Editing Henry III of England (section)

=== Invasion of France ===
{{Main|English invasion of France (1230)}}
[[File:Jindra3doBrt1230.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Henry travelling to [[Duchy of Brittany|Brittany]] in 1230, by Matthew Paris.]]

Henry assumed formal control of his government in January 1227, although some contemporaries argued that he was legally still a minor until his 21st birthday the following year.<ref>{{Harvnb|Carpenter|1990|p=389}}</ref> The King richly rewarded Hubert de Burgh for his service during his minority years, making him the [[Earl of Kent]] and giving him extensive lands across England and Wales.<ref>{{Harvnb|Carpenter|1990|pp=389–390}}</ref> Despite coming of age, Henry remained deeply influenced by his advisers for the first few years of his rule and retained Hubert as his justiciar to run the government, granting him the position for life.<ref>{{Harvnb|Hillen|2007|pp=51–52}}; {{Harvnb|Ridgeway|2004}}</ref>

The fate of Henry's family lands in France still remained uncertain. Reclaiming these lands was extremely important to Henry, who used terms such as "reclaiming his inheritance", "restoring his rights", and "defending his legal claims" to the territories in diplomatic correspondence.<ref name=Weiler2012P2>{{Harvnb|Weiler|2012|p=2}}</ref> The French kings had an increasing financial, and thus military, advantage over Henry.<ref>{{Harvnb|Gillingham|1984|pp=83–84}}</ref> Even under John, the French Crown had enjoyed a considerable, although not overwhelming, advantage in resources, but since then, the balance had shifted further, with the annual income of the French kings almost doubling between 1204 and 1221.<ref>{{Harvnb|Gillingham|1984|pp=83–84}}; {{Harvnb|Holt|1984|p=94}}; {{Harvnb|Turner|2009|p=94}}; {{Harvnb|Bradbury|1998|p=159}}; {{Harvnb|Moss|2007|p=119}}</ref>

Louis VIII died in 1226, leaving his 12-year-old son, [[Louis IX]], to inherit the throne, supported by a regency government.<ref name=HallamEverard2001P267>{{Harvnb|Hallam|Everard|2001|p=267}}</ref>{{Efn|Louis IX's regency government was headed by his mother, [[Blanche of Castile]], although the title of "regent" was not officially used.<ref name=HallamEverard2001P267/>}} The young French king was in a far weaker position than his father and faced opposition from many of the French nobility who still maintained ties with England, leading to a sequence of revolts across the country.<ref>{{Harvnb|Hallam|Everard|2001|pp=232, 235, 267, 269–272, 326}}</ref> Against this background, in late 1228 a group of potential Norman and Angevin rebels called upon Henry to invade and reclaim his inheritance, and [[Peter I, Duke of Brittany]], openly revolted against Louis and gave homage to Henry.<ref name="Carpenter 2004 310">{{Harvnb|Carpenter|2004|p=310}}; {{Harvnb|Ridgeway|2004}}</ref>

Henry's preparations for an invasion progressed slowly, and when he finally arrived in [[Brittany]] with an army in May 1230, the campaign did not go well.<ref>{{Harvnb|Carpenter|2004|p=310}}</ref> Possibly on the advice of Hubert, the King decided to avoid battle with the French by not invading [[Normandy]] and instead marching south into [[Poitou]], where he campaigned ineffectually over the summer, before finally progressing safely into [[Gascony]].<ref name="Carpenter 2004 310"/> He then made a truce with Louis which was to last until 1234 and returned to England having achieved nothing; historian Huw Ridgeway describes the expedition as a "costly fiasco".<ref name=ODNB/>