Medieval England - more kings
Henry III of England
When King John died in 1216 (the year after John signed the Magna
Carta), his son Henry III succeeded him (Henry III was
named after his grandfather Henry II). Henry
III was only nine years old when he became king, and so he pretty much
had to do whatever the barons (the rich men) told him to. Even when
he grew up, he never became a strong king, and the rich men were
able to make him do what the Magna Carta said. Because Henry III was
so weak, the Parliament (a council of the advisors of the king) became
stronger. Henry III ruled for fifty-six years!
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(a project)
When Henry III died in 1272 AD,
he was succeeded by his son Edward I. Edward was a stronger king than
his father, but he saw the wisdom of getting along with the aristocrats
and so he also held Parliament regularly. He also got control of the
courts, so that nobody could be a judge or put anyone in prison or kill
them without his permission. But in his efforts to get control of his kingdom and everyone
in it, Edward I also decided, in 1290, to force all the Jews living in England to leave. About 16,000 Jews left England, mostly settling in France or the Netherlands.
Edward III
After Edward I came his son Edward II, who was so weak
that he was kicked out of power and then killed, and then in 1312 Edward
III, who took the throne at fourteen when his father was removed.
