Henry III of England and the Staufen Empire, 1216-1272Modern historians have frequently maligned Henry III of England (1216-1272) for his entanglements in European affairs. However, this book moves past orthodox opinion to offer a reappraisal of his activities. Using Henry's dealings with the rulers of the Staufen Empire (Germany, Northern France, Northern Italy and Sicily) as a case study to explore the broader international context within which he acted, the author offers a more varied reading of Henry's 'European adventures'; he shows that far from being an expensive aberration, they reveal the English king as acting within the same parameters and according to the same norms as his peers and contemporaries. Moreover, they provide new insights into the structures and mechanisms, the ideals and institutions which defined the conduct of relations between rulers and realms in the medieval West; medieval politics, it is argued, cannot be understood in isolation from wider movements, ideals and concepts. The book will be of value not only for historians of medieval England, but also for those with a more general interest in the wider political structures of the pre-modern West.Dr BJORN K. U. WEILER is Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. |
Contents
1 | 19 |
Marriage politics and the crusade 12311235 | 45 |
Allied against all men 12351239 | 71 |
The dragon and the little snake 12391245 | 86 |
Roles reversed 12501254 | 145 |
The reign of King Richard 12571272 | 175 |
Politics and diplomacy in thirteenthcentury Europe | 198 |
Bibliography | 209 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Acta imperii inedita affairs Alfonso alliance allies Annals of Dunstable archbishop of Cologne barons bishop brother campaign Capetians Castile Chronica maiora Chronicon claims conflict Conrad Constitutiones contacts context continuatio crusade curia deutschen diplomacy Diplomatic documents duke of Brabant earl election empire English court envoys Epistolae saeculi excommunication Flanders Foedera Frederick Frederick II Friedrich II Furthermore Gascony Germany Geschichte Gregory H. R. Luard Hanover Henry III Henry III's Henry VII Henry’s Historia diplomatica Holy Land Ibid III’s imperial initially Innocent instance Italy Jahrhundert Jerusalem king of England king of France king’s kingdom König Latin London Louis Louis IX marriage Matthew Paris medieval military negotiations Otto Outremer papal peace Peter des Roches planned Plantagenet Poitou political princes proctors Provence Regesta imperii relations Richard of Cornwall role Royal letters Henry rulers Sicilian Business Sicily sought SS xvii Staufen Stürner thirteenth century tion Treaty rolls truce Urkundenbuch William