Page:Imperialdictiona02eadi Brandeis.pdf/914

HEN against the violators of the charter. The king replied, in accents of despair, "So help me God! I will keep these charters inviolate; as I am a man, as I am a christian, as I am a knight, as I am a king!" These intentions, if ever seriously entertained, were as transitory as they were fervent.

The mutual distrust and jealousy which had thus for forty years disturbed the tranquillity of England, at length reached a point which threatened the stability of the throne. With singular want of prudence Henry, at the instigation of Innocent IV., undertook a ruinous war for the conquest of Sicily for his second son, Edmund, and with this view had mortgaged to the pope his kingdom for fourteen thousand marks. When the island was conquered the reigning pope, Alexander IV., demanded the immediate completion of the compact under sentence of excommunication and general interdict. In this dilemma Henry appealed to his parliament for the liquidation of the debt; but the vastness of the amount, and the frivolous nature of the pretext, we are told, filled all present with astonishment. After a short and boisterous session at London the parliament adjourned to Oxford, where, on the 11th of June, 1258, they again met, and in conjunction with the king appointed a committee of twenty-four persons to whom the whole administration of the government was confided. The "mad parliament," as it was called, now proceeded, under the guidance of Simon de Montfort and other popular members, to pass a series of resolutions which eventually overthrew the whole system of government. The twenty-four barons to whom the government had been intrusted, began to league with the aspiring earl of Leicester to overturn the whole constitution of the state; jealous of retaining the power in their own hands, they dismissed the king's officers and transferred the whole powers of parliament to twelve persons chosen by themselves. These arbitrary measures soon created a general feeling of resentment, and many of those who had supported the cause of liberty rallied round the royal standard. Thus reinforced, the king dismissed the committee of government and seized the Tower and Mint into his own hands, while the barons under the command of Prince Edward, a youth of aspiring valour who had now attained his twenty-second year, entered London unopposed; and the king published a dispensation from the pope absolving him from his oaths taken at Oxford. But the earl of Leicester, who was brother-in-law to the king, was determined not to surrender his power without a struggle; and retiring to the western counties, where his influence mainly lay, he collected an army and engaged the royalists at Lewes in Sussex, May, 14, 1264, in which battle both the king and Prince Edward were made prisoners, with the king's brother Richard, John Comyn, and Robert Bruce. This event changed the whole aspect of affairs; Leicester proceeded at once to remodel the government according to his own notions, and compelled the unfortunate king to sanction whatever measures he proposed. His administration, although mild and conciliatory, was nevertheless unpopular with the barons. With the aid of the pope and the king of France the queen assembled an array at Damme in Flanders, and proposed to land on the southern coast; but her design was frustrated by Leicester, who having summoned the whole force of the kingdom to meet him in arms on Barham Downs, embarked on board the fleet, and the whole enterprise was abandoned. In this state of affairs, Leicester determined on the expedient of summoning a parliament, with the view of lending a more constitutional sanction to his authority; but knowing the enmity of many of the nobles, and the zeal of the citizens of London and the commonalty generally for the liberal cause, he directed the sheriffs to elect and return two knights for each county, two citizens for each city, and two burgesses for each borough in the country, thus establishing the principle of representation, and laying the foundation of the English house of commons. As most of the nobles and prelates who were summoned to this parliament were the sworn friends of Leicester, all things were done according to his will; but the commons displayed a degree of firmness and decision scarcely to have been expected from so young an assembly, and openly expressed their wishes for the restoration of the king and prince. Edward was accordingly removed from his confinement in Dover castle, into which he had been thrown after the battle of Lewes, and placed with his father in the enjoyment of considerable personal liberty; but his ardent disposition could not brook control, and he immediately entered into a correspondence with the earls of Derby and Gloucester, who raised the royal standard at Ludlow, where the prince joined them on Thursday in Whitsun week, 1265: and having sworn to respect the charters and govern according to law, he took the command of the royal forces, and by a successful manœuvre came unexpectedly upon the baronial army. Simon de Montfort, the earl of Leicester's son, was defeated near Kenilworth, and the prince, marching to the south with his victorious troops, surprised the earl's forces at Evesham on the Avon before intelligence of the disaster of Kenilworth had arrived. On the morning of the 4th of August, the earl saw his own standards advancing; his joy was but momentary, for he discovered, when too late to retreat, that they were his son's banners in the hands of his enemies; and nearly at the same time he saw the heads of columns showing themselves on either flank and in his rear These well-conceived combined movements had been executed with unusual precision; the earl was surrounded; every road was blocked up. As he observed the skilful way in which the hostile forces were disposed, he uttered the complaint so often used by old generals, "They have learned from me the art of war;" and then added, "The Lord have mercy on our souls; for I see our bodies are Prince Edward's." Having failed in an attempt to force the road to Kenilworth, he formed in a solid circle on the summit of a hill, and several times repulsed the charges of his foes. The king, who had been put upon a war-horse, was dismounted, and in danger of being slain, but was rescued by the prince, who carried him out of the melée. Leicester's horse was killed under him, but the earl rose unhurt, and when he was told that there was no quarter for traitors, he sold his life dear, and fell covered with wounds. The king had gained the victory; but he was fully aware that it had been gained by the arms of his nobles, and he accordingly acted with moderation and discretion. The measures of retribution were left to the parliament, which deprived the citizens of London of their charter, and confiscated the estates of Leicester's adherents, September 14, 1265. But as these rigorous acts created new disturbances, the king wisely consented to refer the matter to a committee of twelve prelates and peers, who revised the decree of parliament, and permitted the delinquent lords to redeem their estates at a fixed commutation according to their several offences.

The earl of Gloucester, who had been mainly instrumental in effecting the king's restoration, took disgust at some measures of the court, and not only withdrew his support, but openly rose in rebellion, and seized the tower of London. These discontents, however, were soon allayed; the earl received a free pardon, and a new charter was granted to the citizens of London. Having thus restored the country to tranquillity, the king was induced by the advice of his council to summon a parliament in imitation of that of Leicester, to which the counties and towns were invited to send their representatives; and many good laws were enacted, called the statutes of Marlebridge, confirming several of the provisions of Oxford, November 18, 1267.

The king, who was now firmly seated on his throne, gave permission to Prince Edward to follow his favourite ambition of joining in the crusade to the Holy Land, July, 1270, and continued to reign in tranquillity till the 16th of November, 1272, when he died at Westminster after a long reign of fifty-six years, and was buried in the abbey church of St. Peter's, which he had rebuilt from the foundation. He left three children—Prince Edward, who succeeded him; Edmund Crookback, earl of Lancaster; and Margaret, who married Alexander III. of Scotland.—N. H.  HENRY IV., surnamed, from the place of his birth in Lincolnshire, was born in 1366. He was the eldest son of John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, fourth son of Edward III. His mother. Lady Blanche Plantagenet, was the great-granddaughter of Edmund, second son of Henry III. Before he was twenty-one years of age he began to take a prominent part in public affairs, and united with his uncle Gloucester and other barons against the favourite ministers of the young King Richard II. He was created earl of Derby in 1385, and in 1394 was made duke of Hereford. With his characteristic selfishness, he joined in the prosecution of the duke of Gloucester and the other heads of his own party. A misunderstanding soon after arose between him and one of his associates in this base proceeding, the duke of Norfolk. At the meeting of parliament in 1398, Henry accused the duke of having in a private conversation spoken treasonable words against the king. 