised to invade Western Europe, but Batu, their leader, withdraws his armies to southern Russia following the death of the Emperor.


1242

Henry III takes a large force to France to re-conquer lost lands, but returns home after losing a skirmish at the bridge of Taillebourg in Royan.

1244

Jerusalem, in Christian hands since an agreement reached between Frederick II and the Sultan of Egypt in 1228, is recaptured and sacked by a large Egyptian force.


1247

The Italian Franciscan monk Carpini returns from a fact-finding mission to Mongolia. He later records his long and arduous journey into the heart of Asia.

1248

The Seventh Crusade is launched following the Egyptian seizure of Jerusalem in 1244. Directed against Egypt, it fails to take Cairo, and Louis IX of France is taken prisoner.

1250

The Mamluks, a new dynasty, comes to power in Egypt and Syria. Originally slaves serving in the Sultan's army, they seize the throne and remain in control for over 250 years.

1258

The Mongols, led by Hulagu, capture the city of Baghdad and massacre the inhabitants over a period of seventeen days. They then go on to conquer Syria.


Under pressure from his barons, the King is obliged to issue the Provisions of Oxford These provide for the setting up of a Baronial Council to keep a check on royal power.


1259

By the Treaty of Paris between England and France, Henry, having failed to regain any of his lost lands in France, renounces all claims to French territory except that of Guyenne.

1260



1261

The grandson of Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan, becomes leader of the Mongol Empire and sets about the task of uniting China under his own dynasty.


Michael VIII, Greek emperor of Nicaea, recaptures Constantinople and re-establishes the Byzantine Empire. But the Empire, beset with problems, never regains its former glory.


1264

In England, the Barons' War breaks out against the king. The barons, led by Simon de Montfort, defeat and capture the king and his son Edward at the Battle of Lewes.


The Italian philosopher and theologian, Thomas Aquinas, a stout defender of the Roman Catholic Church, begins to write his major work, the Summa Theologica.


1265

Simon de Montfort summons the first parliament but is later killed by the king's forces at the Battle of Evesham. Henry regains his throne, but his son Edward takes over the reins.


1268

The English philosopher and scientist Roger Bacon completes his Opus Majus, an encyclopedia emphasising the sciences and the importance of experimental research.


1270




1271

In the Eighth Crusade, Louis IX leads his second expedition to Africa, this time to Tunisia. He takes Carthage, but then dies of disease near Tunis, and the Crusade - the last to be undertaken - is abandoned.


Marco Polo, aged 17, the member of a noble Venetian family, sets out on his historic journey to Peking and the court of Kublai Khan.

1272

Death of Henry III. He is succeeded by his son, Edward I, who, in fact, had been in charge

of state affairs since 1265 because of his father's ill-health and mental condition.


1217

H3

 1272

 1216

1220

1225

1227

1228

1231

1235

1236

1241

1242

1244

1247

1248

1250

1258

1259

1261

1260

1264

1265

1268

1270

1271

1272

Acknowledgements

Henry III: illustration from Cassell’s History of England, Century Edition, c1902, artist unknown. Simon de Montfort: drawing of a stained-glass window in Chartres Cathedral, artist unknown – National Library of France, Paris. Matthew Paris: self-portrait from the original manuscript of his Historia Anglorum – British Library, London. Coat of Arms: licensed under Creative Commons. Author: Sodacan – https://commons.wikimedia.org.

H3-1216-1272-H3-1216-1272-H3-1216-1272-H3-1216-1272-H3-1216-1272-H3-1216-1272-H3

Synopsis of Henry 3 Reign

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