Henri II 'Curtmantle' "Duc" Plantagenêt Roi d'Angleterre (1133-1189) » Stamboom Homs

Persoonlijke gegevens Henri II 'Curtmantle' "Duc" Plantagenêt Roi d'Angleterre

Roepnaam is Duc.
Hij is geboren op 5 MAR 1133 TO ABT-03-1133 in Le Mans, Sarthe, Pays de la Loire, France.
{geni:event_description} b. 5 Mar 1133
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Henry II was born in Le Mans, France, on 5 March 1133, the first day of the traditional year.[1] His father, Geoffrey V of Anjou (Geoffrey Plantagenet), was Count of Anjou and Count of Maine. His mother, Empress Matilda, was a claimant to the English throne as the daughter of Henry I (1100–1135). He spent his childhood in his father's land of Anjou. At the age of nine, Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester took him to England where he received education from Master Matthew at Bristol.
Hij werd gedoopt in King of England, 1154-1189.
Alternatief: Hij werd gedoopt in King of England, 1154-1189.
Alternatief: Hij werd gedoopt in King of England, 1154-1189.
Alternatief: Hij werd gedoopt op 5 maart 1133 in Le Mans, Sarthe, France.
Alternatief: Hij werd gedoopt op 5 maart 1133 in Le Mans, Anjou - at local Cathedral.
Alternatief: Hij werd gedoopt op 25 maart 1133 in Le Mans, Sarthe, France.
Alternatief: Hij werd gedoopt rond 1150 in France.
Alternatief: Hij werd gedoopt rond 1150 in France.
Hij is gedoopt op 5 maart 1133 in St. Julien ChapelLe Mans, France.
Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk in SUBMITTED.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 23 april 1912.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 23 april 1912.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 23 april 1912.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 30 maart 1930.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 30 maart 1930.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 30 maart 1930.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 30 maart 1930.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 30 maart 1930.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 30 maart 1930.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 30 maart 1930.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 30 maart 1930.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 30 maart 1930.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 30 maart 1930.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 30 maart 1930.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 30 maart 1930.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 30 maart 1930.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 30 maart 1930.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 30 maart 1930.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 30 maart 1930.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 30 maart 1930.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 30 maart 1930.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 26 november 1932 in Mesa Arizona Temple, Mesa, Maricopa, Arizona, Verenigde Staten.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 26 november 1932.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 26 november 1932.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 26 november 1932.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 26 november 1932.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 26 november 1932.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 26 november 1932.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 16 februari 1993.
Alternatief: Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk op 22 juni 1993.
Beroepen:

rond 1154 TO ABT 1189 in England.
{geni:current} 0
{geni:job_title} King of England
rond 1154 TO ABT 1189 in King of England.
{geni:current} 0
{geni:job_title} First Plantagenet King of England
rond 1189 .
{geni:job_title} King of England
in England.
{geni:current} 0
{geni:job_title} King of England
.
in Count of Touraine and Maine in 1151.
in Duke of Normandy.
in Count of Maine.
{geni:current} 0
in Duke Normandy.
in King of England 19 Dec 1154-1189.
.
{geni:job_title} Comte, d'Anjou, du Maine, Duc, de Normandie, d'Aquitaine, Roi, d'Angleterre
.
{geni:job_title} King of England
.
{geni:job_title} Konung av England
in King of England.
in Count of Anjou.
{geni:current} 0
in Duke of Normandy.
{geni:current} 0
in King of England.
{geni:current} 0
in King of England 1154-1189.
{geni:current} 0
rond 1151 .
{geni:current} 0
{geni:job_title} Count of Touraine and Maine, Duke of Normandy and Count of Anjou
rond 1152 .
{geni:current} 0
{geni:job_title} Duke of Aquitaine
rond 1154 .
{geni:current} 0
{geni:job_title} King of England

Afgestudeerd rond 1142 TO ABT 1144, Master Matthew, Assistance of Adelard of BathBristol, England.
{geni:current} 0
Afgestudeerd rond 1144 TO ABT 1151, William of ConchesNormandy, France.
{geni:current} 0
Woonachtig rond 1808: .
Hij is overleden op 8 juli 1189 in Chinon Castle, near Tours, Maine Province, France.
{geni:event_description} The final thorn in Henry's side would be an alliance between his eldest son, Richard, and his greatest rival, Philip Augustus. John had become Henry's favourite son and Richard had begun to fear he was being written out of the King's inheritance.[5] In summer 1189, Richard and Philip invaded Henry's heartland of power, Anjou. The unlikely allies took northwest Touraine, attacked Le Mans and overran Maine and Tours. Defeated, Henry II met his opponents and agreed to all their demands, including paying homage to Philip for all his French possessions.

Weak, ill, and deserted by all but an illegitimate son, Geoffrey, Archbishop of York, Henry died at Chinon on 6 July 1189. His legitimate children, chroniclers record him saying, were "the real bastards."[16]. The victorious Prince Richard later paid his respects to Henry's corpse as it travelled to Fontevraud Abbey, upon which, according to Roger of Wendover, 'blood flowed from the nostrils of the deceased, as if...indignant at the presence of the one who was believed to have caused his death'. The Prince, Henry's eldest surviving son and conqueror, was crowned "by the grace of God, King Richard I of England" at Westminster on 1 September 1189.

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On June 30th he was struck down by fever, yet on July 4th set out to meet Philip of France at Colombieres. While the two Kings spoke, still mounted, a sudden thunder clap caused Henrys' horse to rear & throw him. He made his peace with Philip & was carried in a litter to the Castle of Chinon. Nearing his end Henry asked to be carried before the altar of the castle church where, deliriously cursing the day he was born, he suffered a violent hemorrhage & died immediately.
Hij is begraven op 8 juli 1189 in Fontevrault Abbey, Fontevrault, Maine-Et-Loire, France.
{geni:event_description} Province of Maine-et-Loire. While he lay in state he was outfitted with gold crown, gauntlets on his hand & a gold ring on his finger. He held the sceptre & wore gold-braided shoes & spurs on his feet. Girded with his sword & his face was uncovered. As reported by Ralph of Diceto, Epitome of Chronicles, 1189, when Henry's son, John, appeared blood from the dead King's nostrils began to flow as if a sign of his spirits indignation. His effigy, though stylized, gives some impression of his appearance.
Een kind van Geoffroy V 'le Bel' d'Anjou en Mathilda (Adelaïde) of Scotland
Deze gegevens zijn voor het laatst bijgewerkt op 13 maart 2012.

Gezin van Henri II 'Curtmantle' "Duc" Plantagenêt Roi d'Angleterre

Hij is getrouwd met Aliénor d'Aquitaine.

Zij zijn getrouwd op 18 mei 1152 te Bordeaux, Gironde, Aquitaine, France.

{geni:event_description} Henry & Eleanor were cousins. Henry was her 2nd husband. We'll assume Eleanor was Henry's first wife for right now as he had many concubines before & after his marriage to Eleanor.

Kind(eren):

Aliénor d'Angleterre 1162-1214
Jean I 'Sans Terre' Plantagenêt 1167-1216

Notities over Henri II 'Curtmantle' "Duc" Plantagenêt Roi d'Angleterre

Do we have a date in 1203 as to when Joan was sent to England from Normandy? This would be interesting and possibly enlightening - John himself was in Normandy during most of that year, in Le Mans in January but then moving into Normandy near Argentan and not leaving Normandy (although this time, for good) on 5 December. As recorded by Giraldus Cambrensis and the author of the Histoire de Guillaume le Marechal, John was clearly in the process of losing hold of Normandy during that year, so it would seem Joan's relocation to England was part of the overall process of collapse.

As to the issue of Henry I's issue, it may be that he thought the alliances of his illegitimate brood would not complicate the matter of succession - however, immediate prior history does not mesh well with this presumption. The 70-year period preceding Henry I's death involved several problematic dynastic problems:

A. The forceful taking of the English throne by a bastard (his own father);

B. The lengthy contest for the throne between two brothers (his own, being Robert 'Curthose' and William 'Rufus')

C. His own acquisition of the English throne on the death of William 'Rufus', in place of his absent elder brother Robert, in 1100 [the resolution of their claims not being decided except on the field of battle in 1106, at Tinchebrai].

Henry I's evident desire was for the succession of his son (or at least one of his sons), and failing that, the succession of his daughter Matilda. He knew full well, little was guaranteed as to the English succession, else he would not have required baronial agreement to Matilda's succession before his death. Do we know, in the event of Matilda's death, that he would not prefer the accession of his son Robert (the bastard known as Robert de Caen, the Earl of Gloucester) over any available nephew ?

Best regards, John P. Ravilious (XXXXX@XXXX.XXX)

GIVN Henry II
SURN Plantagenet
NSFX King of England
AFN 8WKP-WF
_PRIMARY Y
ID: I2102
Name: *Henry Plantagenet , II, King of England
Sex: M
Birth: 5 Mar 1132/33 in Le Mans, Maine, Anjou Orleanis, France
Death: 6 Jul 1189 in Chinon, Indre-et-Lr, France
Note:
Burial: 8 Jul 1189 Fontevrault Abbe, Mel, France
Skiles F. Montague, 1016 Main Street, Darby, Pennsylvania 19023
610-461-6861, (XXXXX@XXXX.XXX)
Henry II
1154-1189
Henry was born in 1133 and was married to
Eleanor, Duchess of
Aquitaine immediately after her divorce from
Louis VII, King of France.
They had nine children: William, Henry,
Matilda, Richard, Geoffrey,
Philip, Eleanor, Joan and John.
Henry was the first of fourteen hereditary
kings, who were later refered to
in the history oracles as Plantagenets. Henry
was the son of the Count of
Anjou, whose family emblem was the 'plante
genet', a yellow flowering
broom.
It was with the land bequeathed by the Count
to Henry and his auspicious
marriage to Eleanor, which gained him a vast
amount of lands in France.
These lands exceeded the lands owned in France
by the King of France,
himself. In those times, the King of France ruled from Paris
and its surrounding areas.
Henry had lands reaching for 1000 miles, and it was this vast
domain, which was called the Angevin Empire. Henry was the first
king to demonstrate that he was truly a sovereign, and he ended all the
anarchy and demonstration of strengths throughout his lands. He devoted
himself to the internal security of his land and promoted domestic and
foreign trade. Productivity doubled during his reign. He revolutionised
the law system, and even sat over cases himself. He was a notable lawye
and he built up the system of English Common Law, and began to develop
the traditional jury system. He was a gifted administrator.
Henry's notable failure was his attempt to curb the power and
strength of the Church, particularly
in the case of Thomas Beckett, who had been his wild pal until he was
made Archbishop of Canterbury. His death did little for Henry's
popularity.
He was unfortunate in love, relentlessly and romantically
pursuing the hand of his wife, Eleanor,
who became a selfish spoilt lady, and who turned her sons against their
own father. A rebellion by the eldest son, Henry was crushed, and Elean
was placed under house arrest for fifteen years. The other brothers
placed continual pressure on their father, in alliances with the King of
France. Henry died a lonely and griefstricken man deserted by all of
those he had loved and honoured.
Father: *Geoffrey de Gatinais , of Anjou b: 24 Aug 1113 in Anjou, France
Mother: *Matilda Alice , Emperess b: 5 Aug 1102 in Winchester, Hampshire, England
Marriage 1 *Alice Capet , Princess b: 1170 in France
Marriage 2 *Eleanor de Pointiers b: 1122
Married: 11 May 1152 in Bordeaux, Gironde, France
Children
*John Plantagenet , I, King of England b: 24 Dec 1166 in Beaumont Castle, Oxford, Osfordshire, England
*Eleanor Plantagenet b: 13 Oct 1162 in Domfront, Normandy, France
Geoffrey Plantagenet , Duke of Brittany b: 23 Sep 1158
Henry Plantagenet b: 28 Feb 1154/55 in Bermondsey, London, England
Richard Plantagenet , 1, King of England b: 8 Sep 1157 in Beaumont Castle, Oxford, Osfordshire, England
Matilda Plantagenet b: 1156 in London, England
William Plantagenet b: 20 Aug 1153 in Rouen, Normandy, France
Joanne Plantagenet b: Oct 1165 in Angers, Normandy, France
DATE 9 OCT 2000
TIME 21:59:47

(Research):Henry II Encyclopædia Britannica Article born 1133, Le Mans, Maine died July 6, 1189, near Tours Henry II, (left), disputing with Thomas Becket (centre), miniature from a 14th-century manuscript; ¼ By courtesy of the trustees of the British Library byname Henry Of Anjou, Henry Plantagenet, Henry Fitzempress , or Henry Curtmantle (Short Mantle) duke of Normandy (from 1150), count of Anjou (from 1151), duke of Aquitaine (from 1152), and king of England (from 1154), who greatly expanded his Anglo-French domains and strengthened the royal 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 John Lackland) ultimately brought about his defeat. Early life. After receiving a good literary education, part of it in England, Henry became duke of Normandy in 1150 and count of Anjou on the death of his father, Geoffrey Plantagenet, in 1151. Although the claim of his mother, Matilda, daughter of Henry I, to the English crown had been set aside by her cousin, King Stephen, in 1152, Henry advanced his fortunes by marrying the beautiful and talented Eleanor, recently divorced from King Louis VII of France, who brought with her hand the lordship of Aquitaine. Henry invaded England in 1153, and King Stephen agreed to accept him as coadjutor and heir. When Stephen died the following year Henry succeeded without opposition, thus becoming lord of territories stretching from Scotland to the Pyrenees. The young king lacked visible majesty. Of stocky build, with freckled face, close-cut tawny hair, and gray eyes, he dressed carelessly and grew to be bulky; but his personality commanded attention and drew men to his service. He could be a good companion, with ready repartee in a jostling crowd, but he displayed at times the ungovernable temper of a furious animal 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 the work of a cool realist. In his long reign of 34 years he spent an aggregate of only 14 in England. Reign. His career may be considered in three aspects: the defense and enlargement of his dominions, the involvement in two lengthy and disastrous personal quarrels, and his lasting administrative and judicial reforms. His territories are often called the Angevin Empire. This is a misnomer, for Henry's sovereignty rested upon various titles, and there was no institutional or legal bond between different regions. Some, indeed, were under the feudal overlordship of the king of France. By conquest, through diplomacy, and through the marriages of two of his sons, he gained acknowledged possession of what is now the west of France from the northernmost part of Normandy to the Pyrenees, near Carcassonne. During his reign, the dynastic marriages of three daughters gave him political influence in Germany, Castile, and Sicily. His continental dominions brought him into contact with Louis VII of France, the German emperor Frederick I (Barbarossa), and, for much of the reign, Pope Alexander III. With Louis the relationship was ambiguous. Henry had taken Louis's former wife and her rich heritage. He subsequently acquired the Vexin in Normandy 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 the French king, who, for his part, gave shelter and comfort to Henry's enemy, Thomas Becket, the archbishop of Canterbury. The feud with Louis implied friendly relations with Germany, where Henry was helped by his mother's first marriage to the emperor Henry V but hindered by Frederick's maintenance of an antipope, the outcome of a disputed papal election in 1159. Louis supported Alexander III, whose case was strong, and Henry became arbiter of European opinion. Though acknowledging Alexander, he continued throughout the Becket controversy to threaten transference of allegiance to Frederick's antipope, thus impeding Alexander's freedom of action. Early in his reign Henry obtained from Malcolm III of Scotland homage and the restoration of Northumberland, Cumberland, and Westmorland, and later in the reign (1174) homage was exacted from William the Lion, Malcolm's brother and successor. In 1157 Henry invaded Wales and received homage, though without conquest. In Ireland, reputedly bestowed upon him by Pope Adrian IV, Henry allowed an expedition of barons from South Wales to establish Anglo-Norman supremacy in Leinster (1169), which the King himself extended in 1171. His remarkable achievements were impaired, however, by the stresses caused 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 of Canterbury (May 1162; see Becket, Saint Thomas). It led to a complete severance of relations and to the Archbishop's voluntary exile. Besides disrupting the public life of the church, this situation embroiled Henry with Louis VII and Alexander III; and, though it seemingly did little to hamper Henry's activities, the time and service spent in negotiations and embassies was considerable, and the tragic denouement in Becket's murder earned for Henry a good deal of damaging opprobrium. More dangerous were the domestic quarrels, which thwarted Henry's plans and even endangered his life and which finally brought him down in sorrow and shame. Throughout his adult life Henry's sexual morality was lax; but his relations with Eleanor, 11 years his senior, were for long tolerably harmonious, and, between 1153 and 1167, she bore him eight children. Of these, the four sons who survived infancy_Henry, Geoffrey, Richard, and John_repaid his genuine affection with resentment toward their father and discord among themselves. None was blameless, but the cause of the quarrels was principally Henry's policy of dividing his dominions among his sons while reserving real authority for himself. In 1170 he crowned his eldest son, Henry, as co-regent with himself; but in fact the young king had no powers and resented his nonentity, and in 1173 he opposed his father's proposal to find territories for the favoured John (Lackland) at the expense of Geoffrey. Richard joined the protest of the others and was supported by Eleanor. There was a general revolt of the baronage in England and Normandy, supported by Louis VII in France and William the Lion in Scotland. Henry's prestige was at a low ebb after the murder of Becket and recent taxation, but he reacted energetically, settled matters in Normandy and Brittany, and crossed to England, where fighting had continued for a year. On July 12, 1174, he did public penance at Canterbury. The next day the King of Scots was taken at Alnwick, and three weeks later Henry had suppressed the rebellion in England. His sons were pardoned, but Eleanor was kept in custody until her husband died. A second rebellion flared up in 1181 with a quarrel between his sons Henry and Richard over the government of Aquitaine, but young Henry died in 1183. In 1184 Richard quarrelled with John, who had been ordered to take 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 a coalition against him of Richard and the young Philip II Augustus, who had succeeded his father, Louis VII, as king of France. Henry was defeated and forced to give way, and news that John also had joined his enemies hastened the King's death near Tours in 1189. In striking contrast to the checkered pattern of Henry's wars and schemes, his governance of England displays a careful and successful adaptation of means to a single end_the control of a realm served by the best administration in Europe. This success was obscured for contemporaries and later historians by the varied and often dramatic interest of political and personal events, and not until the 19th century_when the study of the public records began and when legal history was illuminated by the British jurist Frederic William Maitland and his followers_did the administrative genius of Henry and his servants appear in its true light. At the beginning of his reign Henry found England in disorder, with royal authority ruined by civil war and the violence of feudal magnates. His first task was to crush the unruly elements and restore firm government, using the existing institutions of government, with which the Anglo-Norman monarchy was well provided. Among these was the King's council of barons, with its inner group of ministers who were both judges and accountants and who sat at the Exchequer, into which the taxes and dues of the shires were paid by the King's local representative, the sheriff (shire-reeve). The council contained an unusually able group of men_some of them were great barons, such as Richard de Lucy and Robert de Beaumont, earl of Leicester; others included civil servants, such as Nigel, bishop of Ely, Richard Fitzneale, and his son, Richard of Ilchester. Henry took a personal interest in the technique of the Exchequer, which was described at length for posterity in the celebrated Dialogus de scaccario, whose composition seemed to Maitland "one of the most wonderful things of Henry's wonderful reign." How far these royal servants were responsible for the innovations of the reign cannot be known, though the development in practice continued steadily, even during the King's long absences abroad. In the early months of the reign the King, using his energetic and versatile chancellor Becket, beat down the recalcitrant barons and their castles and began to restore order to the country and to the various forms of justice. It was thus, a few years later, that he came into conflict with the bishops, then led by Becket, over the alleged right of clerics to be tried for crime by an ecclesiastical court. A result of this was the celebrated collection of decrees_the Constitutions of Clarendon (1164)_which professed to reassert the ancestral rights of the King over the church in such matters as clerical immunity, appointment of bishops, custody of vacant sees, excommunication, and appeals to Rome. The Archbishop, after an initial compliance, refused to accept these, and they were throughout the controversy a block to an agreement. The quarrel touched what was to be the King's chief concern_the country's judicial system. Anglo-Saxon England had two courts of justice_that of the hundred, a division of the shire, for petty offenses, and that of the shire, presided over by the sheriff. The feudal regime introduced by the Normans added courts of the manor and of the honour (a complex of estates). Above all stood the royal right to set up courts for important pleas and to hear, either in person or through his ministers, any appeal. Arrest was a local responsibility, usually hard upon a flagrant crime. A doubt of guilt was settled by ordeal by battle; the accused in the shire underwent tests held to reveal God's judgment. Two developments had come in since William the Conqueror's day: the occasional mission of royal justices into the shires and the occasional use of a jury of local notables as fact 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 of presentment," were bound to declare on oath whether any local man was a robber or murderer. Trial of those accused was reserved to the King's justices, and prisons for those awaiting trial were to be erected at the King's expense. This provided a system of criminal investigation for the whole country, with a reasonable verdict probable because the firm accusation of the jury entailed exile even if the ordeal acquitted the accused. In feudal courts the trial by battle could be avoided by the establishment of a concord, or fine. This system presupposed regular visits by the King's justices on circuit (or, in the technical phrase, "on eyre"), and these tours became part of the administration of the country. The justices formed three groups: one on tour, one "on the bench" at Westminster, and one with the King when the court was out of London. Those at Westminster dealt with private pleas and cases sent up from the justices on eyre. Equally effective were the "possessory assizes." In the feudal world, especially in times of turmoil, violent ejections and usurpations were common, with consequent vendettas and violence. Pleas brought to feudal courts could be delayed or altogether frustrated. As a remedy Henry established the possessory writ, an order from the Exchequer, directing the sheriff to convene a sworn local jury at petty assize to establish the fact of dispossession, whereupon the sheriff had to reinstate the defendant pending a subsequent trial at the grand assize to establish the rights of the case. This was the writ of Novel Disseisin (i.e., recent dispossession). This writ was returnable; if the sheriff failed to achieve reinstatement, he had to summon the defendant to appear before the King's justices and himself be present with the writ. A similar writ of Mort d'Ancestor decided whether the ancestor of a plaintiff had in fact possessed the estate, whereas that of Darrein Presentment (i.e., last presentation) decided who in fact had last presented a parson to a particular benefice. All these writs gave rapid and clear verdicts subject to later revision. The fees enriched the treasury, and recourse to the courts both extended the King's control and discouraged irregular self-help. Two other practices developed by Henry became permanent. One was scutage, the commutation of military service for a money payment; the other was the obligation, put on all free men with a property qualification by the Assize of Arms (1181), to possess arms suitable to their station. The ministers who engaged upon these reforms took a fully professional interest in the business they handled, as may be seen in Fitzneale's writing on the Exchequer and that of the chief justiciar, Ranulf de Glanville, on the laws of England; and many of the expedients adopted by the King may have been suggested by them. In any case, the long-term results were very great. By the multiplication of a class of experts in finance and law Henry did much to establish two great professions, and the location of a permanent court at Westminster and the character of its business 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's decrees ensured that the judge-and-jury combination would become normal and that the jury would gradually supplant ordeal and battle as being responsible for the verdict. Finally, the increasing use of scutage, and the availability of the royal courts for private suits, were effective agents in molding the feudal monarchy into a monarchical bureaucracy before 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, Peter of Blois, and others knew him well and left their impressions. All agreed on his outstanding ability and striking personality and also recorded his errors and aspects of his character that appear contradictory, whereas modern historians agree upon the difficulty of reconciling its main features. Without deep religious or moral conviction, Henry nevertheless was respected by three contemporary saints, Aelred of Rievaulx, Gilbert of Sempringham, and Hugh of Lincoln. Normally an approachable and faithful friend and master, he could behave with unreasonable inhumanity. His conduct and aims were always self-centred, but he was neither a tyrant nor an odious egoist. Both as man and ruler he lacked the stamp of greatness that marked Alfred the Great and William the Conqueror. He seemed also to lack wisdom and serenity; and he had no comprehensive view of the country's interest, no ideals of kingship, no sympathetic care for his people. But if his reign is to be judged by its consequences for England, it undoubtedly stands high in importance, and Henry, as its mainspring, appears among the most notable of English kings.

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:
Source: University of Hull, Directory of Royal Genealogical Data
http://www.dcs.hull.ac.uk/public/genealogy/royal/

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 his possessions
until shortly before his death. His judicial and administrative reforms which
increased Royal control and influence at the expense of the Barons were of
great constitutional importance. Introduced trial by Jury. Duke of Normandy.

