A short but informative account of the life of Henry III. Stephen Church doesn’t pull his punches, presenting Henry as weak, stupid and fortunate to reign as long as he did. Despite his uselessness, he built Westminster Abbey at vast expense and his reign saw the emergence of Parliament as a central governing institution, together with key developments in common law. There is a concise and balanced account of the conflict with Simon de Montfort, the pivotal episode in Henry’s long reign.