Henry III, Westminster Abbey and the Coronation
Professor Carpenter is one of Britain’s foremost medievalists (having read History at Christ Church, we should expect no less!) and his extensive writings on the reign of Henry III are without parallel. He led the AHRC funded Henry III Fine Rolls Project, which has transformed understanding of the importance of Henry III’s reign and made these important, rich documents freely available in English translation, the first medieval source to be treated in this way. Many of you will have already read his Struggle for Mastery on the Normans and Angevins but, his new two-part series serves as ‘the true culmination of the historian’s life’s work (Linda E Mitchell)’ on the son of John, Henry III. Conciliatory and deeply religious, he created a magnificent court, rebuilt Westminster Abbey, and invested in soft power. Yet the uprising of 1258 stripped him of his authority and brought decades of personal rule to a catastrophic end and, in the brutal civil war that followed, the political community was torn apart in a way unseen again until Cromwell. What, in the end, should we make of this king?
Date: 25 May 2023, 17:00 (Thursday, 5th week, Trinity 2023)
Venue: Christ Church, St Aldates OX1 1DP
Venue Details: Upper Library
Speaker: David Carpenter
Organising department: Christ Church
Part of: Christ Church History Society
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Belinda Clark