The Plantagenet Kings

1216-1399

Henry 3rd 1216-1272 (aged 9 when crowned)

Henry, born in Winchester, England, was the eldest son of John and his French wife Isabella who had 5 children in total.

Henry, crowned when 9 years old, did not take full control of the country until 1227 when he was 20. He married a French princess Eleanor of Provence when he was 29. (She was probably about 13) They had 9 children of whom the last 5 were very sickly and died after a few months.

Henry’s reign of 56 years was a disaster in the sense that he had no interest in running the country but was passionate about culture and buildings. During his reign Oxford and Cambridge universities were firmly established, and many cathedrals were enlarged or created from scratch including:  Westminster, Salisbury, Wells, Lincoln, Peterborough, Winchester (the Great Hall). Two new back to basics Christian groups were allowed to settle, the Franciscans and the Dominicans who joined the Cistercians.

He was fortunate with his eldest son Edward who provided his military arm in time of need and eventually succeeded him as one of England’s best Kings.

His eldest daughter Margaret married Alexander 3rd King of Scotland. 
 

England ruled by Regents when Henry was in his minority

As Henry was only 9 when crowned the country was well run by regents until he was 20. They were firstly, the Earl of Pembroke, then the Barons Hubert de Burgh and William the Marshal. Pembroke was of sufficient presence to persuade the Barons to follow Henry rather than the French heir apparent Prince Louis (8th) who did not give up the throne of England without a fight. Firstly at “The Fair of Lincoln” and secondly off Dover when de Burgh sank the French fleet bringing urgently needed reinforcements for Louis. Pembroke then made a treaty with Louis at Lambeth London and the Frenchman left English soil for good. 

Pembroke, who had ruled the country well, died and things start to get worse and later head towards disaster when Henry as King appoints the Bishop of Winchester as advisor.

1219; Henry was still only 12 when de Burgh succeeds Pembroke. Henry becomes ruler in 1227 and retains de Burgh as senior advisor. In 1232 he changes from de Burgh to the Bishop of Winchester, Peter des Roches. Des Roches is a Francophile and is unfortunately soon supported by Henry’s new wife, the French princess, Eleanor of Provence. Henry supports these two who invite their French relations and cronies into England to take the top jobs. To complete the picture, in 1238, Frenchman Simon de Montfort, natural leader and ruthless general, trained Crusader and murderer of Cathers (with his father also called Simon de Montfort) marries Henry’s sister Eleanor. Then in 1239 Henry and his wife Eleanor produce their first son Edward who fortunately turns out to be as successful a military operator and leader of men as his father is a lover of the arts, learning, culture and architecture with no abilities in civil administration or war.

At this time, with the admistrators of England being mainly Frenchmen with no knowledge of the principles of government, the country descended into anarchy.  

1242 With this background to create a diversion, Henry decides to invade France to get some Plantagenet land back. Not surprisingly he fails. 

1258 With the country still in administrative chaos the Barons revolted and the struggle started by King John and his Barons for how the country is ruled (Magna Carta) is reopened. Simon de Montfort soon takes the Baron leadership position and they examine their grievances as follows:

• Henry should not have filled all the important administrative positions with Frenchmen who know nothing of English government or the English church.

• Should not have given huge amounts of state money to these foreigners.

• Should not waste money on trying to get French lands back.

• Should not spend money on a war in Sicily in order to appoint his son Edmund as the local Sicilian King

Note the document outlining these demands was the first English state document to be written in English rather than French or Latin. 
 
De Montfort and his armed Barons assemble in Oxford “The Mad Parliament” and demand the presence of the King where he presented the King with his demands. (“The Provisions of Oxford”) 1258

• A committee of 24 Barons should be formed to reform the government.

• This committee should meet 3 times a year.

• A sub committee of 15 should be available as a permanent advisory and auditing authority to the King. Without the authority of this body the King could not act.

• Another committee should be formed to organise the financial affairs of the state.

1261 The Pope from his exalted theological perch absolved the King of his need to follow these “Provisions”.  

1264 The Barons War

King Henry was now 57 and Prince Edward his eldest son is 25 They are pitted against

Simon de Montfort 56 as leader of the Barons.

De Montfort was not prepared to give up his reforms in spite of opposition from the Pope and asked the King of France Louis 9th to arbitrate. Louis came down in favour of Henry and thus civil war broke out in England.

At a  battle near Lewes de Montfort defeated the Henry and took him prisoner along with his brother Richard, Earl of Cornwall.

Simon de Montfort was now in sole charge of England but agreed with Prince Edward that his father could be released but not rule if Edward took his place in jail. (The Mise of Lewes). 

1265  The first “House of Commons” with elected members.

De Montfort found he was not that popular with his fellow Barons who did not like being ruled by a dictator and de Montfort decided to appeal to the country by inviting a cross section of elected leaders to sit in a first Parliament. He chose:

• All the Barons and Earls

• All the senior Clergy

• Two elected Knights from each county.

• Two elected men from each of the main cities and boroughs.

This was the first time since ancient Greece that such a cross section of a community had been chosen to contribute to the ruling process.  

Unfortunately the Barons were jealous of de Montfort’s powerful position plus

• They saw their power being diminished by the elected members of Parliament.

• Prince Edward was still in prison.

1266 Price Edward escaped, formed an army of eager supporters tricked and defeated and killed de Montfort at the battle of  Evesham.  