Father: Plantagenet, Geoffrey V the Fair, Count of Anjou and Maine, b. 24 AUG 1113
[AD note: there were rumors than King Stephen was actually Henry's father - see Thomas Costain's book "The Conquering Family"]

Mother: , Matilda the Empress, Queen of England, b. ABT 1103/04

Married 18 MAY 1152, Bordeaux Cathedral, Bordeaux, France to , Eleanor of Aquitaine, Duchess of Aquitaine - children of this marriage:

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. 23 SEP 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

Source #2: Gary Boyd Roberts, "The Royal Descents of 500 Immigrants to the American Colonies or the United States, Who Were Themselves Notable or Left Descendants Notable in American History" (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co, Inc., 2001) pp. 350-351

Source #3: Frederick Lewis Weis, "Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700" - Seventh Edition, with additions and corrections by Walter Lee Sheppard, Jr., assisted by Davis Faris (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co, 1995), p. 3

Source #4: Douglas Richardson, "Plantagenet Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families" (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., 2004), pp. 108-109

BIOGRAPHY: King of England from 25 Oct 1154 to 6 Jul 1189.

King of England, Crowned in 1154

aka Henry Curtmantel

"Henry II succeeded by hereditary right, as the heir of his grandfather.He had already conquered Normandy; he inherited his father's country ofAnjou; by a spectacular marriage with Eleanor of Aquitaine, he addedcontrol of that extensive duchy. His fron tiers stretched from Berwickto the Pyrenees, but of course, for all his lands south of the Channel hewas vassal of the King of France. His father's ancesto rs had beencounts of Anjou, and may originally have come from Brittany; the na mePlantagenet, which has become attached to the dynasty, derives from thetrad itional use of broom as a badge. Henry II was a strong, as well asmobile, kin g with a powerful interest in all forms of law andgovernment; his judges toure d the land and by the end of his reign therewas what could be called a "common law". None the less his rule wasoften exercised by force and favour; there w ere occasional risingsagainst him and at the end of his life he had troubles w ith his sons."

"Ruling Dynasties and the Great Families, " Michael Maclag an, THEENGLISH WORLD[New Cunard.ged]

[smithgen.ged]

First monarch of the house of Anjou, or Plantagenet, an importantadministrative reformer, who was one of the most powerful European rulersof his time. By the death of his father in 1151, Henry inherited the Angevinterritories in France and with his marriage in 1152 to Eleanor ofAquitaine he added vast territories in southwestern France to hispossessions. Henry claimed the English kingship through his mother,Matilda (1102-67). She had been designated the heiress of Henry I buthad been deprived of the succession by her cousin, Stephen of Blois, whomade himself king. In 1153 Henry defeated Stephen's armies in Englandand compelled the king to choose him as his successor; on Stephen'sdeath, the following year, Henry became king. During the first few yearsof his reign Henry quelled the disorders that had developed duringStephen's reign, regained the northern counties of England, which hadpreviously been ceded to Scotland, and conquered North Wales. In 1171-72he began the Norman conquest of Ireland and in 1174 forced William theLion, king of the Scots, to recognize him as overlord. In 1164 Henrybecame involved in a quarrel with Thomas Becket, whom he had appointedarchbishop of Canterbury. By the Constitutions of Clarendon, the kingdecreed that priests accused of crimes should be tried in royal courts;Becket claimed that such cases should be handled by ecclesiasticalcourts, and the controversy that followed ended in 1170 with Becket'smurder by four of Henry's knights. Widespread indignation over themurder forced the king to rescind his decree and recognize Becket as amartyr. Although he failed to subject the church to lhis courts, Henry'sjudicial reforms were of lasting significance. In England he establisheda centralized system of justice accessible to all freemen andadministered by judges who traveled around the country at regularintervals. He also began the process of replacing the old trial bllyordeal with modern court procedures. From the beginning of his reign,Henry was involved in conflict with Louis VII, king of France, and laterwith Louis's successor, Philip II, over the French provinces that Henryclaimed. A succession of rebellions against Henry, headed by his sonsand furthered by Philip II and by Eleanor of Aquitaine, began in 1173 andcontinued until lhis death at Chinon, France, on July 6, 1189. Henry wassucceeded by his son Richard I "The Lion Hearted".

Name Prefix: King Name Suffix: II, Of England Ruled 1154-1189 Thefirst of the ANGEVIN Kings. By marrying Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine in 1152, he acquired vast lands in France. His policy of establishing royal authorityin England led to Thomas A. Becket's murder.

first monarch of the house ofAnjou, or Plantagenet, an important administrative reformer, who was one of the most powerful European rulers of his time. --------------- Henry II., Kingof England, first of the Plantagenet line, was the eldest son of Geoffrey, Earlof Anjou, and his wife, the ex-Empress Maud , daughter of HenryI., and was born at Mans, in March, 1133. He received his education in England,under the care of his uncle Robert, Earl of Gloucester. On the death of his father, in 1151, he succeeded to the earldom of Anjou, Touraine, and Maine, and in the following year, by his marriage with Eleanor of Aquitaine, the divorced wife of Louis VII. of France, he became possessor of the duchy of Aquitaine or Guienne. The same year he invaded England, but a treaty was concluded, in 1153,by which it was agreed that he should succeed to the throne of England on the death of Stephen . This event took place in October, 1154, and Henry was crowned without opposition at Westminster, in December. His first measures were directed to the redress of the disorders and anarchy which had prevailed in the reign of Stephen. He seized and destroyed most of the baronial castles; dismissed the foreign troops; renewed the charter granted by Henry I. ; andresumed most of the lands which had been alienated from the crown by Stephen. On the death of his brother Geoffrey he claimed and got possession of Nantes,and was thus master of the whole western coast of France. His attempt on Toulouse, in 1159, involved him in a war with the King of France, which was only terminated two years later. In 1162 Thomas a Becket was elected Archbishop of Canterbury, and the great struggle between the civil and ecclesiastical powers began, which resulted in the Constitutions of Clarendon, the exile and murder of Becket, war with France, the king's penance at Becket's tomb, and the repeal of the Constitutions. In 1171 Henry invaded Ireland, and, under the authority of abull of Pope Adrian IV., which had been published in 1156, effected a conquestof that island. The remaining years of his reign were embittered by the numerous revolts of his sons, instigated by their mother. Eleanor, whose jealousy was excited by the king's affection for Fair Rosamond, attempted to follow her sons to the court of France, but was seized and imprisoned during Henry's life. The King of Scotland, who supported the rebellion of the young princes, was taken prisoner at Alnwick, in 1174, but was released after a few months, on doing homage to Henry. A formal reconciliation with the princes took place, but was followed by a fresh revolt and civil war. Prince Henry, who, as heir-apparent, had been crowned in 1170, died in France, in 1183. Geoffrey was killed at a tournament, two years later; and John joined his brother Richard in a new rebellionagainst their father, in which they were aided by Philip Augustus.

The oldking was prostrated by sickness, and the revolt of his youngest son John was the last and fatal blow from which he could not recover. He died at Chinon, July6, 1189, and was buried at Foutevraud. Notwithstanding the conflicting estimates of the character and measures of Henry II., viewed as the champion of state supremacy, it is evident that he was a man of powerful intellect superior education, great energy, activity, and decisiveness, and also of impetuous passions.Ruling almost despotically, he greatly diminished the power of the nobles, andthus relieved the people of their intolerable tyranny. Good order and just administration of the laws were established and the practice of holding the assizeswas introduced. He revived the trial by jury in

Name Prefix: Count Name Suffix: Vi, Of Nantes

Alias: King Henry II "Curtmantle" /Plantagenet/ REFERENCE: 1976

Henry was king of England 1154-1189.

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OCCU King of England

Henry II (1133-1189) was the son of Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, and a grandson of Henry I. He became king in 1154, the first English ruler of the Plantagenet family.
At the height of his power, Henry ruled England and almost all western France. His marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine, the most famous woman of the age, brought the duchy of Aquitaine under his control. Henry also claimed to rule Scotland, Wales, and eastern Ireland.
Henry II carried on his grandfather's policy of limiting the power of the nobles. He also tried to make the Roman Catholic Church in England submit to his authority. This policy brought

Line 16886 from GEDCOM File not recognizable or too long:
NOTE Henry II (1133-1189) was the son of Geoffrey Plantagenet, CONT him into conflict with Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury.
him into conflict with Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury.
Four of the king's knights murdered Becket while he was at vespers in his cathedral.
Henry made Anglo-Saxon common law, rather than the revised Roman law, the supreme law of the land. He introduced trial by jury and circuit courts. In his later years, Henry's sons often rebelled against him. Two of them, Richard the Lion-Hearted and John, became the next two kings of England.

[v37t1235.ftw]

Facts about this person:

Fact 1December 19, 1154
Acceded: Westminster Abbey, London, England

Fact 2
Interred: Fontevraud Abbey, France

http://www.geocities.com/brbrooks99/gen17.html

Called Curt Mantel.
Henry II was the first of three sons born to Matilda and Geoffrey of Anjou on 4 March 1133. Raised in his father's dominion, he did not visit English shores until 1142. At that time England, split in a vicious civil war, was divided into areas controlled by Matilda, the daughter of Henry I, and those controlled by Stephen, grandson of William the Conqueror. The nine-year old Henry returned quickly to the safety of anjou.
In 1147, as a fourteen-year-old boy, Henry returned to England with a small band of mercenaries to take up his mother's cause in the civil war. The excursion was against his mother's wishes and better judgement. When Henry found himself out of money, Matilda refused to help him. So, with the brashness that would be Henry's trademark, he applied to his enemy, Stephen, for help; and with the characteristic lack of ruthlessness that would be Stephen's undoing, he gave Henry the money to pay off his mercenaries and go home. By 1151 Henry was lord of Normandy and anjou. The following year he married Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the most desirable women in Europe. Eleanor was recently divorced from Louis VII of France, after fourteen years of marriage and failure to bear him son.
Midwinter of 1153, Henry crossed the Channel and surprised Stephen. The English barons were, by this time, convinced that the only way to end the bitter war was to have Stephen declare Henry as his successor. The death of Stephen's son, Eustace, brought the end of Stephen's resistance. The Treaty of Westminster left Stephen on the throne, but declared Henry his successor. When Stephen died, less than a year later, Henry ascended the throne unopposed. Now, with a kingdom that stretched from the Scottish border to the Pyrenees, he was the greatest prince in Europe. But his heart remained in anjou, the land of his father.
Throughout the first years of Henry's reign, his attention was divided between England and anjou. He first set out to destroy those lands and castles granted without royal license during Stephen's reign. He also reestablished overlordship of Scotland and Wales which was a relationship lost during Stephen's reign. His attention soon turned back to his homeland and an attempt to establish overlordship of Toulouse, a region included in his wife's inheritance. However, the most significant (and certainly most famous) story of Henry's reign began in 1162. That year Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury died. This very important clerical post was open for over a year, when in June, 1162, Henry appointed Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury. Becket at the time was Chancellor and well respected, but a very good friend to the King, maybe too much so, his critics claimed. He was also not known for his charity. A story told by William FitzStephen, a friend and biographer of Becket, illustrates not only Becket's friendship with Henry, but his reputation as less that charitable:
One day they were riding together through the streets of London. It was a hard winter and the king noticed an old man coming towards them, poor and clad in a thin ragged coat. 'Do you see that man?' said the king. 'Yes, I see him', replied Becket. 'How poor his is, how frail, and how scantily clad!' said the king. 'Would it not be an act of charity to give him a thick warm coat?' 'It would indeed; and right that you should attend to it my king.'
But the world underestimated Thomas Becket. Fully aware of public opinion, Becket decided he would be a good Archbishop, perhaps even a great one. Some contemporaries claim he actually had a conversion. Whatever the reason, Becket went out of his way to oppose the King. It did not take Henry long to regret his decision. The issue that brought Henry and Becket to the brink of their destinies was and old one--what to do with a churchman that breaks the laws of England. Like many layman, Henry wanted criminous clerks defrocked and tried by a lay court. Becket, of course, felt clerics should be tried in ecclesiastical courts. At Clarendon, Henry presented the bishops of England, led by Archbishop Becket, with a statement of the King's customary rights over the church. Becket argued for two days, but finally, with the bishops in tow, gave in. No sooner was the ink dry, then Becket changed his mind. In desperation, Henry had Becket arrested on false charges, found guilty, and forced to forfeit all estates. In despair, Becket fled across the Channel.
For the next five years Becket remained in exile and Henry concentrated on other matters. He conquered Brittainy and overhauled the English legal system. (His reforms were revolutionary. The father of English common law, Henry made innovations manifest today in the form of localized and complex government.) But in 1170, Becket returned to England. Tales of his outrageous behavior and continued opposition to the King wasted no time in finding their way to Henry in Normandy. "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?" Henry allegedly shouted. True or not, Henry undoubtedly did mumble some words of frustration, and in response four of Henry's knights went looking for Becket. They found him at Canterbury Cathedral where Becket had gone to hear evening vespers. They first struck him with the flat of a sword. According to William FitzStephen, the warning, "Fly, you are a dead man," was shouted by one of the attackers, but Becket resisted and was brutally murdered.
By all contemporary accounts, Henry appears to have been horrified by the actions of his knights. A friend of the king, Arnulf, Bishop of Lisieux wrote the following:
The king burst into loud lamentations and exchanged his royal robes for sackcloth and ashes, behaving more like a friend than the sovereign of the dead man. At times he fell into a stupor, after which he would again utter groans and cries louder and more bitter than before. For three whole days he remained shut in his chamber and would neither take food nor admit anyone to comfort him, until it seemed from the excess of his grief that he had determined to contrive his own death.
While Henry mourned, the rest of Christiandom was outraged. Becket, canonized in record time, became a symbol of resistance against oppressive authority. Henry did penitence for his role in Becket's death, but he ordered the Bishop of London to declare in a sermon that he had not commanded Becket's death. After the storm died down it became apparent that despite the scandal, Henry was at the height of his power. The real threat would come from his family.
Henry was plagued with rebellious sons. Henry the Younger, the oldest son, was actually crowned successor in 1169, but wanted more than just a title. Richard and John felt left out all together, and spurred on by Eleanor, Henry's wife, launched one plot after another. However, the Young King Henry died in 1183, leaving Richard the oldest surviving son, poised for the succession. But Henry's preference for John was obvious. Richard, pushed to the point of open rebellion, joined with Philip II of France in an attempt to destroy the Angevin empire and Henry. In July, 1189, with his health failing, Henry accepted a humiliating peace. When given a list of names of those who had fought against him, he was shocked to find John's name among them. He turned his face away and according his his chroniclers said, "Enough; now let things go as they may; I care no more for myself or for the world ... Shame, shame on a conquered king." A month later Henry died.
Biographical information from The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England, ed. Antonia Frasier , The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy, ed. John Cannon and Ralph Griffiths, and The Oxford Book of Royal Anecdotes, ed. Elizabeth Longford.

Henry II (of England) (1133-89), king of England (1154-89), first monarch of the house of Anjou, or Plantagenet, an important administrative reformer, who was one of the most powerful European rulers of his time.

Born March 5, 1133, at Le Mans, France, Henry became duke of Normandy in 1151. The following year, on the death of his father, he inherited the Angevin territories in France. By his marriage in 1152 to Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry added vast territories in southwestern France to his possessions. Henry claimed the English kingship through his mother, Matilda (1102-67). She had been designated the heiress of Henry I but had been deprived of the succession by her cousin, Stephen of Blois, who made himself king. In 1153 Henry defeated Stephen's armies in England and compelled the king to choose him as his successor; on Stephen's death, the following year, Henry became king. During the first few years of his reign Henry quelled the disorders that had developed during Stephen's reign, regained the northern counties of England, which had previously been ceded to Scotland, and conquered North Wales. In 1171-72 he began the Norman conquest of Ireland and in 1174 forced William the Lion, king of the Scots, to recognize him as overlord.

In 1164 Henry became involved in a quarrel with Thomas à Becket, whom he had appointed archbishop of Canterbury. By the Constitutions of Clarendon, the king decreed that priests accused of crimes should be tried in royal courts; Becket claimed that such cases should be handled by ecclesiastical courts, and the controversy that followed ended in 1170 with Becket's murder by four of Henry's knights. Widespread indignation over the murder forced the king to rescind his decree and recognize Becket as a martyr.

Although he failed to subject the church to his courts, Henry's judicial reforms were of lasting significance. In England he established a centralized system of justice accessible to all freemen and administered by judges who traveled around the country at regular intervals. He also began the process of replacing the old trial by ordeal with modern court procedures.

From the beginning of his reign, Henry was involved in conflict with Louis VII, king of France, and later with Louis's successor, Philip II, over the French provinces that Henry claimed. A succession of rebellions against Henry, headed by his sons and furthered by Philip II and by Eleanor of Aquitaine, began in 1173 and continued until his death at Chinon, France, on July 6, 1189. Henry was succeeded by his son Richard I, called Richard the Lion-Hearted.

"Henry II (of England)," Microsoft (R) Encarta. Copyright (c) 1993 Microsoft Corporation. Copyright (c) 1993 Funk & Wagnall's Corporation

19 DEC 1154 Recognized as King of England upon death of King Stephen
Event: Ancestor M
Note:
Henry II was born at Le Mans in 1133. He was the eldest son of the Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I, by her second marriage to Geoffreythe Fair of Anjou. His parents' marriage was tempestous, and both parties were glad when politics brought a separation, with Matilda going to England to fight King Stephen, and Geoffrey of Normandy to win a heritage for young Henry.
He first came to England at the age of nine when his mother made her dramatic escape from Oxford where she was besieged by Stephen, across the ice and snow, dressed all in white, to welcome him at Wallingford.His next visit, when he was fourteen, showed his character: he recruited a small army of mercenaries to cross over and fight Stephen in England, but failed so miserably in the execution of his plans that he ended up borrowing money from Stephen to get back home. A third expedition, two years later, was almost as great a failure. Henry was not a soldier, his were skills of administration and diplomacy; warfare bored and sometimes frightened him. For the meanwhile he now concentrated onNormandy, of which his father had made him joint ruler. In 1151, the year of his father's death, he went to Paris to do homage to Louis VIIfor his duchy. There he met Queen Eleanor, and she fell in love with him.
Henry was by no means averse. To steal a king's wife does a great deal for the ego of a young duke; he was as lusty as she, and late in their lives he was still ardently wenching with 'the fair Rosamund' Clifford, and less salubrious girls with names like 'Bellebelle'; finally,she would bring with her the rich Duchy of Aquitaine, which she held in her own right. With this territory added to those he hoped to inherit and win, his boundaries would be Scotland in the north, and the Pyrenees in the south.
Henry was, apart from his prospects, a 'catch' for any woman. He was intelligent, had learned Latin and could read and possibly write; immensely strong and vigorous, a sportsman and hard rider who loved travel; emotional and passionate, prone to tears and incredible rages; carelessly but richly dressed, worried enough in later life to conceal hisbaldness by careful arrangement of his hair, and very concerned not to grow fat.
But now he was in the prime of youth, and in 1153, when he landed with a large force in Bristol, the world was ready to be won. He quicklygained control of the West Country and moved up to Wallingford for a crucial battle with Stephen. This was avoided, however, because in thepreparations for the battle Henry fell from his horse three times, a bad omen. Henry himself was not superstitious -- he was the reverse, a cheerful blasphemer -- but he disliked battles and when his anxious advisers urged him to heed the omen, he willingly agreed to parley privately with Stephen. The conference was a strange occasion: there were only two of them there, at the narowest point of the Thames, with Henryon one bank and Stephen on the other. None the less, they seem to have come to an agreement to take negotiations further.
That summer Stephen's son died mysteriously, and Eleanor bore Henry an heir (about the same time as an English whore Hikenai produced his faithful bastard Geoffrey). The omens clearly showed what was soon confirmed between the two -- that when Stephen died, Henry should rule inhis place. A year later Stephen did die, and in December 1154, Henry and Eleanor were crowned in London.
Henry was only 21, but he soon showed his worth, destroying unlicensed castles, and dispersing the foreign mercenaries. He gave even-handed justice, showing himself firm, but not unduly harsh. A country racked by civil war sighed with relief. Only two major difficulties appeared: first Henry's failure in his two Welsh campaigns in 1157 and 1165,when guerilla tactics utterly defeated and on the first occasion nearly killed him; second was the reversal of his friendship for Becket when he changed from being Chancellor to Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162.
The quarrel with Becket was linked with the King's determination to continue his grandfather's reform of the administration of justice in the country. He was anxious for a uniform pattern, operated by royal justices, to control the corrupt, ill-administered and unequal local systems operated by barons and churchmen. At Clarendon in 1166 and Northampton in 1176, he got his council's agreeemnt to a series of measures which established circuits of royal justices dealing with the widest range of criminal activities. The method of operation was novel, too, relying on a sworn jury of inquest of twelve men. Though not like a modern jury, in that they were witnesses rather than assessors, the assize juries were the ancestors of the modern English legal system.
Henry travelled constantly, and much of the time in his Contninental territories, for there were constant rebellions to deal with, usually inspired or encouraged by Louis of France. Henry was determined to keep the integrity of his empire, and to pass it on as a unity. To do this was no small task, but in 1169 Henry held a conference with the King of France which he hoped would achieve his objectives: he himself again did homage for Normandy, his eldest son Henry did homage for Anjou, Maine and Brittany, and Richard for Aquitaine. The next year he hadyoung Henry crowned in his own lifetime. If anything could preserve the succession, surely this would, yet, in fact, it brought all the troubles in the world onto Henry's head, for he had given his sons paper domains, and had no intention that they should rule his empire. Yet a man with a title does not rest until he has that title's power.
Late in 1171 Henry had a pleasant interlude in Ireland -- escaping from the world's condemnation for the murder of Becket. He spent Christmas at Dublin in a palace built for him out of wattles by the Irish.
Meanwhile, Eleanor had been intriguing with her sons, urging them to revolt and demand their rights. Early in 1173 they trooped off to the French court, and with Louis joined in an attack on Normandy. Henry clamped Eleanor into prison and went off to meet the new threat. Whilst he was busy meeting this, England was invaded from Flanders and Scotland, and more barons who fancied a return of the warlord days of Stephen broke into revolt.
Plainly it was St. Thomas's revenge, and there was no hope of dealingwith the situation without expiation. In July 1174 Henry returned to England, and went in pilgrim's dress to Canterbury. Through the town he walked barefoot, leaving a trail of blood on the flinty stones, andwent to keep his vigil of a day and a night by the tomb, not even coming out to relive himself. As he knelt, the assembled bishops and all the monks of Christchurch came to scourge him -- each giving him threestrokes, but some with bitterness in their hearts laying on with five.
It was worth it though, for the very morning his vigil ended Henry was brought the news that the King of Scotland had been captured. He moved quickly northwards, receving rebels' submission all the time. He met up with Geoffrey who had fought valiantly for him, and commented, 'My other sons have proved themselves bastards, this one alone is my true and legitimate son.'
Returning to France, he quickly came to an agreement with Louis and his three rebel sons, giving each a substantial income, though still noshare of power.
Richard set to work reducing the Duchy of Aquitaine to order, and quickly proved himself an able general who performed tremendous feats, such as capturing a fully manned and provisioned castle with three wallsand moats to defend it. But the people were less easy to subdue -- they loved war for its own sake as their poet-leader, Bertrand de Born, shows well in his works: '. . . I love to see amidst the meadows tentsand pavilions spread; and it gives me great joy to see drawn up on the field knights and horses in battle array; and it delights me when the scouts scatter people and herds in their path; and my heart is filled with gladness when I see strong castles besieged, and the stockadesbroken and overwhelmed, and the warriors on the bank, girt about by fosses, with a line of strong stakes, interlaced . . . Maces, swords, helms of different hues, shields that will be riven and shattered as soon as the fight begins; and many vassals struck down together; and thehorses of the dead and wounded roving at random. And when battle is joined, let all men of good lineage think of nought but the breaking ofheads and arms: I tell you I find no such savour in food or in wine or in sleep as in hearing the shout "On! On!" from both sides, and theneighing of steeds that have lost their riders, and the cries of "Help! Help!"; and in seeing men great and small go down on the grass beyond the fosses; in seeing at last the dead, with the pennoned stumps oflances still in their sides.'
These robust knights were actively encouraged by the young King Henry. He was handsome, charming and beloved of all, but also feckless andthoughtless -- far keener on tournaments and frivolity than the serious business of government. Then in the midle of his new rebellion he caught disentery and shortly died. His devoted followers were thunderstruck -- one young lad actually pined to death -- and the rebellion fizzled out.
The young king was dead, but Henry, wary of previous errors, was not going to rush into making a new one. He called his favourite youngest son, John, to his side and ordered Richard to give his duchy into his brother's hands. Richard -- his mother's favourite -- had made Aquitaine his home and worked hard to establish his control there; he refusedto give his mother's land to anyone, unless it were back to Eleanor herself.
Henry packed John off to Ireland (which he speedily turned against himself) whilst he arranged to get Eleanor out of her prison and bring her to Aquitaine to receive back the duchy. Meanwhile the new King of France, Philip, was planning to renew the attack on English territories, all the while the three, Henry, Richard, and Philip, were supposed to be planning a joint crusade.
In 1188 Henry, already ill with the absessed anal fistula that was tocause him such an agonising death, refused pointblank to recognise Richard as his heir. The crazy project for substituting John was at the root of it all, though Henry may have deluded himself into thinking hewas playing his usual canny hand.
But diplomacy was giving way to the Greekest of tragedies. In June 1189, Philip and Richard advanced on Henry at his birthplace in Le Mans,and he was forced to withdraw with a small company of knights, showering curses on God. Instead of going to the safety of Normandy, he rodehard, his usual long distance, deep into Anjou. This worsened his physical condition and, in high fever, he made no effort to call up forces to his aid. Forced to meet Philip and Richard, he was so ill he hadto be held on his horse whilst he deliriously mumbled his abject agreement to their every condition for peace.
Back in bed after his last conference he was brought the news that John, for whom he had suffered all this, had joined the rebels' side. Two sons -- both rebels -- were dead, two sons -- both rebels -- lived,and it was his bastard Geoffrey who now tended him in his last sickness. There was not even a bishop in his suite to give him the last rites. Over and again he cried out in agony "Shame! shame on a vanquished king!"
After his death the servants plundered him, leaving him in a shirt and drawers. When the marshall came to arrange the burial he had to scratch around for garments in which to dress the body. A bit of threadbare gold edging from a cloak was put around Henry's head to represent his sovereignty.
And yet Henry had forseen it all. According to Gerald of Wales, he had long before ordered a fresco for one of his rooms at Winchester: the picture showed an eagle being pecked by three eaglets, and a fourthperched on his head, ready to peck out his eyes when the time should come.

