Henry III of England

Henry III ruled England from 1216 until his death in 1272. His reign featured conflict over royal government and finances, and the rebuilding of Westminster Abbey in a Gothic style.

Provisions of Oxford: A 1258 agreement that placed royal government under a council of barons and required regular parliaments. Barons imposed these provisions on Henry after rejecting his financial and administrative policies.
John, King of England: King of England from 1199 to 1216, whose disputes with barons and defeat in France preceded Magna Carta. John’s death made his nine-year-old son Henry king during an ongoing rebellion.
Westminster Abbey: A London church and royal mausoleum whose present Gothic building was begun under Henry III in 1245. Henry rebuilt the abbey on a grand scale and made it a central expression of royal devotion.
Edward I of England: King of England from 1272 to 1307, eldest son and successor of Henry III. Edward led royal forces against the barons and took power after Henry’s death.
Simon de Montfort's Parliament: The 1265 assembly summoned by Simon de Montfort, which included representatives from towns as well as counties. The baronial regime’s parliamentary experiment outlasted the defeat that ended its control.
Second Barons' War: An English civil war from 1264 to 1267 between Henry III and rebel barons led by Simon de Montfort. It turned Henry’s conflict with the barons into armed rebellion and temporary royal defeat.
First Barons' War: An English civil war from 1215 to 1217 between King John and barons who sought to enforce Magna Carta. The war continued after Henry’s accession and threatened his claim to the throne.
Edward the Confessor: An English king who ruled from 1042 to 1066 and was canonized in 1161. Henry revered Edward and rebuilt the abbey around the saint’s shrine.
Margaret of Provence: Queen of France from 1234 to 1270 and elder sister of Eleanor of Provence, Henry III’s queen. The sisters’ marriages linked Henry’s household to the French royal family.
Westminster Palace: A historic royal complex in London that became the principal seat of English government. Henry expanded the palace alongside the abbey, reinforcing Westminster as a royal and political center.

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