"The first part of a ground-breaking biography of Henry III, covering the fifty years from his birth to the end of his personal rule. As a king, Henry III (1207-1272) found himself confronting a new age. He was the first to face the restrictions of Magna Carta, the power of Parliament and a rising tide of English national feeling. Pious and warm-hearted, Henry brought many years of peace to England, giving alms to the poor on an unprecedented scale and building at Westminster the magnificent abbey we know today. But despite this investment in "soft power" he was seen as incompetent and, in 1258, a dramatic revolution removed him from control of government and brought his personal rule to a crushing end. Eminent historian David Carpenter brings to life Henry's character and reign as never before. Using source material of unparalleled richness—material that makes it possible to get closer to Henry than any other medieval monarch—Carpenter stresses the king’s achievements as well as his failures while offering an entirely new perspective on the intimate connections between medieval politics and religion."-- Taken from dust jacket.