Ruled an empire that stretched from the Tweed to the Pyrenees. Judicial and administrative reforms were of great constitutional importance and increased Royal control and influence at the expense of the Barons. He introduced trial by Jury.

Had at least 12 illegitimate children.

Henry succeeded King Stephen in October 1154, apparently after surviving a poisoning attempt by Stephen's supporters. He ruled his Empire of Britain, Normandy, Anjou, Maine, Poitou and Aquitaine with an iron rod and was the first king of England to add Ireland to his domains. With his fiery red hair and equally fiery nature, probably inherited from his mother, the Empress, Henry proved a king to be reckoned with and for 35 years he dominated Western Christendom as the most influential monarch of the day. His masterfulness was seriously challenged by the Thomas a Becket murder and the subsequent rebellion of his sons in 1173-74. He was hounded to his death at Chinon by his eldest surviving son in the summer of 1189.

Henry II, first of the Angevin kings, was one of the most effective of all England's monarchs. He came to the throne amid the anarchy of Stephen's reign and promptly collared his errant barons. He refined Norman government and created a capable, self-standing bureaucracy. His energy was equaled only by his ambition and intelligence. Henry survived wars, rebellion, and controversy to successfully rule one of the Middle Ages' most powerful kingdoms.

Henry was raised in the French province of Anjou and first visited England in 1142 to defend his mother's claim to the disputed throne of Stephen. His continental possessions were already vast before his coronation: He acquired Normandy and Anjou upon the death of his father in September 1151, and his French holdings more than doubled with his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine (ex-wife of King Louis VII of France). In accordance with the Treaty of Wallingford, a succession agreement signed by Stephen and Matilda in 1153, Henry was crowned in October 1154. The continental empire ruled by Henry and his sons included the French counties of Brittany, Maine, Poitou, Touraine, Gascony, Anjou, Aquitane, and Normandy. Henry was technically a feudal vassal of the king of France but, in reality, owned more territory and was more powerful than his French lord. Although King John (Henry's son) lost most of the English holdings in France, English kings laid claim to the French throne until the fifteenth century. Henry also extended his territory in the British Isles in two significant ways. First, he retrieved Cumbria and Northumbria form Malcolm IV of Scotland and settled the Anglo-Scot border in the North. Secondly, although his success with Welsh campaigns was limited, Henry invaded Ireland and secured an English presence on the island.

English and Norman barons in Stephen's reign manipulated feudal law to undermine royal authority; Henry instituted many reforms to weaken traditional feudal ties and strengthen his position. Unauthorized castles built during the previous reign were razed. Monetary payments replaced military service as the primary duty of vassals. The Exchequer was revitalized to enforce accurate record keeping and tax collection. Incompetent sheriffs were replaced and the authority of royal courts was expanded. Henry empowered a new social class of government clerks that stabilized procedure - the government could operate effectively in the king's absence and would subsequently prove sufficiently tenacious to survive the reign of incompetent kings. Henry's reforms allowed the emergence of a body of common law to replace the disparate customs of feudal and county courts. Jury trials were initiated to end the old Germanic trials by ordeal or battle. Henry's systematic approach to law provided a common basis for development of royal institutions throughout the entire realm.

The process of strengthening the royal courts, however, yielded an unexpected controversy. The church courts instituted by William the Conqueror became a safe haven for criminals of varying degree and ability, for one in fifty of the English population qualified as clerics. Henry wished to transfer sentencing in such cases to the royal courts, as church courts merely demoted clerics to laymen. Thomas Beckett, Henry's close friend and chancellor since 1155, was named Archbishop of Canterbury in June 1162 but distanced himself from Henry and vehemently opposed the weakening of church courts. Beckett fled England in 1164, but through the intervention of Pope Adrian IV (the lone English pope), returned in 1170. He greatly angered Henry by opposing to the coronation of Prince Henry. Exasperated, Henry hastily and publicly conveyed his desire to be rid of the contentious Archbishop - four ambitious knights took the king at his word and murdered Beckett in his own cathedral on December 29, 1170. Henry endured a rather limited storm of protest over the incident and the controversy passed.

Henry's plans of dividing his myriad lands and titles evoked treachery from his sons. At the encouragement - and sometimes because of the treatment - of their mother, they rebelled against their father several times, often with Louis VII of France as their accomplice. The deaths of Henry the Young King in 1183 and Geoffrey in 1186 gave no respite from his children's rebellious nature; Richard, with the assistance of Philip II Augustus of France, attacked and defeated Henry on July 4, 1189 and forced him to accept a humiliating peace. Henry II died two days later, on July 6, 1189.

A few quotes from historic manuscripts shed a unique light on Henry, Eleanor, and their sons.
From Sir Winston Churchill Kt, 1675: "Henry II Plantagenet, the very first of that name and race, and the very greatest King that England ever knew, but withal the most unfortunate . . . his death being imputed to those only to whom himself had given life, his ungracious sons. . ."
From Sir Richard Baker, A Chronicle of the Kings of England: Concerning endowments of mind, he was of a spirit in the highest degree generous . . . His custom was to be always in action; for which cause, if he had no real wars, he would have feigned . . . To his children he was both indulgent and hard; for out of indulgence he caused his son Henry to be crowned King in his own time; and out of hardness he caused his younger sons to rebel against him . . . He married Eleanor, daughter of William Duke of Guienne, late wife of Lewis the Seventh of France. Some say King Lewis carried her into the Holy Land, where she carried herself not very holily, but led a licentious life; and, which is the worst kind of licentiousness, in carnal familiarity with a Turk."

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 his possessions until shortly before his death. His judicial and administrative reforms which increased Royal control and influence at the expense of the Barons were of great constitutional importance. Introduced trial by Jury. Duke of Normandy.

[s2.FTW]

Ruled 1154-1189. Through both marriage and inheritance, Henry acquired an empire stretching from the Somme to the Pyrenees, and from the Scottish border almost to the Mediterranean. To this he added Ireland.

His main aim was to curb the barons and the Church, both of whom had become too powerful under King Stephen. He succeeded in defeating the barons, pulling down their castles, reforming the system of taxation and introducing the rudiments of trial by jury. But he never defeated the Church and he had to take the blame for the murder of Thomas a Becket at Canterbury. He was a strong, energetic king, full of good sense, yet he died unhappily in 1189, knowing that his subjects were in rebellion and even his own sons were plotting against him.

From Nicholas Best, "The Kings and Queens of England" (Boston: Bullfinch, 1995).

"Henry II was one of the most remarkable characters in English history.... Henry II was the first English king after the conquest to be fully literate. He had been well tutored as a young man, and showed ... a mix of kingliness and culture: he liked to have learned men about him, was passionately curious about history and literature as well as war and hunting. There is a certain integration in his intellectual apparatus. His idea of history was a French epic on his forefathers and their great deeds--the ROMAN DE ROU, which he commissioned....He emerges a brilliant figure, fascinating, dangerous and yet somehow intensely human." From Christopher Brooke, "From Alfred to Henry II, 871-1272" (NY: Norton, 1961, 175).

Geneal. source: Family tree of Edward Phipps, 39500 Stevenson Place #204, Fremont, CA 95439, 510-794-6850; email ((XXXXX@XXXX.XXX))Ruled 1154-1189. Through both marriage and inheritance, Henry acquired an empire stretching from the Somme to the Pyrenees, and from the Scottish border almost to the Mediterranean. To this he added Ireland.

His main aim was to curb the barons and the Church, both of whom had become too powerful under King Stephen. He succeeded in defeating the barons, pulling down their castles, reforming the system of taxation and introducing the rudiments of trial by jury. But he never defeated the Church and he had to take the blame for the murder of Thomas a Becket at Canterbury. He was a strong, energetic king, full of good sense, yet he died unhappily in 1189, knowing that his subjects were in rebellion and even his own sons were plotting against him.

From Nicholas Best, "The Kings and Queens of England" (Boston: Bullfinch, 1995).

"Henry II was one of the most remarkable characters in English history.... Henry II was the first English king after the conquest to be fully literate. He had been well tutored as a young man, and showed ... a mix of kingliness and culture: he liked to have learned men about him, was passionately curious about history and literature as well as war and hunting. There is a certain integration in his intellectual apparatus. His idea of history was a French epic on his forefathers and their great deeds--the ROMAN DE ROU, which he commissioned....He emerges a brilliant figure, fascinating, dangerous and yet somehow intensely human." From Christopher Brooke, "From Alfred to Henry II, 871-1272" (NY: Norton, 1961, 175).

Geneal. source: Family tree of Edward Phipps, 39500 Stevenson Place #204, Fremont, CA 95439, 510-794-6850; email ((XXXXX@XXXX.XXX))

Basic Life Information

King of England, born 1133; died 6 July, 1189; was in his earlier life commonly known as Henry Fitz-Empress from the fact that his mother Matilda, daughter of Henry I, was first married to the Emperor Henry V. Henry himself, however, was the son of her second husband, Geoffrey Plantagenet, and inherited from him the three important fiefs of Anjou, Touraine, and Maine. Soon after his birth the English Witan were made to swear fealty to the infant prince as heir to the throne of England, but when Henry I died, in 1135, both Norman and English barons, who greatly disliked Geoffrey Plantagenet, lent their support to the rival claimant, Stephen of Blois. Despite the confusion and civil war which marked the ensuing years, young Henry seems to have been well educated, partly in England, partly abroad. When he was sixteen he was knighted at Carlisle by King David of Scotland, when he was eighteen he succeeded to Normandy and Anjou, when nineteen he married Eleanor of Aquitaine, the divorced wife of Louis VII of France, and secured her inheritance, and when he was twenty he came to England and forced King Stephen to submit to terms.

<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07220b.htm>

Appearance

Several sources record Henry's appearance. They all agree that he was very strong, energetic and surpassed his peers athletically.
...the lord king has been red-haired so far, except that the coming of old age and grey hair has altered that colour somewhat. His height is medium, so that neither does he appear great among the small, nor yet does he seem small among the great... curved legs, a horseman's shins, broad chest, and a boxer's arms all announce him as a man strong, agile and bold... he never sits, unless riding a horse or eating... In a single day, if necessary, he can run through four or five day-marches and, thus foiling the plots of his enemies, frequently mocks their plots with surprise sudden arrivals... Always are in his hands bow, sword, spear and arrow, unless he be in council or in books.- Peter of Blois <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_of_Blois> (Contemporary)

A man of reddish, freckled complexion, with a large, round head, grey eyes that glowed fiercely and grew bloodshot in anger, a fiery countenance and a harsh, cracked voice. His neck was poked forward slightly from his shoulders, his chest was broad and square, his arms strong and powerful. His body was stocky, with a pronounced tendency toward fatness, due to nature rather than self-indulgence - which he tempered with exercise. Gerald of Wales

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_of_Wales> (Contemporary)

Murder of Thomas Becket

"What miserable drones and traitors have I nurtured and promoted in my household who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low-born cleric!" were the words which sparked the darkest event in Henry's religious wranglings. This speech has translated into legend in the form of "Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?" - a provocative statement which would perhaps have been just as riling to the knights and barons of his household at whom it was aimed as his actual words. Bitter at Becket, his old friend, constantly thwarting his clerical constitutions, the King shouted in anger but most likely not with intent. However, four of Henry's knights, Reginald Fitzurse, Hugh de Moreville, William de Tracy, and Richard le Breton overheard their King's cries and decided to act on his words.

On December 29, they entered Canterbury Cathedral, finding Becket near the stairs to the crypt. They beat down the Archbishop, killing him with several blows. Becket's brains were scattered upon the ground with the words; "Let us go, this fellow will not be getting up again." Whatever the rights and wrongs, it certainly tainted Henry's later reign. For the remaining 20 years of his rule, he would personally regret the death of a man who "in happier times...had been a friend".

Marriage and Children

Henry I married Eleanor of Aquitaine and had the following children:
William, Count of Poitiers
Henry, Count of Anjou
Richard I the Lionheart
Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany
John Lackland
Matilda, Duchess of Saxony
Leonora, Queen of Castile
Joan, Queen of Sicily

Relationships and Children

Henry also had several natural children by various women.

With Ida Tosney
William Longsepee

Death

The final thorn in Henry's side would be an alliance between his eldest son, Richard, and his greatest rival, Philip Augustus. John had become Henry's favourite son and Richard had begun to fear he was being written out of the King's inheritance.[5] In summer 1189, Richard and Philip invaded Henry's heartland of power, Anjou. The unlikely allies took northwest Touraine, attacked Le Mans and overran Maine and Tours. Defeated, Henry II met his opponents and agreed to all their demands, including paying homage to Philip for all his French possessions.

Weak, ill, and deserted by all but an illegitimate son, Geoffrey, Archbishop of York, Henry died at Chinon on 6 July 1189. His legitimate children, chroniclers record him saying, were "the real bastards."[16]. The victorious Prince Richard later paid his respects to Henry's corpse as it travelled to Fontevraud Abbey, upon which, according to Roger of Wendover, 'blood flowed from the nostrils of the deceased, as if...indignant at the presence of the one who was believed to have caused his death'.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_II_of_England>

1154ΓÇô1199 By the Grace of God, King of the English and Duke of the Normans and Aquitanians and Count of the Angevins and Lord of Ireland Henry II, Richard I

Henry II., King of England, first of the Plantagenet line, was the eldest son of Geoffrey, Earl of Anjou, and his wife, the ex-Empress Maud, daughter of Henry I., and was born at Mans, in March, 1133. He received his education in England, under the care of his uncle Robert, Earl of Gloucester. On the death of his father, in 1151, he succeeded to the earldom of Anjou, Touraine, and Maine, and in the following year, by his marriage with Eleanor of Aquitaine, the divorced wife of Louis VII. of France, he became possessor of the duchy of Aquitaine or Guienne. The same year he invaded England, but a treaty was concluded, in 1153, by which it was agreed that he should succeed to the throne of England on the death of Stephen. This event took place in October, 1154, and Henry was crowned without opposition at Westminster, in December. His first measures were directed to the redress of the disorders and anarchy which had prevailed in the reign of Stephen. He seized and destroyed most of the baronial castles; dismissed the foreign troops; renewed the charter granted by Henry I. ; and resumed most of the lands which had been alienated from the crown by Stephen.

On the death of his brother Geoffrey he claimed and got possession of Nantes, and was thus master of the whole western coast of France. His attempt on Toulouse, in 1159, involved him in a war with the King of France, which was only terminated two years later. In 1162 Thomas a Becket was elected Archbishop of Canterbury, and the great struggle between the civil and ecclesiastical powers began, which resulted in the Constitutions of Clarendon, the exile and murder of Becket, war with France, the king's penance at Becket's tomb, and the repeal of the Constitutions. In 1171 Henry invaded Ireland, and, under the authority of a bull of Pope Adrian IV., which had been published in 1156, effected a conquest of that island.

The remaining years of his reign were embittered by the numerous revolts of his sons, instigated by their mother. Eleanor, whose jealousy was excited by the king's affection for Fair Rosamond, attempted to follow her sons to the court of France, but was seized and imprisoned during Henry's life. The King of Scotland, who supported the rebellion of the young princes, was taken prisoner at Alnwick, in 1174, but was released after a few months, on doing homage to Henry. A formal reconciliation with the princes took place, but was followed by a fresh revolt and civil war. Prince Henry, who, as heir-apparent, had been crowned in 1170, died in France, in 1183. Geoffrey was killed at a tournament, two years later; and John joined his brother Richard in a new rebellion against their father, in which they were aided by Philip Augustus.

The old king was prostrated by sickness, and the revolt of his youngest son John was the last and fatal blow from which he could not recover. He died at Chinon, July 6, 1189, and was buried at Foutevraud. Notwithstanding the conflicting estimates of the character and measures of Henry II., viewed as the champion of state supremacy, it is evident that he was a man of powerful intellect superior education, great energy, activity, and decisiveness, and also of impetuous passions. Ruling almost despotically, he greatly diminished the power of the nobles, and thus relieved the people of their intolerable tyranny. Good order and just administration of the laws were established and the practice of holding the assizes was introduced. He revived the trial by jury in order to check the resort to trial by battle which he could not abolish.

(The movie "Lion in Winter" was about Henry and Eleanor. Don't know
how accurate it is!)

Henry II (born 1133, ruled 1154-89). The grandson of Henry I was the
first Plantagenet king of England. His mother was Matilda, daughter of
Henry I. His father was Geoffrey of Anjou, whom Matilda married after
the death of her first husband, Emperor Henry V. Geoffrey was called
Plantagenet for his habit of wearing in his cap a sprig of the broom
plant, which in Latin is called planta genista.
Henry II was born in Le Mans, France, in March 1133. During his
mother's conflict with Stephen for the English throne he was brought to
England. Stephen eventually recognized his claim, and Henry became king
of England in 1154 after Stephen's death.
Henry II held England and Normandy by his mother's right. From his
father he inherited, as French fiefs, the important counties of Anjou,
Maine, and Touraine. By his marriage with Eleanor of Aquitaine, whose
marriage with the French king Louis VII had been annulled, he acquired
Poitou, Guyenne, and Gascony, so that he held most of the British Isles
and about half of France.
Henry II reestablished law and order after the anarchy of Stephen's
reign. He improved the military service by permitting the barons to pay
"shield money," or scutage, in place of serving in the army. With this
he hired soldiers who would fight whenever and wherever he wished an
important means of maintaining control over the powerful nobles of the
land.
His greatest work was the reform of the law courts. He brought the
Curia Regis (King's Court) into every part of England by sending
learned judges on circuit through the land to administer the "king's
justice." Thus gradually one system of law took the place of the many
local customs that had been in use. He also established the grand jury.
Now accusations could be brought by a body of representatives of the
community against evildoers who were so powerful that no single
individual dared accuse them.
The petit jury, also called petty or trial jury, substituted the
weighing of evidence and testimony by sworn men for the old
superstitious trial by combat or by ordeal. (See also Jury System.)
Henry even attempted to bring churchmen who committed crimes under the
jurisdiction of the king's courts, but the scandal caused by the murder
of Archbishop Thomas Becket in the course of this quarrel forced him to
give up this reform (see Becket).
Henry's last years were embittered by the rebellion of his sons,
aided by Philip Augustus of France and by their mother, the
unscrupulous Eleanor. The king old, sick, and discouraged had to
consent to the terms demanded of him. When he saw the name of John, his
favorite son, among those of his enemies, he exclaimed, "Now let all
things go as they will; I care no more for myself, nor for the world."
Two days later he died, muttering, "Shame, shame on a conquered
king." He was succeeded by his son Richard (see Richard, Kings of
England). After Richard's death, in 1199, John came to the throne (see
John of England).

---------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia
Copyright (c) 1994, 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved

PLANTAGENET, HOUSE OF. Also called the Angevin Dynasty, the House of
Plantagenet ruled England from 1154 to 1485. The reign of the House of
Plantagenet ended in the final battle of the Wars of the Roses, fought
between the Lancaster and York families. The victor, Henry Tudor,
became Henry VII and officially ended the Plantagenet reign with the
founding of the House of Tudor.
The Plantagenet royal dynasty provided 14 kings descended from
Geoffrey, 5th count of Anjou, and the empress Matilda, daughter of the
English king Henry I. Plantagenet was not a hereditary surname and
seems to have originated as a nickname for Count Geoffrey. The name is
believed to refer either to the sprig of broom (Latin genista) that he
wore in his hat or to his practice of planting broom to improve his
hunting covers.
Historians differ on the naming of kings as Plantagenet, with some
giving the name to Count Geoffrey's descendants beginning with Edward
I. Richard Plantagenet, or Richard, 3rd duke of York, was the first to
use the surname officially when he claimed the throne in 1460. The
Plantagenet line became extinct when its legitimate male heir, Edward,
Earl of Warwick, was executed in 1499.

---------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia
Copyright (c) 1994, 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Duke of Normandy, 1150. He began the Norman Conquest of Ireland in 1171-1172
and forced William the Lion, King of the Scots, to recognize him as overlord.
He was succeeded by his son, Richard I, the Lion-Heart. Henry II was the
first of the house of Anjou, or Plantagenet.

Henry II of England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189) ruled as Count of Anjou, Duke of Normandy, and as King of England (1154–1189) and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland, eastern Ireland, and western France. His sobriquets include "Curt Mantle" (because of the practical short cloaks he wore), "Fitz Empress", and sometimes "The Lion of Justice", which had also applied to his grandfather Henry I. He ranks as the first of the Plantagenet or Angevin Kings.

Following the disputed reign of King Stephen, Henry's reign saw efficient consolidation. Henry II has acquired a reputation as one of England's greatest medieval kings.

Contents [hide]
1 Biography
2 Appearance
3 Fiction
4 Coat of arms
5 External links

[edit]
Biography
He was born on 5 March 1133 at Le Mans to the Empress Matilda and her second husband, Geoffrey the Fair, Count of Anjou. Brought up in Anjou, he visited England in 1149 to help his mother in her disputed claim to the English throne.

Prior to coming to the throne he already controlled Normandy and Anjou on the continent; his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine on 18 May 1152 added her holdings to his, including Touraine, Aquitaine, and Gascony. He thus effectively became more powerful than the king of France — with an empire (the Angevin Empire) that stretched from the Solway Firth almost to the Mediterranean and from the Somme to the Pyrenees. As king, he would make Ireland a part of his vast domain. He also maintained lively communication with the Emperor of Byzantium Manuel I Comnenus.

In August 1152, Henry, previously occupied in fighting Eleanor's ex-husband Louis VII of France and his allies, rushed back to her, and they spent several months together. Around the end of November 1152 they parted: Henry went to spend some weeks with his mother and then sailed for England, arriving on 6 January 1153. Some historians believe that the couple's first child, William, Count of Poitiers, was born in 1153.

During Stephen's reign the barons had subverted the state of affairs to undermine the monarch's grip on the realm; Henry II saw it as his first task to reverse this shift in power. For example, Henry had castles which the barons had built without authorisation during Stephen's reign torn down, and scutage, a fee paid by vassals in lieu of military service, became by 1159 a central feature of the king's military system. Record keeping improved dramatically in order to streamline this taxation.

Henry II established courts in various parts of England, and first instituted the royal practice of granting magistrates the power to render legal decisions on a wide range of civil matters in the name of the Crown. His reign saw the production of the first written legal textbook, providing the basis of today's "Common Law".

By the Assize of Clarendon (1166), trial by jury became the norm. Since the Norman Conquest jury trials had been largely replaced by trial by ordeal and "wager of battel" (which English law did not abolish until 1819). Provision of justice and landed security was further toughened in 1176 with the Assize of Northampton, a build on the earlier agreements at Clarendon. This reform proved one of Henry's major contributions to the social history of England. As a consequence of the improvements in the legal system, the power of church courts waned. The church, not unnaturally, opposed this and found its most vehement spokesman in Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, formerly a close friend of Henry's and his Chancellor. Henry had appointed Becket to the archbishopric precisely because he wanted to avoid conflict.

The conflict with Becket effectively began with a dispute over whether the secular courts could try clergy who had committed a secular offence. Henry attempted to subdue Becket and his fellow churchmen by making them swear to obey the "customs of the realm", but controversy ensued over what constituted these customs, and the church proved reluctant to submit. Following a heated exchange at Henry's court, Becket left England in 1164 for France to solicit in person the support of Pope Alexander III, who was in exile in France due to dissention in the college of Cardinals, and of King Louis VII of France. Due to his own precarious position, Alexander remained neutral in the debate, although Becket remained in exile loosely under the protection of Louis and Pope Alexander until 1170. After a reconciliation between Henry and Thomas in Normandy in 1170, Becket returned to England. Becket again confronted Henry, this time over the coronation of Prince Henry (see below). The much-quoted, although probably apocryphal, words of Henry II echo down the centuries: "Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?" Although Henry's violent rants against Becket over the years were well documented, this time four of his knights took their king literally (as he may have intended for them to do, although he later denied it) and travelled immediately to England, where they assassinated Becket in Canterbury Cathedral on December 29, 1170.

