John I "Lackland" Plantagenet King of ENGLAND

                   Ancestral File Number: 8XJ5-ZJ
Henry III was born in 1207 and succeeded his father John on the throne of England in 1216. It was a ravaged inheritance, the scene of civil war and anarchy, and much of the east and south eastern England was under the control of the French Dauphin Louis. But Henry had two great protectors---his liege lord the Pope, and the aged William Marshal.

The Marshal, by a combination of military skill and diplomatic ability, saw off the Dauphin by September, 1217, but less than two years later he was dead, and a triumvirate ruled in his place: the papal legal Pandulf; the Poitevin Bishop of Winchester Peter des Roches; and the Justiciar Hubert de Burgh. The legate departedin 1221; two years later Henry became of age and, rejecting Peter, chose Hubert to be his chief counsellor.

Trouble soon came, as Hubert attempted to re-asert royal authority. Barons, who had kept their castles undistrubed and exercised their powers without supervison, were now called to account to the haughty justiciar, and the party of Peter des Roches did not fail to underline the annoyances involved. The years 1223-4 were taken up with quelling rebellions.

Meanwhile the situation abroad was even more disturbing: the French king Philip Augustus was eating up English lands in Gascony, and Henry's mother Isabella made a bad situation worse by her marriage with Count Hugh of Lusignan. It was only in 1230 that a badly prepared English force set out for France and, after much squabbling, all it was able to do was make a demonstration march through Gascony.

Hubert had already had one dismal failure in Wales in 1228, and his arrogant attempts to build up a personal base in the Marches provoked a Welsh raidin 1231 which did more harm to his good name. Hubert was thrust out of power, to be replaced by Peter des Roches' Poitevins. But by 1234 they had upset the baronage of England, who had never taken kindly to foreigners other than the Normans, and Richard Marshal combined with Edmund of Abington, Archbishop of Canterbury, to force the King to replace them.

Henry now began his period of personal rule, and the world was to see what sort of king he would make. He was a simple, direct man, trustful on first impression, but bearing a life-long grudgewhen people let him down. At times lavish and life-loving, he could show another side of his nature, that wicked Angevin temper and streak of vindictive cruelty. He had a very refined taste, and enjoyed building and restoration work more than anything else. Surrounded by barons who had been proved in the hardest schools of war, the King had the spirit of an interior decorator; the nation could have born the expense of his artistic tastes, could have forgiven the eccentricity of it all, but Henry showed time and again that he was timorous as well as artistic. He feared thunderstorms, and battle was beyond him.

The Crown had some 60 castles in England, and these were in a bad state after the troublesof John's reign and the minority. Henry travelled about tirelessly rebuilding them and making them more comfortable, spending at least ten per cent of his income on building works. He personally instructed his architects in great detail, and could not wait for them to finish---it must be ready for his return 'evenif a thousand workmen are required every day' and the job must be 'properly done, beautiful and fine.' In addition he built or restored twenty royal houses, decorating them sumptiously. The painted chamber at Westminster was 80 ft. long, 26 ft. wide, and 31 ft. high. The walls were all wainscotted (at Winchester even the pantry and cellar were wainscotted) and painted with pictures and proverbs. The subjects of the pictures varied according to the royal moods---in May 1250 the Queen borrowed a book about the crusades, and a year later the walls at Clarendon showed Richard the Lionheart duelling with Saladin. Wherever there were no pictures, there was the King's favourite
                  

                   Name Suffix: Earl Of Cornwall, Hre
Ancestral File Number: 8XJ6-0N
Richard was very wealthy and used it to be elected Holy Roman Emperor. His reign was not of any substance-pretty much symbolic.  Late in life he gave up hope of ever actually ruling.

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Richard, Count of Poitou by 18 Aug 1225 (renounced c Dec 1243), 1st Earl of Cornwall, so styled from 21 Aug 1227 and King of the Romans (ie. heir presumptive to the Holy Roman Empire), so elected at Frankfurt 13 Jan 1256/7 and crowned at Aachen 17 May 1257 but soon ejected and returned to England, three of the Electors apparently having thrown him over because his monetary inducements to them weretoo small, PC (1253); Constable of Wallingford Castle 1216; knighted Feb 1224/5 and granted by his brother Henry III 13 Feb 1224/5 the County of Cornwall during the King's pleasure, following which he was presumably invested as Earl of that county; Lt of Guienne 1226-7; Ambassador to Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II 1237 and Popes Innocent IV and Alexander IV 1250 and 1259 respectively; went on Crusade 1240-41; Co- or sole Regent during his brother Henry III's campaignsin Gascony 1253-54, fought with his brother Henry III against Simon de Montfort's barons at Battle of Lewes 1264, where he was captured; married 1st 30 March1230/1 Isabel, 3rd daughter of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and widowof Gilbert de Clare, 5th Earl of Hertford and 2nd Earl of Gloucester, and had three sons (all died young or sp); married 2nd 22 Nov 1243 Sancha, sister of his brother Henry III's wife Eleanor and 3rd daughter and coheir of Raymond Berengar V, Count of Provence, and by her had two or three sons (also died young or sp, including the 2nd and last Earl of Cornwall); married 3rd 16 June 1269 Beatrice, 2nd daughter of Walram de Fauquemont (or Valkenberg, near Mastricht), Seigneur de Montjoie and brother of Engelbert Archbishop of Cologne, and died 2 April 1272, leaving by Jeanne de Valletort, an illegitimate son.  [Burke's Peerage]
                  

                   Name Suffix: Princess Of England
Ancestral File Number: 8XJ6-1T
Name Suffix: [QUEEN OF SCOTLA
Ancestral File Number: 8XJ6-1T
                  

                   Name Suffix: [Empress Germ]
Ancestral File Number: 8XJ6-21
Name Suffix: [EMPRESS OF GERM
Ancestral File Number: 8XJ6-21
                  

                   Name Suffix: Princess Of England
Ancestral File Number: 8WKP-JJ
Ancestral File Number: 8WKP-JJ