Henry III was born in Winchester in 1207. Henry was very much attached to Winchester and often held his colourful […]
Review of Henry III volume 2
Volume 2 of David Carpenter’s biography of Henry III for the Yale English Monarchs Series is out, and so is […]
The spare who didn’t whine all the time
The BBC has naturally weighed in on the controversy of the Spare memoir about to come out. Their correspondent writes […]
Empress Isabella and her brothers
The sons of King John, Henry III and Richard of Cornwall, were close to their sister Empress Isabella, who died […]
Anniversary conference
Next Wednesday, the 16th of November, marks 750 years since Henry III died at his palace in Westminster. The legacy […]
William Marshal’s checkered legacy
The reign of King Henry III began on this day of the 28th of October in 1216. Just a nine-year-old […]
A difference of three decades
On the 20th of January in 1236, Eleanor of Provence was crowned queen of England. A mounted troop and the […]
Blandin of Cornwall
On this 14th of January in 1236, Henry III married Eleanor of Provence in Canterbury. A fanciful story has come […]
Death of Henry III
Henry III died on this day of 16 November in 1272 in his chamber at Westminster Palace. His last months […]
Authentic history
The annals of Tewkesbury reports that on this St Michael’s Day in 1258, Salisbury Cathedral was consecrated in the presence […]
Eleanor and Edward
Sometime in the late hours of this day in 1239, Eleanor of Provence gave birth to a boy she and […]
A little help from Tom and George
The battle of Lewes was fought on this day of 14 May in 1264. After being stomped about by Henry […]
Henry and Simon Part Two
Henry III and Simon de Montfort were about the same age, in their early twenties, both were unmarried and as […]
Henry and Simon Part One
So how did Simon (VI) de Montfort come to settle in England in the first place? The answer is a […]
Philip II de Montfort
When Charles of Anjou moved in to conquer the kingdom of Sicily in 1265, he chose Philip II de Montfort […]
Cousinicide
The de Montfort family of the 13th century held lordships from Wales to the Holy Land. That gave them ample […]
Thick bloodline
Historic adversaries Henry III (d. 1272) and Simon de Montfort (d. 1265) were actually kin twice over. They were both […]
War
On this day of 25 April in 1263 Simon (VI) de Montfort returned to England after nearly 18 months of […]
War or peace
April 23rd marks the greatest failure of Henry III’s 56 years on the throne. It is, of course, St George’s […]
Scottish heir
A son and heir to the throne of Scotland was born on this day of 21 January in 1264 to […]
Two rising stars
In the late 1230s, there were two rising stars at the court of Henry III. The first was Simon de […]
London Bridge
In the summer of 1263, a populist reformer named Simon de Montfort led an armed uprising against King Henry III […]
Marriage between equals
On this day of 14 January in 1236, Henry III and Eleanor of Provence were married in Canterbury. She was […]
Court Astronomer
A great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn will appear visibly the closest in the early evening sky of today’s December […]