As part of his penance for the death of Becket, Henry agreed to send money to the Crusader states in Palestine, which the Knights Hospitaller and the Knights Templar would guard until Henry arrived to make use of it on pilgrimage or crusade. Henry delayed his crusade for many years and in the end never went at all, despite a visit to him by Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem in 1184 and being offered the crown of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. In 1188 he levied the Saladin tithe to pay for a new crusade; the chronicler Giraldus Cambrensis suggested his death was a divine punishment for the tithe, imposed to raise money for an abortive crusade to recapture Jerusalem, which had fallen to Saladin in 1187.)

Henry's first son, William, Count of Poitiers, had died in infancy. In 1170, Henry and Eleanor's fifteen-year-old son, Henry, was crowned king, but he never actually ruled and does not figure in the list of the monarchs of England; he became known as Henry the Young King to distinguish him from his nephew Henry III of England.

Henry II depicted in Cassell's History of England (1902)Henry and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, had five sons and three daughters: William, Henry, Richard, Geoffrey, John, Matilda, Eleanor, and Joan. Henry's attempts to wrest control of her lands from Eleanor (and from her heir Richard) led to confrontations between Henry on the one side and his wife and legitimate sons on the other.

Henry's notorious liaison with Rosamund Clifford, the "fair Rosamund" of legend, probably began in 1165 during one of his Welsh campaigns and continued until her death in 1176. However, it was not until 1174, at around the time of his break with Eleanor, that Henry acknowledged Rosamund as his mistress. Almost simultaneously he began negotiating the annulment of his marriage and marry Alys, daughter of King Louis VII of France and already betrothed to Henry's son Richard. Henry's affair with Alys continued for some years, and, unlike Rosamund Clifford, Alys allegedly gave birth to one of Henry's illegitimate children.

Henry also had a number of illegitimate children by various women, and Eleanor had several of those children reared in the royal nursery with her own children; some remained members of the household in adulthood. Among them were William de Longespee, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, whose mother was Ida, Countess of Norfolk; Geoffrey, Archbishop of York, son of a woman named Ykenai; Morgan, Bishop of Durham; and Matilda, Abbess of Barking.

Henry II's attempt to divide his titles amongst his sons but keep the power associated with them provoked them into trying to take control of the lands assigned to them (see Revolt of 1173-1174), which amounted to treason, at least in Henry's eyes. Gerald of Wales reports that when King Henry gave the kiss of peace to his son Richard, he said softly, "May the Lord never permit me to die until I have taken due vengeance upon you."

When Henry's legitimate sons rebelled against him, they often had the help of King Louis VII of France. Henry the Young King died in 1183. A horse trampled to death another son, Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany (1158–1186). Henry's third son, Richard the Lionheart (1157–1199), with the assistance of Philip II Augustus of France, attacked and defeated Henry on July 4, 1189; Henry died at the Chateau Chinon on July 6, 1189, and lies entombed in Fontevraud Abbey, near Chinon and Saumur in the Anjou Region of present-day France. Henry's illegitimate son Geoffrey, Archbishop of York also stood by him the whole time and alone among his sons attended on Henry's deathbed.

Richard the Lionheart then became King of England. He was followed by King John, the youngest son of Henry II, laying aside the claims of Geoffrey's children Arthur of Brittany and Eleanor.

[edit]
Appearance
Peter of Blois left a description of Henry II in 1177: "...the lord king has been red-haired so far, except that the coming of old age and gray hair has altered that color somewhat. His height is medium, so that neither does he appear great among the small, nor yet does he seem small among the great... curved legs, a horseman's shins, broad chest, and a boxer's arms all announce him as a man strong, agile and bold... he never sits, unless riding a horse or eating... In a single day, if necessary, he can run through four or five day-marches and, thus foiling the plots of his enemies, frequently mocks their plots with surprise sudden arrivals...Always are in his hands bow, sword, spear and arrow, unless he be in council or in books."

Another contemporary, Gerald of Wales, described him thus: "A man of reddish, freckled complexion, with a large, round head, grey eyes that glowed fiercely and grew bloodshot in anger, a fiery countenance and a harsh, cracked voice. His neck was poked forward slightly from his shoulders, his chest was broad and square, his arms strong and powerful. His body was stocky, with a pronounced tendency toward fatness, due to nature rather than self-indulgence -- which he tempered with exercise."

The Devil's Crown, a 1978 book from the BBC 2 television series[edit]
Fiction
The treasons associated with the royal and ducal successions formed the main theme of the play The Lion in Winter, which also served as the basis of a 1968 film starring Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn. In 2003, the film was remade as a mini-series with Patrick Stewart and Glenn Close in the leading roles.

Henry II and his sons King Richard and King John also provided the subjects of the BBC2 television series The Devil's Crown. The 1978 book of the same title was written by Richard Barber and published as a guide to the broadcast series, which starred Brian Cox as Henry and Jane Lapotaire as Eleanor.

"Book of the Civilized Man" is a poem believed to have been written in Henry's court and is the first "book of manners" or "courtesy book" in English history, representing the start of a new awakening to etiquette and decorum in English culture.

[edit]
Coat of arms
Henry II's coat of arms were gules a lion rampant or (red background with a golden lion on hind legs). [1]

[edit]
External links
The Henry Project
Medieval Sourcebook: Angevin England

Preceded by:
Stephen King of England
1154–1189 Succeeded by:
Richard I
Duke of Normandy
1150–1189
Geoffrey V Count of Anjou
with Henry the Young King
1151–1189
Count of Maine
with Henry the Young King
1151–1189
Louis and Eleanor Duke of Aquitaine
with Eleanor
1152–1189
Count of Poitiers
with Eleanor
1152–1189 William

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heinrich II. was Eleanore's 2. marriage. Louis VII the Younger, King of France was Eleanore's 1. marriage. Family Name: Plantagenet. Given Names: Henry. Nicknames: Fitzempress, Curtmantle. Titles: Count of Anjou (1151 - 1189). Duke of Normandy (1151 - 1189). Duke of Aquitaine (1152 - 1189). King of England (1154 - 1189). King Henry was styled as, "Rex Angliae, Dux Normaniae et Aquitaniae et Comes Andigaviae." This appears to be the first official use of the title, "King of England," rather than "King of the English," although modern historians give the title to all sovereigns from William the Conqueror. In 1149, Henry was knighted in Carlisle by his great-uncle, David I of Scotland. King Stephen, fearing that the Scots would take advantage of the large number of nobles in attendance for the occasion to invade, hurried to York and stayed there for a whole month. Crowned by Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury. In 1159 Henry started military action to back Eleanor's very tenuous claim to the county of Toulouse. Her position was based on being a second cousin of a previous count, and, as Henry's biographer W.L. Warren writes, "It was not the kind of claim which carried much weight in the south of France; but to such a man as Henry of Anjou it was compellingly persuasive." Henry supported a petition to Rome to make Edward the Confessor a saint. Edward was canonized in 1161, and on 13 October 1163, Henry was present at a ceremony in Westminster Abbey at which Archbishop Thomas Becket elevated Edward's remains. Henry was known for his excellent memory, as well as for his occasional fits of bad temper, which involved rolling on the floor and biting furniture. It was said that Henry could speak every language used in Europe, from France to the Holy Land--but he probably could not speak English. Henry was very interested in learning. Peter of Blois said, "With the King of England, it is school every day; there is always conversation with learned men and discussion of learned problems." Traditionally, Henry's dying words are supposed to have been, "Shame, shame on a conquered king," referring to his sons' insurrections. Portrayed by Peter O'Toole in both the 1964 film "Becket" and the 1968 film "Lion in Winter." Portrayed by Brian Cox in the 1978 BBC-2 series, "The Devil's Crown." Source: RoyaList

(The movie "Lion in Winter" was about Henry and Eleanor. Don't know
how accurate it is!)

Henry II (born 1133, ruled 1154-89). The grandson of Henry I was the
first Plantagenet king of England. His mother was Matilda, daughter of
Henry I. His father was Geoffrey of Anjou, whom Matilda married after
the death of her first husband, Emperor Henry V. Geoffrey was called
Plantagenet for his habit of wearing in his cap a sprig of the broom
plant, which in Latin is called planta genista.
Henry II was born in Le Mans, France, in March 1133. During his
mother's conflict with Stephen for the English throne he was brought to
England. Stephen eventually recognized his claim, and Henry became king
of England in 1154 after Stephen's death.
Henry II held England and Normandy by his mother's right. From his
father he inherited, as French fiefs, the important counties of Anjou,
Maine, and Touraine. By his marriage with Eleanor of Aquitaine, whose
marriage with the French king Louis VII had been annulled, he acquired
Poitou, Guyenne, and Gascony, so that he held most of the British Isles
and about half of France.
Henry II reestablished law and order after the anarchy of Stephen's
reign. He improved the military service by permitting the barons to pay
"shield money," or scutage, in place of serving in the army. With this
he hired soldiers who would fight whenever and wherever he wished an
important means of maintaining control over the powerful nobles of the
land.
His greatest work was the reform of the law courts. He brought the
Curia Regis (King's Court) into every part of England by sending
learned judges on circuit through the land to administer the "king's
justice." Thus gradually one system of law took the place of the many
local customs that had been in use. He also established the grand jury.
Now accusations could be brought by a body of representatives of the
community against evildoers who were so powerful that no single
individual dared accuse them.
The petit jury, also called petty or trial jury, substituted the
weighing of evidence and testimony by sworn men for the old
superstitious trial by combat or by ordeal. (See also Jury System.)
Henry even attempted to bring churchmen who committed crimes under the
jurisdiction of the king's courts, but the scandal caused by the murder
of Archbishop Thomas Becket in the course of this quarrel forced him to
give up this reform (see Becket).
Henry's last years were embittered by the rebellion of his sons,
aided by Philip Augustus of France and by their mother, the
unscrupulous Eleanor. The king old, sick, and discouraged had to
consent to the terms demanded of him. When he saw the name of John, his
favorite son, among those of his enemies, he exclaimed, "Now let all
things go as they will; I care no more for myself, nor for the world."
Two days later he died, muttering, "Shame, shame on a conquered
king." He was succeeded by his son Richard (see Richard, Kings of
England). After Richard's death, in 1199, John came to the throne (see
John of England).

---------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia
Copyright (c) 1994, 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved

PLANTAGENET, HOUSE OF. Also called the Angevin Dynasty, the House of
Plantagenet ruled England from 1154 to 1485. The reign of the House of
Plantagenet ended in the final battle of the Wars of the Roses, fought
between the Lancaster and York families. The victor, Henry Tudor,
became Henry VII and officially ended the Plantagenet reign with the
founding of the House of Tudor.
The Plantagenet royal dynasty provided 14 kings descended from
Geoffrey, 5th count of Anjou, and the empress Matilda, daughter of the
English king Henry I. Plantagenet was not a hereditary surname and
seems to have originated as a nickname for Count Geoffrey. The name is
believed to refer either to the sprig of broom (Latin genista) that he
wore in his hat or to his practice of planting broom to improve his
hunting covers.
Historians differ on the naming of kings as Plantagenet, with some
giving the name to Count Geoffrey's descendants beginning with Edward
I. Richard Plantagenet, or Richard, 3rd duke of York, was the first to
use the surname officially when he claimed the throne in 1460. The
Plantagenet line became extinct when its legitimate male heir, Edward,
Earl of Warwick, was executed in 1499.

---------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia
Copyright (c) 1994, 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Duke of Normandy, 1150. He began the Norman Conquest of Ireland in 1171-1172
and forced William the Lion, King of the Scots, to recognize him as overlord.
He was succeeded by his son, Richard I, the Lion-Heart. Henry II was the
first of the house of Anjou, or Plantagenet.

(The movie "Lion in Winter" was about Henry and Eleanor. Don't know
how accurate it is!)

Henry II (born 1133, ruled 1154-89). The grandson of Henry I was the
first Plantagenet king of England. His mother was Matilda, daughter of
Henry I. His father was Geoffrey of Anjou, whom Matilda married after
the death of her first husband, Emperor Henry V. Geoffrey was called
Plantagenet for his habit of wearing in his cap a sprig of the broom
plant, which in Latin is called planta genista.
Henry II was born in Le Mans, France, in March 1133. During his
mother's conflict with Stephen for the English throne he was brought to
England. Stephen eventually recognized his claim, and Henry became king
of England in 1154 after Stephen's death.
Henry II held England and Normandy by his mother's right. From his
father he inherited, as French fiefs, the important counties of Anjou,
Maine, and Touraine. By his marriage with Eleanor of Aquitaine, whose
marriage with the French king Louis VII had been annulled, he acquired
Poitou, Guyenne, and Gascony, so that he held most of the British Isles
and about half of France.
Henry II reestablished law and order after the anarchy of Stephen's
reign. He improved the military service by permitting the barons to pay
"shield money," or scutage, in place of serving in the army. With this
he hired soldiers who would fight whenever and wherever he wished an
important means of maintaining control over the powerful nobles of the
land.
His greatest work was the reform of the law courts. He brought the
Curia Regis (King's Court) into every part of England by sending
learned judges on circuit through the land to administer the "king's
justice." Thus gradually one system of law took the place of the many
local customs that had been in use. He also established the grand jury.
Now accusations could be brought by a body of representatives of the
community against evildoers who were so powerful that no single
individual dared accuse them.
The petit jury, also called petty or trial jury, substituted the
weighing of evidence and testimony by sworn men for the old
superstitious trial by combat or by ordeal. (See also Jury System.)
Henry even attempted to bring churchmen who committed crimes under the
jurisdiction of the king's courts, but the scandal caused by the murder
of Archbishop Thomas Becket in the course of this quarrel forced him to
give up this reform (see Becket).
Henry's last years were embittered by the rebellion of his sons,
aided by Philip Augustus of France and by their mother, the
unscrupulous Eleanor. The king old, sick, and discouraged had to
consent to the terms demanded of him. When he saw the name of John, his
favorite son, among those of his enemies, he exclaimed, "Now let all
things go as they will; I care no more for myself, nor for the world."
Two days later he died, muttering, "Shame, shame on a conquered
king." He was succeeded by his son Richard (see Richard, Kings of
England). After Richard's death, in 1199, John came to the throne (see
John of England).

---------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia
Copyright (c) 1994, 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved

PLANTAGENET, HOUSE OF. Also called the Angevin Dynasty, the House of
Plantagenet ruled England from 1154 to 1485. The reign of the House of
Plantagenet ended in the final battle of the Wars of the Roses, fought
between the Lancaster and York families. The victor, Henry Tudor,
became Henry VII and officially ended the Plantagenet reign with the
founding of the House of Tudor.
The Plantagenet royal dynasty provided 14 kings descended from
Geoffrey, 5th count of Anjou, and the empress Matilda, daughter of the
English king Henry I. Plantagenet was not a hereditary surname and
seems to have originated as a nickname for Count Geoffrey. The name is
believed to refer either to the sprig of broom (Latin genista) that he
wore in his hat or to his practice of planting broom to improve his
hunting covers.
Historians differ on the naming of kings as Plantagenet, with some
giving the name to Count Geoffrey's descendants beginning with Edward
I. Richard Plantagenet, or Richard, 3rd duke of York, was the first to
use the surname officially when he claimed the throne in 1460. The
Plantagenet line became extinct when its legitimate male heir, Edward,
Earl of Warwick, was executed in 1499.

---------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia
Copyright (c) 1994, 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Duke of Normandy, 1150. He began the Norman Conquest of Ireland in 1171-1172
and forced William the Lion, King of the Scots, to recognize him as overlord.
He was succeeded by his son, Richard I, the Lion-Heart. Henry II was the
first of the house of Anjou, or Plantagenet.

called Curt Mantel

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 his possessions
until shortly before his death. His judicial and administrative reforms which
increased Royal control and influence at the expense of the Barons were of
great constitutional importance. Introduced trial by Jury. Duke of Normandy.

______________________________

Henry II
King of England, born 1133; died 6 July, 1189; was in his earlier life commonly known as Henry Fitz-Empress from the fact that his mother Matilda, daughter of Henry I, was first married to the Emperor Henry V. Henry himself, however, was the son of her second husband, Geoffrey Plantagenet, and inherited from him the three important fiefs of Anjou, Touraine, and Maine. Soon after his birth the English Witan were made to swear fealty to the infant prince as heir to the throne of England, but when Henry I died, in 1135, both Norman and English barons, who greatly disliked Geoffrey Plantagenet, lent their support to the rival claimant, Stephen of Blois. Despite the confusion and civil war which marked the ensuing years, young Henry seems to have been well educated, partly in England, partly abroad. When he was sixteen he was knighted at Carlisle by King David of Scotland, when he was eighteen he succeeded to Normandy and Anjou, when nineteen he married Eleanor of Aquitaine, the divorced wife of Louis VII of France, and secured her inheritance, and when he was twenty he came to England and forced King Stephen to submit to terms. It is plain that when, a year later, upon Stephen's death, he succeeded to the English crown, men felt that they had no novice to deal with either in diplomacy or in war. Whether through the accident of heredity or through conscious imitation, Henry II at once took up with signal success that work of constitutional and legal reform which marked the administration of his grandfather, Henry I. The Angevin Henry was not a hero or a patriot as we understand the terms nowadays, but he was, as Stubbs has said, "a far-seeing King who recognized that the well-being of the nation was the surest foundation of his own power". At home, then, he set to work from the beginning to face a series of problems which had never yet been settled, the question of Scotland, the question of Wales, the frauds of fiscal officers, the defects of royal justice, and the encroachments of the feudal courts. In all these undertakings he was loyally seconded by his new chancellor, one who had been cordially recommended to him by Archbishop Theobald and one who was sufficiently near his own age to share his vigour and his enthusiasm. There is but one voice amongst contemporaries to render homage to the strong and beneficial government carried on by Henry and his chancellor Thomas Becket during seven or eight years. All dangerous resistance was crushed, the numberless feudal castles were surrendered, and the turbulent barons were not unwilling to acquiesce in the security and order imparted by the reorganized machinery of the exchequer and by a more comprehensive system of judicial administration. The details cannot be given here. The reforms were largely embodied in the "Assizes" issued later in the reign, but in most cases the work of reorganization had been set on foot from the beginning. As regards foreign policy Henry found himself possessed of dominions such as no English king before him had ever known. Normandy, Maine, Anjou, and Aquitaine were united to the English crown in 1154, and before twenty years had passed Nantes, Quercy, Brittany, and Toulouse had all practically fallen under English rule. It has recently been maintained (by Hardegan, "Imperialpolitik Heinrichs II.", 1905) that Henry deliberately adopted a policy of competing with the emperor and that he made the empire itself, as Giraldus Cambrensis seems to state (Opera, VIII, 157), the object of his ambition, being invited thereto both by the whole of Italy and by the city of Rome. If this be an exaggerated view, it is nevertheless certain that Henry occupied a foremost position in Europe, and that England for the first time exerted an influence which was felt all over the Continent.
The prosperity which smiled on Henry's early years seems in a strange way to have been broken by his quarrel with his former favourite and chancellor. He whom we now honour as St. Thomas of Canterbury was raised to the archbishopric at his royal master's desire in 1162. It is probable that Henry was influenced in his choice of a primate by the anticipation of conflicts with the Church. No doubt he was already planning his attack on the jurisdiction of the Courts-Christian, and it is also probable enough that Thomas himself had divined it. This, if true, would explain the plainly expressed forebodings which the future archbishop uttered on hearing of his nomination. The story of the famous Constitutions of Clarendon has already been given in some little detail in the article ENGLAND (Vol. V, p. 436). In his attack on the jurisdiction of the spiritual courts Henry may have desired sincerely to remedy an abuse, but the extent of that abuse has been very much exaggerated by the anti-papal sympathies of Anglican historians, more especially of so influential a writer as Bishop Stubbs. Henry's masterful and passionate nature was undoubtedly embittered by what he deemed the ingratitude of his former favourite -- even St. Thomas's resignation of the chancellorship, on being made archbishop, had deeply mortified him -- but when, as the climax of six years of persecution which followed the saint's rejection of the Constitutions of Clarendon, the archbishop was brutally murdered on 29 December, 1170, there is no reason to doubt that Henry's remorse was sincere. His submission to the humiliating penance, which he performed barefoot at the martyr's shrine in 1174, was an example to all Europe. When the news came that on that very day the Scottish king, who was supporting a dangerous insurrection in the North, had been taken prisoner at Alnwick, men not unnaturally regarded it as a mark of the Divine favour. It is not impossible, and has been recently suggested by L. Delisle, that the restoration of the style "Dei gratia Rex Anglorum" (by the grace of God King of the English), which is observable in the royal charters after 1172, may be due to intensified religious feeling. In any case there is no sufficient reason for saying with Stubbs that St. Thomas was responsible for a grievous change in Henry's character towards the close of his life. The misconduct and rebellion of his sons, probably at the instigation of his queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, are amply sufficient to account for some measure of bitterness and vindictiveness. On the other hand, after Henry by his penance had owned himself beaten upon the question of the Church Courts, his legal and constitutional reforms (such as those which developed the germs of trial by jury, the circuits of the travelling justices, etc.) were pushed on more actively than ever. This fact forms a strong argument for the view that St. Thomas was resisting nothing which was essential to the well-being of the kingdom. Moreover, it is in these last years of Henry's life that we find the most attractive presentment of his character in his relations with the Carthusian, St. Hugh of Lincoln, a saint whom the king himself had promoted to his bishopric. St. Hugh evidently had a tender feeling for Henry, and he was not a man to connive at wickedness. Again, the list of Henry's religious foundations is a considerable one, even apart from the three houses established in the commutation of his vow. Moreover, at the very end of his life he seems to have been sincere in his interest in the crusade, while his organization of the "Saladin Tithe", like that of the "Scutage" at the beginning of the reign, marked an epoch in the history of English taxation. The conquest of Ireland which Henry had projected in 1156 and for which he obtained a Bull from Pope Adrian IV (q.v.) was carried out later with the full sanction of Pope Alexander III, preserved to us in letters of unquestionable authenticity which concede in substance all that was granted by the disputed Bull of Adrian. The death of Henry was sad and tragic, embittered as it was by the rebellion of his sons Richard and John, but he received the last sacraments before the end came. "I think", says William of Newburgh, "that God wished to punish him severely in this life in order to show mercy to him in the next."

http://www.renderplus.com/hartgen/htm/plantagenet.htm#name2155

A bio of King Henry II

Family:

Spouse: Balliol, Annabel (Concubine #3)
Birth: 18 MAY 1153 Sussex Square, London, Middlesex, England
Death: 31 MAR 1204
Gender: Female
Parents:

Father: Balliol, Barnard II
Mother: Piquigny, Agnes de

Children:

Longespee, William I E/Salisbury

(The movie "Lion in Winter" was about Henry and Eleanor. Don't know
how accurate it is!)

Henry II (born 1133, ruled 1154-89). The grandson of Henry I was the
first Plantagenet king of England. His mother was Matilda, daughter of
Henry I. His father was Geoffrey of Anjou, whom Matilda married after
the death of her first husband, Emperor Henry V. Geoffrey was called
Plantagenet for his habit of wearing in his cap a sprig of the broom
plant, which in Latin is called planta genista.
Henry II was born in Le Mans, France, in March 1133. During his
mother's conflict with Stephen for the English throne he was brought to
England. Stephen eventually recognized his claim, and Henry became king
of England in 1154 after Stephen's death.
Henry II held England and Normandy by his mother's right. From his
father he inherited, as French fiefs, the important counties of Anjou,
Maine, and Touraine. By his marriage with Eleanor of Aquitaine, whose
marriage with the French king Louis VII had been annulled, he acquired
Poitou, Guyenne, and Gascony, so that he held most of the British Isles
and about half of France.
Henry II reestablished law and order after the anarchy of Stephen's
reign. He improved the military service by permitting the barons to pay
"shield money," or scutage, in place of serving in the army. With this
he hired soldiers who would fight whenever and wherever he wished an
important means of maintaining control over the powerful nobles of the
land.
His greatest work was the reform of the law courts. He brought the
Curia Regis (King's Court) into every part of England by sending
learned judges on circuit through the land to administer the "king's
justice." Thus gradually one system of law took the place of the many
local customs that had been in use. He also established the grand jury.
Now accusations could be brought by a body of representatives of the
community against evildoers who were so powerful that no single
individual dared accuse them.
The petit jury, also called petty or trial jury, substituted the
weighing of evidence and testimony by sworn men for the old
superstitious trial by combat or by ordeal. (See also Jury System.)
Henry even attempted to bring churchmen who committed crimes under the
jurisdiction of the king's courts, but the scandal caused by the murder
of Archbishop Thomas Becket in the course of this quarrel forced him to
give up this reform (see Becket).
Henry's last years were embittered by the rebellion of his sons,
aided by Philip Augustus of France and by their mother, the
unscrupulous Eleanor. The king old, sick, and discouraged had to
consent to the terms demanded of him. When he saw the name of John, his
favorite son, among those of his enemies, he exclaimed, "Now let all
things go as they will; I care no more for myself, nor for the world."
Two days later he died, muttering, "Shame, shame on a conquered
king." He was succeeded by his son Richard (see Richard, Kings of
England). After Richard's death, in 1199, John came to the throne (see
John of England).

