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Reigned 1154-1189. He ruled an empire that stretched from the Tweedto the Pyrenees. In spite of frequent hostitilties with the FrenchKing his own family and rebellious Barons (culminating in the greatrevolt of 1173-74) and his quarrel with Thomas Becket, Henrymaintained control over his possessions until shortly before hisdeath. His judicial and administrative reforms which increased Royalcontrol and influence at the expense of the Barons were of greatconstitutional importance. Introduced trial by Jury. Duke of Normandy.
[MARSHALL.FTW]
SOURCE NOTES: Burke, Sir John Bernard, Genealogical and Heraldic Histo r y of the Peerage and Baronetage, The Privy Council, Knghtage and Companionag e . 72nd edition. London: Harrison & Sons, 1910.
Farmerie, Todd A, Weis Ancestral Roots 7th Edition Correct i ons, posting to mailing list GEN-MEDIEVAL, Aug 1 1995. Author address taf@po.cwru.edu.
Holloway, Naomi D, The Genealogy of Mary Wentworth, Who Be c ame the Wife of William Brewster, Revised Edition, October 1969. LDS Film # 1738313 item#5
Louda, Jiri, and Michael MacLagan, Heraldry of The Royal F a milies of Europe. New York: Clarkson Potter, 1981. Morris County Library 92 9 .6094.
Moriarty, George Andrews, Plantagenet Ancestry of King Edw a rd IIIAnd Queen Philippa. Salt Lake: Mormon Pioneer Genealogical Societ y , 1985. LDS Film#0441438. nypl#ARF-86-2555.
Paget, Gerald, The Lineage and Ancestry of H.R.H. Prince C h arles, Prince of Wales. London: Charles Skilton Ltd, 1977. Nypl ARF+ 78-8 3 5.
Previte-Orton, C. W., The Shorter Cambridge Medieval Histo r y, Cambridge: University Press, 1952. Chatham 940.1PRE.
Redlich, Marcellus Donald R Von, Pedigrees of Some of th e E mperor Charlemagne's Descdenants. Order of the Crown of Charlema g ne, 1941.
Schwennicke, Detlev, ed., Euroopaische Stammtafeln: Stammt a feln zur Geschichte der europaischen Staaten, New Series, Marburg: J.A. Starga r dt,1978-.
Tapsell, R. F., Monarchs, Rulers, Dynasties and Kingdom s o f theWorld. New York: Facts on File Publications, 1983.
Watney, Vernon James, The Wallop Family and their Ancestry, Oxford:John Johnson, 1928. LDS Film#1696491 items 6-9.
Weis, Frederick L, Magna Charta Sureties 1215: The Baron s N amed inthe Magna Charta and Some of Their Descendants. 4th Ed. Baltimore: G e n Pub Co, 1991.
Weis, Frederick Lewis, Ancestral Roots of Sixty Colonist s , 6th Edition, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co, 1988.
Wilson, Alan B, Ancestry of Henry II, posting to GEN-MEDIE V AL Mar 27 1997, author address abwilson@uclink2.berkeley.edu.
Wurts, John S., Magna Charta: The Pedigrees of the Barons, Philadelphia, PA: Brookfield Publishing Co, 1942. RESEARCH NOTES: King of England - Oct 25 1154 - 1189 [Ref: Weis AR #1] cro w ned Dec19 1154 [Ref: Burke Peerage 1910 p25]
1150-1189: Duke of Normandy [Ref: Tapsell p203]
1151-1189: Count of Anjou [Ref: Tapsell p204]
1152-1169: Duke of Aquitaine [Ref: Tapsell p211] SOURCE NOTES: date: [Ref: Holloway p7, Moriarty p2, Paget p14, Paget p6 6 , Pagetp69, Redlich p184, Watney #14, Watney #9, Weis AR #1, Weis MC #161, Wil s on3/27/97] 1133 [Ref: Louda #2, Moriarty p36] 5.III 1133 [Ref: ES II #83 ] , place: [Ref: Paget p14, Wilson 3/27/97], parents: [Ref: CMH p600, Louda #1, L o uda #2, Moriarty p2, Paget p11, Paget p141, Paget p14, Paget p66, Redlich p 1 84,Watney #9, Weis AR #1, Weis MC #161, Wilson 3/27/97], father: [Ref: Tapse l l p203], note: [Ref: Wurts p202] RESEARCH NOTES: note: Mar 25 1133 [Ref: Wurts p202] SOURCE NOTES: date: [Ref: ES II #82, ES II #83, ES III #356, Paget p15 ] 1 189 [Ref: CMH p600, Louda #2, Moriarty p36, Tapsell p203] Jul 3 1189 [Ref: Red l ich p184] Jul 6 1189 [Ref: ES II #76, Holloway p7, Moriarty p2, Paget p6 6 , Pagetp69, Watney #14, Watney #9, Weis AR #1, Weis MC #161], place: [Ref: Bu r kePeerage 1910 p25] Chinon Normandy [Ref: Paget p15], note: Chinton [Re f : Wurtsp202] SOURCE NOTES: place: [Ref: Burke Peerage 1910 p25, Paget p15], note: [Re f : Wurts p202]
NOTE: Source: 'The World Book Encyclopedia', 1968, p H17 8 . 'Royalty for Commoners', Roderick W. Stuart, 1993, p 37-38. Reign e d1154-1189. He ruled an empire that stretched from the Tweed to the Py r enees. In spite of frequent hostitilties with the French King his o w n familyand rebellious Barons (culminating in the great revolt of 1173 - 74) andhis quarrel with Thomas Becket, Henry maintained control ove r h is possessions until shortly before his death. His judicial and administrative reforms which increased Royal control and i n fluenceat the expense of the Barons were of great constitutional imp o rtance. Introduced trial by Jury. Duke of Normandy. Henry II 'Cu r t Mantel,' Duke of Normandy, Count of Maine and Anjou, King Of Engla n d became king in 1154. At the height of his power, Henry ruled Engl a nd and almost all western France. His marriage to Eleanor of Aqui t aine, the most famous woman of the age, brought the duchy of Aquitai n e underhis control. Henry also claimed to rule Scotland, Wales, and e a stern Ireland. Henry II carried on his grandfather's policy o f l imitingthe power of the nobles. He also tried to make the Roman Catho l ic Church in England submit to his authority. This policy brought h i m into conflict with Thomas a Becket, Achbishop of Canterbury. Fo u r of the king's knights murdered Becket while he was at vespers i n h is cathedral. Henry made Anglo-Saxon common law, rather tha n t herevised Roman law, the supreme law of the land. He introduced tri a l by jury and circuit courts. In his later years, Henry's sons oft e n rebelled against him. Two of them, Richard the Lion-Hearted and Jo h n, became the next two kings of England.
