Provisions of Westminster facts for kids
The Provisions of Westminster were important rules made in 1259. They were part of big changes to how England was governed. These changes happened because Henry III of England, the King, and his powerful nobles, called barons, were having a lot of disagreements.
King Henry had some problems. His wars in France in 1230 and 1242 didn't go well. He also chose friends and advisors that many people didn't like. Plus, he spent a lot of money on a plan to make one of his sons the King of Sicily. This plan was very expensive and didn't work out. These issues made the barons very unhappy.
The King also spent a lot of money on himself and on building projects, like rebuilding Westminster Abbey. This made people angry because he kept asking for more taxes. All these things led to a big fight between the King and his barons.
What Were the Provisions?
The Provisions of Westminster were a set of rules for how the government should work. They were created by a group of 24 barons. This group had first been set up under an earlier set of rules called the Provisions of Oxford. The new Provisions of Westminster took the place of the older ones.
These new rules mostly made the ideas from the Provisions of Oxford stronger. They also added new rules about who would inherit land and how taxes should be collected.
Why Were They Important?
The Provisions of Westminster were a mix of rules for running the government and for legal matters. The barons and their friends demanded these rules during a difficult time in England, from 1258 to 1265.
These rules were the first time that English laws tried to change how things were done in the King's courts. This means they changed how trials and legal cases worked.
The Provisions were also important because they changed more than just the relationship between the King and the barons. They also looked at how barons should treat the people who lived on their land, called tenants. The rules helped define the rights and duties of both the barons and their tenants.
What Happened Next?
After a while, the barons started to disagree among themselves. This gave King Henry a chance to cancel the Provisions in 1261. He also got help from the Pope to do this.
A period of fighting, known as the Second Barons' War, began in 1263. The war ended in 1267 with a victory for the King. A major turning point happened in 1265 at the Battle of Evesham. The leader of the barons, Simon de Montfort, was killed there.
The parts of the Provisions that limited the King's power were then cancelled. However, the legal parts of the Provisions of Westminster were brought back and made law in the Statute of Marlborough in 1267. Many people say that the Provisions of Westminster were the most important English laws since the Magna Carta was reissued in 1225.
