英国民族5

Though the Confessor had been dead for almost 200 years, Henry ate, drank and worshipped him, and finally created for the long-dead King a shrine of unparalleled magnificence. Of course, such a shrine would need a home that equalled its splendour - the new Westminster Abbey. Henry demolished the old basilica at Westminster and replaced it with an immense Gothic abbey, a building that now fitted his vision of an awe-inspiring English monarch. From now on, Westminster would be the symbolic heart of the kingdom, the place where all English monarchs would be crowned and buried. His father, King Henry III, reigned for 56 years. He's not remembered for any stirring achievement or blood-soaked conquest, but Henry's time on the throne was driven by a magnificent obsession. He wanted to turn the monarchy into England's dominant power.

尽管忏悔者已离世近二百年，亨利无时无刻不把他奉若神灵，并最终为这位早已作古的国王建造了一座富丽堂皇，无与伦比的神龛。当然，此等华贵的神龛需要一个与其相称的处所来安放。全新的威斯敏斯特教堂，亨利拆除了威斯敏斯特的旧教堂，在原址建造了一座宏伟的哥特式教堂，这个新建筑终于与他心中英格兰君王令人敬畏的形象相称。从那以后，威斯敏斯特教堂就成了王权身份的象征。所有英国君主都将在此加冕，死后也将长眠于此。他的父亲，亨利三世国王在位56年，他一生既无赫赫功勋，也未曾暴虐征讨。但亨利在位期间，也曾试图励精图治。他想要将君主制，发展成英格兰的主导统治力量。