---------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia
Copyright (c) 1994, 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved

PLANTAGENET, HOUSE OF. Also called the Angevin Dynasty, the House of
Plantagenet ruled England from 1154 to 1485. The reign of the House of
Plantagenet ended in the final battle of the Wars of the Roses, fought
between the Lancaster and York families. The victor, Henry Tudor,
became Henry VII and officially ended the Plantagenet reign with the
founding of the House of Tudor.
The Plantagenet royal dynasty provided 14 kings descended from
Geoffrey, 5th count of Anjou, and the empress Matilda, daughter of the
English king Henry I. Plantagenet was not a hereditary surname and
seems to have originated as a nickname for Count Geoffrey. The name is
believed to refer either to the sprig of broom (Latin genista) that he
wore in his hat or to his practice of planting broom to improve his
hunting covers.
Historians differ on the naming of kings as Plantagenet, with some
giving the name to Count Geoffrey's descendants beginning with Edward
I. Richard Plantagenet, or Richard, 3rd duke of York, was the first to
use the surname officially when he claimed the throne in 1460. The
Plantagenet line became extinct when its legitimate male heir, Edward,
Earl of Warwick, was executed in 1499.

---------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia
Copyright (c) 1994, 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Duke of Normandy, 1150. He began the Norman Conquest of Ireland in 1171-1172
and forced William the Lion, King of the Scots, to recognize him as overlord.
He was succeeded by his son, Richard I, the Lion-Heart. Henry II was the
first of the house of Anjou, or Plantagenet.

!DESCENT: Gary Boyd Roberts, The Royal Descents of 500 Immigrants to the
American Colonies or the United States, at 354 (1992).

!DESCENT: Frederick Lewis Weis and Walter Lee Sheppard, Jr., Ancestral Roots
of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700, 7th ed., at 3
(1992). Line 1-25.

Henry II (called "Curtmantle"; 5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189) ruled as King of England (1154–1189), Count of Anjou, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry was the first of the House of Plantagenet to rule England and was the great-grandson of William the Conqueror.

Early life
Henry II was born in Le Mans, France, on 5 March 1133, the first day of the traditional year.[1] His father, Geoffrey V of Anjou (Geoffrey Plantagenet), was Count of Anjou and Count of Maine. His mother, Empress Matilda, was a claimant to the English throne as the daughter of Henry I (1100–1135), son of William, Duke of Normandy. He spent his childhood in his father's land of Anjou. At the age of nine, Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester took him to England where he received education from Master Matthew at Bristol.

Marriage and children
On 18 May 1152, at Bordeaux Cathedral, at the age of 19, Henry married Eleanor of Aquitaine. The wedding was "without the pomp or ceremony that befitted their rank,"[2] partly because only two months previously Eleanor's marriage to Louis VII of France had been annulled. Their relationship, always stormy, eventually died: After Eleanor encouraged her children to rebel against their father in 1173, Henry had her placed under house-arrest, where she remained for fifteen years.[3]

Henry and Eleanor had eight children, William, Henry, Richard, Geoffrey, John, Matilda, Eleanor, and Joan. William died in infancy. As a result Henry was crowned as joint king when he came of age. However, because he was never King in his own right, he is known as "Henry the Young King", not Henry III. In theory, Henry would have inherited the throne from his father, Richard his mother's possessions, Geoffrey would have Brittany and John would be Lord of Ireland. However, fate would ultimately decide much differently.

It has been suggested by John Speed's 1611 book, History of Great Britain, that another son, Philip, was born to the couple. Speed's sources no longer exist, but Philip would presumably have died in early infancy.[4]

Henry also had illegitimate children. While they were not valid claimants, their Royal blood made them potential problems for Henry's legitimate successors.[5] William de Longespee was one such child. He remained largely loyal and contented with the lands and wealth afforded to him as a bastard. Geoffrey, Bishop of Lincoln, Archbishop of York, on the other hand, was seen as a possible thorn in the side of Richard I of England.[5] Geoffrey had been the only son to attend Henry II on his deathbed, after even the King's favourite, John Lackland, deserted him.[6] Richard forced him into the clergy at York, thus ending his secular ambitions.[5] Another son, Morgan was elected to the Bishopric of Durham, although he was never consecrated due to opposition from Pope Innocent III.[7]

For a complete list of Henry's descendants, see List of members of the House of Plantagenet.

[edit] Appearance
Several sources record Henry's appearance. They all agree that he was very strong, energetic and surpassed his peers athletically.

“ ...he was strongly built, with a large, leonine head, freckle fiery face and red hair cut short. His eyes were grey and we are told that his voice was harsh and cracked, possibly because of the amount of open-air exercise he took. He would walk or ride until his attendants and courtiers were worn out and his feet and legs were covered with blistered and sores...He would perform all athletic feats. John Harvey (Modern)
...the lord king has been red-haired so far, except that the coming of old age and grey hair has altered that colour somewhat. His height is medium, so that neither does he appear great among the small, nor yet does he seem small among the great... curved legs, a horseman's shins, broad chest, and a boxer's arms all announce him as a man strong, agile and bold... he never sits, unless riding a horse or eating... In a single day, if necessary, he can run through four or five day-marches and, thus foiling the plots of his enemies, frequently mocks their plots with surprise sudden arrivals... Always are in his hands bow, sword, spear and arrow, unless he be in council or in books.- Peter of Blois (Contemporary)

A man of reddish, freckled complexion, with a large, round head, grey eyes that glowed fiercely and grew bloodshot in anger, a fiery countenance and a harsh, cracked voice. His neck was poked forward slightly from his shoulders, his chest was broad and square, his arms strong and powerful. His body was stocky, with a pronounced tendency toward fatness, due to nature rather than self-indulgence - which he tempered with exercise. Gerald of Wales (Contemporary)

[edit] Character
Like his grandfather, Henry I of England, Henry II had an outstanding knowledge of the law. A talented linguist and excellent Latin speaker, he would sit on councils in person whenever possible. His interest in the economy was reflected in his own frugal lifestyle. He dressed casually except when tradition dictated otherwise and ate a sparing diet.[8]

He was modest and mixed with all classes easily. "He does not take upon himself to think high thoughts, his tongue never swells with elated language; he does not magnify himself as more than man."[9] His generosity was well-known and he employed a Templar to distribute one tenth of all the food bought to the royal court amongst his poorest subjects.

Henry also had a good sense of humour and was never upset at being the butt of the joke. Once while he sat sulking and occupying himself with needlework, a courtier suggested that he looked like a tanner's daughter. The King rocked with laughter and even explained the joke to those who did not immediately grasp it.[10]

"His memory was exceptional: he never failed to recognize a man he had once seen, nor to remember anything which might be of use. More deeply learned than any King of his time in the western world".[8]

Henry's claims by blood and marriage

Henry II depicted in Cassell's History of England (1902)Henry's father, Geoffrey Plantagenet, held rich lands as a vassal from Louis VII of France. Maine and Anjou were therefore Henry's by birthright, amongst other lands in Western France.[2] By maternal claim, Normandy was also to be his. However, the most valuable inheritance Henry received from his mother was a claim to the English throne. Granddaughter of William I of England, Empress Matilda should have been Queen, but was usurped by her cousin, Stephen I of England. Henry's efforts to restore the royal line to his own family would create a dynasty spanning three centuries and thirteen Kings.

Henry's marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine placed him firmly in the ascendancy.[2] His plentiful lands were added to his new wife's possessions, giving him control of Aquitaine and Gascony. The riches of the markets and vineyards in these regions, combined with Henry's already plentiful holdings, made Henry the most powerful vassal in France.

[edit] Taking the English Throne
Realising Henry's royal ambition was far from easily fulfilled, his mother had been pushing her claim for the crown for several years to no avail, finally retiring in 1147. It was 1147 when Henry had accompanied Matilda on an invasion of England. It soon failed due to lack of preparation,[2] but it made him determined that England was his mother's right, and so his own. He returned to England again between 1149 and 1150. On 22nd May 1149 he was knighted by King David I of Scotland, his great uncle, at Carlisle.[11]

Early in January 1153, just months after his wedding, he crossed the Channel one more time. His fleet was 36 ships strong, transporting a force of 3,000 footmen and 140 horses.[12] Sources dispute whether he landed at Dorset or Hampshire, but it is known he entered a small village church. It was 6 January and the locals were observing the Festival of the Three Kings. The correlation between the festivities and Henry's arrival was not lost on them. "Ecce advenit dominator Dominus, et regnum in manu ejus", they exclaimed as the introit for their feast, "Behold the Lord the ruler cometh, and the Kingdom in his hand".[11]

Henry moved quickly and within the year he had secured his right to succession via the Treaty of Wallingford with Stephen of England. He was now, for all intents and purposes, in control of England. When Stephen died in October 1154, it was only a matter of time until Henry's treaty would bear fruit, and the quest that began with his mother would be ended. On 19 December 1154 he was crowned in Westminster Abbey, "By The Grace Of God, Henry II, King Of England".[11] Henry Plantagenet, vassal of Louis VII, was now more powerful than the French King himself.

[edit] Lordship over Ireland
See also: Norman invasion of Ireland
Shortly after his coronation, Henry sent an embassy to the newly elected Pope Adrian IV. Led by Bishop Arnold of Lisieux, the group of clerics requested authorisation for Henry to invade Ireland. Most historians agree that this resulted in the papal bull Laudabiliter. It is possible Henry acted under the influence of a "Canterbury plot," in which English ecclesiastics strove to dominate the Irish church.[13] However, Henry may have simply intended to secure Ireland as a lordship for his younger brother William.

William died soon after the plan was hatched and Ireland was ignored. It was not until 1166 that it came to the surface again. In that year, Diarmait Mac Murchada, a minor Irish Prince, was driven from his land of Leinster by the High King of Ireland. Diarmait followed Henry to Aquitaine, seeking an audience. He asked the English king to help him reassert control; Henry agreed and made footmen, knights and nobles available for the cause. The most prominent of these was a Welsh Norman, Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, nicknamed "Strongbow". In exchange for his loyalty, Diarmait offered Earl Richard his daughter Aoife in marriage and made him heir to the kingdom.

The Normans restored Diarmait to his traditional holdings, but it quickly became apparent that Henry had not offered aid purely out of kindness. In 1171, Henry arrived from France, declaring himself Lord of Ireland. All of the Normans, along with many Irish princes, took oaths of homage to Henry, and he left after six months. He never returned, but he later named his young son, the future King John of England, Lord of Ireland.

Diarmait's appeal for outside help had made Henry Ireland's Lord, starting 800 years of English overlordship on the island. The change was so profound that Diarmait is still remembered as a traitor of the highest order. In 1172, at the Synod of Cashel, Roman Catholicism was proclaimed as the only permitted religious practice in Ireland.

[edit] Consolidation in Scotland
In 1174, a rebellion spearheaded by his own sons was not Henry's biggest problem. An invasion force from Scotland, led by their King, William the Lion, was advancing from the North. To make matters worse, a Flemish armada was sailing for England, just days from landing. It seemed likely that the King's rapid growth was to be checked.[1]

Henry saw his predicament as a sign from God, that his treatment of Thomas Becket would be rewarded with defeat. He immediately did penance at Canterbury [1] for the Archbishop's fate and events took a turn for the better.

The hostile armada dispersed in the English Channel and headed back for the continent. Henry had avoided a Flemish invasion, but Scottish invaders were still raiding in the North. Henry sent his troops to meet the Scots at Alnwick, where the English scored a devastating victory. William was captured in the chaos, removing the figurehead for rebellion, and within months all the problem fortresses had been torn down. Southern Scotland was now completely dominated by Henry, another fief in his Angevin Empire, that now stretched from the Solway Firth almost to the Mediterranean and from the Somme to the Pyrenees. By the end of this crisis, and his sons' revolt, the King was "left stronger than ever before".[6]

[edit] Domestic policy

[edit] Dominating nobles
During Stephen's reign, the barons in England had undermined Royal authority. Rebel castles were one problem, nobles avoiding military service was another. The new King immediately moved against the illegal fortresses that had sprung up during Stephen's reign, having them torn down.

To counter the problem of avoiding military service, Scutage became common. This tax, paid by Henry's barons instead of serving in his army, allowed the King to hire mercenaries. These hired troops were used to devastating effect by both Henry and his son Richard, and by 1159 the tax was central to the King's army and his authority over vassals.

[edit] Legal reform
Henry II's reign saw the establishment of Royal Magistrate courts. This allowed court officials under authority of the Crown to adjudicate on local disputes, reducing the workload on Royal courts proper and delivering justice with greater efficiency.

Henry also worked to make the legal system fairer. Trial by ordeal and trial by combat were still common and even in the 12th century these methods were outdated. By the Assize of Clarendon, in 1166, a precursor to trial by jury became the standard. However, this group of "twelve lawful men," as the Assize commonly refers to it, provides a service more similar to a grand jury, alerting court officials to matters suitable for prosecution. Trial by combat was still legal in England until 1819, but Henry's support of juries was a great contribution to the country's social history. The Assize of Northampton, in 1176, cemented the earlier agreements at Clarendon.

[edit] Religious policy

[edit] Strengthening royal control over the Church
In the tradition of Norman kings, Henry II was keen to dominate the church like the state. At Clarendon Palace on 30 January 1164, the King set out sixteen constitutions, aimed at decreasing ecclesiastical interference from Rome. Secular courts, increasingly under the King's influence, would also have jurisdiction over clerical trials and disputes. Henry's authority guaranteed him majority support, but the newly appointed Archbishop of Canterbury refused to ratify the proposals.

Henry was characteristically stubborn and on 8 October 1164, he called the Archbishop, Thomas Becket, before the Royal Council. However, Becket had fled to France and was under the protection of Henry's rival, Louis VII of France.

The King continued doggedly in his pursuit of control over his clerics, to the point where his religious policy became detrimental to his subjects. By 1170, the Pope was considering excommunicating all of Britain. Only Henry's agreement that Becket could return to England without penalty prevented this fate.

[edit] Murder of Thomas Becket
"What miserable drones and traitors have I nurtured and promoted in my household who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low-born cleric!" were the words which sparked the darkest event in Henry's religious wranglings. This speech has translated into legend in the form of "Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?" - a provocative statement which would perhaps have been just as riling to the knights and barons of his household at whom it was aimed as his actual words. Bitter at Becket, his old friend, constantly thwarting his clerical constitutions, the King shouted in anger but most likely not with intent. However, four of Henry's knights, Reginald Fitzurse, Hugh de Moreville, William de Tracy, and Richard le Breton overheard their King's cries and decided to act on his words.

On 29 December 1170, they entered Canterbury Cathedral, finding Becket near the stairs to the crypt. They beat down the Archbishop, killing him with several blows. Becket's brains were scattered upon the ground with the words; "Let us go, this fellow will not be getting up again." Whatever the rights and wrongs, it certainly tainted Henry's later reign. For the remaining 20 years of his rule, he would personally regret the death of a man who "in happier times...had been a friend".[14]

Just three years later, Becket was canonized and revered as a martyr against secular interference in God's church; Pope Alexander III had declared Thomas Becket a saint. Plantagenet historian John Harvey believes "The martyrdom of Thomas Becket was a martyrdom which he had repeatedly gone out of his way to seek...one cannot but feel sympathy towards Henry".[14] Wherever the true intent and blame lies, it was yet another failure in Henry's religious policy, an arena which he seemed to lack adequate subtlety. And politically, Henry had to sign the Compromise of Avranches which removed from the secular courts almost all jurisdiction over the clergy.

[edit] The Angevin Curse

[edit] Civil war and rebellion
“ It is the common fate of sons to be misunderstood by their fathers, and of fathers to be unloved of their sons, but it has been the particular bane of the English throne.[15] ”

The "Angevin Curse" is infamous amongst the Plantagenet rulers. Trying to divide his lands amongst numerous ambitious children resulted in many problems for Henry. The King's plan for an orderly transfer of power relied on Young Henry ruling and his younger brothers doing homage to him for land. However, Richard refused to be subordinate to his brother, because they had the same mother and father, and the same Royal blood.[5]

In 1173, Young Henry and Richard moved against their father and his succession plans, trying to secure the lands they were promised. The King's changing and revising of his inheritance nurtured jealousy in his offspring, which turned to aggression. While both Young Henry and Richard were relatively strong in France, they still lacked the manpower and experience to trouble their father unduly. The King crushed this first rebellion and was fair in his punishment, Richard for example, lost half of the revenue allowed to him as Count of Poitou.[5]

In 1182, the Plantagenet children's aggression turned inward. Young Henry, Richard and their brother Geoffrey all began fighting each other for their father's possessions on the continent. The situation was exacerbated by French rebels and the French King, Philip Augustus. This was the most serious threat to come from within the family yet, and the King faced the dynastic tragedy of civil war. However, on 11 June 1183, Henry the Young King died. The uprising, which had been built around the Prince, promptly collapsed and the remaining brothers returned to their individual lands. Henry quickly occupied the rebel region of Angoulême to keep the peace.[5]

The final battle between Henry's Princes came in 1184. Geoffrey of Brittany and John of Ireland, the youngest brothers, had been promised Aquitaine, which belonged to elder brother Richard.[5] Geoffrey and John invaded, but Richard had been controlling an army for almost 10 years and was an accomplished military commander. Richard expelled his fickle brothers and they would never again face each other in combat, largely because Geoffrey died two years later, leaving only Richard and John.

[edit] Death and succession
The final thorn in Henry's side would be an alliance between his eldest son, Richard, and his greatest rival, Philip Augustus. John had become Henry's favourite son and Richard had begun to fear he was being written out of the King's inheritance.[5] In summer 1189, Richard and Philip invaded Henry's heartland of power, Anjou. The unlikely allies took northwest Touraine, attacked Le Mans and overran Maine and Tours. Defeated, Henry II met his opponents and agreed to all their demands, including paying homage to Philip for all his French possessions.

Weak, ill, and deserted by all but an illegitimate son, Geoffrey, Archbishop of York, Henry died at Chinon on 6 July 1189. His legitimate children, chroniclers record him saying, were "the real bastards."[16]. The victorious Prince Richard later paid his respects to Henry's corpse as it travelled to Fontevraud Abbey, upon which, according to Roger of Wendover, 'blood flowed from the nostrils of the deceased, as if...indignant at the presence of the one who was believed to have caused his death'. The Prince, Henry's eldest surviving son and conqueror, was crowned "by the grace of God, King Richard I of England" at Westminster on 1 September 1189.

He grew up in Anjou, but visited England as early as 1142 to defend his mother's claim to the disputed throne of Stephen; educated by famous scholars, he had a true love of reading and intellectual discussion.
Geoffrey of Anjou died in September 1151, leaving Normandy and Anjou to Henry. Henry's continental possessions more than doubled with his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitane, ex-wife of King Louis VII of France. After a succession agreement between Stephen and Matilda in1153, he was crowned Henry II in October 1154.
Eleanor bore Henry five sons and three daughters between 1153 and1167; the relationship between Henry, Eleanor, and their sons Henry, Richard, and John proved to be tumultuous and treacherous. The empire ruled by Henry and his sons was considerably larger than the lone English island - the French Angevin positions extended from Normandy southward to the Pyrenees, covering the counties of Brittany, Maine, Poitou, Touraine, and Gascony, as well as Anjou, Aquitane, and Normandy. Henry was extremely energetic, and traveled quickly and extensively within the borders of his kingdom.
Henry revitalized the English Exchequer, issuing receipts for tax payments and keeping written accounts on rolled parchment. He replaced incompetent sheriffs, expanding the authority of royal courts, which brought more funds into his coffers. A body of common law emerged to replace feudal and county courts, which varied from place to place. Jury trials were initiated to end the old Germanic customary trials by ordeal or battle. Henry's systematic approach to law provided a common basis for development of royal institutions throughout the entire realm.
The process of strengthening the royal courts, however, yielded an unexpected controversy. Church courts, instituted by William the Conqueror, became a safe haven for criminals of varying degree and ability, for one in fifty of the English population qualified as clerics. Henry wished to transfer such cases to the royal courts, as the only punishment open to the Church courts was demotion of the cleric. Thomas Beckett, Henry's close friend and chancellor since 1155, was named Archbishop of Canterbury in June 1162. In an attempt to discredit claims that he was too closely tied to the king, he vehemently opposed the weakening of Church courts. Henry drove Beckett into exile from 1164-1170, when the Archbishop returned to England and greatly angered Henry over opposition to the coronation of Prince Henry. Exasperated, Henry publicly announced a half-hearted desire to be rid off Beckett -four ambitious knights took the king at his word and murdered Beckett in his own cathedral on December 29, 1170. Henry is perhaps best remembered for Beckett's murder, but, in fact, the realm was better off without the contentious Archbishop. Henry endured a rather limited storm of protest over the incident, but the real threat to his power came from within his own family.
Henry's sons - Henry the Young King, Richard, Geoffrey, and John -were never satisfied with any of their father's plans for dividing his lands and titles upon his death. The sons, at the encouragement (and sometimes because of the treatment) of their mother, rebelled against the king several times. Prince Henry, the only man ever to be crowned while his father still lived, wanted more than a royal title. Thus from 1193 to the end of his reign Henry was plagued by his rebellious sons, who always found a willing partner in Louis VII of France. The death of Henry the Young King in 1183, and that of Geoffrey in 1186, gave no respite from his children's rebellion - Richard, with the assistance of Louis VII, attacked and defeated Henry, forcing him to accept a humiliating peace on July 4, 1189. Henry II died two days later, on July 6, 1189.

[From "The British Monarchy", www.royal.gov.uk/history/angevin.htm]
Henry II (reigned 1154-89) ruled over an empire which stretched from the Scottish border to the Pyrenees. One of the strongest, most energetic and imaginative rulers, Henry was the inheritor of three dynasties who had acquired Aquitaine by marriage; his charters listed them: 'King of the English, 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 years were spent on the continent in his territories in what is now France. Henry's rapid movements in carrying out his dynastic responsibilities astonished 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 royal power lost by Stephen; Malcom IV of Scotland was compelled to return the northern counties. Locally chosen sheriffs were changed into royally appointed agents charged with enforcing the law and collecting taxes in the counties. Personally interested in government and law, Henry made use of juries and re-introduced the sending of justices (judges) on regular tours of the country to try cases for the Crown. His legal reforms have led him to be seen as the founder of English Common Law.

Henry's disagreements with the Archbishop of Canterbury (the king's former chief adviser), Thomas à Becket, over Church-State relations ended in Becket's murder in 1170 and a papal interdict on England. Family disputes over territorial ambitions almost wrecked the king's achievements. Henry died in France in 1189, at war with his son Richard who had joined forces with king Philip of France to attack Normandy.

Ruled England from 1154-1189.

1 AUTH Sl

See Historical Document.

GIVN Henry II "King of England" Curtmantle
SURN FITZEMPRESS
DATE 15 Dec 2000
HIST: @N456@

EVEN
TYPE Acceded
DATE 19 DEC 1154
PLAC Westminster Abbey, London, EnglandReigned 1154-1189. He ruled anempire that stretched from the Tweed to the Pyrenees. In spite offrequent hostitilties with the French King his own family and
rebellious Barons (culminating in the great revolt of 1173-74) and hisquarrel with Thomas Becket, Henry maintained control over his possessionsuntil shortly before his death. His judicial and
administrative reforms which increased Royal control and influence atthe expense of the Barons were of great constitutional importance.Introduced trial by Jury. Duke of Normandy.

GIVN Henry II "Plantagenet" King Of
SURN ENGLAND
AFN 8WKP-WF
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AUTH The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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TIME 19:03:00

See Historical Document.