REF: "Falls the Shadow" Sharon Kay Penman: William the Con q ueror requested a large number of Jews to move to England afte r h is conquest. They spoke Norman & did well under his reign. T h ey continued to thrive under William's grandson Henry II.
REF: British Monarchy Official Website: Henry II (reigne d 1 154-89) ruled over an empire which stretched from the Scottish bor d er to the Pyrenees. Married to Eleanor, the heiress of Aquitaine, t h e kingspent only 13 years of his reign in England; the other 21 years were spent on the contine n t in his territories in what is now France. By 1158, Henry had rest o red tothe crown some of the lands and royal power lost by Stephen. F o rexample, locally chosen sheriffs were changed into royally appoint e d agents charged with enforcing the law and collecting taxes in t h e counties. Personally interested in government and law, Henry strengt h enedroyal justice, making use of juries and re-introduced the sendi n g of justices (judges) on regular tours of the country to try c a ses forthe Crown. His legal reforms have led him to be seen as the fo u nder of English Common Law. Henry's disagreements with his Archbis h op of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, over Church/State relations ended in Becket ' s murderin 1170. Family disputes almost wrecked the king's achievemen t s and he died in 1189 at war with his sons.
Henry II 1154-1189
Henry II 1154-1189 The first Plantagenant. This famil y n a m e was actually a nickname adopted by his father, Geoffery, w h o w a s an Anjou (or Angevin). Henry II's mother was Matilda, the daugh t e r o f HenryI (1100-1135). Henry II was an excellent king. His wif e w a s t hefamous Elanor of Aquitaine.
Henry II of England Henry II (reigned 1154-89) held England, Normandy, Britt a n y ,Anjou, Maine, Touraine, and Aquitaine. Thomas a Becket, Archbi s h o p of Canterbury, was murdered in 1170, with Henrys tacit con s e n t, and Henry did penance at the grave in 1174. He oversaw the d e v e lopment of the royal courts and the common law, and initiated the c o n q uest of Ireland. He refused to grant the sovereignty of Engl a n d o rNormandy to his son, and the resulting strife lasted until the Yo u n g K ings, Henry Plantagenets, death in 1183. (See Ezra Pounds tra n s l ation of the lament Planh for the Young English King in Personae)
Inferno Canto XXVIII:112-142. He is mentioned, in connec t i o n with Bertrand de Born, who fomented the strife with his son.
Born: Le Mans, Maine, 5 March 1133. Titles: King of England, Duke of Normandy (from 1151) , D u k e of Aquitaine (from 1152), Count of Anjou, Touraine and Ma i n e ( from 1151).
Crowned: Westminster, 19 December 1154. Ruled: 25 October 1154-6 July 1189. Married: 18 May 1 152, at Bordeaux Cathedral, Gascony, E l e a nor (c1122-1204), dau. of William X, duke of Aquitaine, an d d i v orceeof Louis VII, king of France: 8 children. Henry had at least 12 illegitimate children by five or more other women. Died: Chinon Castle, Anjou, 6 July 1189, aged 56. Buried: Fontevrault Abbey, France.
Henry Fitzempress or Curtmantle was the eldest so n o f t h eempress Matilda, who had briefly claimed the kingdom of Engl a n d i n 1141 during the extended civil war. His father was Geoffrey, co u n t o f Anjou, who became duke of Normandy in 1144. Geoffrey was frequen t l y k nown as Plantagenet because of the sprig of broom he would w e a r i n hiscap, and this soubriquet subsequently became the surname of hi s descendants and the title of the royal house of England. Its offi c i a l name, though, was the house of Anjou and it would dominate Eng l a n d for over three hundred and thirty years. It gave England som e o f i t s most powerful kings, including the first Angevin, Henry II.
Henry first attempted to continue his mother's war aga i n s t Stephen after she had returned to Normandy in 1148, but Hen r y w a s a young squire of fifteen without sufficient resources to main t a i n such an effort. The next five years would see a significant ch a n g e inhim. When his father died in 1151 he inherited the duchy of N o r m andy as well as becoming count of Maine and Anjou.
Eight months later he married Eleanor of Aquitaine, w h o w a s atleast ten years his senior, the former wife of Louis VII of Fr a n c e whom Louis had divorced, ostensibly on grounds of consanguin i t y , but really because she had provided no male heir. This marriage in f u r iated Louis VII, especially when he had recognize the claim of He n r y a s dukeof Aquitaine. Although Henry paid homage to Louis for hi s l a n ds in France, he now effectively controlled more territory t h a n t he King himself. Louis sent forces against Henry as a show of p o w e r but Henry was able to contain them. In fact he felt sufficien t l y i n control to accompany a small force to England in January 1153 i n a n e f fort to depose Stephen. In this he was unsuccessful, but Step h e n w as no longer disposed to fight, and most of the hostilitie s w e r e between Henry and Stephen's son Eustace.
In August 1153 Eustace died and this paved the way for H e n r y's succession which was sealed under the Treaty of Walling f o r d that November. By its terms Stephen continued to rule fo r a s l o ng ashe lived but Henry was his undisputed successor. When Ste p h e n diedin October 1154, Henry succeeded to a considerable territory, subsequently called the Angevin Empire, though not kn o w n a s thatin Henry's day. At its peak it stretched from the Scotti s h b o rder to the Pyrenees, and would include overlordship of Ireland.
The energy with which Henry set about establishing his a u t h ority over his territories was awesome. This was helped by the p a p a l bull issued in 1155 by the new Pope Adrian IV (the only Englis h p o p e -Nicholas Breakspeare), which decreed that Henry had authority o v e r t hewhole of Britain, including Scotland, Wales and Ireland. In th e s p a ce oftwo years (1155-7) Henry had destroyed many of the castles e s t a blished by barons during the civil war, and which he referred t o a s " d ens of thieves"; he had negotiated terms with Malcolm IV of Sco t l a nd, whereby Cumbria and Northumberland returned to English rule ; a n d h e had invaded Wales and brought the Welsh princes to heel.
This last enterprise nearly cost him his life, however , w h e n hewas ambushed by the heir of Gwynedd, Cynan ab Owain. Henr y ' s s trength of character, his papal authority, and the immense resour c e s u ponwhich he could draw made him an impossible man to challeng e , a n d by 1158 he had restored an order to England and its subservient kin g d o mswhich it had not known to such a degree for many lifetimes. Wa l e s w ould continue to be a thorn in his side for much of his rei g n , b ut he never considered it as much of a problem compared to other pri o r i ties. Subsequent campaigns of 1167 and 1177 served to remind s u c c essive Welsh rulers of his authority.
