I
born Oct. 1, 1207, Winchester, Hampshire, Eng.
died Nov. 16, 1272, London
King of England (1216–72).
He inherited the throne at age nine but did not begin to rule until French-backed rebels were expelled (1234). He alienated the barons by his indifference to tradition and his agreement to supply Innocent IV with funds in exchange for the Sicilian crown. The barons forced him to accept the Provisions of Oxford , but Henry renounced the agreement in 1261. His former favourite, Simon de Edward I ) turned the tables a year later, and Henry, weak and senile, allowed Edward to take charge of the government.
II
French Henri orig. duke d'Anjou
born Sept. 19, 1551, Fontainebleau, France
died Aug. 2, 1589, Saint-Cloud
King of France (1574–89).
The third son of Henry II and Catherine de Médicis , he commanded the royal army against the Huguenot s in the Wars of Religion . He was crowned king after the death of his brother {{link=Charles">Charles IX . During the continuing civil wars he made concessions to the Huguenots, causing the Roman Catholics to form the Holy League . The Catholics were further alarmed in 1584 when the Protestant Henry of Navarra (later Henry IV ) became heir to the throne. Henry III tried to placate the Holy League, but he was forced by a mob to flee Paris. In 1588 he had the Catholic leaders Henry, 3rd duke de Guise , and Cardinal Louis II de Lorraine assassinated. In 1589 Henry was himself assassinated by a fanatical Jacobin friar.
III
German Heinrich
born Oct. 28, 1017
died Oct. 5, 1056, Pfalz Bodfeld, near Goslar, Saxony
Duke of Bavaria (as Henry VI, 1027–41), duke of Swabia (as Henry I, 1038–45), German king (1039–56), and emperor (1046–56).
He gained sovereignty over Bohemia and Moravia and arranged the election of Pope Clement II, who crowned him emperor. The last emperor to dominate the papacy, Henry appointed three more popes in succeeding years. He championed the church reform advocated by the monasteries of Cluny and Gorze. He was nearly deposed in a revolt (1054–55), and in his later years his influence faltered in northeastern Germany, Hungary, southern Italy, and Lorraine.