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Born

1207

Born At

Winchester Castle

Died

16 Nov 1272

Buried At

Westminster Abbey

Royal House

Plantagenet

Titles Include: King of England from 1216 to 1272; Duke of Normandy; Duke of Aquitaine

Too young to rule

enry became King of England in 1216 at the age of only ten after the death of his father King John and was crowned several later at the abbey of Gloucester. Being too young to rule, Henry was assisted by William Marshal and Hubert de Burgh. Marshal was a trusted knight who had already served under Henry II, King Richard and King John. Unfortunately for Henry, the country's loyalty was not as certain. In London and the south-east the French Dauphin Louis was in control and in the north, the barons were in control and opposed the new king. It was only the south-west and the Midlands that offered Henry any support. Battles at Lincoln and off the coast near Sandwich dealt with opposition from the Barons and the French, who were persuaded to leave the country. In 1219 after a long life dedicated to the English crown, William Marshal died and Hubert de Burgh took control.

French control

In 1232 after many years of being King, but without any real power, Henry decided to run the country for himself and was persuaded to remove Hubert de Burgh from power. His successor was the Bishop of Winchester Peter des Roches, a Frenchman. It was not long before the barons who had been advising Henry were replaced by French who moved to England to share in the Bishop's powerful position. The barons rose up against the King and his French advisors in 1233/4 and forced the expulsion of Peter des Roches and his Poitevin friends. In 1236 Henry married Eleanor of Provence, the younger sister of the Queen of France and their first son Edward was to become the next king of England.

Art and Architecture

Henry can be remembered for his interest in art and architecture and one of his greatest legacies is Westminster Abbey which he had rebuilt to house the body of Edward the Confessor. During his reign many Cathedrals and Castles were rebuilt and improved. This rebuilding work cost money and Henry's lack of control on spending was to be the biggest problem of his reign.

Poor finances

Henry was not a good soldier or leader and even though he attempted to regain some of the territories lost in his father's reign, nothing was achieved. Henry spent large sums of money trying to get the kingdom of Sicily for Edmund, his second son, but again nothing came of that apart from being massively in debt to the Pope. Bad weather in the years of 1256 and 1257 resulted in poor harvests and a starving country. The King was not able to do anything because of his poor financial situation.

Barons' revolt

In 1258 the Barons rose up against Henry in an attempt to regain some control over their own country. In June of 1258, a series of meetings between the Barons and the King led to an agreement in which the King and the Barons chose a council of fifteen men to advise the king. The most famous member of the Barons' party was Simon de Montfort who was married to the King's sister. The council unfortunately did agree amongst itself as the best course of action and the King really didn't intend to abide by the council anyway. A series of conflicts between Henry and the Barons took place until in 1265, Henry defeated Simon de Montfort at Evesham and the Barons' revolt was over. Henry's son Edward took charge of running the country after the revolt and became king when Henry died in 1272.

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Preceded by
JOHN (King of England 1199-1216)

Succeeded by
EDWARD (I, King of England 1272-1307)

Family Tree Details

Father:	JOHN (King of England 1199-1216) (b.1167 - d.1216)
Mother:	Isabella (of Angouleme)