From 1158 to 1163 Henry was back in France. In July 1 1 5 8 h is brother, Geoffrey, had died. Geoffrey in 1150 had been made co u n t o fNantes, one half of the duchy of Brittany, and on Geoffrey's d e a t h Henry sought to gain control. He was foiled by the speed wi t h w h ich the exiled duke, Conan IV, reclaimed his lands. Conan ha d b e e n confirmed as earl of Richmond by Henry in 1156, and Conan was fo r c e d to acknowledge Henry's overlordship in Brittany. In 1166 H e n r y arranged a marriage between his son Geoffrey and Conan's daught e r C onstance, and thereafter Conan handed over the administration of B r i t tany to Henry to direct on behalf of the children. Henry's ma i n t h rust during 1159 and 1160 was against Toulouse, which he regarde d a s p a rt ofhis wife's territory in Aquitaine. The French king, Loui s V I I , cameto the defence of his brother-in- law, the count of Toulo u s e , andHenry had to withdraw rather than fight his French overlord . T o u louseand Aquitaine remained in dispute between Henry and Loui s f o r t he rest of their reigns.
The most notorious aspect of Henry's reign was his relat i o n shipwith Thomas Becket. Becket was a personal friend of Henry ' s . B orn in London, the son of a wealthy merchant, he was well educ a t e d andhad trained as a knight before his father's misfortunes tu r n e d him to become a clerk, entering the household of Theobald, th e a r c hbishop of Canterbury, in 1142. He became an expert at canonical jur i sprudence, and was appointed archdeacon of Canterbury in 1154 and c h a n cellorof England in 1155. He fought alongside Henry in Toulou s e a n d became wealthy. His election as the next archbishop of Canter b u r y in May 1162 came as a surprise to many, and was not universal l y a c cepted amongst other churchmen because of Becket's background and worldliness. It was probably this that caused Becke t t o c h ange so radically in character in order to prove his devotio n t o t h echurch. Henry, who thought he had an ally within the church wh o w o u ld help him in ecclesiatical disputes which had so plagued past ki n g s , foundhe had an unpredictable opponent. Henry's short temper d i d n o t allow this to last for long and matters came to a head ove r t h e i ssue of clergy who broke the law. Henry maintained at a counc i l h e ld in October 1163 that these "criminous clerks" should be unf r o c ked and tried in a lay court. Becket maintained that they wo u l d b e triedby ecclesiastical courts. Henry appealed to the new pope ( A l e xander III), who requested that Becket be more conciliatory. H e n r y now presented Becket with a series of terms, known as the Co n s titutions of Clarendon, which was where the council was held in Jan u a r y 1164. Becket argued tenaciously but eventually submitted. H e n r ybelieved he had succeeded but, soon after, Becket repented his cha n g e o f heart and began lobbying the bishops. Henry was furious. He summ o n e d him on various charges, including a debt of 44,000 marks (abo u t gny in Burgundy before the po p e g a ve due attention to his cause. Becket pleaded personally bef o r e h im in Rome, and Alexander restored him to the see of Canterbury . B u t B ecket could still not return to England. He remained in France wh e r e h e wrote letters of exhortation to the bishops, threatening excom m u n ication unless they heeded his words.
In the meantime Henry had more pressing matters in ha n d . T hepope's support and the Clarendon verdict had allowed Henry to s t a r t breaking down the old feudal system in England by ensuring that l o c a l baronial courts were subordinate to a strong central court. He re- e stablished the jury system and introduced a new code of laws.
By a series of dynastic marriages Henry was establishi n g h i mselfas one of the most powerful men in Europe. Already in 1 1 6 0 h e had arranged a marriage between his eldest surviving son, He n r y , and Margaret, the daughter of Louis VII of France. Margar e t w a s only two and Henry five, and Louis had not expected a confirmed m a r r iagefor many years after the betrothal agreement. But Henry h a d o f feredhis support to the new pope, Alexander III, in 1160, whose s u c c ession was disputed, and in repayment, Alexander carried out the ma r r i age. In February 1168 his eldest daughter Matilda was marrie d t o H e inrich the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, whilst his youngest da u g h terswere betrothed to the kings of Castile and Sicily.
Henry's dispute with Becket returned to haunt him in 1 1 7 0 . Inthat year Henry determined to have his eldest son formally cr o w n ed as king of England, which effectively elevated Henry himself i n t o a n imperial role. He needed the support of Becket and the pope in t h i s , and begrudgingly accepted a reconciliation with Becket. How e v e rbefore this was fully resolved, Henry went ahead and had hi s s o n c rowned (see Henry the young king) by the archbishop of York. Beck e t c o ndemned this when he returned to England later that year. Bec k e t w as welcomed by the general populace as a hero: their champion agai n s t b aronial oppression. Henry could not understand why Becket was a l w a ys so quarrelsome. It was during one such moment of frustra t i o n that Henry uttered his notorious words: "Is there none will r i d m e o f this turbulent priest?" Four knights, hearing these words a n d d etermined to prove themselves, immediately left Henry's court in Norm a n d y, arriving at Canterbury on 29 December 1170 where they slew Beck e t w i thinthe cathedral. Although the murder shocked Christendom , i t h a d notbeen at Henry's direct bidding. The knights each did their p e n a nce. Henry donned sackcloth, and apologised to the pope, but he s o o n weathered the storm. Everyone realised that Becket was best o u t o f t he way, though he was rapidly canonized in 1173.
