Henry III, King of England

b. 1207; d. 1272

Elder son of King John. At the age of nine he succeeded to his father's throne, at a time when the baronial struggle was at its height. So far had the opposition to his father gone that the Dauphin Louis of France had been invited to accept the allegiance which many of the English barons had refused to John. By the judicious measures of the regent Pembroke, of Hubert de Burgh and Stephen Langton, Henry was generally received as king and Louis was compelled to leave the country.

On the death of Pembroke (1219), Hubert de Burgh ruled for Henry, and adopted a distinctive and national policy. In 1232, however, Henry deprived Hubert de Burgh of all his offices, and finally began the period of personal government in 1234. His policy was weak and vacillating, and was influenced first by the foreign favourites and relations introduced by his mother, and then by those introduced by his wife. His continued misrule, his attempted extortions of money, the undue influence of the papacy over the kingdom, and his numerous grants to his favourites, made him generally unpopular and caused the growth of united opposition, led by de Montfort, Henry's brother in law and a former favourite. Matters came to a head when Henry finally demanded a huge sum of money to purchase for his son, Edmund, support to obtain the kingdom of Sicily granted him by the Pope. By the Provisions of Oxford (1258) his power was relegated to a committee of barons, let by de Montfort. The committee soon disagreed among themselves, and in 1263 the Provisions of Oxford were placed under the arbitration of Louis of France, who decided in favour of henry (1264) and war immediately broke out.

The party of Simon de Montfort overwhelmed the King at Lewes, and for a time the government passed into their hands. De Montfort's power alienated those of the barons who still supported him; in 1265 he was overcome and killed at Evesham by Prince Edward. Henceforth the troubles of the reign ceased, so much so that Edward was able to depart on crusade, and Henry died peacefully at Westminster. So thoroughly had affairs been settled that Edward succeeded to a kingdom to which he did not return until two years after his father's death.

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