HENRY (III, King of England 1216-1272) (b.1207 - d.1272)
         +Eleanor (of Provence)
                  =EDWARD (I, King of England 1272-1307) (b.1239 - d.1307)
                  |        +Eleanor (of Castile) (b.1241 - d.1290)
                  |        |        =Katherine (Daughter of Edward I) (b.1264 - )
                  |        |        =John (Son of Edward I) (b.1266 - d.1271)
                  |        |        =Henry (Son of Edward I) (b.1268 - d.1274)
                  |        |        =Eleanor (Daughter of Edward I) (b.1269 - d.1298)
                  |        |        =Joan (daughter of Edward I) (b.1271 - )
                  |        |        =Alfonso (Son of Edward I) (b.1275 - )
                  |        |        =Margaret (b.1275 - d.1318)
                  |        |        =Mary (Daughter of Edward I) (b.1279 - )
                  |        |        =Elizabeth (b.1282 - d.1316)
                  |        |        =EDWARD (II, King of England 1307-1327) (b.1284 - d.1327)
                  |        |                 +Isabella (of France, Wife of Edward II, she-wolf of France) ( - d.1358)
                  |        |                          =EDWARD (III, King of England 1327-1377) (b.1312 - d.1377)
                  |        |                          |        +Philippa (of Hainault) ( - d.1369)
                  |        |                          |                 =Edward (The Black Prince) (b.1330 - d.1376)
                  |        |                          |                 =Isabella (Daughter of Edward III) ( - d.1382)
                  |        |                          |                 =Joan (Daughter of Edward III) ( - d.1348)
                  |        |                          |                 =William (Son of Edward III)
                  |        |                          |                 =Lionel (of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence) ( - d.1368)
                  |        |                          |                 =John (of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster) ( - d.1399)
                  |        |                          |                 =Edmund (of Langley, Duke of York) ( - d.1402)
                  |        |                          |                 =Mary (Daughter of Edward III) ( - d.1362)
                  |        |                          |                 =Margaret (Daughter of Edward III) ( - d.1361)
                  |        |                          |                 =Thomas (of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester) ( - d.1397)
                  |        |                          =John (Earl of Cornwall) ( - d.1336)
                  |        |                          =Joan (Daughter of Edward II)
                  |        |                          |        +David (II, King of the Scots 1329-1371) ( - d.1371)
                  |        |                          =Eleanor (Daughter of Edward II)
                  |        |                                   +Reginald (Duke of Guelderland)
                  |        +Margaret (of France) ( - d.1317)
                  |                 =Thomas (Earl of Norfolk) ( - d.1338)
                  |                 =Edmund (Earl of Kent) ( - d.1330)
                  |                          +Wake, Margaret ( - d.1349)
                  |                                   =Joan (of Kent) ( - d.1385)
                  |                                            +Edward (The Black Prince) (b.1330 - d.1376)
                  |                                                     =RICHARD (II, King of England 1377-1399) (b.1367 - d.1400)
                  =Edmund (Earl of Lancaster) ( - d.1296)
                  |        +Fortibus, Aveline de
                  |        +Blanche (of Artois)
                  |                 =Thomas (Earl of Lancaster) ( - d.1322)
                  =Margaret ( - d.1275)
                  |        +Alexander (III, King of Scotland 1249-1286) ( - d.1286)
                  |                 =Alexander (son of Alexander III) ( - d.1284)
                  |                 =David (son of Alexander III) ( - d.1281)
                  |                 =Margaret (daughter of Alexander III)
                  |                          +Eric (King of Norway)
                  |                                   =Margaret (Maid of Norway) (b.1283 - d.1290)
                  =Beatrice ( - d.1275)