Henry's attention turned to Ireland. He already beli e v e d he had ostensible authority over the country but plans for an e a r l ier invasion in 1155 had been shelved. However in 1170 Richard Fitzgilbert, the earl of Pembroke, known as Richard Stro n g b ow, had invaded Ireland at the request of the dispossessed k i n g o fLeinster, Diarmaid MacMurchada. Diarmaid had earlier appealed t o H e n ry who had offered him his support, but gave him no direct help. S t r o ngbow's forces however soon captured Waterford and Dublin. Stro n g b ow married Diarmaid's daughter. Henry II became suspicious of Stro n g b ow's intentions and brought his own army into Ireland in 1 1 7 1 . Henry's forces were too powerful for the Irish. They nickname d t h e m the gaill glassa, or "grey foreigners", from their armour whic h h a d n ot been seen before in Ireland. Henry soon established author i t y o ver eastern Ireland, especially the kingdoms of Leinster and Meath , w h o serulers acknowledged his overlordship in the Treaty of Winds o r i n O ctober II75. Hugh de Lacy was made the first lord of Meath a n d r e mainedas Henry's viceroy in Ireland, though his later aspirati o n s t o the kingship led to his assassination. Henry's youngest s o n , J ohn,was styled king of Ireland from 1177, though this was no m o r e t han an honorific as the hereditary kings of Ireland still ru l e d . John later adopted the more appropriate title lord of Ireland. Jo h n ' s titlewas part of a settlement in a dispute between Henry and hi s c h i ldren that rocked his final years. The "Young King" Henry was no t s a t isfied with his authority in name only and wanted more. Althoug h h e w a scrowned a second time in August 1172, when he was created not on l y k i ng of England but duke of Normandy and count of Anjou, he wa s s t i ll unsatisfied. His actions stirred Richard and Geoffre y i n t o rebellion in 1173, which brought with it opportunists from elsew h e r e in the realm, including William the Lyon of Scotland. Willi a m h a d longhad designs on Northumberland and Cumbria which he believe d w e r e his inheritance. He invaded northern England in 1173 bu t w a s c aptured and taken prisoner to Henry in Normandy and forced to pay ho m a g e. The sons were supported by their mother Eleanor of Aquitai n e , f romwhom Henry had drifted apart by the late 1160s. The proble m i n tensified after 1180 when Louis VII was succeeded by Philipp e I I , a f ar less scrupulous monarch who was keen to shatter the Angevin E m p i re and agreed to help Henry's sons against their father. Hen r y ' s world which he had so painstakingly created was now in danger of col l a p sing.In June 1183 the "Young King" Henry died. Henry's thir d s o n ,Geoffrey, was killed in an accident at a tournament in Paris in Au g u s t 1186. Although this might have simplified the battle between H e n r y andhis sons, it focused the attention on the rivalry between Ri c h a rd, the eldest surviving heir and Eleanor's favourite, and Joh n , t h e youngest and Henry's favourite. Henry had spent most of these la t t e r years in France, visiting England only for official duties . I t w a s inFrance that he faced the army of Richard and King Philippe, w i t h w hom was also his favourite son John. This broke Henry's spir i t . H e was already ill and prematurely aged. He no longer had th e e n e rgy to fight and agreed terms with Philippe at Colombiere s o n 4 J u ly1189. Two days later he died as the result of a massive haemor r h a ge, cursing his sons to the last. He was only 56 years of age. H i s w i dow, Eleanor, would live for a further fifteen years, dyi n g a t t he remarkable age of 82, the oldest of any English queen co n s o rtuntil the twentieth century. She still continued to exert a n i n f luence over her scheming children, of whom Richard now inherited t h e t h rone of England.
************ One of the best films ever made. THE LION IN WINTER sh o u l d be on your top 100 list, if you have one. Katherine Hepburn. Peter O'Toole. Anthony Hopkins. Tim o t h y Dalton. Does a cast get much better than this?
THE LION IN WINTER follows King Henry II, his wife, Ele a n o r of Acquitaine, and their three sons, Richard, Geoffrey, a n d J o hn, during one christmas in 1183. The sons all want their father' s t h r one,and their mother wants to help topple him. The king want s t o s e e his kindgom last forever, and is willing to marry his mist r e s s andhave more sons, if it means he can have another chance to train a successful heir. Watch this twisted family feint and do d g e , attack and parry, riposte and counterattack as the holiday season r o l l s on around them.
Peter O'Toole is absolutely phenomenal as King Henry I I , o n e ofthe first kings of England ever to unite the entire countr y , a n d graba big chunk of France in the bargain. King Henry was the r e a s on that English monarchs got crowned "King (or queen) of Engla n d , Scotland, Wales, and France" or some such (go see the coronation s c e n e in ELIZABETH for the exact wording). He was, in the wor d s o f t he screenwriter, a master bastard, and O'Toole plays th e r o l e to the hilt. Only one player in this fine ensemble cast outsh i n e s him,and that's Katherine Hepburn.
Eleanor of Acquitaine was one of the most powerful wo m e n i n the history of the western world, and Katherine Hepburn proj e c t s that power on the screen, along with love, bitterness, dece i t , h onor,and a million other emotions, all in a voice that makes her s o u n d like she's been to hell and back, and has fond memories of the trip.
A very young Anthony Hopkins appears as Prince Richa r d I ( m ost people know him as Good King Richard (tm) from the Robin Hood s t o r ies, or as Richard the Lionheart, leader of the crusades) in on e o f h i s first screen roles. Hopkins is delightful as an egomaniacal, h o m i cidal, slightly bent king-to-be. He's got all of Henry's agress i o n , and none of his brains.
John Castle plays Geoffrey, the scheming second son; h e k n o ws that he has no chance at the throne, so he's willing to stand be h i n dwhoever lands on it. Nigel Terry (you might have seen him as K i n g A rthurin EXCALIBUR) plays young John, a whining little sot that y o u ' redying to strangle before the movie is over.
Timothy Dalton makes his own debut as Prince Phillip o f F r a nce,who has managed to weave himself quite nicely into the fam i l y w eb.He's as cunning as Geoffrey and as ruthless as Richard, b u t i s h e a match for their mother?
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Henry II (1154-1189)
Henry found that royal castles were outnumbered by baro n i a lcastles 5 to 1 and seized every castle in England. Many private ca s t l es were destroyed during his reign. Born: Le Mans, Anjou, 5 March 1133, son of Geoffrey Plan t a g enetand Matilda. Married: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Bordeaux Cathed r a l , 18 May 1152, 8 children. Acceded: 19 December 1154. Crowned: We s t m inster Abbey, 19 December 1154. Died: Chinon Castle, France , 6 J u l y 1189, aged 56.
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Henry II (1154-1189)
Born: 5th March 1133 at Le Mans, Maine
Died: 6th July 1189 at Chinon Castle, Anjou
Buried: Fontevrault Abbey, Anjou
Parents: Geoffrey, Count of Anjou and the Empress Matilda
Siblings: Geoffrey, Count of Nantes & William, Count o f P o i tou
Crowned: 19th December 1154 at Westminster Abbey, Middlesex
Married: 18th May 1152 at Bordeaux Cathedral, Gascony
Spouse: Eleanor daughter of William X, Duke of Aquit a n e & d ivorcee of Louis VII, King of France
Offspring: William, Henry, Matilda, Richard, Geoffrey, E l e a nor,Joan & John
Contemporaries: Louis VII (King of France, 1137-1180), T h o m as Beckett (Archbishop of Canterbury), Pope Adrian IV, Frederic k I ( F r ederick Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor, 1152-1190) Henry II, first of the Angevin kings, was one of the m o s t effective of all England's monarchs. He came to the throne amid the a n a r chy of Stephen's reign and promptly collared his errant baro n s . H erefined Norman government and created a capable, self-standing b u r eaucracy. His energy was equaled only by his ambition and intellig e n c e.Henry survived wars, rebellion, and controversy to successfu l l y r ule one of the Middle Ages' most powerful kingdoms.
