Matthew Paris

Timeline

1. 1251–1254St Albans · HertfordshireIn the early 1250s Matthew Paris continued writing the Chronica Majora at St Albans Abbey, recording with illustrations and detailed entries Henry III's financial pressures, baronial grievances, and church affairs. He included continental intelligence such as letters from the Mongol Great Khan and news of Louis IX's crusade, while criticizing royal and clerical corruption, forming an important witness to English political culture in the 1250s.
2. 1255–1259St Albans · HertfordshireAfter 1255 Matthew Paris revised and augmented earlier chronicle entries, producing many illustrated manuscripts covering events such as the baronial petition of 1258 and the strained relations between Henry III and Simon de Montfort. His health declined in the late 1250s, and he died at St Albans in 1259, leaving a complete chronicle covering 1213–1259.