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Mini Timeline

1207	Oct	Birth of Henry III
		Henry, the future king of England, was born at Winchester Castle.
1216	Oct 28	King Henry III Crowned
		King John's eldest son Henry was crowned King Henry III at the abbey church of Gloucester by Peter des Roches the Bishop of Winchester. The Earl of Pembroke, Earl Marshal of England (William Marshal), was declared Regent.
	Nov 12	Revision to the Magna Carta
		The Magna Carta was revised at King Henry's Council at Bristol.
1217	May 20	Battle of Lincoln
		Henry III's supporters defeated the forces belonging to Prince Louis and the rebel barons that were besieging the castle at Lincoln.
	Sep 12	Treaty of Kingston
		The defeat of the French fleet left Prince Louis without much hope of taking the English throne. William Marshall blockaded London from the sea and land and at Lambeth Louis accepted peace terms. Louis waived his claim to the throne of England and should have restored Normandy to Henry but did not. Louis was paid 10,000 marks to ensure he left the country as soon as possible. William Marshall pardoned all those who had supported Louis.
1220 - 1240		Henry III's improvements at the Tower
		Henry III made large alterations to the Tower of London including new curtain walls, an improved water filled ditch and a water gate so the King could enter the castle directly from the Thames.¹
	May	Coronation of Henry III
		At his coronation in Westminster Abbey, Henry was reminded of his duties at king to maintain peace, defend the rights of the crown and to dispense justice where required. Henry was only around thirteen years old.
1224	Qtr 1	Henry reclaims castles
		All those castles that had been taken from King John were claimed back by Henry. Henry did not want to have untrustworthy Barons in control of strong castles. Fawkes de Breaute, one of the castle occupiers refused to relinquish his castle(s) and started a short rebellion. Stephen Langton and Hubert de Burgh dealt with Fawkes and the castles were handed over. (Need to find out which castles)
	Jun	Bedford Castle siege
		The garrison at Bedford Castle, belonging to the rebel Falkes de Breute, refused to surrender to the Crown. Falkes had been repeated summonsed to account for his refusal to comply with agreement and when he refused to appear before the King the castle was surrounded. The castle fell when the keep was undermined. The garrison, who had surrendered the castle, were all hung on the order of the Justiciar. Falkes was allowed to leave the country but he lost all his possessions in doing so. Bedford Castle was badly damaged as a result.²
1228		Henry III visits Woodstock.
		Henry spent time at the Palace of Woodstock.³
1231	Aug 13	Simon de Montfort takes possession of his land
		Henry III ordered the sheriffs of Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire to give Simon de Montfort the possession of the lands of his father, the Earl of Leicester.⁴
1232		Henry III removes Hubert de Burgh
		Henry III was persuaded to remove Hubert de Burgh. Hubert escaped from prison and took refuge in a church at Devizes. After being dragged from the church Hubert was re-imprisoned. The bishop of Salisbury forced the Government to return Hubert to the church where his supporters rescued him.
		Peter des Rievaulx becomes treasurer
		Peter des Rievaulx, the nephew of the Peter des Roches, Bishop of Winchester, is made treasurer of the Henry III's household and keeper of the king's wardrobe. This moved him into an extremely important position for controlling the king's affairs.⁴
		Oaks given to Gloucester
		Henry III donated one hundred and ten oaks from the forest of Dean to help in repair work at Gloucester church.
1233		Earl of Pembroke's revolt
		Richard, Earl of Pembroke in alliance with Llewelyn of Wales join forces to fight Henry III. (Details required).⁵
	Qtr 1	Baronian rebellion
		With the introduction of Peter de Roches as justiciar and the removal of Hubert de Burgh, the control of the Exchequer was under Poitevin control and possibly reversed the gains created by the Magna Carta in 1215. Henry was given control of central administration. This angered the Barons and a group led by Richard Marshall, Earl of Pembroke opposed the changes. Henry was able to deal with the Barons.⁵
	Nov	Rout of Henry's army
		Henry III's army was camped at Grosmont Castle when they were attacked in the night by a force of Welsh and English rebels. Several of Henry's supporters were captured and the castle was returned to Hubert de Burgh, one of the rebels.²
1235		Henry III at Woodstock
		Henry spent time at the Palace of Woodstock.³
		Leopards at the Tower
		The Tower of London was home to a menagerie of exotic animals given to the monarchs of England as gifts. In this year three leopards were given to Henry III.⁶
1236	Jan 4	Henry marries
		Henry married Eleanor, one of four daughters of Raymond count of Provence. Eleanor was 14 years old. Simon de Montfort, as Lord High Steward, took care of the banquet and kitchen arrangements.⁴
1237		Beeston Castle claimed by Henry