Henry was raised in the French province of Anjou and f i r s t visited England in 1142 to defend his mother's claim to the disp u t e dthrone of Stephen. His continental possessions were already vast b e f o re his coronation: He acquired Normandy and Anjou upon the de a t h o f his father in September 1151, and his French holdings mor e t h a ndoubled with his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitane (ex-wife of K i n g L ouisVII of France). In accordance with the Treaty of Wallingfor d , a s uccession agreement signed by Stephen and Matilda in 1153, Hen r y w a s crowned in October 1154. The continental empire ruled by Henry a n d h i s sons included the French counties of Brittany, Maine, Poito u , T o uraine, Gascony, Anjou, Aquitane, and Normandy. Henry was techni c a l ly a feudal vassal of the king of France but, in reality, owned mo r e t e rritory and was more powerful than his French lord. Although Kin g J o h n(Henry's son) lost most of the English holdings in France, Engl i s h k ingslaid claim to the French throne until the fifteenth century . H e n ry also extended his territory in the British Isles in two signi f i c antways. First, he retrieved Cumbria and Northumbria form Mal c o m I V of Scotland and settled the Anglo-Scot border in the North. Second l y , a lthough his success with Welsh campaigns was limited, Henry invade d I r e landand secured an English presence on the island.
English and Norman barons in Stephen's reign manipulat e d f e udallaw to undermine royal authority; Henry instituted many refo r m s t o weaken traditional feudal ties and strengthen his position. Una u t h orized
: DATE WFT Est. 1145-1176
Also Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou. Born in Beaumont Palace, Oxford, England, died Newark Castle, Nottingham, England.
Henry became Duke of Normandy in 1150, upon his father's death. He acauired the duchy of Aquitaine by marrying Eleanor in 1152. He became the King of England by treaty with his cousin Stephen in 1153. This made him ruler over one of the most extensive empires in western europe
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Ruddy face, reddish, curly hair, broad breasted; short of body, andtherewithal fat. Commonly called Henry Shortmantle, because he was thefirst that brouht he use of short cloaks ou of Anjou into England. SirRichard Baker A Chronicle of the Kins of England.
Henry II 1154-1189 The first Plantagenant. This family name was actuallya nickname adopted by his father, Geoffery, who was an Anjou (orAngevin). Henry II's mother was Matilda, the daughter of Henry I(1100-1135). Henry II was an excellent king. His wife was the famousElanor of Aquitaine.
The Angevins Henry II Henry II (reigned 1154-89) ruled over an empire which stretched from theScottish border to the Pyrenees. One of the strongest, most energetic andimaginative rulers, Henry was the inheritor of three dynasties who hadacquired Aquitaine by marriage; his charters listed them: 'King of theEnglish, Duke of the Normans and Aquitanians and Count of the Angevins'.The King spent only 13 years of his reign in England; the other 21 yearswere spent on the continent in his territories in what is now France.Henry's rapid movements in carrying out his dynastic responsibilitiesastonished the French King, who noted 'now in England, now in Normandy,he must fly rather than travel by horse or ship'. By 1158, Henry had restored to the Crown some of the lands and royalpower lost by Stephen; Malcom IV of Scotland was compelled to return thenorthern counties. Locally chosen sheriffs were changed into royallyappointed agents charged with enforcing the law and collecting taxes inthe counties. Personally interested in government and law, Henry made useof juries and re-introduced the sending of justices (judges) on regulartours of the country to try cases for the Crown. His legal reforms haveled him to be seen as the founder of English Common Law.
Henry's disagreements with the Archbishop of Canterbury (the king'sformer chief adviser), Thomas ons almost wrecked the king'sachievements. Henry died in France in 1189, at war with his son Richardwho had joined forces with king Philip of France to attack Normandy.
Reign: 1154-1189
ENCYCLOP
Henry II
Henry II, (left), disputing with Thomas Becket (centre), miniature from a1 ...
b. 1133, Le Mans, Maine d. July 6, 1189, near Tours byname HENRY OF ANJOU, HENRY PLANTAGENET, HENRY FITZEMPRESS, OR HENRYCURTMANTLE (SHORT MANTLE) duke of Normandy (from 1150), count of Anjou(from 1151), duke of Aquitaine (from 1152), and king of England (from1154), who greatly expanded his Anglo-French domains and strengthened theroyal administration in England. His quarrels with Thomas Becket,archbishop of Canterbury, and with members of his family (his wife,Eleanor of Aquitaine, and such sons as Richard the Lion-Heart and JohnLackland) ultimately brought about his defeat. Early life.
After receiving a good literary education, part of it in England, Henrybecame duke of Normandy in 1150 and count of Anjou on the death of hisfather, Geoffrey Plantagenet, in 1151. Although the claim of his mother,Matilda, daughter of Henry I, to the English crown had been set aside byher cousin, King Stephen, in 1152, Henry advanced his fortunes bymarrying the beautiful and talented Eleanor, recently divorced from KingLouis VII of France, who brought with her hand the lordship of Aquitaine.Henry invaded England in 1153, and King Stephen agreed to accept him ascoadjutor and heir. When Stephen died the following year Henry succeededwithout opposition, thus becoming lord of territories stretching fromScotland to the Pyrenees.
The young king lacked visible majesty. Of stocky build, with freckledface, close-cut tawny hair, and gray eyes, he dressed carelessly and grewto be bulky; but his personality commanded attention and drew men to hisservice. He could be a good companion, with ready repartee in a jostlingcrowd, but he displayed at times the ungovernable temper of a furiousanimal and could be heartless and ruthless when necessary. Restless,impetuous, always on the move, regardless of the convenience of others,he was at ease with scholars, and his administrative decrees were thework of a cool realist. In his long reign of 34 years he spent anaggregate of only 14 in England.
ENCYCLOP
Henry II, (left), disputing with Thomas Becket (centre), miniature from a1 ...
Henry II
Reign.
His career may be considered in three aspects: the defense andenlargement of his dominions, the involvement in two lengthy anddisastrous personal quarrels, and his lasting administrative and judicialreforms.
His territories are often called the Angevin Empire. This is a misnomer,for Henry's sovereignty rested upon various titles, and there was noinstitutional or legal bond between different regions. Some, indeed, wereunder the feudal overlordship of the king of France. By conquest, throughdiplomacy, and through the marriages of two of his sons, he gainedacknowledged possession of what is now the west of France from thenorthernmost part of Normandy to the Pyrenees, near Carcassonne. Duringhis reign, the dynastic marriages of three daughters gave him politicalinfluence in Germany, Castile, and Sicily. His continental dominionsbrought him into contact with Louis VII of France, the German emperorFrederick I (Barbarossa), and, for much of the reign, Pope Alexander III.With Louis the relationship was ambiguous. Henry had taken Louis's formerwife and her rich heritage. He subsequently acquired the Vexin inNormandy by the premature marriage of his son Henry to Louis's daughter,and during much of his reign he was attempting to outfight or outwit theFrench king, who, for his part, gave shelter and comfort to Henry'senemy, Thomas Becket, the archbishop of Canterbury. The feud with Louisimplied friendly relations with Germany, where Henry was helped by hismother's first marriage to the emperor Henry V but hindered byFrederick's maintenance of an antipope, the outcome of a disputed papalelection in 1159. Louis supported Alexander III, whose case was strong,and Henry became arbiter of European opinion. Though acknowledgingAlexander, he continued throughout the Becket controversy to threatentransference of allegiance to Frederick's antipope, thus impedingAlexander's freedom of action.
