Elephant of Henry III
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Ayyubid Egypt
Tower of London, England
 Drawing by Matthew Paris in Liber Additamentorum | |
| Species | Elephant |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1245 Ayyubid Egypt |
| Died | 14 February 1257 (aged 11–12) Tower of London, England |
| Known for | First elephant in England since the Roman conquest of Britain |
| Owner | Henry III of England |
The elephant of Henry III (c. 1245 – 14 February 1257) was an animal of the king's Royal Menagerie at the Tower of London. The elephant is thought to be one given by Egypt to Louis IX of France as a diplomatic gift during the Seventh Crusade. The animal was given to Henry III as he was travelling through France in late 1254. It was kept for a while at Wissant on the northern French coast, whilst transport was arranged to England.
The elephant arrived in England in early 1255 and a special house for it was constructed at the Lion's Tower of the Tower of London. It was the first elephant to be seen in the country since the Roman invasion of 43 AD. The animal attracted crowds of onlookers including the chronicler Matthew Paris who produced two drawings of it. The elephant survived in the Tower until 14 February 1257. It was buried in the Tower's bailey, but exhumed for unknown reasons by Henry in 1258.
Although earlier monarchs had kept exotic animals at the Tower of London it was Henry III that established the Royal Menagerie on a permanent footing, with animals being kept continuously from 1235 until 1834. Henry had received three "leopards" (which were, more probably, three lions) from Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in 1235, upon his marriage to Henry's sister Isabella of England. He later received a "white bear", presumed to be a polar bear, from Haakon IV of Norway.[1]
The elephant seems to have arrived in Europe as a result of Louis IX of France's Seventh Crusade, which began in 1248 with an expedition to Egypt. This failed and Louis was captured and ransomed. He chose to remain in the region to continue the crusade, attempting to defend the crusader states in the Holy Land. Egypt proposed an alliance with Louis against Syria and gave him an elephant to this end in 1252–1253.[2]: 2 The elephant was brought from Cairo to Acre, along with many freed prisoners, by John of Valenciennes.[3]: 276 Louis sent the animal back to France and returned there himself in July 1254.[2]: 2
In November and December 1254 Henry III, travelling through France on his return from Gascony to England, met Louis at Orleans and Paris. During their meetings Henry demanded the return of the French provinces lost by his father, John, though the meetings were generally amicable and the men were brothers-in-law, Henry's wife Eleanor being a sister of Louis' wife Margaret. Louis is thought to have given the elephant to Henry around the time of these meetings.[2]: 2
The elephant first appears in English records of 13 December 1254 when Henry, who was then travelling from Paris to England, appointed his clerk, Peter of Gannoc, as the animal's keeper. Peter was dispatched to meet with the keeper of the Royal Menagerie, John Gouche, to arrange the transport of the elephant to England.[2]: 2
In February 1255 Henry, by then at the Palace of Westminster, ordered the Sheriff of Kent to assist the keepers. The sheriff went to Dover with Gouche and arranged transport for the elephant, which was then being kept at Wissant, near Calais. The Exchequer reimbursed the sheriff £6 17s 5d for the transport of the elephant, with additional funds for the transport of Henry's treasure and messengers from Louis, coming to £9 6d total.[2]: 3
