HENRY III.

Otago Witness, 21 June 1887, Page 16

HENRY III.

After the death of John, London being in possession of the French prince Louis, an assembly of the principal authorities was convened at Winchester, under the presidency of Gualo, the papal legate. They unanimously resolved that the young king should be crowned on the 28th of October, A.v. 1216. The ceremony was performed in the cathedral of Winchester. The papal legate compelled Henry to do homage to the holy Roman Church and Pope Innocent for his kingdom of England and Ireland ; he also made him swear that he would pay an annual tribute of one thousand marks to the papal see. The ceremony of coronation was repeated by Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury. Early in the year 1236 Henry married the lady Eleanor, daughter to the Earl of Provence, whoso beauty is celebrated by all the chroniclers.

The cremony of her coronation was performed Avith extraordinary pomp on the 22nd of January. Holinshed's account of it will no doubt gratify our readers :—

"At the solemm'tic of this feast and coronation of the quene, all the high peercs of the realm both spirituall and temporall were present, there to exercise their offices as to them appei Itemed. The citizens of London were there in great arraie, bearing afore hir in solemn wise three hundred and three score cups of gold and silver, in token that they ought to wait mon hir cup. Archbishop of Canterbury (according to his dutic) crowned hir, the bishop o£ London assisting him as his deacon. The citizens of London served out wine to eyerie one in great plentie. Tho feast was plentiful!, so that nothing wanted that could be wished. Moreover in Tothill-flelds roiall justes were holden by the space of eight daies together."'

The next interesting coronation was that of