The end of June 1263 saw Montfort begin the final campaign to force a provisional government on Henry and his […]
Tag: Richard
Victory for the common enterprise
14 May 1264 For all the savagery of the civil war, the strategy was about chipping away at the enemy’s […]
The road to Lewes
1264 As usual, the initial fighting broke out in the west. Henry de Montfort scored an early triumph by bottling […]
On the brink
1263 Edward was the first to return. Scolded by his father for “indolence and wantoness” while the Welsh ravaged the […]
More arbitration, more disaffection
1262 When the two sides could not agree on any amendments to the Provisions, the arbitrator, Richard of Cornwall, ruled […]
Cracks in the opposition
1259 In January, two years after he was elected King of the Romans, Richard prepared to return home. The barons […]
The third hour of the third day
1258 Henry urged Richard to accept the crown of Germany to avoid the appearance of weakness in the face of […]
Another king in the family
1257 Earlier in that disastrous year Richard left for Aachen to be crowned King of the Romans, which was a […]
Fool’s gold
1257 For his part, Henry started collecting gold, which he would need to finance an army in Sicily. Frederick had […]
Eleanor’s parliament
1254 Before leaving, Henry appointed his wife Eleanor to rule in his stead with Richard serving as her adviser. Their […]
An absolute mess
1250 Henry’s policy in Gascony was an absolute mess. The province was nominally Richard’s, but now, at the queen’s insistence, […]
Pay or quit the kingdom
1243 There was nothing like a wedding to bring out the best in Henry and he used the occasion of […]
The king should be locked up
1242 Henry’s expedition to recover Poitou was a spectacular failure. Caught off guard by Louis’ aggressiveness at the Charente River […]
The unholy struggle
1240 Crusading was all the rage among the nobility of the 13th century. Simon returned to England alone in the […]
The king’s wrath
1239 True to character, Henry’s break with Simon was abrupt and unseemly. He waited for the occasion of the queen’s […]
Another royal wedding
1238 It was into this atmosphere of ill-will and hostility that Simon strode on another cold January day two years […]
The first rebellion
1234 By this time Richard, the earl of Cornwall, had also married into the Marshal clan. William’s sister Isabella was […]
The true visionary
The Westminster Abbey we know today was the vision of King Henry III. A fickle man of unsteady purpose, Henry […]