2021-05-14 Fri

Henry III was king England from 1216 to 1272. The reign of King Henry III lasted for fifty-six years but not without political instability and hurdles. During his time Monarchy was under Magana Carta. The Governance and Kingship were tied to it and the barons in parliament ruled the country. King Henry III and Baron Simon de Montfort became the biggest foes.

The Battle of Lewes occurred on 14th May 1264, where Henry was defeated and taken prisoner, making Simon de Montfort the effective ruler of England. Henry reformed the system of silver coins in England in 1247, replacing the older Short Cross silver pennies with a new Long Cross design. The Gold pennies of Henry III are the rarest and most valuable of all the British gold coinage.

Depicted above is a long cross penny of Henry III of Canterbury mint. The obverse of a coin depicts Crowned facing bust of Henry III with scepter; legend: HENRICVS REX III. The reverse has a long voided cross with trefoil of pellets in each angle; the legend of the moneyer and Canterbury mint: ION ON CAN TER.

Image Source: Wikipedia.org