Henry III: A Simple and God-Fearing King

by Stephen Church

Henry III was a medieval king whose long reign continues to have a profound impact on us today. He was on the throne for 56 years and during this time England was transformed from being the private play-thing of a French speaking dynasty into a medieval state in which the king answered for his actions to an English parliament, which emerged during Henry's lifetime.

Despite Henry's central importance for the birth of parliament and the development of a state recognisably modern in many of its institutions, it is Henry's most vociferous opponent, Simon de Montfort, who is in many ways more famous than the monarch himself.

Henry is principally known today as the driving force behind the building of Westminster Abbey, but he deserves to be better understood for many reasons - as Stephen Church's sparkling account makes clear.

Part of the Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert accounts of England's rulers in a highly collectible format

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

100 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 26, 2017

About the author

Stephen Church is a writer and professor of medieval history at the University of East Anglia and is regarded as an expert on King John.

Reviews

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fast-paced, well researched, well cited and tried to simplify these very complicated politics admirably.
Much appreciated.
I read this in January of 2022.

[Sarah u · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've seen the Penguin Monarchs series on the shelves in bookshops a lot in recent months, and debated with myself as to whether they would be worth the investment, both in time and money. I thought the best way to judge this would be to read one about a monarch I knew a decent amount about already. Though in recent years my degree has taken priority and as a result my reading about medieval history has been put to one side, there was a time when I read anything about Henry III I could get my hands on. On balance, he is one of the monarchs I know well and enjoy reading about, and decided to read his Penguin book first.

At 90 pages, this is a slim volume, but covers Henry III's 65 years, 56 of those as king, clearly, chronologically, and reasonably well. Of course, not every event is covered in detail- how could it be? But what is here is a good overview of the events of Henry's reign; the minority, the factional struggles in court, the rebellions, and the Baron's Wars. Not a single word is wasted as Church narrates and discusses this period of medieval history, making this book a very good read. It is also beautiful, with a white hard cover, dust jacket showing the king's tomb effigy, and a set of colour photo plates within the text.

This book would be an ideal introduction or refresher read for this period in medieval history, and is recommended for its clear writing and accuracy. It is a credit to the Penguin Monarchs series, and on the back of this book I will make time for others in the series.

[Carolyn Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent analysis of King Henry III's reign in the context of the legal reforms that occurred over the course of the thirteenth century including Magna Carta, the Charter of the Forest and the Provisions of Oxford. The First and Second Barons' war are discussed in detail, illuminating the weaknesses of Henry III's rein including his long minority and his later patronage of his extended family at the expense of his barons. There is less attention devoted to Henry III's relationship with his wife and children, which was much more harmonious than the personal lives of his predecessors. The political activity of Henry III's queen, Eleanor of Provence, is noted at various points in the book. I would have been interested to read more about Henry III's building projects as only the most famous example, the modern Westminister Abbey is discussed in the book. I look forward to reading the next volumes in the Penguin Monarchs series - Edward I, Edward II and Edward III - next!

[Tatiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread. I love my Henrys. I had forgotten that when they married the whole family came into play. Eleanor was a Savoyard. He uncle became Henry's chief advisor and another was made Archbishop of Cantetbury.

Meanwhile her older sister was already married to the King of France and Henry's younger brother Richard then married Eleanor's younger sister. So the blood ties to the continent persisted.

[Yorgos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots to like, lots not to like. Good, clear, no-frills narrative history that carefully manages its density so as to be readable without having to try too too hard, even by a complete Nichtskönner (me). Very nice expansive further reading section, nice paper, nice pictures, nice crisp bite-sized sections, nice pace given its size. And the Penguin Monarchs really are just so dang pretty.

I would call this an aggressively secular history. That's neither good nor bad in-&-of-itself, but worth noting in case you care about that kind of thing.

On the other hand, I'd call it a bit dry, a bit chronicle-y? Lots of writing tics that started to grate, even in a book as short as this. I was starving for some interpretive commentary, or for the author to say something about how the events here covered related to the rest of Europe at the time, or reflected historical trends, or were foreshadowed by past events or lead to future events &c.. The few times Church seems like he's going to offer something juicy it's either banal-verging-on-meaningless, or an unqualified value judgement, or both--e.g. the last sentence of this book, which, by the way, Church adapted from a different penguin monarchs book (William II, which now I want to read), and in the process transformed the slick original into something somehow simultaneously moralizing and incomprehensible.

[Ivan Monckton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent volume in the Penguin Monarchs series. It is remarkable how readers can get a real feel for the King and his times in well short of a hundred pages of text! However, I would dispute the books sub title, based on the information contained in the book…
A recurring theme throughout the series is the insistence of the various Kings that they should have the absolute right to rule/misrule in any way they see fit, and the opposition such behaviour engendered. It seems it is not just present day leaders who will not learn the lessons of the past.

[Sally O'wheel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, very interesting. He doesn't get a very good wrap, all things considered. I think the fact that he was a baby when he became the king probably had a bad effect on him. He fought tooth and nail against the barons who were sick of paying for their kings wars, it would seem. But then, like all oppositions, the Barons seem to have been split and corrupt as well. Enjoyed learning about a period of history about which I knew nothing.

[Ryan Travers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview of the time of Henry III. The only thing that I felt was out of place was the illogical comparison of the xenophobia and racism of the 13th century, which included the expulsion of the Jews from England in 1290, to the Brexit campaign.

Removal of this comparison would probably make it a better read.

[Monty · Rating 4 out of 5]

An understandably concise story of Henry III touching the highlights to provide guidance for further reading.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging read over only a hundred pages.Like many of the books in the series it leaves the reader wanting to find out more

[George Foord · Rating 2 out of 5]

Difficult to read throughout was not enjoyable n

[Charlotte Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

*2.5

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the books in this series try to cram too much into a short space. This is one such. Whilst interesting, I ended up confused by statues, provisions, charters, etc.

[Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my favourite English kings and one of the only good things to come out of King John, Henry III was a patron of the arts, a consistent builder and competitively pious. He redeveloped the cult of the devotion St. Edward the Confessor, the pre-Norman Conquest king, and created the Plantagenet mausoleum within his newly-built Westminster Abbey, which would have his successors laid to rest around the grand shrine to his favourite saint.
Ultimately, his obsession with creativity caused his lack of royal diplomacy, and his blatant favouritism in the court caused trouble throughout the kingdom.
Nevertheless, his eccentricity and love for history gave the name for his famous son and successor; Edward I.

'Ke ne dune ke ne tine, ne prent ke desire'
('He who does not give what he has, will not get what he wants')

- Henry III's motto, Painted Chamber (now gone) Westminster

[Blair Hodgkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a slim, bare-bones biography of Henry III, but author Stephen Church wastes no time getting into analysis of his subject's actions and the meaning behind them. I found Church's insights intriguing and persuasive. For anyone interested in starting to learn about medieval politics and rulers, the Penguin Monarchs series is an excellent place to start.