GIVN Henry II "Plantagenet" King Of
SURN ENGLAND
AFN 8WKP-WF
PEDI adopted
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AUTH The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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TIME 19:03:00

NPFX King
GIVN Henry II
SURN PLANTAGENET
NSFX 13 Duke Normany, Cnt Anjou & Maine
ABBR Compuserve
TITL Any information taken from Compuserve.
AUTH Various authors
PAGE White paper from Jack McDonald-Hilton
ABBR The Historian's History of the World, 1908
TITL 25 volume set printed 1908
AUTH Henry Smith Williams
PUBL Hooper & Jackson Ltd, of London & New York, 1908
PAGE Vol XVIII, pp 257
QUAY 2
ABBR Compuserve
TITL Any information taken from Compuserve.
AUTH Various authors
PAGE White paper from Jack McDonald-Hilton
ABBR The Historian's History of the World, 1908
TITL 25 volume set printed 1908
AUTH Henry Smith Williams
PUBL Hooper & Jackson Ltd, of London & New York, 1908
PAGE VOL XVIII, pp 289
QUAY 2
ABBR History Of England
TITL History textbook
AUTH Katharine Coman & Elizabeth Kimball Kendall
PUBL The Macmillian Co, 1905
PAGE pp 74
QUAY 2
EVEN Named King after his Uncle Stephan (son of Adela) died
TYPE Misc
DATE 1154
ABBR History Of England
TITL History textbook
AUTH Katharine Coman & Elizabeth Kimball Kendall
PUBL The Macmillian Co, 1905
PAGE pp 74
QUAY 2
EVEN Conquers Ireland
TYPE Misc
DATE 1172

_FA1
PLAC Earl of Huntingdon, Duke of Exeter
_FA2
PLAC coronation on 12-19-1154 at Westminster Abbey, England
_FA3
PLAC 1154-1189

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TEXT Date of Import: Oct 20, 1999
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TEXT Date of Import: Oct 20, 1999
TITL tree1.ged
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TEXT Date of Import: Oct 20, 1999Earl of Huntington and Duke of Exeter.Coronation on December 19, 1154 at Westminster Abbey, England. Reignedfrom 1154 to 1189.

SOUR Brøderbund WFT Vol. 1, Ed. 1, Tree #5156, Date of Import: 13 Jan1997
SOUR Brøderbund WFT Vol. 1, Ed. 1, Tree #5156, Date of Import: 13 Jan1997

HIST HENRY II, WAS BORN IN 1133 TO GEOFFREY V PLANTAGENT AND MATILDA THEEMPRESS, DAUGHTER OF KING HENRY I OF ENGLAND. HE GREW UP IN ANJOU,FRANCE, BUT VISITED ENGLAND AS EARLY AS 1142 TO DEFEND HIS
MOTHER'S CLAIM TO THE THRONE OF STEPHEN. EDUCATED
HIST HENRY REVITALIZED THE BRITISH EXCHEQUER, ISSUING RECEIPTS FOR TAXPAYMENTS AND LOGGING ACCOUNTS ON ROLLED PARCHMENT. HE REPLACEDINCOMPETENT SHERRIFFS, EXPANDING THE AUTHORITY OF ROYAL COURTS,
WHICH BROUGHT MORE MONEY TO HIM. A BODY OF COMMON
HIST THIS PROCESS OF STRENGTHENING ROYAL COURTS LED TO CONTROVERSY WITHCHURCH COURTS, WHERE MANY FUGITIVES FOUND A SAFE HAVEN AS AS MANY AS 1 IN50 ENGLISH SUBJECTS QUALIFIED AS CLERICS. HENRY
WISHED TO TRANSFER SUCH CASES TO THE ROYAL COURTS, AS
HIST THE SONS OF HENRY, HENRY THE YOUNG, RICHARD THE LION- HEART,GEOFFREY, AND JOHN LACK;AND, WERE NEVER SATISFIED AT THEIR FATHERS PLANSIN DIVIDING THE KINGDOM UPON HIS DEATH. AT THE
ENCOURAGEMENT OF THEIR MOTHER, THE SON'S REBELLED SEVERAL
DATE 24 MAY 2000

Henry II was King of England between 1154 and 1189.

Duke of Normandy

Henry was born on the 5th of March 1133 at Le Mans. He was the son of Matilda (daughter of Henry I), and of Geoffrey, the Count of Anjou. The counts of Anjou were known as the Angevins and Henry was to become the firs t Angevin king. Henry first became the Duke of Normandy in 1151 and when his father died in the following year, he inherited the Angevin empire. In 1152 Henry married Eleanor of Aquitaine and through this marriage added the territories of Aquitaine to his already large empire. Matilda, Henry's mother, was heir to the English throne as she was the eldest daughter of Henry I, King of England, but Matilda's cousin Stephen h ad claimed the throne with some backing from the English Barons who were opposed to a female ruler. Matilda's attempts to reclaim the throne lea d to a damaging civil war in England but Matilda and Henry were victorious and in 1153 Stephen was forced to recognize Henry as heir to the throne. On Stephen's death in 1154 Henry became King of England as Henry II. Henry's empire now stretched from Scotland all the way down through England, Normandy, and Anjou to Aquitaine, the heart of which was at Anjou, not England.

Henry's early years as king found him controlling the rebellious Barons who had used the chaos of the civil war to fortify their homes and illegally control their territories. The castles they built are now known as the 'adulterine castles'. In Scotland and Wales Henry stamped his authority and began the process of subduing Ireland. Henry was also responsible f or bringing in new legal reforms including in 1166, the Assize of Clarendon which started the jury system.

Henry is most famous for his quarrels with his friend Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury. In 1164 Henry's Constitutions of Clarendon tried to bring the church into line with the state and one statement required that a member of the church should be tried in a state court and not in a church one. The rift between Henry and Becket forced Becket to leave England. When in 1170 Becket returned to England, an outburst of anger by Henry led to four knights murdering Becket at Canterbury. Although Henry was cleared of any direct involvement in the crime, he did penance before the Cathedral Avrances in Normandy.

Henry and his sons also quarreled which led to conflicts in England and abroad, including a rebellion by his Barons in 1173. Two of his sons were to become kings of England, Richard (the Lion Heart) and John.
Conflicts with Eleanor and his sons, helped by Philippe II of France continued until Henry died in 1189 at Chinon in France. Henry was succeeded by Richard, his third son. Henry II ruled over an empire which stretched from the Scottish border to the Pyrenees. One of the strongest, most energetic and imaginative rulers, Henry was the inheritor of three dynasties who had acquired Aquitaine by marriage; his charters listed them: 'King of the English, 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 years were spent on the continent in his territories in what is now France. Henry's rapid movements in carrying out his dynastic responsibilities astonished 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 royal power lost by Stephen; Malcom IV of Scotland was compelled to return the northern counties. Locally chosen sheriffs were changed into royally appointed agents charged with enforcing the law and collecting taxes in the counties. Personally interested in government and law, Henry made use of juries and re-introduced the sending of justices (judges) on regular tours o f the country to try cases for the Crown. His legal reforms have led him to be seen as the founder of English Common Law.
Henry's disagreements with the Archbishop of Canterbury (the king's former chief adviser), Thomas à Becket, over Church-State relations ended in Becket's murder in 1170 and a papal interdict on England. Family dispute s over territorial ambitions almost wrecked the king's achievements. Henry died in France in 1189, at war with his son Richard, who had joined forces with King Philip of France to attack Normandy.

Henry II Curtmantle
Plantagenet, Angevin Line -- Reigned: 1154-1189
1133-1189
Henry Curtmantle was first of the Angevin kings and one of the most effective of all England's monarchs. He came to the throne amid the anarchy of Stephen's reign and promptly collared the errant barons. He refined Norman government and created a capable, self-standing bureaucracy. His energy was equaled only by his ambition and intelligence. Henry survived wars, rebellion, and controversy, to successfully rule one of the Middle Ages' most powerful kingdoms.
Henry was raised in the French province of Anjou and first visited England in 1142 to defend Matilda's (his mother's) claim to the disputed throne of Stephen.
His continental possessions were already vast before his coronation: He acquired Normandy and Anjou upon the death of his father in September 1151, and his French holdings more than doubled with his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine, the ex-wife of King Louis VII of France.

In accordance with the Treaty of Wallingford, a succession agreement signed by Stephen and Matilda in 1153, Henry was crowned in October 1154.
The continental empire ruled by Henry and his sons included the French counties of Brittany, Maine, Poitou, Touraine, Gascony, Anjou, Aquitaine, and Normandy.
Henry was technically a feudal vassal of the king of France but, in reality, owned more territory and was more powerful than his French lord.
Although King John (Henry's son) lost most of the English holdings in France, English kings laid claim to the French throne until the fifteenth century. Henry also extended his territory in the British Isles in two significant ways. First, he retrieved Cumbria and Northumbria form Malcom I V of Scotland and settled the Anglo-Scot border in the North. Secondly, although his success with Welsh campaigns was limited, Henry invaded Ireland and secured an English presence on the island.

English and Norman barons in Stephen's reign manipulated feudal law to undermine royal authority; Henry instituted many reforms to weaken traditional feudal ties and strengthen his position. Unauthorized castles built during the previous reign were razed. Monetary payments replaced military service as the primary duty of vassals. The Exchequer was revitalized to enforce accurate record keeping and tax collection. Incompetent sheriffs were replaced and the authority of royal courts was expanded.
Henry empowered a new social class of government clerks that stabilized procedure -- the government could operate effectively in the king's absence and would subsequently prove sufficiently tenacious to survive the reign of incompetent kings. Henry's reforms allowed the emergence of a body of common law to replace the disparate customs of feudal and county courts. Jury trials were initiated to end the old Germanic trials by ordeal or battle. Henry's systematic approach to law provided a common basis for development of royal institutions throughout the entire realm.
The process of strengthening the royal courts, however, yielded an unexpected controversy. The church courts instituted by William the Conqueror became a safe haven for criminals of varying degree and ability, for one in fifty of the English population qualified as clerics. Henry wished to transfer sentencing in such cases to the royal courts, as church courts me rely demoted clerics to laymen.
Thomas Beckett, Henry's close friend and chancellor since 1155, was named Archbishop of Canterbury in June 1162 but distanced himself from Henry and vehemently opposed the weakening of church courts. Beckett fled England in 1164, but through the intervention of Pope Adrian IV (the lone English pope), returned in 1170. He greatly angered Henry by opposing the coronation of Prince Henry. Exasperated, Henry hastily and publicly conveyed his desire to be rid of the contentious Archbishop -- four ambitious knights took the king at his word and murdered Beckett in his own cathedral on December 29, 1170. Henry endured a rather limited storm of protest over the incident and the controversy passed.

Henry's plans of dividing his myriad lands and titles evoked treachery from his sons. At the encouragement -- and sometimes because of the treatment -- of their mother, they rebelled against their father several times, often with Louis VII of France as their accomplice. The deaths of Henry the Young King in 1183 and Geoffrey in 1186 gave no respite from his children's rebellious nature; Richard, with the assistance of Philip II Augustus of France, attacked and defeated Henry on July 4, 1189 and forced him to accept a humiliating peace. Henry II died two days later, on July 6, 1189.
A few quotes from historic manuscripts shed a unique light on Henry, Eleanor, and their sons.

From Sir Winston Churchill Kt, 1675:
"Henry II Plantagenet, the very first of that name and race, and the very greatest King that England ever knew, but withal the most unfortunate . . . his death being imputed to those only to whom himself had given life, his ungracious sons. . ."

From Sir Richard Baker, A Chronicle of the Kings of England:
"Concerning endowments of mind, he was of a spirit in the highest degree generous . . . His custom was to be always in action; for which cause , if he had no real wars, he would have feigned . . . To his children he was both indulgent and hard; for out of indulgence he caused his son Henry to be crowned king in his own time; and out of hardness he caused his younger sons to rebel against him . . . He married Eleanor, daughter of William Duke of Guienne, late wife of Lewis the Seventh of France. Some say King Lewis carried her into the Holy Land, where she carried herself not very holily, but led a licentious life; and, which is the worst kind of licentiousness, in carnal familiarity with a Turk."

The Saladin Tithe, 1188
Since the Saladin Tithe was taken of rent and movables to provide funds f or the Third Crusade, it can be regarded as an ecclesiastical tithe. The co-operation of the royal odicials of Henry II and of a jury, however, paved the way for future secular taxation of movable goods. To that extent it can be regarded as the beginning of such secular taxation in England.
1. Each person will give in charity one tenth of his rents and movable goods for the taking of the land of Jerusalem; except for the arms, horses, and clothing of knights, and likewise for the horses, books, clothing, and vestments, and church furniture of the clergy, and except for precious stones belonging to the clergy or the laity.
2. Let the money be collected in every parish in the presence of the parish priest and of the rural dean, and of one Templar and one Hospitaller , and of a servant of the Lord King and a clerk of the King, and of a servant of a baron and his clerk, and the clerk of the bishop; and let the archbishops, bishops, and deans in every parish excommunicate every one who does not pay the lawful tithe, in the presence of, and to the certain knowledge of, those who, as has been said above, ought to be present. And if any one according to the knowledge of those men give less than he should, let there be elected from the parish four or six lawful men, who shall say on oath what is the quantity that he ought to have declared; the n it shall be reasonable to add to his payment what he failed to give.
3. But the clergy and knights, who have taken the cross, shall give none of that tithe except from their own goods and the property of their lord; and whatever their men owe shall be collected for their use by the above and returned intact to them.
4. Moreover, the bishops in every parish of their sees shall cause to be announced by their letters on Christmas Day and on the Feast of St. Stephen, and on the Feast of St. John, that each will collect the said tithe into his own hands before the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin; and, on the following day and afterwards, each will pay, in the presence of those who have been mentioned, at the place to which he ha s been summoned. Peter of Blois: Description of Henry II
[Letter no. 66: to Walter, archbishop of Palermo, 1177)]
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To Walter, by the grace of God archbishop of Palermo, once associate, no w lord and dearest friend in Christ, Peter of Blois sends greeting and wished continual success of your desires.
The blessed Lord God of Israel, who visited and made his mercy upon you, raised you up in need from the dust, so that you may sit with kings and princes and may hold the throne of glory. Terrible is the Lord in his judgments, and great in his compassion, very worthy of praise, for "His compassion is over all that he made." [Psalm 145:9] Therefore of his compassion, which he has magnified in you, you have continual and steadfast memory, nor is that Judaic reproach seen in you: "They are not mindful of Hi s benefits and of his wonders which he has shown to them." [Psalm 77:11 ] There is nothing like ingratitude to provoke the indignation of the Most High: the very provocation of evils, deprivation of benefits, and extermination of merits. On account of reverence for that one, who delivered you from contemptible poverty, may you exhibit most fully the office of humanity to the Cisalpine poor; truly those who go to, or return from the land in which walked the feet of our Lord, you could strike down in many ways, but you must fulfill their needs with the solace of more humane grace, just as your predecessors in office. You will recognize that the Father is himself Father of orphans and paupers, who exalts the humble, and humiliates the proud: for which on behalf of his poor pilgrims he will uncover you, so that they may find among you aid of customary goodness. And therefore let it frighten you, lest their clamor and complaint ascend to the ears of that one, who is terrible among the kings of the earth, who judges the case of the poor, and accuses on behalf of the meek of the earth.
For the golden sash and silken girdle, and samite, and other exotic goods, which through the bearer of gifts from your largess I receive not as much as I wish, but as much as I deserve, I give back thanks. Truly from this the ancient integrity of your liberality is clear, which neither intervening time nor distance of places, nor assumption of honor, nor other things destructive to friendship were able to undo.
Since however you have demanded from me with all insistence that I should send to you the shape and habits of the lord king of England in an accurate description - which exceeds my faculties, and for which indeed the vein of Mantuan genius would seem insufficient enough - I nevertheless will communicate to you what I know without envy and detraction. About David it was said [I Kings 16] to the commendation of his beauty, that he was red-haired; however you will know that the lord king has been red-haired so far, except that the coming of old age and gray hair has altered that color somewhat. His height is medium, so that neither does he appear great among the small, nor yet does he seem small among the great. His head is round, just as if the seat of great wisdom, and specially a shrine of lofty counsel. Such is the size of his head, that so it matches with hi s neck and with the whole body in proportionate moderation. His eyes are round, and white and plain, while he is of calm spirit; but in anger and disorder of heart they shine like fire and flash in fury. His hair is not in fear of the losses of baldness, nevertheless on top there is a tonsure of hairs; his leonine face is rather square. The eminence of his nose is weighed to the beauty of the whole body with natural moderation; curved legs, a horseman's shins, broad chest, and a boxer's arms all announce him as a man strong, agile and bold; nevertheless, in a certain joint of his foot the part of the toenail is grown into the flesh of his foot, t o the vehement outrage of the whole foot. His hands testify grossly to the same neglect of his men; truly he neglects their care all the time; nor at any time, unless carrying birds, does he use gloves. Daily in mass, in counsels and in other public doings of the realm always from morning until vespers he stands on his feet. And, he never sits, unless riding a horse or eating, although he has shins greatly wounded and bruised with frequent blows of horses' hooves. In a single day, if necessary, he can run through four or five day- marches and, thus foiling the plots of hi s enemies, frequently mocks their plots with surprise sudden arrivals; he wears boots without a fold, caps without decoration, light apparel. He is a passionate lover of woods; while not engaged in battles, he occupies himself with birds and dogs. For in fact his flesh would weigh him down enormously with a great burden of fat, if he did not subdue the insolence of his belly with fasts and exercise; and also in getting onto a horse , preserving the lightness of youth, he fatigues almost every day the most powerful for the labor. Truly he does not, like other kings, linger i n his palace, but traveling through the provinces he investigates the doings of all, judging powerfully those whom he has made judges of others. No one is more cunning in counsel, more fierily in speech, more secure in the midst of dangers, more cautious in fortune, more constant in adversity. Whom once he has esteemed, with difficulty he unloves them; whom once he has hated, with difficulty he receives into the grace of his familiarity. Always are in his hands bow, sword, spear and arrow, unless he be in council or in books. As often as he is able to rest from cares and anxieties, he occupies himself by reading alone, or in a crowd of clerics he labors to untangle some knot of inquiry. For while your king knows his letters well, our king is more literate by far. Truly I have judged the abilities of both in learned matters. You know that the king of Sicily was my student for a year, and had had from you the basic arts of versification and literature; he obtained more benefit of knowledge through my industry and solicitude. However as soon as I had departed the kingdom, that one turned himself over to abject books in imperial leisure. But yet in the household of the lord king of the English every day is school, in the constant conversation of the most literate and discussion of questions. No one is more honest in speech than our king, more polite in eating, more moderate in drinking; no one is more magnificent in gift-giving, no on e more munificent in alms-giving: and therefore his name is like poured oil, and the entire church of saints describes the alms of such a one. Our king is peaceable, victorious in war, glorious in peace: he is zealous for the things to be desired in this world and he procures peace for hi s people. He considers whatever pertains to the peace of the people, in whatever he speaks, in whatever he does; so that his people may rest, he incessantly takes on troubled and enormous labors. It aims to the peace o f his people that he calls councils, that he makes laws, that he makes friendships, that he brings low the proud, that he threatens battles, that he launches terror to the princes. Also that immensity of money aims at the peace of his people, which he gives out, which he receives, which he gathers, which he disperses. In walls, in ramparts, in fortifications , in ditches, in enclosures of wild beasts and fish, and in palaces there is no one more subtle, and no one more magnificent to be found.
His most powerful and most noble father the count [of Anjou] extended hi s borders greatly; but the king added to his paternal lands with abundance in his strong hands the duchy of Normandy, the duchy of Brittany, the kingdom of England, the kingdom of Scotland, the kingdom of Ireland, the kingdom of Wales; he increased inestimably the titles of his magnificent inheritance. No one is more mild to the afflicted, no one more friendly to the poor, no one more unbearable to the proud; he always strives to oppress the proud with the semblance of divinity, to rise up the oppressed, and to stir up against swelling of pride continual persecutions and deadly troubles. When however he may according to the custom of the kingdom have had roles in making elections of most important and most powerful, he nevertheless always had his hands pure and free from all venality. I merely touch upon, I will not describe these and other endowments of soul as much as body, with which nature has marked him out before other s; truly I confess my insufficiency and would believe that Cicero and Virgil themselves would sweat under such a labor. I have briefly tasted this little morsel of his appearance and habits at your request; truly I shall seem either to have undertaken an unbearable work, or to have cut back much about the magnificence of so great a man through jealousy. Nevertheless I, serving your charity, do what I can do, and what I know without envy and without detraction, I communicate with most prompt good will , and also among other great men, who write in praise of my lord, I put m y might of devotion in a treasure chest along with the poor widow.
Because however you asked about the death of the blessed martyr Thomas , I say in the word of the Lord and in the order of deacon to you, that in conscience I believe in no way that the king was guilty of this thing ; and the most complete confirmation of this the lord Theodinus, bishop o f San Vitale and the lord Albert the chancellor [the future Pope Gregory VIII] will make to you, who because of this matter investigated in our regions performing the office of legate; they confirmed the innocence o f the man: and also they will assure you that this deed was done by certain men under his shadow, that all this iniquity came out from the sanctuary. For in fact, the canonical purgation having been accepted by them, they pronounced a judgment publicly by order of the highest pontiff, that he was free of this crime before God and men, and they bent back the mar k of infamy on those very magnates, whose malice they had clearly prove n in this matter.
Also you will have learned that the lord king has made the glorious martyr his chief patron in all his needs. For in fact on the very day when h e first visited the tomb of the martyr, he subjected the king of Scots, persecutor and attacker most strong in prison chains. Thereafter he has triumphed most gloriously with the continual favor of successes by the help of the martyr over all his enemies. You know therefore most certainly w hat kind of love it was, by which once king and martyr loved each other mutually, which neither death nor the sword has abolished: For "love is strong as death"; [Song of Solomon 8:6] and while everything passes away, " love never faileth." [I Corinthians 13:8] This is the beautiful gate, which remained whole and intact in the destruction of Jerusalem; and while all is destroyed in death, love does not perish in death, to whose strength death itself succumbs.
Indeed the kingdom of England, which he won by the sweat of war from King Stephen, most strong in arms, although but a youth and of no account, his sons, with the counsel and aid of the neighboring princes, have thrown into confusion by grave sedition. That one however, destitute of his men, and attacked by foreigners, with the martyr helping him, in whose virtue one alone has put to flight ten thousand, prevailed over all, and the Lord delivered into his hands his enemies, "To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron". [Psalm 149:8] That one therefore, who turned the hearts of the sons toward their father, himself stirred up or sent filial and devoted affection to the sons of our king; may he himself establish the seat of our father for a long time, and may he bring peace. For I know that if they stir up wars against their parents, the Lord will mow them down. For by the judgment and fatal law of God it is sanctified, that whenever they presume to assault that one from their own blood with wars, he will not even have half his days. This however we read in the book of experience now about many people, and we know it by visible proof.

Geoffrey IV

known as Geoffrey Plantagenet (pltj[acute accent]nt) (KEY) [O.Fr.,=sprig of broom; h e usually wore a sprig in his helmet], 1113?51, count of Anjou (1129?51) ; son of Fulk, count of Anjou and king of Jerusalem. In 1128 he married Matilda, daughter of King Henry I of England and widow of Holy Roman Emper or Henry V. After Henry I?s death (1135) Geoffrey, hitherto occupied in c omplex feuds with Angevin barons and rival nobles, undertook to conquer Normandy, to which he laid claim through his wife. After 1139, Matilda attempted the conquest of England from her cousin, King Stephen, who had gai ned the crown after Henry I?s death. Geoffrey did not accompany her, bein g still engaged in the conquest of Normandy, which he completed in 1144 . In 1147 he undertook a crusade with King Louis VII of France. In 1150 , Geoffrey and Matilda ceded Normandy to their son Henry (later King Henr y II of England), who founded the English Angevin dynasty. Geoffrey is al so known as Geoffrey the Fair.

AFN: 8WKP-WF
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/AF/individual_record.asp?recid=7224957&lds=0

[alfred_descendants10gen_fromrootsweb_bartont.FTW]

was knighted by David King of Scotland, 1148, went to Anjou 1150, returned to England 1152; succeeded King Stephen and began his raign with singular prudence, subdued the Welsh 1157, again crowned at Lincoln 1158, and at Worcester 1159. To secure his dominions in Normandy he seized the earldom of Anjou, left to his brother Geoffrey by his father's will, allowing him in lieu of it an annual pension, but Geoffrey died of grief in Joly 1157. The great events of his reigh wre the Irish comquest, the wars with the Scots, Welsh, and French, the destruction of more than one thousand fedual castles in England ("Dens ofThieves," Henry called them), the contest with Thomas `a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, who had excommunicated most of the English clergy 1169; he caused his son Henry to be made co-partner with him in the kingdom and corwned 15 July, 1170, and next year `a Becket was murdered in the Cathedral of Canterbury; for which act the King did penance and was whipped by the monks at Canterbury, but, enlaerging the Pope's authority in England, was pardoned 1172. He had war with his sons, till at last a peace was concluded 1174. His second son, Richard Cor Lionis, again rebelled and by the aid of the French King made his father submit to hard terms, for which the old King died of grief 7 July, 1189. Henry II m. Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitainm, dau. of William V, the divorced wife of Louis VII, of France; by which marriage he acquired a claim over nearly half of France. By his concubine, the Fair Rosamund, dau. of Walter, Lord Clifford, he had two sons: Geoffrey, Archibeshop of York, and William, surnamed Longoespee, who by his wife's right was created Earl of Salisbury and Somerset 1197,
King of England, 25 Oct. 1154-1189, called Curt Mantel, (Short-Mantle). (Weis 1-25).

