n Henry was a nine-year-old child when he came to the throne of England after his father» s death in 1216. The barons entrusted the administration of the country in the infant king « ; s name to their representatives constituting the Great Council with Archbishop Langton at the head. The Great Council became very important, and though it had no legislative or executive power, it was discussing affairs of the state and claiming a certain role in the actual government. Henry »s minority was surely a fat time for the baronial oligarchy. During the first sixteen years as king he was under the control of powerful nobles, and tied by Magna Carta. But the time of his majority came, and Henry was finally able to rule for himself at the age of twenty-five. He took all the affairs of the state in his hands as Henry in (1216-1272). It was understandable that he wanted to be completely independent of the people who had controlled his life for so long. The change was soon felt for the new king meant to assert his authority and the barons instantly felt pressure increasing that threatened their idyllic enjoyment of their Runnymede achievements. [4, p.30] contradictions in the country in the middle of the 13 century were deepened by growing feudal exploitation. The barons « appetites had to find vent somewhere and they took it out in pressing their vassals, down to the bottom. The Pope of Rome never slackened his demands; the huge annual payments that John the Lackland had involved the country into had to be made and that told heavily on the knights and the citizens. They saw themselves paying taxes they had never approved of or taken obligations to pay, so they were resentful, ready to support the barons in their opposition. The last straw was Henry »s demand to the Great Council of a huge payment to the Pope who had promised the Sicilian crown for Henry« s eldest son Edward in exchange. [3, p.54] result was a row: there was a very large opposition in the country, the barons refused to pay the money. However, they were not united and the king made use of this. A civil war started in the country. In 1258 the barons and churchmen held an assembly and drew up «the Oxford Provisions». They wanted no more French favourites, no more Papal extortions, they demanded the right to appoint the justiciar (the head of the exchequer), chancellor, treasurer and all sorts of officers and sheriffs. The document provided that abuses of the king »s officials in local districts be ended. A Council of Fifteen was to govern England and control the ministers. Other committees were to look after finances and the church. «The Oxford Provisions» (1258) meant a baronial oligarchy. [5, pp.60-61] the barons got what they wanted (the lands and castles of the French favourites with the foreigners expelled from the country, the chance to rob the country to their heart «s content, the power), they disregarded those who had helped them, the knights of the counties and the citizens of towns. The latter seeing they had to act met at Westminster in 1259 to adopt the so-called «Westminster Provisions» that took care of the interests of the knights, citizens (burgesses, as they were called) and the top layers of the free peasants. «The Westminster Provisions» were intended to guard the citizens from the arbitrary actions of both the king »s officials and the feudal courts, to guard the interests of the holders from the arbitrary actions of the feudal lords.k...