Early in his reign Henry obtained from Malcolm III of Scotland homage andthe restoration of Northumberland, Cumberland, and Westmorland, and laterin the reign (1174) homage was exacted from William the Lion, Malcolm'sbrother and successor. In 1157 Henry invaded Wales and received homage,though without conquest. In Ireland, reputedly bestowed upon him by PopeAdrian IV, Henry allowed an expedition of barons from South Wales toestablish Anglo-Norman supremacy in Leinster (1169), which the Kinghimself extended in 1171.
His remarkable achievements were impaired, however, by the stressescaused by a dispute with Becket and by discords in his own family.
The quarrel with Becket, Henry's trusted and successful chancellor(1154-62), broke out soon after Becket's election to the archbishopric ofCanterbury (May 1162; see Becket, Saint Thomas). It led to a completeseverance of relations and to the Archbishop's voluntary exile. Besidesdisrupting the public life of the church, this situation embroiled Henrywith Louis VII and Alexander III; and, though it seemingly did little tohamper Henry's activities, the time and service spent in negotiations andembassies was considerable, and the tragic denouement in Becket's murderearned for Henry a good deal of damaging opprobrium.
More dangerous were the domestic quarrels, which thwarted Henry's plansand even endangered his life and which finally brought him down in sorrowand shame.
Throughout his adult life Henry's sexual morality was lax; but hisrelations with Eleanor, 11 years his senior, were for long tolerablyharmonious, and, between 1153 and 1167, she bore him eight children. Ofthese, the four sons who survived infancy--Henry, Geoffrey, Richard, andJohn--repaid his genuine affection with resentment toward their fatherand discord among themselves. None was blameless, but the cause of thequarrels was principally Henry's policy of dividing his dominions amonghis sons while reserving real authority for himself. In 1170 he crownedhis eldest son, Henry, as co-regent with himself; but in fact the youngking had no powers and resented his nonentity, and in 1173 he opposed hisfather's proposal to find territories for the favoured John (Lackland) atthe expense of Geoffrey. Richard joined the protest of the others and wassupported by Eleanor. There was a general revolt of the baronage inEngland and Normandy, supported by Louis VII in France and William theLion in Scotland. Henry's prestige was at a low ebb after the murder ofBecket and recent taxation, but he reacted energetically, settled mattersin Normandy and Brittany, and crossed to England, where fighting hadcontinued for a year. On July 12, 1174, he did public penance atCanterbury. The next day the King of Scots was taken at Alnwick, andthree weeks later Henry had suppressed the rebellion in England. His sonswere pardoned, but Eleanor was kept in custody until her husband died.
A second rebellion flared up in 1181 with a quarrel between his sonsHenry and Richard over the government of Aquitaine, but young Henry diedin 1183. In 1184 Richard quarrelled with John, who had been ordered totake Aquitaine off his hands. Matters were eased by the death of Geoffrey(1186), but the King's attempt to find an inheritance for John led to acoalition against him of Richard and the young Philip II Augustus, whohad succeeded his father, Louis VII, as king of France. Henry wasdefeated and forced to give way, and news that John also had joined hisenemies hastened the King's death near Tours in 1189.
In striking contrast to the checkered pattern of Henry's wars andschemes, his governance of England displays a careful and successfuladaptation of means to a single end--the control of a realm served by thebest administration in Europe. This success was obscured forcontemporaries and later historians by the varied and often dramaticinterest of political and personal events, and not until the 19thcentury--when the study of the public records began and when legalhistory was illuminated by the British jurist Frederic William Maitlandand his followers--did the administrative genius of Henry and hisservants appear in its true light.
At the beginning of his reign Henry found England in disorder, with royalauthority ruined by civil war and the violence of feudal magnates. Hisfirst task was to crush the unruly elements and restore firm government,using the existing institutions of government, with which theAnglo-Norman monarchy was well provided. Among these was the King'scouncil of barons, with its inner group of ministers who were both judgesand accountants and who sat at the Exchequer, into which the taxes anddues of the shires were paid by the King's local representative, thesheriff (shire-reeve). The council contained an unusually able group ofmen--some of them were great barons, such as Richard de Lucy and Robertde Beaumont, earl of Leicester; others included civil servants, such asNigel, bishop of Ely, Richard Fitzneale, and his son, Richard ofIlchester. Henry took a personal interest in the technique of theExchequer, which was described at length for posterity in the celebratedDialogus de scaccario, whose composition seemed to Maitland "one of themost wonderful things of Henry's wonderful reign." How far these royalservants were responsible for the innovations of the reign cannot beknown, though the development in practice continued steadily, even duringthe King's long absences abroad.
In the early months of the reign the King, using his energetic andversatile chancellor Becket, beat down the recalcitrant barons and theircastles and began to restore order to the country and to the variousforms of justice. It was thus, a few years later, that he came intoconflict with the bishops, then led by Becket, over the alleged right ofclerics to be tried for crime by an ecclesiastical court. A result ofthis was the celebrated collection of decrees--the Constitutions ofClarendon (1164)--which professed to reassert the ancestral rights of theKing over the church in such matters as clerical immunity, appointment ofbishops, custody of vacant sees, excommunication, and appeals to Rome.The Archbishop, after an initial compliance, refused to accept these, andthey were throughout the controversy a block to an agreement. The quarreltouched what was to be the King's chief concern--the country's judicialsystem.
Anglo-Saxon England had two courts of justice--that of the hundred, adivision of the shire, for petty offenses, and that of the shire,presided over by the sheriff. The feudal regime introduced by the Normansadded courts of the manor and of the honour (a complex of estates). Aboveall stood the royal right to set up courts for important pleas and tohear, either in person or through his ministers, any appeal. Arrest was alocal responsibility, usually hard upon a flagrant crime. A doubt ofguilt was settled by ordeal by battle; the accused in the shire underwenttests held to reveal God's judgment. Two developments had come in sinceWilliam the Conqueror's day: the occasional mission of royal justicesinto the shires and the occasional use of a jury of local notables asfact finders in cases of land tenure.
