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Henry died in 1272 and was succeeded by Edward.

Henry died in 1272 and was succeeded by Edward.

Henry’s reign had staggered from one crisis to another, and on the surface it seems that little was achieved; that all the strife and hope had been for nought. But the England at the succession of Edward was a different place to the war-riven land of 1216. Whilst those in high position bickered and fought for power, the farmer and artisan and merchant - even the still-bound serf - were getting on with their lives and starting to become aware of a thing called England. Whilst the nobles still spoke their French, and followed the ways of the French court, there was not the gulf between them and the great mass of the people that had existed before. The English language was at last being written. The universities at Oxford and Cambridge shed their "Frenchness" and became great in their own right. The great Dominican, Roger Bacon, and his Franciscan contemporary, who wrote seminal works in theology and science, flourished at this time. The capital, London, was now recognised at home and abroad as the great city it was.  The three Parliaments may not have achieved their goal, but the seed had been planted, and there was now a perception that the common man might actually gain something.  

Henry’s reign had staggered from one crisis to another, and on the surface it seems that little was achieved; that all the strife and hope had been for nought. But the England at the succession of Edward was a different place to the war-riven land of 1216. Whilst those in high position bickered and fought for power, the farmer and artisan and merchant - even the still-bound serf - were getting on with their lives and starting to become aware of a thing called England. Whilst the nobles still spoke their French, and followed the ways of the French court, there was not the gulf between them and the great mass of the people that had existed before. The English language was at last being written. The universities at Oxford and Cambridge shed much of their "Frenchness" and became great in their own right. The great Dominican, Roger Bacon, and his Franciscan contemporary, Robert Grosseteste, who wrote seminal works in theology and science, flourished at this time. The capital, London, was now recognised at home and abroad as the great city it was.  The three Parliaments may not have achieved their goal, but the seed had been planted, and there was now a perception that the common man might actually gain something.  

The historian Arthur Bryant titled his chapter on the state of England at the end of Henry’s reign: “Merry England”. Much of the history of England now turns to the lives of the commoners instead of being solely the story of the high and noble.

The historian Arthur Bryant titled his chapter on the state of England at the end of Henry’s reign: “Merry England”. Much of the history of England now turns to the lives of the commoners instead of being solely the story of the high and noble.