The Barons then in the Dictum of Kenilworth

• Restored King Henry to the English throne.

• Annulled the Provisions of Oxford.

• Provide the King followed Magna Carta.

1270 With England now at peace Prince Edward travelled to Jerusalem with the 7th and last major Crusade which was inspired and organised by the King of France, Louis 9th. The 7th Crusade was directed not at Jerusalem but at Egypt which was ruling Jerusalem at the time. It was a failure even though some 60,000 western Christians (mainly from France) were involved.

This realy spelt the time for the end of any Christian army in the Levant (area including modern day Palestine, Israel and Lebanon) until Britain recaptured the land in 1917 at the end of the First World War.

1270-1300 saw the area overrun by Islamic Turks from Kazakhstan  and the Mongolian Golden Horde. (see below) 

When his father died in 1272 Edward was still abroad and was proclaimed king in his absence.  

The Mongol invasion. Genghis Khan and the Golden Horde

When Prince Edward travelled to the Holy Land he was confronted by Mongol fighters rather than Turks or Arabs. Under Genghis Khan and his sons, the Mongol armies, originating in Mongolia north of China, had conquered everywhere from Korea to Poland and south eventually to include Jerusalem and northern India. England was untouched but the whole of the Christian world thought they were the “Devils from Hell” and were correspondingly terrified.

Their military success was due to their horseback army whose archers could shoot accurately while riding at full speed. Each soldier had some five mounts and such an army had never been seen before. Poland suffered particularly badly as the Mongols burnt virtually everything, killed the men and raped the women. So serious was the depopulation that the surviving leaders asked other countries on their western boarders if they would like to send in any families surplus to requirements. The German territories responded with gratitude finally finding a country willing to take their hated Jews. (Yes even then) That is why some 50% of the Jews of Europe where from that date to be found in Poland. (See the Second World War, Hitler and the Auschwitz death camps)

Marco Polo: During this period c. 1270 Marco Polo from Venice travelled with his father to Mongolia and China where he stayed for more than 20 years. His written reports on the Far East were not updated for 500 years. China at this time was the most advanced nation in the world.

Note it was Prince Edward 1st when King of England who expelled all the Jews from England that William the Conqueror had introduced 250 years earlier.  

Simon de Montfort 1208-1265     Notes:

De Montfort is viewed in some quarters as the major Medieval contributor to the advancement towards democracy and civil liberties providing the controls needed to check the vagaries of a despotic ruler. (Rules not yet in place in modern day Russia.) In the USA he is remembered by a plaque in the House of Representatives in Washington DC. We can see what he did from the text on Henry 3rd reign above, but who was he?  

Simon was the youngest son of 4 of a French nobleman also called Simon de Montfort. His father took no part in English history but is remembered for his cruel extermination at the Pope’s behest of the religious sect, the Cathars in the so called Abigensian Crusade of 1208-1229. In 1220 the younger de Montfort accompanied his father under the banner of the Inquisition office of Catholic Church and developed his lust for fighting against these men of peace. (The official formation of the Catholic Christian Inquisition was 1234 under Pope Gregory 9th. It was nothing short of ethnic and religious cleansing on a grand scale)

1238 Simon secretly (with out the knowledge of the King) married Henry’s youngest sister Eleanor in spite of it being Eleanor’s second marriage and after she had taken a vow if chastity after her first husbands death. Eleanor had first been married at 9 years old and was 23 when she married Simon.

1239 The King now thought he should accept Simon even though he was French and made him Earl of Leicester and Godfather to Edward, his eldest son!

1239 Notwithstanding these honours and responsibilities bestowed on him by the King he became hugely in debt and worse, gave King Henry’s name as guarantor without asking him. He was forced to flee to France where in:

1240 he left on a Crusade to Holy Land with funds raised by himself. Then in

1248 another Crusade to Egypt but it was short lived as Henry gave him control of the Duchy of Gascony (a southern French territory still in English hands) where he suppressed any disturbance with brutal attacks reminiscent of his extermination of the Cathars. This action brought further complaints from King Henry and in

1252 de Montfort retired in disgust to live permanently in France.

1258 de Montfort was invited back in England to joint the Earl of Gloucester as leader of the rebelling Barons creating the provisions of Oxford and negotiating not with King Henry but his son Edward

1261 He returned to France furious, when the Pope absolved Henry of the Provisions of Oxford.

1263 Back in England again at the request of the Barons he raised a rebellion but Henry sued for peace by requesting arbitration from King Louis of France. Unfortunately Louis sided with the Pope and King Henry and full civil war in England was inevitable.

1264 de Montfort with a much smaller army but with his much superior military tactics captured the Royal party (inc both Henry and Edward) on the battle field at Lewis

1265 de Montfort sets up his own Parliament the first with elected representatives from towns all over England. “De Montfort’s Parliament”   Thus  the modern idea of a democratically elected parliament was created. Hence his special place in history.

The English barons were however not stupid and realised  that de Montfort’s elected members were undermining their local despotic  powers and when Edward escaped many joined him. Outnumbered and tricked, de Montfort was killed in the battle at Evesham 4th August 1265 where his body was mutilated with various parts including his head and testicles hung out for humiliation. (Showing the barbarity of the times.) In fact these sites were regularly visited by pilgrims who appreciated his efforts in curbing despotic kings.