The following is from the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia Online. Grolier Interactive Inc. <http://gi.grolier.com/encyclopedial>. January 2, 1998:

Henry II, perhaps the greatest king of England, ruled a vast Anglo-Norman domain from 1154 to 1189, founding a structure of government both flexible and well defined and patronizing toward scholarship and literature. The son of Geoffrey Plantagenet, count of Anjou, and Matilda, daughter of Henry I and briefly queen of England, Henry was born in France on Mar. 5, 1133. Made duke of Normandy in 1150, he inherited his father's lands in 1151 and in 1152 married Eleanor of Aquitaine, thus acquiring her large domain. After several unsuccessful attempts to recover his mother's throne, Henry invaded England in 1153 and was recognized as the heir of King Stephen, whom he succeeded in 1154.
Henry was a man of high intelligence, practical wisdom, and physical vigor. His early years as king were occupied with recovering his royal rights from the barons who had wrested them from Stephen. Although he could not effectively rule the entire so-called Angevin empire, Henry created a stable royal government within England.
Under Henry many governmental reforms were instituted. A new class of professional royal officials emerged, and new record-keeping practices reflected the increasing complexity of English society. The king ordered inquiries into the operations of local government and a survey (1166) of knight service. During his reign, money payments called scutage replaced knight service as the principal means of raising his army, the largest and most highly organized in Europe.
Perhaps Henry's greatest accomplishment was the development of the system of royal justice and hence of common law, which was to become the basis of the legal systems of most English-speaking peoples. Common law employed the jury, made the king's legal initiative (in the form of a writ) available to all free men for a modest price, and began due process under the law.
Henry was primarily interested in extending royal law at the expense of feudal jurisdictions and reaping the financial benefits that accrued. Nonetheless, the ultimate effect of the legal reforms of this reign was to protect the weak from abuse by the strong.
The most famous episode of Henry's reign was the king's quarrel with his friend Thomas Becket, whom he had made archbishop of Canterbury. Henry had hoped to isolate his kingdom's church from papal leadership and thereby subject it to his own. Becket, however, firmly opposed this policy, often unsupported by his own bishops. His murder (1170) in Canterbury Cathedral, inadvertently instigated by Henry himself, caused considerable uproar but little change in Henry's relations with the church.
Henry's final years were troubled by quarrels with his wife and four sons. They rebelled against him several times, most notably in 1172-74. When Henry II died on July 6, 1189, he was succeeded by his son Richard I; Richard was succeeded in turn by his brother John.

Author: James W. Alexander

Henry II
1154-1189
Henry was born in 1133 and was married to Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine immediately after her divorce from Louis VII, King of France. They had nine children: William, Henry, Matilda, Richard, Geoffrey, Philip, Eleanor, Joan and John.

Henry was the first of fourteen hereditary kings, who were later refered to in the history oracles as Plantagenets. Henry was the son of the Count of Anjou, whose family emblem was the 'plante genet', a yellow flowering broom.

It was with the land bequeathed by the Count to Henry and his auspicious marriage to Eleanor, which gained him a vast amount of lands in France. These lands exceeded the lands owned in France by the King of France, himself. In those times, the King of France ruled from Paris and its surrounding areas.

Henry had lands reaching for 1000 miles, and it was this vast domain, which was called the Angevin Empire.

Henry was the first king to demonstrate that he was truly a sovereign, and he ended all the anarchy and demonstration of strengths throughout his lands. He devoted himself to the internal security of his land and promoted domestic and foreign trade. Productivity doubled during his reign.

He revolutionised the law system, and even sat over cases himself. He was a notable lawyer, and he built up the system of English Common Law, and began to develop the traditional jury system. He was a gifted administrator.

Henry's notable failure was his attempt to curb the power and strength of the Church, particularly in the case of Thomas Beckett, who had been his wild pal until he was made Archbishop of Canterbury. His death did little for Henry's popularity.

He was unfortunate in love, relentlessly and romantically pursuing the hand of his wife, Eleanor, who became a selfish spoilt lady, and who turned her sons against their own father. A rebellion by the eldest son, Henry was crushed, and Eleanor was placed under house arrest for fifteen years. The other brothers placed continual pressure on their father, in alliances with the King of France.

Henry died a lonely and griefstricken man deserted by all of those he had loved and honoured.

HENRY II (1133-89), king of England (1154-89), first monarch of the house of Anjou, or Plantagenet, an important administrative reformer, who was one of the most powerful European rulers of his time. Born March 5, 1133, at Le Mans, France, Henry became duke of Normandy in 1151. The following year, on the death of his father, he inherited the Angevin territories in France. By his marriage in 1152 to Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry added vast territories in southwestern France to his possessions. Henry claimed the English kingship through his mother, Matilda (1102-67). She had been designated the heiress of Henry I but had been deprived of the succession by her cousin, Stephen of Blois, who made himself king.

In 1153 Henry defeated Stephen's armies in England and compelled the king to choose him as his successor; on Stephen's death, the following year, Henry became king. During the first few years of his reign Henry quelled the disorders that had developed during Stephen's reign, regained the northern counties of England, which had previously been ceded to Scotland, and conquered North Wales. In 1171-72 he began the Norman conquest of Ireland and in 1174 forced William the Lion, king of the Scots, to recognize him as overlord. In 1164 Henry became involved in a quarrel with Thomas a Becket, whom he had appointed archbishop of Canterbury. By the Constitutions of Clarendon, the king decreed that priests accused of crimes should be tried in royal courts; Becket claimed that such cases should be handled by ecclesiastical courts, and the controversy that followed ended in 1170 with Becket's murder by four of Henry's knights. Widespread indignation over the murder forced the king to rescind his decree and recognize Becket as a martyr. Although he failed to subject the church to his courts, Henry's judicial reforms were of lasting significance. In England he established a centralized system of justice accessible to all freemen and administered by judges who traveled around the country at regular intervals. He also began the process of replacing the old trial by ordeal with modern court procedures.

From the beginning of his reign, Henry was involved in conflict with Louis VII, King of France, and later with Louis's successor, Philip II, over the French provinces that Henry claimed. A succession of rebellions against Henry, headed by his sons and furthered by Philip II and by Eleanor of Aquitaine, began in 1173 and continued until his death at Chinon, France, on July 6, 1189. (Note: Eleanor of Aquitaine was the divorced first wife of King Louis VII of France). Henry was succeeded by his son Richard I, called Richard the Lion-Hearted.

Funk and Wagnall's Encyclopedia

Henry's "Third Concubine", Aliz De Porhot, gave birth to his son, William De Longespe, about 1173. William became Earl of Salisbury and it was through the descendants of this line and the subsequent marriage of Alice Botilier to Nicholas deSandford about 1350 that merged his ancestors and descendants into the Thomas Sanford line (1608-1681), and ultimately into the Bement line in 1893 with the marriage of Susan Belle Sanford (1872-1899) to William Henry Bement.

Dennis Gene BeMent

August, 1997

Henry II is further researched on a website from a professor at the University of Hull, UK. This may be accessed directly at: http://www.tardis.ed.ac.uk/cgi/bct/gedlkup/n=royal?royal01371

Dennis Gene BeMent

November, 1997

Notes for Aliz de Porhot , Third Concubine of Henry II:

Additional information on the ancestors of Thomas Sanford is located on Brderbund World Family Tree, Volume 8, Pedigree #3331. This provides a vital link to Nicholas deSandford and his spouse, Alice Botilier. Alice is a descendant of Henry II, King of England, and links the Sanford family with the royal families of the United Kingdom and other royal families on the continent.

Dennis BeMent (August, 1997)

Additional information on Aliz de Porhot, the Third Concubine of King Henry II may be found on Brderbund World Family Tree, Volume 12, Pedigree #1152. This record indicates a sealing and reference number 9FTR-4M as well as a baptism on 11 Oct 1954 and endowment on 23 Nov 1954 (SG).

Dennis BeMent (November, 1997)

Information received from yet another source indicates that Aliz may have been a younger relative of Henry II and that it may have been an incestuous relationship in the least which resulted in an iligitimate child.

Children of Henry and Eleanor Aquitaine are:

26 i. Richard5 I, The Lionhearted, King of England, born 8 Sep 1157 in Beaumont Palace,Oxford,England; died 6 Apr 1199 in Chalus,Limousin,France. He married Berengaria of Navarre 12 May 1191 in Chapel of St George, Limasol, Cyprus.

Notes for Richard I, The Lionhearted, King of England:

RICHARD I, called Coeur de Lion or Lion-Hearted (1157-99), King of England (1189-99), third son of King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, born in Oxford. When he was an infant, Richard was betrothed to a daughter of the French king Louis VII, and in 1172 he was given the duchy of Aquitaine in France, his mother's inheritance. His early years were spent in warring against his father to protect his own interests; he emerged a brilliant soldier.

In 1189 he became King of England and shortly thereafter set out on the Third Crusade. He was accompanied by the young Philip II, King of France, son of Louis VII. The Crusade proved a failure almost from the start, mainly because of the lack of harmony between the two kings. In Sicily Richard quarreled with Philip and refused to marry Philip's sister as planned. Instead he married Berengaria of Navarre on Cyprus, which he conquered in 1191. After capturing Acre from the Saracens that same year, Richard executed 2700 Muslim prisoners of war. It was Richard's personal valor in the Holy Land, however, rather than his ruthlessness, that made his name famous in legend. Conflict over policy in the Holy Land resulted in a break between the two, and Philip returned to France alone. Richard spent months in indecisive contests against Saladin, Sultan of Egypt and Syria, before making a truce by which Jerusalem was left in Saladin's hands. Captured en route to England by Leopold V, Duke of Austria (1157-94), Richard was handed over to Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV. He was released in 1194 only after paying a heavy ransom. Richard returned to England and there made peace with his brother, John, later King of England, who in his absence had been conspiring with Philip to usurp the English throne. Leaving the government of England to the care of the able administrator Hubert Walter, archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1205), Richard went to France in 1194 to wage war against the French king. Campaigns in defense of his European lands continued for five years. Victor in most of the warfare in which he engaged, Richard was fatally wounded by an arrow during an insignificant skirmish in 1199.

As king, Richard had chosen able ministers, to whom he left most matters of administration. Under his rule, however, England suffered heavy taxation, levied to support his expeditions. Sometimes cruel, sometimes magnanimous, and always courageous, Richard was well versed in the knightly accomplishments of his age and was also a poet. He was to become the hero of many legendary tales. He was introduced by his mother, Eleanor, to princess Berengaria of Navarre. On his mother's request Richard agreed to marry the princess, as the region of Navarre was a useful territory straddling the Pyrenees. He took the Princess with him on his travels, and Berengaria was crowned Queen of England when they put ashore in Cyprus. Richard was homosexually inclined and saw very little of his Queen, and left no son.

Funk and Wagnall's Encyclopedia

Notes for Berengaria of Navarre:

After the death of King Richard she fixed her residence at Mans, in Orleannois, and passed her latter years in pious retirement within the walls of the Abbey of L'Espan, which she had founded. Some sources say she was born after 1170.

It is said that she never visited England, but this is untrue.

27 ii. Eleanor Plantagenet, born 13 Oct 1162 in Domfront Castle, Normandy, France; died 31 Oct 1214 in Burgos, Castile, Spain. She married Alfonso VIII, King of Castile ABT 1177.

Notes for Eleanor Plantagenet:

One sources indicates she died 25 Oct 1214 at Las Huelgas. She had twelve children.

+ 28 iii. Lackland John , King of England, born 24 Dec 1167 in Beaumont Palace,Oxford,England; died 19 Oct 1216 in Newark Castle, Nottinghamshire, England.

Child of Henry and Aliz de Porhot is:

+ 29 i. William5 de Longespe , Earl of Salisbury, born ABT 1173 in England; died 7 Mar 1225/26 in Salisbury, Wilts, England.

[2982] COLVER31.TXT file, MORGAN.GED file
WSHNGT.ASC file (Geo Washington Ahnentafel) # 1089736 = 273016

Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia: king of England 1154-89, b 5 Mar 1133

ROYALS.GED, Henry II Curtmantle, b. 5 Mar 1133 m. 18 May 1152

ROGERS1.GED file. "Plantagenet", bur place

MORGAN.GED b 5 Mar 1133

http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~churchh/edw3chrt.html#BEGIN "Curtmantle"

PLANTAGENET.DOC m (to Eleanor) May 18, 1152 in Whitsuntide, England

murder of Thomas a Becket 1170

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/5283/royal.htm: b. 5 Mar 1132, marr 22 July 1137

known as "Curt Mantel"; Acceded: 19 DEC 1154, Westminster Abbey, London, England

From Plantagenet Ancestry:

HENRY II OF ENGLAND (otherwise HENRY FITZ GEOFFREY, or HENRY FITZ EMPRESS), Knt., King of England, Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou, and, in right of his wife, Duke of Aquitaine, born at Le Mans in Maine 5 March 1132/3. He was knighted at Carlisle by his great uncle, David, King of Scotland, in 1149. He married at Bordeaux, France 18 May 1152 ELEANOR ... former wife of Louis VII le Jeune (or le Pieux), King of France, Duke of Aquitaine (divorced 21 March 1152).... She was born about 1124 (aged 13 in 1137). They had eight children. ... By various mistresses, he also had a number of illegitimate children, including three seons ... and two daughters. ... By the Treaty of Winchester in 1153, Henry was recognized as King Stephen's heir. He reached England 8 Dec. 1154, and was crowned King of England at Westminster 19 Dec. 1154, with direct rule over England and southern Wales, and a claim to the overlordship of northern Wales. His domain of England, Wales, and the French lands acquired from inheritance and marriage (ruled as separate components) was termed the "Angevin empire" (as his father was Count of Anjou). He had little difficulty curbing the disorder of Stephen's reign and restoring the royal authoirty. He encouraged the development of juries of local men in the investigation of crimes, and trial of those accused by royal justices. His writs to sheriffs improved the disposition of claims over possession of property and benefices, thereby discouraging local self-help of violent ejection and usurpation. He was the first king to attempt to break down the feudal system of government by bringing its countless independent jurisdictions into subjection to one uniform judicial administration. His reassertion of the king's rights over the church, in particular that clerics were subject to his courts and not solely to ecclesiastical courts, led to the quarrel with his former chancellor, Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, who was murdered in his cathedral in Dec. 1170. In 1171 Henry invaded Ireland intent on conquest. By Christmas 1171 Waterford, Wexford, Limerick, and Cork were in his hands and all the Irish princes, except the King of Connaught, gave him hostages and promised him tribute. In 1178 he reorganized the English curia regis by restricting its highest functions to a small inner tribunal of selected counsellors, which later grew into the court of the king's bench. His final years were marked by quarrels with and between his sons, stirred into rebellion by their mother, from whom he was separated. HENRY II OF ENGLAND, King of England, died testate at Château Chinon, Normandy 6 July 1189 in the midst of a rebellion by his sons. His widow, Eleanor, died at Fontevrault (Maine-et-Loire), France 31 March 1204. They were both buried at Fontevrault Abbey.

Kinship II - A collection of family, friends and U.S. Presidents
URL: http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:2902060&id=I575153431
ID: I575153431
Name: Henry II PLANTAGENET
Given Name: Henry II
Surname: Plantagenet
Sex: M
Birth: 5 Mar 1133 in , Le Mans, Sarthe, France 1 1 1
Death: 6 Jul 1189 in , Chinon, Indre-Et-Loire, France 1 1 1
Burial: 8 Jul 1189 Fontevrault Abbey, Fontevrault, Maine-Et-Loire, Fran
Change Date: 15 May 2004 2 2 2 2 1 1 1
Note:
Name Suffix: of England
Name Prefix: King
Ancestral File Number: 8WKP-WF
Burial: 8 Jul 1189 Fontevrault Abbe, Mel, France
Skiles F. Montague, 1016 Main Street, Darby, Pennsylvania 19023
610-461-6861, (XXXXX@XXXX.XXX)
Henry II
1154-1189

Henry was born in 1133 and was married to Eleanor, Duchess of
Aquitaine immediately after her divorce from Louis VII, King of France.
They had nine children: William, Henry, Matilda, Richard, Geoffrey,
Philip, Eleanor, Joan and John.

Henry was the first of fourteen hereditary kings, who were later refered to
in the history oracles as Plantagenets. Henry was the son of the Count of
Anjou, whose family emblem was the 'plante genet', a yellow flowering
broom.

It was with the land bequeathed by the Count to Henry and his auspicious
marriage to Eleanor, which gained him a vast amount of lands in France.
These lands exceeded the lands owned in France by the King of France,
himself. In those times, the King of France ruled from Paris and its surrounding areas.

Henry had lands reaching for 1000 miles, and it was this vast domain, which was called the Angevin Empire. Henry was the first king to demonstrate that he was truly a sovereign, and he ended all the anarchy and demonstration of strengths throughout his lands. He devoted himself to the internal security of his land and promoted domestic and foreign trade. Productivity doubled during his reign. He revolutionised the law system, and even sat over cases himself. He was a notable lawyer, and he built up the system of English Common Law, and began to develop the traditional jury system. He was a gifted administrator.
Henry's notable failure was his attempt to curb the power and strength of the Church, particularly
in the case of Thomas Beckett, who had been his wild pal until he was made Archbishop of Canterbury. His death did little for Henry's popularity.
He was unfortunate in love, relentlessly and romantically pursuing the hand of his wife, Eleanor,
who became a selfish spoilt lady, and who turned her sons against their own father. A rebellion by the eldest son, Henry was crushed, and Eleanor was placed under house arrest for fifteen years. The other brothers placed continual pressure on their father, in alliances with the King of France. Henry died a lonely and griefstricken man deserted by all of those he had loved and honoured.

Father: Geoffrey V PLANTAGENET b: 24 Aug 1113 in , , Anjou, France
Mother: Matilda (Maud) Of GERMANY b: Bef 5 Aug 1102 in , London, Middlesex, England

Marriage 1 Elbeonore Of AQUITAINE b: 1122 in Chcateau De Belin, Bordeaux, Aquitaine
Married: 11 May 1152 in , Bordeaux, Gironde, France 1 1 1
Note: _UIDF277D40B5BD7BC47A682B1FED3C53D87B00E
Children
William PLANTAGENET b: 17 Aug 1152 in , Le Mans, France
Henry PLANTAGENET b: 28 Feb 1155 in Bermondsey,London,England
Matilda PLANTAGENET b: 1156 in , London, Middlesex, England
Richard I "Lionheart" PLANTAGENET b: 13 Sep 1157 in Beaumont Palace, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England
Geoffrey PLANTAGENET b: 23 Sep 1158 in , , , England
Philip PLANTAGENET b: Abt 1160 in Of, , , England
Eleanor PLANTAGENET b: 13 Oct 1162 in , Domfront, Normandie
John "Lackland" PLANTAGENET b: 24 Dec 1166 in Kings Manor House, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England
Gregory PLANTAGENET
Gregory PLANTAGENET
Henry III PLANTAGENET b: 28 Feb 1154/1155
William PLANTAGENET
Richard II PLANTAGENET b: 1189
Joanna PLANTAGENET b: Oct 1165 in , Angers, , France

Marriage 2 Rosamond De CLIFFORD b: Abt 1136 in Of Clifford Castle, Clifford, Herefordshire, England
Married: in (not Married)
Note: _UIDD63A573EE7DCE64AA7D6D6A658D3CEF37D48
Children
William "Longespee" PLANTAGENET b: Abt 1173 in Of, , , England
William LONGSPE b: 1170

Marriage 3 Countess IDA
Note: _UID13D27705AE72FA4AA473BE814AB7E2403E3C
Children
William LONGESPEE b: 1176

Sources:
Title: janet skelton.FTW
Note:
Source Media Type: Other
Repository:
Author: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Title: Ancestral File (R)
Publication: Copyright (c) 1987, June 1998, data as of 5 January 1998
Repository:

==============================================
[BIGOD-Mel Morris,10Gen Anc.FTW]

GIVN Henry II
SURN Plantagenet
NSFX King of England
AFN 8WKP-WF
_PRIMARY Y
ID: I2102
Name: *Henry Plantagenet , II, King of England
Sex: M
Birth: 5 Mar 1132/33 in Le Mans, Maine, Anjou Orleanis, France
Death: 6 Jul 1189 in Chinon, Indre-et-Lr, France
Note:
Burial: 8 Jul 1189 Fontevrault Abbe, Mel, France
Skiles F. Montague, 1016 Main Street, Darby, Pennsylvania 19023
610-461-6861, (XXXXX@XXXX.XXX)
Henry II
1154-1189
Henry was born in 1133 and was married to
Eleanor, Duchess of
Aquitaine immediately after her divorce from
Louis VII, King of France.
They had nine children: William, Henry,
Matilda, Richard, Geoffrey,
Philip, Eleanor, Joan and John.
Henry was the first of fourteen hereditary
kings, who were later refered to
in the history oracles as Plantagenets. Henry
was the son of the Count of
Anjou, whose family emblem was the 'plante
genet', a yellow flowering
broom.
It was with the land bequeathed by the Count
to Henry and his auspicious
marriage to Eleanor, which gained him a vast
amount of lands in France.
These lands exceeded the lands owned in France
by the King of France,
himself. In those times, the King of France ruled from Paris
and its surrounding areas.
Henry had lands reaching for 1000 miles, and it was this vast
domain, which was called the Angevin Empire. Henry was the first
king to demonstrate that he was truly a sovereign, and he ended all the
anarchy and demonstration of strengths throughout his lands. He devoted
himself to the internal security of his land and promoted domestic and
foreign trade. Productivity doubled during his reign. He revolutionised
the law system, and even sat over cases himself. He was a notable lawyer,
and he built up the system of English Common Law, and began to develop
the traditional jury system. He was a gifted administrator.
Henry's notable failure was his attempt to curb the power and
strength of the Church, particularly in the case of Thomas Beckett, who had been his wild pal until he was made Archbishop of Canterbury. His death did little for Henry's popularity.
He was unfortunate in love, relentlessly and romantically pursuing the hand of his wife, Eleanor,
who became a selfish spoilt lady, and who turned her sons against their own father.
A rebellion by the eldest son, Henry was crushed, and Eleanor was placed under house arrest for fifteen years. The other brothers placed continual pressure on their father, in alliances with the King of France.
Henry died a lonely and griefstricken man deserted by all of those he had loved and honoured.
Father: *Geoffrey de Gatinais , of Anjou b: 24 Aug 1113 in Anjou, France
Mother: *Matilda Alice , Emperess b: 5 Aug 1102 in Winchester, Hampshire, England
Marriage 1 *Alice Capet , Princess b: 1170 in France
Marriage 2 *Eleanor de Pointiers b: 1122
Married: 11 May 1152 in Bordeaux, Gironde, France
Children
*John Plantagenet , I, King of England b: 24 Dec 1166 in Beaumont Castle, Oxford, Osfordshire, England
*Eleanor Plantagenet b: 13 Oct 1162 in Domfront, Normandy, France
Geoffrey Plantagenet , Duke of Brittany b: 23 Sep 1158
Henry Plantagenet b: 28 Feb 1154/55 in Bermondsey, London, England
Richard Plantagenet , 1, King of England b: 8 Sep 1157 in Beaumont Castle, Oxford, Osfordshire, England
Matilda Plantagenet b: 1156 in London, England
William Plantagenet b: 20 Aug 1153 in Rouen, Normandy, France
Joanne Plantagenet b: Oct 1165 in Angers, Normandy, France
DATE 9 OCT 2000
TIME 21:59:47

King of England in 1154 to 1189. The first Angevin, or Plantagenet.

GIVN Henry II (Curl Mantel) King of
SURN England
NSFX **
!
! SEALED TO SPOUSE: IGI 1994 Edition, Film # 1761010.
! RELATIONSHIP: Patron, H. Reed Black, is 22nd; 23rd; & 24th G G Son.

King Stephen of England dies in 1154, and Henry Plantagenet succeeds him, becoming Henry II of England. This is the beginning of the Plantagenet Dynasty, which will rule England until 1399.

In 1159, an English army under the command of Henry II invades Toulouse in an attempt to assert the rights of Henry's wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Louis VII is able to drive the English out.

About 1160, England's Henry II and France's Louis VII come to terms, but minor skirmishes between the two powers continue to occur.

Theobald, archbishop of Canterbury, dies in 1162. King Henry II supports as successor his chancellor, Thomas Becket, thinking that Thomas will easily bend to the King's will. Henry was wrong.

