Today's monarch is an often overshadowed and forgotten king. Even so, King Henry III was extremely important, and, like his father, is remembered as a complicated man living in a complicated time.
So, on to the son of "Bad" King John, Henry III, the "Pious" King.
- Was of average height, and rather nondescript looks. Had a drooping eyelid.
- Was known to be very open with his emotions. Although this meant he was prone to rages, he was also publicly moved to tears during Christian masses.
- Was known for his piety. Chose Edward the Confessor, former King of England, as his personal patron saint.
- Decided to rebuild St. Peter's Abbey, a site cared for by Edward the Confessor, into a much grander building. Today St. Peter's Abbey is also known as "Westminster Abbey." (You might have heard of it.)
- Became king at age 9 when his father suddenly died during the Barons' War.
- The Pope and the English Church decided to back Henry as the legitimate sovereign, so Louis and the Rebel Barons retreated to France.
- Henry, though young, tried to appease the Rebel Barons by giving them some of their land back in exchange for a weakening of the Magna Carta.... this backfired as it made the young King and his regents look weak, and Henry was already off to a bad start.
- After the loyalists won the Barons' War, they immediately turned on the young king. They built their own, illegal castles and basically did whatever they felt like.
- In an odd turn of events, when Henry was 13, the Pope backed him, and he was crowned a second time in the name of the Church and God. This gave Henry a bit more authority.
- Came of age at 20, but was still influenced heavily by his advisers, this seemed to suit Henry, though, as he seemed to recognize that he lacked in experience.
- Tried to impress everyone by taking his lands back in France. The French pretty much ignored him, the French Nobles refused to help the son of John, and he returned to England after achieving pretty much nothing.
- After his senior ministers lost the rest of his French holdings in Britanny, Henry was forced to sue for peace with France. He did so with unexpected humility and resignation. This endeared him further with the French and the Pope... but it did nothing to improve his relationship with his own Barons.
- As a result, Henry decided to take a more active role in governing his kingdom.
- First coined the term "Parliament" to describe the once a year meetings between himself and the nobility to levy taxes, decide policy, and so on. It was in no way a real constitutional government, (It was advisory alone,) but the name is still used today.
- Seemed to be willing to follow the provisions of the Magna Carta, although he did remove many of the unnecessary offices the nobles had made for themselves.
- Was known for his very public religiosity. He attended mass EVERY DAY, paid for 500 poor people to eat every day, and even washed the feet of lepers.
- This also meant he was needlessly cruel to the country's Jewish population. He levied extra taxes on the Jews, crippling their ability to loan money, their main source of income. He also forced some Jews to convert, segregated Jews into poor communities, and, for a time, even demanded that Jews wear special badges in public.
- His marriage to Eleanor of Provence was political, but both partners seemed to gain a respect for each other. She was the stronger and more outspoken of the two, but she joined Henry in his piousness and love for Edward the Confessor. In fact, they named their first son Edward in memory of the "Great Saint of England."
- Unlike all previous Kings, Henry spent most of his time with his family, raising his children and spending time with his wife. They had 2 sons and three daughters. The youngest daughter died young, and Henry was terribly and publicly distraught.
- Without Henry's consent, some of the Barons in Poitou rebelled against the French King. They expected Henry's support, but Henry was woefully inadequate as a general. He showed up far too late to make a difference, and by then, the rebellion was lost. This angered his barons, who blamed him for the entire fiasco.
- Decided to go on crusade, but problems in Gascony made him cancel the trip. Henry was heartbroken, but the new King Louis of France was impressed enough to become friends with Henry.
- Brokered a deal with the Pope to start a new Crusade in exchange for his younger son, Edmund, being named the King of Siciliy... this almost worked, but then the pope died. The new pope not only rejected the deal, he demanded Henry pay 90,000 pounds for the war thus far. Henry turned to his nobles, who refused to levy a tax. Henry was humiliated.
- Finally, the Barons had had enough. They rebelled under the leadership of Simon du Montfort, a radical and progressive baron. Henry and his teenaged son, Edward, were captured and put on house arrest. Simon went on to effectively lead the kingdom.
- Many nobles didn't like Simon's radical reformationist ideas. (Rule of the PEOPLE? Madness!) And disagreements broke out between everyone.
- In the midst of the confusion and chaos, prince Edward escaped, gathered an army, and killed Du Montfort at Evesham. Simon was chopped into pieces and dragged around the battlefield, before his pieces were mailed to his friends. The Barons now realized that Prince Edward wasn't going to be like his father at ALL.
- As he grew older and more infirm, he became more religious. He sent Edward off on a crusade. While Edward was gone, Henry III died peacefully. He was buried in his beloved Westminster Abbey.
