Louis, the French prince who had come to England in John's reign as an
armed claimant to the throne (S201), finding that both the barons and
the Church preferred an English to a foreign king, now retired.
During his minority Henry's guardians twice reissued the Great Charter
(S199): first, with the omission of the article which reserved the
power of taxation to the National Council (S199, No. 3); and,
secondly, with an addition declaring that no man should lose life or
limb for hunting in the royal forests (S119).
On the last occasion the Council granted the King in return a
fifteenth of their movable or personal property. This tax reached a
large class of people, like merchants in towns, who were not
landholders. On this account it had a decided influence in making
them desire to have a voice in the National Council, or Parliament, as
it began to be called in this reign (1246). It thus helped, as we
shall see later on, to prepare for a very important change in that
body.[1]
[1] The first tax on movable or personal property appears to have been
levied by Henry II, in 1188, for the support of the Crusades. Under
Henry III the idea began to become general that no class should be
taxed without their consent; out of this grew the representation of
townspeople in Parliament.