		With the death of the last male heir of the Earldom of Cheshire, the earldom and castle at Beeston are claimed by Henry III. The castle was too important not to be in the hands of the crown.
1238	Jan	Simon marries Henry's sister
		Simon de Montfort married Henry III's sister, Eleanor secretly. She had been married to William, Earl of Pembroke (son of William Marshal?), but he died early and left her with his wealth. The Barons were not happy with this arrangement as they were not consulted.⁴
1239	Jun	Edward (I) is born
		Edward was the first son born to Henry III and Eleanor of Provence and was born at the Palace of Westminster. Simon de Montfort was chosen as his godfather by Henry III.⁴
1241		Henry entertains at Woodstock
		Henry spent time at Woodstock and entertained Alexander. King of the Scots and the English nobility.³
1242		Henry's finances are criticised
		Simon de Montfort is one a twelve man council who met to work out Henry's finances. Henry was criticised for his excesses.⁴
		Henry tries to retake Poitou
		Isabella, Henry's mother persuaded Henry to mount an expedition to retake Poitou. Unable to get money directly from the barons, Henry resorted to extort money from them individually instead (how?). The expedition failed, and after being rescued the Earls of Leicester, Salisbury and Norfolk, Henry retreated to Bordeaux where they spent the winter.⁴
1243	Spring	Simon de Montfort gets custody of Kenilworth castle
		Henry III bestowed the custody of Kenilworth castle to Simon de Montfort. Simon's wife Eleanor (Henry's sister) already owned Odiham Castle so Simon had two of the strongest fortresses in England under his control.⁴
1245		Rebuilding of Westminster Abbey
		Henry started the work of rebuilding Westminster Abbey as a tribute to Edward the Confessor.⁷
1246		Peter de Savoy granted Pevensey Castle
		Henry III granted Pevensey castle to the Queen's uncle, Peter de Savoy, Earl of Richmond.
		Beaulieu Abbey dedicated
		The Cistercial abbey at Beaulieu founded earlier by King John was dedicated in the presence of King Henry III, Queen Eleanor and Prince Edward.⁸
1247		Henry receives a relic
		Henry received a relic from the patriarch of Jerusalem consisting of a portion of the blood of Christ in a crystal vase. Henry walked with the vase in his hands clothed in a course robe from the treasury in St. Paul's to the church of Westminster where mass was said. He was assisted by attendants on both sides in case he slipped and dropped the vase.
1251	Nov 5	Dedication of Hailes Abbey
		The King and Queen, with Richard, Earl of Cornwall (the King's brother) were at Hailes Abbey for its dedication ceremony.
	Dec 26	Margaret marries Alexander III
		Henry III's daughter Margaret married Alexander III, king of the Scots, at York Minster. Both bride and groom were under the age of eleven at the time of the wedding. The festivities were huge as many members of the English and Scottish courts attended the wedding.
1252		Shrine to St. Ethelreda installed at Ely
		A shrine to St. Ethelreda was installed in the retrochoir of the cathedral. The ceremony was attended by Henry III and many other dignitaries.
1254		Henry gives Edward his own lands
		Henry III granted Edward (I) areas of land including Crown lands in Wales, Ireland, the Channel Islands and Gascony. He was also given cities such as Bristol, Stamford and Grantham. These areas were on the edge of Henry's lands and the idea was to give Edward experience of governing lands of his own before becoming king.⁷
1256	Sep	The Welsh invade the coastal plains
		Under their leader, Llewelyn ap Gruffydd, the welsh invaded the northern coastal areas that had agreed to English rule. Edward (I), who had been given the areas to administer himself by his father Henry III asked his father for help but Henry refused.
1257		Henry and Edward reclaim the Lost Territories
		Henry III relents to his son's demands for assistance to fight the Welsh and joins him on a campaign to retake the territories lost to the Welsh under Llewelyn.
1258		Barons confront Henry
		The seven were joined by many more Barons and Knights and they confronted Henry III at Westminster. Although armed, the Barons did leave their weapons outside the hall. Henry and his son Edward were forced to take the oath to join the commune of Barons and to accept their wished. Henry agreed to meet again with the Barons at Oxford in June.⁹
	Apr	Henry asks for money
		The Pope offered the Sicilian crown for Henry's youngest son Edmund. The Pope wanted to add Sicily to the papal dominions. To raise the money required for such an expedition Henry met Parliament at Westminster. The barons who were not involved in the meeting forced Henry to meet again in June where they wanted Henry to reform the way the country was being run.⁴
	Apr 12	Henry is opposed by the Barons
		For many years, Henry had been living beyond the means of the country and with the failure of both harvests and Henry's will to amend his ways, a group of Barons rose up against him. Seven Barons first signed an oath and formed a commune in which they swore to look after each others interests. The seven were Richard de Clare (Earl of Gloucester), John Fitz Geoffrey, Roger Bigod (Earl of Norfolk), Hugh Bigod (Roger's brother), Peter of Savoy, Peter de Montfort (not a relation of Simon), and finally Simon de Montfort.⁹
