On this day in history . . .

On May 17, 1220 Henry III of England was crowned for the SECOND TIME with a coronation at West Minster Abbey. His first coronation—in 1216 at Gloucester Cathedral—was a hasty one and took place amidst civil war and the loss of the original crown. His second at Westminster Abbey ceremony served to formally cement Henry’s succession under peaceful conditions.

Often associated solely with the Baron’s Rebellion, there was much more to Henry and to his reign. I think of him as the visionary who rebuilt Westminster Abbey. Most of what stands today was his creation with only two significant renovations/additions after his death and outside his plan. To say Henry spared no expense on the Abbey renovation might be an understatement he spent more than £45,000 at the time which would be more than £15 million in the present day.

I also think of Henry as a marvelous husband to his wife Eleanor of Provence—daughter of Raymond Berenger V, Count of Provence whom he married on the 14th of January 1236 and one of two heroines in my novel The Sister Queens. He was also a devoted husband to their children. I am talking about the kind of dad who’d get top marks today even though he lived in the 13^th century. He grieved so deeply over the death of his youngest daughter, Katherine, at age three that the Royal Court feared for his life. And he paid to have a mass said for her everyday by the same priest until that priest too was dead.

For more about Henry and his visionary role in the renovation of Westminster Abbey, start with a visit the Westminster site here.