Henry III

Henry III is the first Plantagenet whose rule began with regency. Only nine years old when his father died, he was committed to the care of the aged William Marshall, who took control of a country in chaos.

The French dauphin (crown prince) was in possession of much of southeastern England when John I died. The barons, who had forced the much-hated king to sign Magna Carta, were still in revolt, and many had sided with the French rather than submit to what they termed John's "despotism."

Many of the turncoats hesitated, however, when William Marshall assumed control of the regency. Aside from the fact that his martial prowess was legendary, he commanded the respect of the entire baronage because of his ironclad sense of honor and duty. While the royal council debated about whether they should crown the boy king, the rebellious baronage waited.

As far as the Marshall was concerned, there could be no question as to whether the new king should be crowned. As soon as the coronation was over, Marshall began the task of disposing of the French. By the following year, the Dauphin had signed a peace treaty with the redoubtable Marshall, in which many of the rebellious barons were pardoned. Already 71 years old, the Marshall was tired and wanted nothing more than to retire to his estates, but when he died in 1219, he was still Regent of England.

The job of regent fell to Hubert de Burgh, and he continued the task of restoring order to England. The impression his contemporaries had of the young king was that of a pious young man who was more interested in building things than in governing the country. Though he had able teachers, Henry III was completely unprepared for governing when, in 1227, he was granted full powers of kingship.

For one thing, his smooth and charming maternal relatives, who, being Poitevins, were distrusted and disliked by the nobles as avaricious foreigners, easily influenced Henry. He seemed unable to say no to any of his half-brothers, sons of his mother by her second marriage, and was very generous with them. They received lands and priestly benefices, often at the expense of an English baron or priest.

For another, Henry was determined to recover from France the lands that had been lost by his father. In 1230, with typical willfulness and against the advice of his councilors, he led an unsuccessful campaign to Gascony and Brittany. The experience had taught him nothing - he was not, and never would be, a warrior.

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