Free The Plantagenets: The Kings That Made Britain by Derek Wilson Page A

for more military adventures on the continent, although he did manage to scrape together enough funds to send Simon de Montfort to Gascony to enforce his rule over the people of that region. All this achieved was the expenditure of more royal treasure and the antipathy of the Gascons, who complained bitterly of the cruelty of de Montfort’s troops and officials. Henry recalled de Montfort and invited his accusers to come to court and present their complaints.
    Henry’s rule and, specifically, his ways of raising money were alienating more and more of his subjects, for in order not to upset the barons he imposed more and more on hisless powerful subjects. Sheriffs, under pressure to raise taxes efficiently, used harsh measures to extract money from the people, and the practice known as ‘purveyance’ was particularly resented – this was the system whereby provisions and other goods were taken for the king’s household without payment. In addition, an increasing number of Henry’s agents were Savoyards, and his subjects, not unnaturally, associated their sufferings with the activities of the king’s foreign favourites.
    In 1249 Archbishop Boniface alienated London and undid any good Henry might have done by his ‘holy blood’ ceremony two years earlier. The king granted to the archbishop the right of purveyance in the capital, and when the citizens resisted the archbishop’s demands he sent his own troops to enforce obedience. So unpopular was Boniface that he took to travelling everywhere wearing armour under his vestments. The priests of St Paul’s Cathedral shut him out and were promptly excommunicated, and an incident at St Bartholomew’s Priory permanently undermined his authority. He had ordered the canons to attend him in their chapter house, but, when he arrived, they were at worship in the church and refused to move. Boniface burst in on the service, grabbed the sub-prior and set about him with his fists, shouting, ‘This is the way to deal with English traitors!’ A scuffle ensued, and the disturbance soon spread outside the priory. Boniface was forced to flee by boat to his palace at Lambeth, and shortly afterwards he left for Rome.
    In 1250 Henry announced his intention of going on crusade, but, like so many of his projects, this was abandoned for lack of funds. In 1251 in a grand ceremony at York the king’s eldest daughter, Margaret, was married to Alexander III of Scotland, who did homage to Henry. There was another confrontation between Henry and de Montfort in 1252. The king had sent envoys to Gascony to investigate the charges of misrule, and when they reported back Henry obliged de Montfort to answer the allegations against him in open parliament. He largely sided with the plaintiffs and reprimanded de Montfort. The intercession of Queen Eleanor prevented the king from imposing a severe punishment, but de Mont-fort felt humiliated, returned to Gascony and carried on much as before. Eventually, Henry dismissed him.
    1253–8
    In the summer of 1253 Henry determined to solve the Gascony problem in person, and he travelled there with a small army, several barons having refused to accompany him. He was, however, joined by local allies and had little difficulty in pacifying his lands. He was generous to all who submitted and in compensating those who had suffered at the hands of de Montfort, rewarding them with pensions, positions and land grants, and was even reconciled to de Montfort, again by means of paying for his friendship. He then made a treaty with Alfonso of Castile, which involved the marriage of Prince Edward to Alfonso’s half-sister, Eleanor. The wedding took place in November 1254. Having provided for hiselder son by settling many lands upon him, Henry now set about making ambitious plans for Edward’s nine-year-old sibling, Edmund. Pope Innocent IV was in conflict with the king of Sicily and proposed to Henry that he be deposed in favour of Edmund.
    On his way home in the autumn of