to Margaret, daughter of Louis of France, reached sixteen years of age, in accordance with a custom which prevailed in France he was as heir-apparent crowned in Westminster abbey on the 15th of June, 1170; and two years later the ceremony was repeated in order that his wife Margaret might be crowned along with him. Soon after this King Louis instigated the young prince, his son-in-law, to make the demand that his father should admit him to a share of his royal power, or resign to him either England or Normandy. This extraordinary request having met with a refusal, the prince fled to the French court, and put himself under the protection of Louis. His brothers, Richard and Geoffrey, soon followed his example, and Queen Eleanor, their mother, who had long been alienated from Henry in consequence of his licentiousness and neglect, and who had fomented the unnatural hatred of her children towards their father, also took this opportunity to abscond, and was seized as she was trying to find her way to the French court dressed in man's clothes. She was brought back to her husband, and was kept in confinement during the remaining sixteen years of his life. The cause of Prince Henry was espoused not only by the French king, but also by William the Lion, king of Scotland, and a number of the leading barons both in England and Normandy. The confederates were everywhere unsuccessful on the continent. A projected descent upon England was rendered abortive by Henry's wonderful promptitude and vigour; and William, king of Scotland, having accidentally fallen into the hands of the English at Alnwick, was compelled to purchase his freedom by the humiliating acknowledgment of Henry as the lord paramount of his kingdom. In the end the princes, weary of the unprofitable contest, petitioned for peace in 1174, and were pardoned by their father, who bestowed on them a liberal allowance. The unhappy king, however, was not permitted long to enjoy repose. Fresh dissensions soon broke out between him and his turbulent sons, who also quarrelled and fought among themselves. The death of Henry, the eldest son, in 1183, suspended these disputes for a few months. Three years later Geoffrey was thrown from his horse at a tournament, and died of the injuries he had received. Richard, however, lost no time in taking his brother's place, and entered into an alliance against his father with Philip II., now king of France. Henry had just taken the cross, and was making preparations for an expedition to the Holy Land, when a new revolt of his sons took place. His spirit seems at last to have given way, his health failed, and heart-broken, he offered but a feeble resistance to the confederates. He was in the end compelled to sue for peace, which was granted him on conditions that he felt to be exceedingly humiliating. His favourite son John being a traitor, gave the unhappy monarch his deathblow. On receiving this intelligence he turned his face to the wall, and exclaimed, "Let everything go as it will. I have no longer care for myself or the world." A few days afterwards he breathed his last at the castle of Chinon, on the Loire, 6th July, 1189, in the fifty-seventh year of his age, and thirty-fifth of his reign.
Henry II. was undoubtedly one of the ablest sovereigns who have filled the English throne. To him belongs the credit of having checked the most oppressive baronial tyrannies, and at the same time of having resisted the domination of the church, and secured a more equal and certain administration of the laws than had been witnessed in England since the Conquest. He was sagacious, energetic, courageous, and so active in his movements that Louis of France, who was continually baffled by his rival's marvellous celerity, exclaimed, "The king of England neither rides on land nor sails on sea, but flies through the air like a bird." He was also kind, generous, and placable. On the other hand it must be admitted that his character was stained by great vices, and that he was exceedingly irascible, ambitious, unscrupulous, and licentious. Besides his five legitimate sons—of whom three preceded him to the grave—and three daughters, Henry left three natural sons, two of them by the "Fair Rosamond," William, surnamed Longsword, earl of Salisbury, and Geoffrey, chancellor, and ultimately archbishop of York, both of whom attained great celebrity, and were always dutiful to their father.—J. T
HENRY III. of England was born in 1207, and succeeded to the throne on the 28th of October, 1216, on the death of his father John. When the young king was crowned at St. Peter's church, Gloucester, the whole country was smarting under the horrors of a civil war induced by the maladministration of John, who had driven the barons to invite over to England Prince Louis, son of Philip Augustus, king of France. Before Henry was ten years of age he met his first parliament at Bristol, in which the earl of Pembroke, marshal of England, and the great advocate of the popular cause, was chosen protector, with the title of Rector regis et regni. Under his auspices the great charter was again revised and confirmed, but with the omission of the clause which prohibited the levying of aids without the consent of parliament, and substituting in its stead the proviso that all castles erected since the beginning of the civil war should be demolished. Although the cause of Louis had been gradually declining his forces were still very considerable. The English barons became every day more convinced of the inexpediency of supporting a foreign rival in opposition to their lawful sovereign, and the fleet which had been despatched from Calais with reinforcements was met at sea and entirely destroyed by the navy of the Cinque Ports under the command of Hubert de Burgh. The French cause now became desperate, and Louis, shut up within the walls of London, proposed terms of accommodation, which were accepted, and the foreign troops embarked for France.
After the death of the Regent Pembroke the care of the kingdom was confided to Hubert de Burgh, the high justiciary, and to Peter des Roches, bishop of Winchester. Some rivalry disturbed the unanimity of their administration; but Pandulph, who had resumed the office of legate on the departure of Gualo, used the influence of his position in allaying these jealousies. Through his influence Joanna, Henry's eldest sister, was affianced to Alexander, king of Scotland, and Hubert de Burgh obtained the hand of one of the Scottish princesses. In 1223 Henry III. was declared of age; he was wholly incapable of taking any active part in the government of the country, and Hubert de Burgh continued to be his favourite minister. For some time matters went on smoothly, but the revenues of the crown were much impoverished on account of the withdrawal of many lucrative though oppressive prerogatives by the great charter; and when war broke out in 1225 De Burgh was obliged to appeal to parliament for an extraordinary aid. One-fifteenth of all movable property was granted by the barons on condition that the king should ratify the two charters, which he accordingly did. But the war in Guienne and Poitou was unsuccessful, and absorbed vast sums of money; and when parliament was again appealed to in 1232 the barons refused to renew the grant on the plea of lavish expenditure, and De Burgh was hurled from power.
The king's marriage with a French princess, Eleanor of Provence, 14th January, 1236, introduced a number of foreigners at court; one of the queen's uncles was made prime minister; another archbishop of Canterbury; and a third guardian of the young earl of Warren. These encroachments on the national independence embroiled the kingdom in continual commotions. In order to recover his popularity Henry took the command of his forces in person, and sailed from Portsmouth for the Garonne in 1242, but was defeated by Louis near Taillebourg and again at Saintes, from whence he fled to Blaye, and having concluded a trace for five years, returned to England to recruit his wasted strength; but the parliament refused any further supplies.
Failing in obtaining supplies from parliament, Henry was advised by his courtiers to sell his plate and jewels. "Who will buy them?" said he. His advisers answered, "The citizens of London, to be sure." He rejoined, bitterly, "By my troth, if the treasures of Augustus were to be put up to sale the citizens would be the purchasers; these clowns, who assume the style of barons, abound in all things, while we are wanting in common necessaries." To annoy them and touch them in a sensitive part he established a new fair at Westminster, to last fifteen days, during which all trading was prohibited in London, and compelled them to pay him £2000. By these and similar means he was enabled for some years to dispense with parliaments; but in 1253 he was again compelled to meet his nobles. They were no sooner assembled than they demanded the restoration of their ancient liberties. The bishops and clergy, to whom we are much indebted for their zeal in behalf of liberty during this reign, took a conspicuous part in the popular movement. While the barons were assembled in Westminster hall, May 3, 1253, the bishops and abbots proceeded in solemn procession to the presence of the king, where the archbishop of Canterbury pronounced the awful sentence of excommunication
