The Provisions of Oxford

Henry's problems were not just the result of his chronic shortage of money. He also had a love-hate relationship with his brother, Richard. Jealous as he was of his younger brother, the king was in constant need of him.

Richard, earl of Cornwall, 1209–72, was the second son of King John of England. In 1227, following the disastrous expedition to Gascony and Poitou, Richard forced Henry to grant him the land and wealth he regarded as his right, as well as the title of earl of Cornwall. He improved his position by his marriage in 1231 to Isabella, daughter of William Marshall. He went on a crusade in 1240 and concluded a truce in 1241 with the sultan of Egypt. On Henry's second expedition to Poitou in 1242, Richard was barely able to save his brother from complete military disaster. In the 1230s, Richard had often associated himself with the baronial opposition to Henry. However, after his remarriage to queen Eleanor's sister in 1243, he became a faithful supporter of the king and his most sensible adviser. He financed the reform of the coinage in 1247, adding greatly to his already considerable wealth, and acted as regent when Henry was out of the country. In 1252,Richard refused Pope Innocent IV's offer of the Sicilian crown, which Henry later accepted for his son Edmund, but in 1257 he had himself elected king of the Romans (Holy Roman Emperor). Richard was crowned at Aachen and made three visits to Germany, but was never more than nominal ruler there.

Henry, bankrupted by his venture in Sicily, summoned Parliament in the spring of 1258 (the Easter Parliament, or the so-called Mad Parliament). In return for a badly needed grant of revenue, Henry grudgingly agreed to abide by a program of reform to be formulated by a 24-man royal commission, half of whom were to be chosen by the king. It can be regarded as England's first written constitution.

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