Sometime in the late hours of this day in 1239, Eleanor of Provence gave birth to a boy she and […]
Author: darren
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 […]
The Two Henrys
December is a tale of two English kings named Henry marching into Paris. The more familiar one has Henry V […]
The Pope and the Monk
This day of 7 December in 1254 saw the death of Sinibaldo Fieschi, otherwise known as Pope Innocent IV. His […]
Getting shafted
In 1947 Noël Denholm-Young published a biography of Richard of Cornwall that is generally considered a classic, but one in […]
Politics and vineyards
Following the Anglo-French peace treaty of 1259, the wine-growing region of Bergerac was much disputed. As the newly created duke […]
Death of Katherine
In August of 1253, King Henry III sailed to Gascony to put down an uprising against his recalled lieutenant Simon […]
Henry’s funeral
Henry was buried on this day of 20 November in 1272. He was dressed in his coronation robes and carried […]
Dedication of Westminster Abbey
The 13th of October marks the feast day of St Edward the Confessor. His cult was promoted extensively during the […]
Death of Grosseteste
This day of 9 October in 1253 saw the passing of Robert Grosseteste, the scholarly but irascible bishop of Lincoln, […]
Dedication of Salisbury Cathedral
Tomorrow, the 1st of October, marks the birth of Henry III in 1207. Notices about it are typically confined to […]
Dedication of Ely Cathedral
This day of 17 September in 1252 saw the dedication of Ely Cathedral as built up to that time by […]