Henry III: The Son of Magna Carta

by Matthew Lewis

Henry III became King of England within days of his ninth birthday. His father, King John, had overseen a disastrous period in English history and the boy king inherited a country embroiled in a bitter, entrenched war with itself. With barons inviting a French prince to take the crown, the young Henry was forced to rely on others to maintain his position. As he grew into adulthood, Henry had to manage the transition to a personal rule, wrenching power from men who had held it almost unchecked for years. With a settled position at home, attention could turn to the recovery of lost territory abroad and the salvaging of Henry’s family reputation. All would not go according to plan. Failures abroad led to trouble back in England as restless barons became disillusioned. They found a figurehead in Simon de Montfort, a man who would transform himself from Henry’s favourite to a de facto king. Imprisoned and stripped of his power, Henry would again have to fight for his kingdom, now relying not on older mentors but on his immensely capable son. Henry was handed a monarchy in peril, a crown that was cracked and tarnished. He was given fifty-six years to mend the damage his father had done. It would spell over half a century of highs and lows in a country crying out for stability; the final measure of Henry’s achievement displayed in the crown that he left to his son, Edward I.

Genres: History, Biography, Medieval, Nonfiction, Medieval History, British Literature

304 pages, Hardcover

Published October 15, 2016

About the author

Matthew Lewis is the author of histories and historical fiction novels about Richard III and the Wars of the Roses. The medieval period is a particular passion of Matthew’s, a passion he hopes to share through his blog. He is dedicated to teaching and discussing this period, operating two history podcasts and providing bite-sized facts to his Twitter and Facebook following.

Lewis has degree in Law and currently lives in Shropshire.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5* - Review to follow on my blog: https://wheretheresinktherespaper.wor...

[Medhat The Fanatic Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book brilliantly illustrates the interesting ruling of a forgotten English monarch from before its infancy until its end.

Deemed as boring by many when it comes to British history, and overshadowed by other famous contemporary historical names like his son, future King Edward I & and Simon Simon De Montfort, Historian Matthew Lewis presents one hell of a biography of Henry III, and the events that shaped him and his timing, revealing those that happened due to or as the result of his personality and his decision-making, and even due to the ambition and greed of others like Prince Louis of France, De Montfort, the Roman Catholic Church, and English barons.

What I loved the most about this book is that it’s very rich and informative without being inaccessible or boring, and it goes into details that I first couldn’t see why they are being tackled … but then later on I understood why: It’s because to tackle these would mean to point out and try to understand Henry’s influence & character.

The book does not only go into the British soil, but it also covers Henry’s reign under the political climate of European countries and empires during a period of time of great challenges when the Crusades were a main focus and importance to the Roman Catholic Church.

Reading into the final chapter, I loved the author’s interpretations and theories as to why Henry III was a forgotten king … but that’s not without kinda shaming and pitying history for overlooking such a great monarch.

Highly-recommended!

[Lil's Vintage World · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Michael Bully · Rating 4 out of 5]

In respect of Henry III ( who reigned from 1217- 1272 ) , Darren Baker's hefty 'King Henry III-The Great King England Never Knew It Had', published a year later in 2017, could well be the defining work for some years to come.
Yet Mr Lewis' 2016 biography is heartily recommended . It is readable, source material is used constructively. He is critical of how 19th and even 20th century historians have praised Simon de Montfort , criticising their 'hindsight' approach, and arguing that de Montfort lost support from the barons fairly quickly in his a year or so as the de facto ruler of England between the battles of Lewes and Evesham. Therefore his drive for a wider based parliament was more pragmatic than idealistic.
The writer acknowledges the achievements of Henry III as a master builder, and highlights his failures as as military commander. He even suggests that Henry III may have been autistic.
Yet the crucial emphasis is on the use of the Magna Carta during this reign. During the minority of Henry III, in 1217 , William Marshal advised that Magna Carta was to be re-issued, and this course was followed. Instead of Magna Carta being an agreement that was forced upon King John for a few crucial weeks during 1215 by rebel barons. it was now being evoked by the Royalist side as it were. And Magna Carta was re-issued again in 1225, and again in 1237 by Henry III himself. There would be times when Henry III tried to back down from its terms. And of course- resentment and even civil war- still broke out : The Charter could not reconcile the interests of barons with royalty-particularly when the King was demanding money and service in overseas military campaigns. But Mr Lewis is adopting an interesting approach in dealing with the reign of Henry III which is welcome contribution to the study of 13th century England.

[Keeper of the Privy Seal · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read but a jumbled mess. An attempt to raise the image of a King but left me thinking less of said monarch. A rather unusual book, the way the information is presented is straightforward and easily digestible, but the issue that Matthew Lewis faced with this particular book is that the reign of King Henry III is so incredibly long that the information could scarcely fit into a 400 page book, never mind the rather slim 254 pages that this one boasts (or doesn’t). The dates, events and names all become incredibly confusing between the years 1235-60.

I would recommend this to those who may have read a book that highlights the broad-strokes of Henry III’s reign already (I.e Dan Jones’ Plantagenets), but are not looking to take it to the truly academic levels of a Yale Monarchs book.

[Peter Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written and consistently interesting book that holds you right up to the end.

Henry III isn't a particularly well known king, partly because his reign wasn't as momentous or explosive as those either side and also, possibly because it was so long. It gets overlooked a lot. Lewis brings out how precarious his grip on power was, even during the good years and how bad things appeared upon his accession. You come away from reading this with a real appreciation of just why Magna Carta came to be significant as more than what was intended.

The only fly in the ointment was Lewis having an imperfect understanding of the Anglo-Saxon Witan, seeing it as more than what it was, but that's a common error. This book encouraged me to see what else Lewis has written.

[Peter Simpson · Rating 3 out of 5]

To some extent a useful synopsis of Henry III's life with some interesting and valuable insights on his relationship with the Pope and his recalcitrant barons.

It suffers from some problems. One is that it is not well footnoted and there appear to be some errors. For example, the confrontation between William Brewer and Stephen Langton took place in January 1224 instead of 1223.

REad by all means but be alert if relying on it.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know it looks like this book took me forever to read, but it really didn't. I initially received a Digital copy from the publisher, Amberley, but unfortunately had some issues with enlarging the text on my Kindle. I was not actually able to continue the book until my Library purchased it within the last month or so. Very well done, highly recommended. Full review to come.

[Kieran O'connell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read

[Steven Batty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A much needed book on Henry III. Very well written and interesting to boot.

[Paul McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent biography of this forgotten King.