Henry's first comprehensive program was the Assize of Clarendon (1166),in which the procedure of criminal justice was established; 12 "lawful"men of every hundred, and four of every village, acting as a "jury ofpresentment," were bound to declare on oath whether any local man was arobber or murderer. Trial of those accused was reserved to the King'sjustices, and prisons for those awaiting trial were to be erected at theKing's expense. This provided a system of criminal investigation for thewhole country, with a reasonable verdict probable because the firmaccusation of the jury entailed exile even if the ordeal acquitted theaccused. In feudal courts the trial by battle could be avoided by theestablishment of a concord, or fine. This system presupposed regularvisits by the King's justices on circuit (or, in the technical phrase,"on eyre"), and these tours became part of the administration of thecountry. The justices formed three groups: one on tour, one "on thebench" at Westminster, and one with the King when the court was out ofLondon. Those at Westminster dealt with private pleas and cases sent upfrom the justices on eyre.
Equally effective were the "possessory assizes." In the feudal world,especially in times of turmoil, violent ejections and usurpations werecommon, with consequent vendettas and violence. Pleas brought to feudalcourts could be delayed or altogether frustrated. As a remedy Henryestablished the possessory writ, an order from the Exchequer, directingthe sheriff to convene a sworn local jury at petty assize to establishthe fact of dispossession, whereupon the sheriff had to reinstate thedefendant pending a subsequent trial at the grand assize to establish therights of the case. This was the writ of Novel Disseisin (i.e., recentdispossession). This writ was returnable; if the sheriff failed toachieve reinstatement, he had to summon the defendant to appear beforethe King's justices and himself be present with the writ. A similar writof Mort d'Ancestor decided whether the ancestor of a plaintiff had infact possessed the estate, whereas that of Darrein Presentment (i.e.,last presentation) decided who in fact had last presented a parson to aparticular benefice. All these writs gave rapid and clear verdictssubject to later revision. The fees enriched the treasury, and recourseto the courts both extended the King's control and discouraged irregularself-help. Two other practices developed by Henry became permanent. Onewas scutage, the commutation of military service for a money payment; theother was the obligation, put on all free men with a propertyqualification by the Assize of Arms (1181), to possess arms suitable totheir station.
The ministers who engaged upon these reforms took a fully professionalinterest in the business they handled, as may be seen in Fitzneale'swriting on the Exchequer and that of the chief justiciar, Ranulf deGlanville, on the laws of England; and many of the expedients adopted bythe King may have been suggested by them. In any case, the long-termresults were very great. By the multiplication of a class of experts infinance and law Henry did much to establish two great professions, andthe location of a permanent court at Westminster and the character of itsbusiness settled for England (and for much of the English-speaking world)that common law, not Roman law, would rule the courts and that London,and not an academy, would be its principal nursery. Moreover, Henry'sdecrees ensured that the judge-and-jury combination would become normaland that the jury would gradually supplant ordeal and battle as beingresponsible for the verdict. Finally, the increasing use of scutage, andthe availability of the royal courts for private suits, were effectiveagents in molding the feudal monarchy into a monarchical bureaucracybefore the appearance of Parliament.
Significance.
Henry II lived in an age of biographers and letter writers of genius.John of Salisbury, Thomas Becket, Giraldus Cambrensis, Walter Map, Peterof Blois, and others knew him well and left their impressions. All agreedon his outstanding ability and striking personality and also recorded hiserrors and aspects of his character that appear contradictory, whereasmodern historians agree upon the difficulty of reconciling its mainfeatures. Without deep religious or moral conviction, Henry neverthelesswas respected by three contemporary saints, Aelred of Rievaulx, Gilbertof Sempringham, and Hugh of Lincoln. Normally an approachable andfaithful friend and master, he could behave with unreasonable inhumanity.His conduct and aims were always self-centred, but he was neither atyrant nor an odious egoist. Both as man and ruler he lacked the stamp ofgreatness that marked Alfred the Great and William the Conqueror. Heseemed also to lack wisdom and serenity; and he had no comprehensive viewof the country's interest, no ideals of kingship, no sympathetic care forhis people. But if his reign is to be judged by its consequences forEngland, it undoubtedly stands high in importance, and Henry, as itsmainspring, appears among the most notable of English kings.
ENCYCLOP
Henry II Bibliography W.L. Warren's Henry II (1973) is the one full biography (withbibliography). The best short accounts are still those of Kate Norgate inthe Dictionary of National Biography, vol. 26 (1891) and Doris M. Stentonin the Cambridge Medieval History, vol. 5, ch. 17 (1929), both with fullbibliographies. The classical essay by William Stubbs, his introductionto the Gesta Henrici ("Rolls Series," 1867), was reprinted by A.H.Hassall in his collection of Historical Introductions to the RollsSeries, pp. 89-172 (1902). Many contemporary sources are translated inD.C. Douglas and G.W. Greenaway (eds.), English Historical Documents II(1952), including the whole of the Dialogue of the Exchequer (Dialogus deScaccario), of which the best edition, with translation, is that byCharles Johnson (1950). For Henry's judicial reforms, the best account isstill that in F. Pollock and F.W. Maitland, The History of English LawBefore the Time of Edward I, 2nd ed. (1898). See also D.M. Stenton,English Justice Between the Norman Conquest and the Great Charter,1066-1215 (1965).
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FitzEmpress, Henry II Curtmantle, King of England
Born: 25 MAR 1133, Le Mans, Anjou Acceded: 19 DEC 1154, Westminster Abbey, London, England Died: 6 JUL 1189, Chinon Castle, France Interred: Fontevraud Abbey, France Notes: Reigned 1154-1189. He ruled an empire that stretched from the Tweed to the Pyrenees. In spite of frequent hostitilties with the French King his own family and rebellious Barons (culminating in the great revolt of 1173-74)and his quarrel with Thomas Becket, Henry maintained control over hispossessions until shortly before his death. His judicial and administrative reformswhich increased Royal control and influence at the expense of the Barons were of great constitutional importance. Introduced trial by Jury. Duke ofNormandy.
Father: Plantagenet, Geoffrey V the Fair, Count of Anjou and Maine, b. 24AUG 1113
Mother: , Matilda the Empress, Queen of England, b. ABT 1103/04
Married 18 MAY 1152, Bordeaux Cathedral, Bordeaux, France to , Eleanor ofAquitaine, Duchess of Aquitaine
Child 1: , William, Count of Poitiers, b. 17 AUG 1152 Child 2: , Henry the Young King, King of England, b. 28 FEB 1155 Child 3: , Matilda (Maud), b. JUN 1156 Child 4: , Richard I Coeur de Lion, King of England, b. 8 SEP 1157 Child 5: Plantagenet, Geoffrey II of Bretagne, Duke of Brittany, b. 23SEP 1158 Child 6: Plantagenet, Eleanor, b. 13 OCT 1162 Child 7: Plantagenet, Joan, b. OCT 1165 Child 8: , John I Lackland, King of England, b. 24 DEC 1167
Associated with Clifford, Rosamund (Joan)
Child 9: Plantagenet, Geoffrey, Archbishop of York, b. ABT 1159 Child 10: Longesp
Associated with Capet, Alisa
Child 12: , daughter Child 13: , three children
Associated with Bloet, Nesta
Child 14: , Morgan of Beverley, Provost of Beverley
Associated with de Porho
Child 15: , child, b. ABT 1168 Child 16: , Matilda of Barking, Abbess of Barking Child 17: , Hugh of Wells, Bishop of Lincoln Child 18: , Richard
For further information see also these other records
swedish2282
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Version: 10 Aug 2000
son of Geoffrey Plantagenet (Angevin) by Matilda, daughter of Henry I
Henry II "Plantagenet" King Of ENGLAND PLANTAGENET is the 22nd GreatGrandfather of Arrel Dwaine MARTIN.
