
This looks like a really important gesture by the King. In 1217 rebel barons and their ally King Louis of France were still fighting in England. However, an agreement was eventually reached and Louis took his armies back to France. Instead of attacking the former rebels the King (on the wise advice of the noble baron William Marshal) issued these orders reassuring the rebels that there would be no revenge and that he would rule by the principles of Magna Carta even though technically Magna Carta had been abolished.
Royal orders from Henry III to Sheriff of Worcestershire 1217
C 54/16, m 15d
The National Archives
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Who has given the new Magna Carta his blessing?
Not quite — however he was a major player in the events of the time!
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Excellent! Well done — it was Pope Honorius III, who had a reputation for kindness, unlike his predecessor Innocent III.

Why has Henry III re-issued Magna Carta?
- Is it because he has genuinely learned the lessons from the rule of his father, uncle and grandfather and he is offering a new way of ruling?
- Is it because Henry simply needs money because the French king has invaded Gascony and and is threatening Henry’s power in France?
- The view of this chronicle on why Henry is issuing Magna Carta now is…