	Jun	Provisions of Oxford
		The barons and Henry III met at Oxford where fully armed, the barons showed Henry that he had no choice but to reform the way the country was being run. A council of fifteen members was set to advise the king. The fifteen were selected by a committee of four, two from the barons and two from the king. The new council was not to last long as the members could not agree amongst themselves on courses of action and by 1260 it had broken up. The reformers and royalists were to take up arms and meet in civil war.⁴
	Jun	Odiham and Kenilworth handed over to the King
		As an act of faith, Simon de Montfort handed over his castles at Odiham and Kenilworth as part of the proposals put forward in the Provisions of Oxford.
1259	Dec 4	Treaty of Paris
		Also known as the treaty of Albeville/Abbeville. A treaty between Louis IX of France and Henry III in which Henry agreed to the loss of Normandy, Maine, Anjou and Poitou. These areas had been lost under the reign of King John. Henry was able to keep the lands of Gascony and parts of Aquitaine. This won Henry the support of Louis IX of France against the rebellious Barons back in England.
1261	Qtr 1	Absolved from the Provisions of Oxford
		Pope Alexander IV agreed to absolve Henry from the Provisions of Oxford.¹⁰
	May	Henry back in control
		Having obtained a papal bull (a formal proclamation issued by the pope) to absolve himself from the Provision of Oxford, Henry hired an army of 300 French knights as bodyguards and took up position in the Tower of London. His objective was to regain the absolute power that the Barons had taken away.
	Aug 16	Henry appoints new ministers
		Henry had deposed ministers that had been appointed at the Provisions of Oxford and appointed new ones. His new proclamation gave the new ministers full power.¹⁰
1264		Pevensey Castle siege
		Following the defeat at the Battle of Lewes, Henry III's supporters fled and took refuge in Pevensey Castle. Simon de Montfort's son, laid siege to the castle, but could not take it.
		Army at Barham Down
		At a camp near Canterbury, called Barham Down, the supporters of Simon de Montfort gather an army and hold it there to fend off a possible invasion from Henry III's supporters.
	Jan 23	The Mise of Amiens
		Louis IX held a court at Amiens to decide if Henry should be freed from the obligations forced upon him by the Provisions of Oxford in 1258 by the Barons. Louis agreed that Henry should be freed and ruled against the Barons.
	Apr	Northampton captured by the King
		Henry and Edward captured the castle at Northampton where the sons of Simon de Montfort and their group of rebels were stationed. The sons (Henry and Simon the younger) were taken prisoner.¹¹
	May	Henry's war with the Barons
		The civil war between Henry III and the barons. The barons wanted to limit Henry's power and to sort out his finances which were a drain of the barons' resources. The cause was led by Simon de Montfort.
	May 14	Battle of Lewes
		Simon de Montfort surprises Henry III and Edward (I), with early movements of his troops on the hills above the castle. Henry and Richard of Cornwall defend the centre and left of the castle, but Edward attacks the lighter armed Londoners to the right and forcing them to flee, follows them off the battle site. When he returns, he finds that Henry is trapped in the priory and gives himself up in exchange for his father's release.
	Jun	Simon summons Parliament
		From a provisional administration consisting of Simon himself, the Earl of Gloucester and the Bishop of Chichester, a council of 9 were chosen to advise the king. From these 9, 3 were to be with the king at all times.⁴
1265	Sep 16	Peace with the Barons
		After the defeat of Simon de Montfort at Evesham, a limited agreement of peace was declared between Henry and the barons. Some resistance remained at Kenilworth and the Isle of Ely until 1267.
1267		Treaty of Shrewsbury
		Agreement between Henry III and Llewelyn, Prince of Wales. Henry recognised Llewelyn's position as Prince of Wales in return for a regular payment. Also known as the Treaty of Montgomery.
1269	Oct 13	Edward the Confessor moved
		Henry had Edward the Confessor's remains moved from behind the alter to a newly built golden shrine within Westminster Abbey.⁷
1270	Sep 14	Relic given to Hailes Abbey
		A phial containing the blood of Jesus was presented to abbey of Hailes by the son of Richard, Earl of Cornwall. The phial had been guaranteed by the Patriarch of Jerusalem and had been bought from the Count of Flanders in 1267. A section of the abbey was rebuilt to hold the relic, and it was held in a purpose built shrine. A similar relic had been presented to the King, Henry III several years before in 1247.
1272	Nov 16	Henry III dies
		Henry was buried in the church of St. Peter's at Westminster (which he had rebuilt) in the former grave of Edward the Confessor whose remains Henry had moved to a golden shrine.
1274	Aug 2	Edward arrives home
		Edward (I) landed at Dover to be crowned king. (Why did it take him so long to return home after the death of his father?)