Earl of Huntington and Duke of Exeter. Coronation on December 19, 1154at Westminster Abbey, England. Reigned from 1154 to 1189.
Earl of Huntington and Duke of Exeter. Coronation on December 19, 1154 at Westminster Abbey, England. Reigned from 1154 to 1189.
Acceded 19 Dec 1154 Westminister Abbey, London.
Reigned 1154-1189
Ruled an empire that stretched from the Tweed to the Pyrenees. In spite of frequent hostilities with the Frence King his own family and rebellious Braons (culminating in th great revolt of 1173-1174 and his quarrel with Thomas Becket, Henry maintai
over his possessions until shortly before his death. His judicial and administrative refgorms which increaseed Royal control and influence at the expense of the Barons were of great constitiutiona improtance.
Introduced trial by Jury. Duke of Normandy
King of England
The eldest of 3 son of Empress Matilda and Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count ofAnjou and Maine. Henry II was born at Le Mans on 25 Mar 1133 and namedafter his maternal grandfather, King Henry I. In his youth, Henry wasknown as Henry Fitz-Empress, but later he was to acquire the nickname of"Curtmantle" from the short cloak he wore at a time when muck longer oneswere in vogue in England.
Henry's father captured Normandy while Stephen was preoccupied with thewar with Matilda in England and in 1150 Henry invested with the duchy.Geoffrey died in the following year and Henry succeeded to the countriesof Anjou and Maine, laying foundation for a vast continental empire, towhich the duchy of Aquitaine was to be added following Henry's marriageat Bordeaux on 18 May 1152 to its Duchess Eleanor, whose previousmarriage to King Louis VII of France was annulled on the grounds ofconsanguinity. She was Henry's senior by about 11 years. she had gaineda reputation for frivolity and looseness of conduct when she accompaniedher first husband to the Holy Land on crusade. her relationship withHenry was tempestuous, although 5 sons and 3 daughters were born in thefirst 15 years of marriage.
The civil war in England was ended by the Treaty of Westminster in 1153and on Stephen's death in October 1154, Henry's accession was acceptedunopposed. He was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 19 Dec 1154. Eleanorwas in advanced stage of pregnancy at the time and her coronation did nottake place until 25 Dec 1158, when she was crowned at WorcesterCathedral, declaring afterwards, with reference to her first marriage, "Iam Queen of England by wrath of God".
Henry spent his first years of his reign restoring law and order to thecountry, which had suffered much under Stephen's lax rule. Henry wasassisted by his Chancellor, Thomas a Becket, who was appointed Archbishopof Canterbury in 1162, at a time when Henry was absent in France aboutaffairs of his continental possessions. After the king's return toEngland in 1163, he and Becket fell out over the question of whetherclergy who committed crimes should be tried in civil or Church courts.Becket refused to comply with Henry's wishes in this matter and wasaccordingly deprived of his revenues and exiled to France in 1164. Areconciliation was forced by the threat of a papal interdict in 1170 andBecket returned to be reinstated, though not for long. Henry'sexasperated utterance, "Will no one rid me of the turbulent priest?" ledto Becket's murder in his own cathedral by four of Henry's knights on 29Dec 1170. The king was stricken with remorse over this deed and didpublic penance at Becket's tomb, which was soon to become a shrine and aplace of pilgrimage.
Earlier in 1170 Henry had caused his second but eldest surviving son andheir, also named Henry, and then aged 15 years, to be crowned atWestminster Abbey on 14 June 1170, emulating a French practice forensuring the succession. The boy had been married since the age of 5 toMargaret, a daughter of his mother's first husband Louis VII by asubsequent wife. The French king took exception to the fact that hisdaughter had not been crowned with her husband and to called, was allowedno part in government. He rebelled against his father, but eventuallyreconciled. In 1182 he fought against his brother Richard, but on 11 Jun1183 he died of fever in France. he left no surviving issue and hiswidow married King Bela III of Hungary.
The remaining years of Henry's reign were taken up by quarrels with hissurviving sons, who were incited to rebel by their mother Queen Eleanor,from whom Henry had separated. In 1189 he received the news at Toursthat his youngest and favorite son, John was siding with his enemies.Heartbroken and prematurely aged at 56, he set out to meet King Philip IIof France. While they were speaking, still seated on their horses, aclap of thunder caused Henry's horse to rear and throw him. Badlyshaken, he was carried on a litter to the castle of Chinon, where he diedon 6 Jul 1189, calling for heaven's vengeance on his rebellious family.He was buried in the abbey church of Fontevrault, where his restoredeffigy can still be seen.
Queen Eleanor lived on for many more years and died at Fontevrault on 31Mar or 1 Apr 1204, aged about 82. She was buried next to Henry.
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King Henry II (Plantagenet), King of England, the first of the line of the Plantagenets. He was the son of Geoffrey, Count of Anjou, and the Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I. He was invested with the duchy of Normandy,by the consent of his mother,in 1150.The next year he succeeded his father in the possession of Anjou and Maine,and by a marriage with Eleanor of Guienne,the daughter of king Louis VII of France, Eleanor of Guienne was just divorced from Louis VII,King of France,annexed that province with Poitou to his other dominions.He succeeded Stephen as King of England in 1154.Although involved with his grother Geoffrey,who attempted to seize Anjou and Maine,and in a temporary dispute with France,he reigned prosperously till the memorable con- test with Thomas Becket.Anxious to dominate the clergy,Henry in 1164 summoned a general council of nobility and prelates at Clarendon,which assembly passed the famous constitutions named from that place,the effect of which was to rend- er the Church and ecclesastical dignitaries subject to the temporal authority. After the murder of Becket,Henry receded for his position and restored the Church to its rights.Being an indulgent father,Henry had assigned to each of four sons a provision out of his extensive territories.Henry II ranks among the greatest kings of England.His wisdom and love of justice were acknowledged by foreign potentates,who made him arbiter of their differences and regarded him as the first prince of the age.!SOURCE;NOTABLE SOUTHERN FAMILIES,SEE HOWARD !FAMILY,PAGES 100-119, ENCYCLOPEDIA AMERICANA AND LDS ANCESTRIAL FILES.
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