The Festival is always keen to open eyes to lesser-known episodes and characters from history, which is why we included an event about Henry III, the son of King John and one of our longest-reigning but least known monarchs. To talk on this fascinating man, we asked Professor David Carpenter, one of the world’s leading experts on King Henry’s reign. Much of his reign was spent fighting the barons over Magna Carta, yet under Henry, England prospered. He also made Westminster his seat of government and expanded the abbey. David Carpenter is a superb lecturer and brings his deep knowledge and passion for the subject in a talk that reveals a critical but often forgotten period of our history.