It would be another 1.5 years before Edward returned... and the Barons were all hoping he'd die before that happened. This was not to be.
So, on to the son of "Bad" King John, Henry III, the "Pious" King.
- Was of average height, and rather nondescript looks. Had a drooping eyelid.
- Was known to be very open with his emotions. Although this meant he was prone to rages, he was also publicly moved to tears during Christian masses.
- Was known for his piety. Chose Edward the Confessor, former King of England, as his personal patron saint.
- Decided to rebuild St. Peter's Abbey, a site cared for by Edward the Confessor, into a much grander building. Today St. Peter's Abbey is also known as "Westminster Abbey." (You might have heard of it.)
- Became king at age 9 when his father suddenly died during the Barons' War.
- The Pope and the English Church decided to back Henry as the legitimate sovereign, so Louis and the Rebel Barons retreated to France.
- Henry, though young, tried to appease the Rebel Barons by giving them some of their land back in exchange for a weakening of the Magna Carta.... this backfired as it made the young King and his regents look weak, and Henry was already off to a bad start.
- After the loyalists won the Barons' War, they immediately turned on the young king. They built their own, illegal castles and basically did whatever they felt like.
- In an odd turn of events, when Henry was 13, the Pope backed him, and he was crowned a second time in the name of the Church and God. This gave Henry a bit more authority.
- Came of age at 20, but was still influenced heavily by his advisers, this seemed to suit Henry, though, as he seemed to recognize that he lacked in experience.
- Tried to impress everyone by taking his lands back in France. The French pretty much ignored him, the French Nobles refused to help the son of John, and he returned to England after achieving pretty much nothing.
- After his senior ministers lost the rest of his French holdings in Britanny, Henry was forced to sue for peace with France. He did so with unexpected humility and resignation. This endeared him further with the French and the Pope... but it did nothing to improve his relationship with his own Barons.
- As a result, Henry decided to take a more active role in governing his kingdom.
- First coined the term "Parliament" to describe the once a year meetings between himself and the nobility to levy taxes, decide policy, and so on. It was in no way a real constitutional government, (It was advisory alone,) but the name is still used today.
- Seemed to be willing to follow the provisions of the Magna Carta, although he did remove many of the unnecessary offices the nobles had made for themselves.
- Was known for his very public religiosity. He attended mass EVERY DAY, paid for 500 poor people to eat every day, and even washed the feet of lepers.
- This also meant he was needlessly cruel to the country's Jewish population. He levied extra taxes on the Jews, crippling their ability to loan money, their main source of income. He also forced some Jews to convert, segregated Jews into poor communities, and, for a time, even demanded that Jews wear special badges in public.
- His marriage to Eleanor of Provence was political, but both partners seemed to gain a respect for each other. She was the stronger and more outspoken of the two, but she joined Henry in his piousness and love for Edward the Confessor. In fact, they named their first son Edward in memory of the "Great Saint of England."
- Unlike all previous Kings, Henry spent most of his time with his family, raising his children and spending time with his wife. They had 2 sons and three daughters. The youngest daughter died young, and Henry was terribly and publicly distraught.
- Without Henry's consent, some of the Barons in Poitou rebelled against the French King. They expected Henry's support, but Henry was woefully inadequate as a general. He showed up far too late to make a difference, and by then, the rebellion was lost. This angered his barons, who blamed him for the entire fiasco.
- Decided to go on crusade, but problems in Gascony made him cancel the trip. Henry was heartbroken, but the new King Louis of France was impressed enough to become friends with Henry.
- Brokered a deal with the Pope to start a new Crusade in exchange for his younger son, Edmund, being named the King of Siciliy... this almost worked, but then the pope died. The new pope not only rejected the deal, he demanded Henry pay 90,000 pounds for the war thus far. Henry turned to his nobles, who refused to levy a tax. Henry was humiliated.
- Finally, the Barons had had enough. They rebelled under the leadership of Simon du Montfort, a radical and progressive baron. Henry and his teenaged son, Edward, were captured and put on house arrest. Simon went on to effectively lead the kingdom.
- Many nobles didn't like Simon's radical reformationist ideas. (Rule of the PEOPLE? Madness!) And disagreements broke out between everyone.
- In the midst of the confusion and chaos, prince Edward escaped, gathered an army, and killed Du Montfort at Evesham. Simon was chopped into pieces and dragged around the battlefield, before his pieces were mailed to his friends. The Barons now realized that Prince Edward wasn't going to be like his father at ALL.
- As he grew older and more infirm, he became more religious. He sent Edward off on a crusade. While Edward was gone, Henry III died peacefully. He was buried in his beloved Westminster Abbey.
It would be another 1.5 years before Edward returned... and the Barons were all hoping he'd die before that happened. This was not to be.