The king passes the year in Gascony; he makes repeated applications for aid to England, and obtains part of the sums granted for his pilgrimage, which he wastes at Bordeaux.

The queen and her sons pass over to the king in Gascony; Prince Edward goes to Burgos, and marries Eleanor of Castile.

The king of France returns from his crusade, in July. The king returns to England at the end of the year; he passes through France, and is splendidly entertained at Paris by "the kind-hearted king of the French," as Matthew Paris calls him.

A.D. 1255. Being overwhelmed with debts (mainly contracted in supporting the pope against the Emperor Frederick and his family,) the king renews his exactions from all classes. "He demanded from the Jews 8,000 marks, which they were to pay quickly, on pain of hanging. Instead, they desired licence of the king to leave England, never to return; but the king delivered them over to Earl Richard, to torture them and extract money from them, and in consequence, the earl lent the king, on sufficient security, a large sum of gold."

The king desires assistance from his nobles, in a parliament held at London after Easter; the nobles demand the full observance of Magna Charta, and that they should choose the justiciary, chancellor, and treasurer of the kingdom, who should not be removed without their consent. The king refuses to agree to this, and the matter is postponed.

The king goes to Scotland and releases the young king and queen (his daughter and son-in-law) from the

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tutelage of Robert de Ross, John Baliol, and other nobles. "On his road back he visited abbeys and priories, commending himself to their prayers, and at the same time enriching himself with their money."

The Jews at Lincoln being accused of having crucified a Christian boy, eighteen of them are hanged there, and more than eighty others imprisoned in the Tower of London.

The pope (Alexander IV.) sends Rustand, a Gascon, to raise money in England; he also releases the king from his vow to go to the crusade, and offers the kingdom of Sicily to his son Edmund.

Both the parliament and the assembly of the prelates refuse to second the pope's views, but the king accepts his offer.

A.D. 1256. A quarrel arises between the king and his son on account of the king's exactions from the Gascons. "The king, taking prudent counsel, made mends; but Edward, as if doubtful of his safety, increased his household, and rode out in public attended by 200 horsemen."

The pope endeavours to conciliate the clergy by issuing a bull in confirmation of king John's charteri, March 30.

The pope threatens the king with excommunication for not taking steps to seize on Sicily.

William, count of Holland, named king of Germany

The royal pair, however, were not fifteen years of age.

h He carried off from Durham by force a large sum belonging to the bishop of Ely and others, but afterwards repaid it, as it had been placed under the safeguard of St. Cuthbert.

i See p. 289.

through the influence of the pope, being killed by the Frieslanders, the crown is offered to Earl Richard, and accepted by him.

The Welsh, headed by Llewelyn, rise against the oppressions of Geoffrey Langley, the king's officer. Edward, "whom they would not own as their lord," borrows money from Earl Richard, but is unable to subdue them.

A statute passed ordaining that the extra day in leapyear and the day preceding shall be reckoned as one day.

A.D. 1257. The king obtains a grant of 52,000 marks from the parliament for his son Edmund, the titular king of Sicily.

A quarrel arises in the king's presence between William de Valence and Simon de Montfort.

The Welsh ravage the march lands as far as Chester The king in consequence invades Wales, but soon retreats without effecting anything. The war is then car

ried on between the Welsh and the marchers: "the country was rendered almost a desert; the people fell by the sword, castles and towns were burnt, the woods

The most potent of the marchers was Roger Mortimer, lord of Wigmore. Beside sustaining an almost perpetual war with the Welsh, he served in Gascony, where he resisted the authority of De Montfort. He opposed the Provisions of Oxford, fought on the king's side at Lewes, and though defeated there, soon renewed the war, and killed De Montfort. He then quarrelled with his confederates about the spoil of the defeated barons, and withdrew to the marches; but his power was lessened by the vigorous government of Edward I., and he died Oct. 27, 1282.

Arms of Mortimer.

were felled, and the flocks and herds annihilated, either for food or by starvation."

A.D. 1258. The king being refused further aid by the parliament for the conquest of Sicily, (May 2,) sends his clerk, Simon Passelew, "a crafty and lying man," to extort money from various religious houses, but with little success.

After much altercation the parliament is adjourned, to meet at Oxford. De Montfort, the earl of Gloucester (Richard de Clarek), and others arm themselves against the king's half-brothers and his other favourites.

The parliament reassembles, at Oxford, June 11. This assembly was as tumultuous as the preceding one, but the confederated barons had brought with them large bodies of retainers, under the pretext of proceeding against the Welsh; they were also in possession of the seaports, and had the city of London on their side. They therefore did not confine themselves to remonstrating with the king on his misgovernment, and the continual breach of his promises and oaths; they virtually deposed him, and drove out all who refused to swear to observe their ordinances, styled the

k He was the son of Gilbert de Clare, one of the barons who extorted Magna Charta from King John. He

was placed in the guardianship of Hubert de Burgh, to whose daughter he was affianced, but the king interfered, set aside the contract, and compelled him to marry Maud, daughter of the earl of Lincoln. He went to the Holy Land, and on his return joined the party which opposed and at length expelled the king's foreign favourites. He was long an active supporter of De Montfort, but at length quarrelled with and brought many heavy charges against him. He died June 18, 1262.

Arms of Clare, earl of Gloucester.

;

Provisions of Oxford. The chief provisions were, that four knights should be chosen in each county to point out matters which needed redress; that the sheriffs of counties should be annually chosen by the freeholders that the revenues of the counties should not be farmed; that no new forests or warrens should be created; that none of the king's wards should be entrusted to foreigners; that the parliament should meet frequently; and that the great officers of state should be appointed

anew.

In consequence, a council of state was formed, by a rather complicated mode of election, with Simon de Montfort at the head, which named the chancellor, justiciary, and other great officers, and it at once assumed all the functions of government'. The Poictevin nobles refused to swear to this new constitution, though the king and Prince Edward had done so, and withdrew in haste to Winchester; but being at once followed thither by the barons, with the king as a prisoner in their hands, they withdrew in haste to France, by the middle of July.

The citizens of London publicly receive the Provisions of Oxford, July 22.

The Welsh are treacherously attacked by the marchers, but give them a signal defeat.

A.D. 1259. Earl Richard (king of Germany) re

1 One of its most important acts was a decree that the parliament should meet thrice in the year, being however composed only of the council and twelve barons to represent the whole community: this limitation became unpopular, more members were added, and at length even representatives from the towns were admitted, thus laying the foundation of the modern House of Commons.