The reign of Henry III is difficult for the historian to summarise. Lasting 56 years, it is the fourth longest in English history, after those of Victoria, George III and Elizabeth II. In the early and middle years there was a long period of peace and relative harmony, forming a sharp contrast to the turmoil of John’s reign. Towards the end, however, there was bitter civil war between the king and the baronial reformers led by Simon de Montfort. The personality of the king himself, moreover, is difficult to capture. Some historians have seen him as a proto-absolutist, a man of high monarchical ambition, while others have pictured an essentially pacific ruler seeking the goodwill of his subjects.
Small wonder then that Henry has long been a conspicuous absentee from the list of rulers covered in Yale University Press’ ‘English Monarchs’ series. The sheer length of his reign and the complexity of the issues it raises have between them deterred all but the most dedicated prospective biographers.
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