Thomas Becket's defense of clerical privilege against the crown puts him at odds with Henry II shortly after the King returns to England from the Continent in 1163.

In 1164, Henry II of England issues the Constitutions of Clarendon, an attempt to define and distinguish temporal and spiritual jurisdictions. Becket objects and, fearing for his life, flees to France and persuades Pope Alexander III to condemn the Constitutions.

England's Henry II has his son crowned in 1170 by Roger, archbishop of York, violating the rights of the archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket. Thomas persuades Pope Alexander III to suspend Roger and other bishops who have taken part in the coronation.

Thomas Becket returns to England after six years of exile in France. Although the King and archbishop have officially reconciled, tensions soon mount, and Henry II's men murder Thomas in Canterbury Cathedral on December 29, 1170.

King Henry II of England imprisons his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and romps with his mistress, Rosamund Clifford. In 1173, Henry's sons, Henry, Richard, and Geoffrey lead a revolt against their father, but the House of Commons remains faithful.

In 1173, Henry II of England does penance at Canterbury Cathedral for his role in the murder of Thomas Becket. Pope Alexander III had canonized Becket the previous year.

Henry II, King of England, dies in 1189 at Chinon, France. His son, Richard the Lionheart (Coeur de Lion), succeeds him. Although King for 10 years, Richard spends only one in England.

According to a theory of comparatively late date, HENRY II., upon his marriage with Eleanor, daughter and heiress of the Duke of Aquitaine and Guyenne, added another lion, and hence the Insignia of England(q.v.)
Gules, three lions passant gardant in pale called the lions of England

King of England 1154-1189
Ref: Alt. Name, Henry Plantagenet II, King of England
Ref: Henry Duke Councilor His Descendants and Connections, WFT GenealogyLibrary.
A very tempestuous Reign of King at best, Wars with Ireland and wars withScotland and France in which he was victorious.
However unfortunate that his three sons turned against him because oftheir ambition and desire for power.
King Henry appointed eldest son Henry as successor in England
Prince Henry died with fever in June 11, 1183. Leaving no poserity.
this left Richard as heir to the throne of England.
King Henry died July 6, 1189. Henry was regarded as the greatest Princeof the time for his wisdom, Virture, and ability.
Ref; 24th Great Grandfather to Roy L. Birch

King of England 1154-1189
Ref: Alt. Name, Henry Plantagenet II, King of England
Ref: Henry Duke Councilor His Descendants and Connections, WFT GenealogyLibrary.
A very tempestuous Reign of King at best, Wars with Ireland and wars withScotland and France in which he was victorious.
However unfortunate that his three sons turned against him because oftheir ambition and desire for power.
King Henry appointed eldest son Henry as successor in England
Prince Henry died with fever in June 11, 1183. Leaving no poserity.
this left Richard as heir to the throne of England.
King Henry died July 6, 1189. Henry was regarded as the greatest Princeof the time for his wisdom, Virture, and ability.
Ref; 24th Great Grandfather to Roy L. Birch

NSFX Duke of Normandy
TYPE Book
AUTH A or c:Weis, Frederick Lewis
PERI Ancestral Roots
EDTN 7th
PUBL Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, MD (1999)
TEXT 1-25; 108-28; 110-26
TYPE Book
AUTH Stuart, Roderick W.
PERI Royalty for Commoners
EDTN 3d
PUBL Genealogical Publishing co., Inc, Baltimore, MD (1998)
ISB 0-8063-1561-X
TEXT 53-27
TYPE Book
AUTH Faris, David
PERI Plantagenet Ancestry of Seventeenth-Century Colonists
EDTN 2d
PUBL New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1999
TEXT 222:17
TYPE E-Mail Message
AUTH (Carol) Seejay51<(XXXXX@XXXX.XXX) >
TITL Henry I or II of England
DATE 15 Apr 1998
LOCA (XXXXX@XXXX.XXX)/PowerMac 6500>Applications>Reunion>Documents-source
ACED
DATE 19 DEC 1154
PLAC Westminster Abbey, London, Middlesex, England
TYPE E-Mail Message
AUTH (Carol) Seejay51<(XXXXX@XXXX.XXX) >
TITL Henry I or II of England
DATE 15 Apr 1998
LOCA (XXXXX@XXXX.XXX)/PowerMac 6500>Applications>Reunion>Documents-source
DATE 28 MAY 2000

GIVN Henry II "Plantagenet"
SURN England
AFN 8WKP-WF
PEDI birth

SURN Plantagenet
GIVN Henry II
NSFX King of England; Fitz Empress
AFN 8WKP-WF
_UID 6EA0A56669FE2543872F46CD1E2402C6BBEB
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PUBL July 1996 (c), data as of 2 January 1996
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GIVN Henry II "Plantagenet"
SURN Plantagenet
AFN 8WKP-WF
DATE 25 APR 2000
TIME 20:45:48

TITL Dunham.FTW
REPO
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TEXT Date of Import: Nov 26, 2000
TITL Dunham.FTW
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NPFX King
GIVN Henry II Plantagenet (Curtmantle) of
SURN England
Notes on Henry II, King of England
Henry, born at Le Mans, inherited the titles of Count of Anjou, and Duke of Normandy in 1151. The following year, on the death of his father, he inherited the Angevin territories in France. By
his marriage in 1152 to Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry added vast territoriesin south-western France to his possessions. Henry claimed the English kingship through his mother, Matilda. She had been
designated the heiress of Henry I but had been deprived of the succession by her cousin, Stephen of Blois, who made himself King. In 1153, Henry defeated Stephens armies in England and compelled the King to choose him as his successor; on Stephens death, the following year, Henry became king. During the first few years of his reign, Henry quelled the disorders that had developed during Stephens reign, regained the northern counties of England, which had previously been ceded to Scotland, and conquered North Wales. In 1171-72 he began the Norman conquest of Ireland and in 1174 forced William the Lyon, King of the Scots, to recognize him as overlord. In 1164 Henry became involved in a quarrel with Thomas a Becket, a childhood friend and military companion, whom he had appointed Archbishop of Canterbury. By the Constitutions of Clarendon, the King decreed that priests accused of crimes should be tried in royal courts; Becket claimed that such cases should be handled by ecclesiastical courts. The controversy that followed ended in 1170 with Beckets murder by four of Henrys knights who believed they were following Henrys wish to be rid of "that troblesome priest". Widespread indignation over the murder forced the King to rescind his decree and recognize Becket as a martyr. Although he failed to subject the church to his courts, Henrys judicial reforms were of lasting significance. In England, he established a centralized system of justice accessible to all freemen and administered by judges who traveled around the country at regular intervals. He also began the
process of replacing the old trial by ordeal with modern court procedures. From the beginning of his reign, Henry was involved in conflict with Louis VII, King of France, and later with Louiss
successor, Philip II, over the French provinces that Henry claimed. A succession of rebellions against Henry, headed by his sons and furthered by Philip II and by Eleanor of Aquitaine, began in 1173
and continued until his death at Chinon, France, on 6 Jul 1189. Henry was succeeded by his son Richard I, called Richard Lion-Heart. [GADD.GED]
Encouraged the settlement of Dutch and Flemish woollen experts in South Pembrokeshire. [THELMA.GED]
Henry II King of England (1154-89), the first monarch of the House of Anjou, or Plantagenet, an important administrative reformer, who was one of the most powerful European rulers of his time.
[unknown.GED]
Additional information: Britannia .comhttp://britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon26.html
ABBR Our Family Museum
TITL Our Family Museum: A Collection of Family History Notes
AUTH James Nohl Churchyard
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FILE C:\My Documents\Genealogy\Images\henryii.jpg
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GIVN Henry II "Plantagenet" King Of
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GIVN Henry II "Plantagenet" King Of
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PUBL June 1998 (c), data as of 5 JAN 1998
ABBR Ancestral File (TM)
REPO @REPO84@
TITL Ancestral File (TM)
AUTH The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
PUBL June 1998 (c), data as of 5 JAN 1998
ABBR Ancestral File (TM)
REPO @REPO98@
TITL Ancestral File (TM)
AUTH The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
PUBL June 1998 (c), data as of 5 JAN 1998
ABBR Ancestral File (TM)
REPO @REPO92@
TITL Ancestral File (TM)
AUTH The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
PUBL June 1998 (c), data as of 5 JAN 1998
ABBR Ancestral File (TM)
REPO @REPO126@
TITL Ancestral File (TM)
AUTH The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
PUBL June 1998 (c), data as of 5 JAN 1998
ABBR Ancestral File (TM)
DATE 23 NOV 1999
TIME 16:15:16

SURN England ( FitzEmpress)
GIVN Henry II
NSFX Plantagenet,king of Eng
_UID 8A677B6F75FFD411B9FE90B0FC4EB12E544C
DATE 6 Mar 1999
TIME 22:37:42

25 Mar 1133

Arundel Castle (West Sussex) Started in the reign of EDWARD THE CONFESSOR but completed by Robert de Montgomery (1086), first earl of Arundel, who was granted the lands by WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR. It was captured in 1102 by HENRY I, who granted the castle to William d'Albini,whose descendants, the dukes of Norfolk, still hold the castle. Albini gave refuge to the Empress MATILDA (1139) when it was besieged again by STEPHEN. Matilda's son, HENRY II, further extended the castle. HENRY IV married Mary de Bohun here (1380). It was severely damaged during the Civil War (1643) but was extensively restored in the 18th and 19th C, with additional furnishing for the visit of VICTORIA and Albert (1846).

Henry II was born at Le Mans in 1133. He was the eldest son of the Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I, by her second marriage to Geoffrey the Fair of Anjou. His parents' marriage was tempestous, and both parties were glad when politics brought a separation, with Matilda going to England to fight King Stephen, and Geoffrey of Normandy to win a heritage for young Henry.
He first came to England at the age of nine when his mother made her dramatic escape from Oxford where she was besieged by Stephen, across the ice and snow, dressed all in white, to welcome him at Wallingford. His next visit, when he was fourteen, showed his character: he recruited a small army of mercenaries to cross over and fight Stephen in England, but failed so miserably in the execution of his plans that he ended up borrowing money from Stephen to get back home. A third expedition, two years later, was almost as great a failure. Henry was not a soldier, his were skills of administration and diplomacy; warfare bored and sometimes frightened him. For the meanwhile he now concentrated on Normandy, of which his father had made him joint ruler. In 1151, the year of his father's death, he went to Paris to do homage to Louis VII for his duchy. There he met Queen Eleanor, and she fell in love with him.
Henry was by no means averse. To steal a king's wife does a great deal for the ego of a young duke; he was as lusty as she, and late in their lives he was still ardently wenching with 'the fair Rosamund' Clifford, and less salubrious girls with names like 'Bellebelle'; finally, she would bring with her the rich Duchy of Aquitaine, which she held in her own right. With this territory added to those he hoped to inherit and win, his boundaries would be Scotland in the north, and the Pyrenees in the south.
Henry was, apart from his prospects, a 'catch' for any woman. He was intelligent, had learned Latin and could read and possibly write; immensely strong and vigorous, a sportsman and hard rider who loved travel; emotional and passionate, prone to tears and incredible rages; carelessly but richly dressed, worried enough in later life to conceal his baldness by careful arrangement of his hair, and very concerned not to grow fat.
But now he was in the prime of youth, and in 1153, when he landed with a large force in Bristol, the world was ready to be won. He quickly gained control of the West Country and moved up to Wallingford for a crucial battle with Stephen. This was avoided, however, because in thepreparations for the battle Henry fell from his horse three times, a bad omen. Henry himself was not superstitious -- he was the reverse, a cheerful blasphemer -- but he disliked battles and when his anxious advisers urged him to heed the omen, he willingly agreed to parley privately with Stephen. The conference was a strange occasion: there were only two of them there, at the narowest point of the Thames, with Henry on one bank and Stephen on the other. None the less, they seem to have come to an agreement to take negotiations further.
That summer Stephen's son died mysteriously, and Eleanor bore Henry an heir (about the same time as an English whore Hikenai produced his faithful bastard Geoffrey). The omens clearly showed what was soon confirmed between the two -- that when Stephen died, Henry should rule in his place. A year later Stephen did die, and in December 1154, Henry and Eleanor were crowned in London.
Henry was only 21, but he soon showed his worth, destroying unlicensed castles, and dispersing the foreign mercenaries. He gave even-handed justice, showing himself firm, but not unduly harsh. A country racked by civil war sighed with relief. Only two major difficulties appeared: first Henry's failure in his two Welsh campaigns in 1157 and 1165, when guerilla tactics utterly defeated and on the first occasion nearly killed him; second was the reversal of his friendship for Becket when he changed from being Chancellor to Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162.
The quarrel with Becket was linked with the King's determination to continue his grandfather's reform of the administration of justice in the country. He was anxious for a uniform pattern, operated by royal justices, to control the corrupt, ill-administered and unequal local systems operated by barons and churchmen. At Clarendon in 1166 and Northampton in 1176, he got his council's agreeemnt to a series of measures which established circuits of royal justices dealing with the widest range of criminal activities. The method of operation was novel, too, relying on a sworn jury of inquest of twelve men. Though not like a modern jury, in that they were witnesses rather than assessors, the assize juries were the ancestors of the modern English legal system.
Henry travelled constantly, and much of the time in his Contninental territories, for there were constant rebellions to deal with, usually inspired or encouraged by Louis of France. Henry was determined to keep the integrity of his empire, and to pass it on as a unity. To do this was no small task, but in 1169 Henry held a conference with the King of France which he hoped would achieve his objectives: he himself again did homage for Normandy, his eldest son Henry did homage for Anjou, Maine and Brittany, and Richard for Aquitaine. The next year he had young Henry crowned in his own lifetime. If anything could preserve the succession, surely this would, yet, in fact, it brought all the troubles in the world onto Henry's head, for he had given his sons paper domains, and had no intention that they should rule his empire. Yet a man with a title does not rest until he has that title's power.
Late in 1171 Henry had a pleasant interlude in Ireland -- escaping from the world's condemnation for the murder of Becket. He spent Christmas at Dublin in a palace built for him out of wattles by the Irish.
Meanwhile, Eleanor had been intriguing with her sons, urging them to revolt and demand their rights. Early in 1173 they trooped off to the French court, and with Louis joined in an attack on Normandy. Henry clamped Eleanor into prison and went off to meet the new threat. Whilst he was busy meeting this, England was invaded from Flanders and Scotland, and more barons who fancied a return of the warlord days of Stephen broke into revolt.
Plainly it was St. Thomas's revenge, and there was no hope of dealing with the situation without expiation. In July 1174 Henry returned to England, and went in pilgrim's dress to Canterbury. Through the town he walked barefoot, leaving a trail of blood on the flinty stones, and went to keep his vigil of a day and a night by the tomb, not even coming out to relive himself. As he knelt, the assembled bishops and all the monks of Christchurch came to scourge him -- each giving him three strokes, but some with bitterness in their hearts laying on with five.
It was worth it though, for the very morning his vigil ended Henry was brought the news that the King of Scotland had been captured. He moved quickly northwards, receving rebels' submission all the time. He met up with Geoffrey who had fought valiantly for him, and commented, 'My other sons have proved themselves bastards, this one alone is my true and legitimate son.'
Returning to France, he quickly came to an agreement with Louis and his three rebel sons, giving each a substantial income, though still no share of power.
Richard set to work reducing the Duchy of Aquitaine to order, and quickly proved himself an able general who performed tremendous feats, such as capturing a fully manned and provisioned castle with three walls and moats to defend it. But the people were less easy to subdue -- they loved war for its own sake as their poet-leader, Bertrand de Born, shows well in his works: '. . . I love to see amidst the meadows tents and pavilions spread; and it gives me great joy to see drawn up on the field knights and horses in battle array; and it delights me when the scouts scatter people and herds in their path; and my heart is filled with gladness when I see strong castles besieged, and the stockades broken and overwhelmed, and the warriors on the bank, girt about by fosses, with a line of strong stakes, interlaced . . . Maces, swords, helms of different hues, shields that will be riven and shattered as soon as the fight begins; and many vassals struck down together; and the horses of the dead and wounded roving at random. And when battle is joined, let all men of good lineage think of nought but the breaking of heads and arms: I tell you I find no such savour in food or in wine or in sleep as in hearing the shout "On! On!" from both sides, and the neighing of steeds that have lost their riders, and the cries of "Help! Help!"; and in seeing men great and small go down on the grass beyond the fosses; in seeing at last the dead, with the pennoned stumps of lances still in their sides.'
These robust knights were actively encouraged by the young King Henry. He was handsome, charming and beloved of all, but also feckless and thoughtless -- far keener on tournaments and frivolity than the serious business of government. Then in the midle of his new rebellion he caught disentery and shortly died. His devoted followers were thunderstruck -- one young lad actually pined to death -- and the rebellion fizzled out.
The young king was dead, but Henry, wary of previous errors, was not going to rush into making a new one. He called his favourite youngest son, John, to his side and ordered Richard to give his duchy into his brother's hands. Richard -- his mother's favourite -- had made Aquitaine his home and worked hard to establish his control there; he refused to give his mother's land to anyone, unless it were back to Eleanor herself.
Henry packed John off to Ireland (which he speedily turned against himself) whilst he arranged to get Eleanor out of her prison and bring her to Aquitaine to receive back the duchy. Meanwhile the new King of France, Philip, was planning to renew the attack on English territories, all the while the three, Henry, Richard, and Philip, were supposed to be planning a joint crusade.
In 1188 Henry, already ill with the absessed anal fistula that was to cause him such an agonising death, refused pointblank to recognise Richard as his heir. The crazy project for substituting John was at the root of it all, though Henry may have deluded himself into thinking he was playing his usual canny hand.
But diplomacy was giving way to the Greekest of tragedies. In June 1189, Philip and Richard advanced on Henry at his birthplace in Le Mans, and he was forced to withdraw with a small company of knights, showering curses on God. Instead of going to the safety of Normandy, he rode hard, his usual long distance, deep into Anjou. This worsened his physical condition and, in high fever, he made no effort to call up forces to his aid. Forced to meet Philip and Richard, he was so ill he had to be held on his horse whilst he deliriously mumbled his abject agreement to their every condition for peace.
Back in bed after his last conference he was brought the news that John, for whom he had suffered all this, had joined the rebels' side. Two sons -- both rebels -- were dead, two sons -- both rebels -- lived, and it was his bastard Geoffrey who now tended him in his last sickness. There was not even a bishop in his suite to give him the last rites. Over and again he cried out in agony "Shame! shame on a vanquished king!"
After his death the servants plundered him, leaving him in a shirt and drawers. When the marshall came to arrange the burial he had to scratch around for garments in which to dress the body. A bit of threadbare gold edging from a cloak was put around Henry's head to represent his sovereignty.
And yet Henry had forseen it all. According to Gerald of Wales, he had long before ordered a fresco for one of his rooms at Winchester: the picture showed an eagle being pecked by three eaglets, and a fourth perched on his head, ready to peck out his eyes when the time should come. [Source: Who's Who in the Middle Ages, John Fines, Barnes & Noble Books, New York, 1995]

Henry II was born at Le Mans in 1133. He was the eldest son of theEmpress Matilda, daughter of Henry I, by her second marriage toGeoffrey the Fair of Anjou. His parents' marriage was tempestous, andboth parties were glad when politics brought a separation, withMatilda going to England to fight King Stephen, and Geoffrey ofNormandy to win a heritage for young Henry.

He first came to England at the age of nine when his mother made herdramatic escape from Oxford where she was besieged by Stephen, acrossthe ice and snow, dressed all in white, to welcome him at Wallingford.His next visit, when he was fourteen, showed his character: herecruited a small army of mercenaries to cross over and fight Stephenin England, but failed so miserably in the execution of his plans thathe ended up borrowing money from Stephen to get back home. A thirdexpedition, two years later, was almost as great a failure. Henry wasnot a soldier, his were skills of administration and diplomacy;warfare bored and sometimes frightened him. For the meanwhile he nowconcentrated on Normandy, of which his father had made him jointruler. In 1151, the year of his father's death, he went to Paris to dohomage to Louis VII for his duchy. There he met Queen Eleanor, and shefell in love with him.

Henry was by no means averse. To steal a king's wife does a great dealfor the ego of a young duke; he was as lusty as she, and late in theirlives he was still ardently wenching with 'the fair Rosamund'Clifford, and less salubrious girls with names like 'Bellebelle';finally, she would bring with her the rich Duchy of Aquitaine, whichshe held in her own right. With this territory added to those he hopedto inherit and win, his boundaries would be Scotland in the north, andthe Pyrenees in the south.

Henry was, apart from his prospects, a 'catch' for any woman. He wasintelligent, had learned Latin and could read and possibly write;immensely strong and vigorous, a sportsman and hard rider who lovedtravel; emotional and passionate, prone to tears and incredible rages;carelessly but richly dressed, worried enough in later life to concealhis baldness by careful arrangement of his hair, and very concernednot to grow fat.

But now he was in the prime of youth, and in 1153, when he landed witha large force in Bristol, the world was ready to be won. He quicklygained control of the West Country and moved up to Wallingford for acrucial battle with Stephen. This was avoided, however, because inthepreparations for the battle Henry fell from his horse three times,a bad omen. Henry himself was not superstitious -- he was the reverse,a cheerful blasphemer -- but he disliked battles and when his anxiousadvisers urged him to heed the omen, he willingly agreed to parleyprivately with Stephen. The conference was a strange occasion: therewere only two of them there, at the narowest point of the Thames, withHenry on one bank and Stephen on the other. None the less, they seemto have come to an agreement to take negotiations further.

That summer Stephen's son died mysteriously, and Eleanor bore Henry anheir (about the same time as an English whore Hikenai produced hisfaithful bastard Geoffrey). The omens clearly showed what was soonconfirmed between the two -- that when Stephen died, Henry should rulein his place. A year later Stephen did die, and in December 1154,Henry and Eleanor were crowned in London.

Henry was only 21, but he soon showed his worth, destroying unlicensedcastles, and dispersing the foreign mercenaries. He gave even-handedjustice, showing himself firm, but not unduly harsh. A country rackedby civil war sighed with relief. Only two major difficulties appeared:first Henry's failure in his two Welsh campaigns in 1157 and 1165,when guerilla tactics utterly defeated and on the first occasionnearly killed him; second was the reversal of his friendship forBecket when he changed from being Chancellor to Archbishop ofCanterbury in 1162.

The quarrel with Becket was linked with the King's determination tocontinue his grandfather's reform of the administration of justice inthe country. He was anxious for a uniform pattern, operated by royaljustices, to control the corrupt, ill-administered and unequal localsystems operated by barons and churchmen. At Clarendon in 1166 andNorthampton in 1176, he got his council's agreeemnt to a series ofmeasures which established circuits of royal justices dealing with thewidest range of criminal activities. The method of operation wasnovel, too, relying on a sworn jury of inquest of twelve men. Thoughnot like a modern jury, in that they were witnesses rather thanassessors, the assize juries were the ancestors of the modern Englishlegal system.

Henry travelled constantly, and much of the time in his Contninentalterritories, for there were constant rebellions to deal with, usuallyinspired or encouraged by Louis of France. Henry was determined tokeep the integrity of his empire, and to pass it on as a unity. To dothis was no small task, but in 1169 Henry held a conference with theKing of France which he hoped would achieve his objectives: he himselfagain did homage for Normandy, his eldest son Henry did homage forAnjou, Maine and Brittany, and Richard for Aquitaine. The next year hehad young Henry crowned in his own lifetime. If anything couldpreserve the succession, surely this would, yet, in fact, it broughtall the troubles in the world onto Henry's head, for he had given hissons paper domains, and had no intention that they should rule hisempire. Yet a man with a title does not rest until he has that title'spower.

Late in 1171 Henry had a pleasant interlude in Ireland -- escapingfrom the world's condemnation for the murder of Becket. He spentChristmas at Dublin in a palace built for him out of wattles by theIrish.

Meanwhile, Eleanor had been intriguing with her sons, urging them torevolt and demand their rights. Early in 1173 they trooped off to theFrench court, and with Louis joined in an attack on Normandy. Henryclamped Eleanor into prison and went off to meet the new threat.Whilst he was busy meeting this, England was invaded from Flanders andScotland, and more barons who fancied a return of the warlord days ofStephen broke into revolt.

Plainly it was St. Thomas's revenge, and there was no hope of dealingwith the situation without expiation. In July 1174 Henry returned toEngland, and went in pilgrim's dress to Canterbury. Through the townhe walked barefoot, leaving a trail of blood on the flinty stones, andwent to keep his vigil of a day and a night by the tomb, not evencoming out to relive himself. As he knelt, the assembled bishops andall the monks of Christchurch came to scourge him -- each giving himthree strokes, but some with bitterness in their hearts laying on withfive.

It was worth it though, for the very morning his vigil ended Henry wasbrought the news that the King of Scotland had been captured. He movedquickly northwards, receving rebels' submission all the time. He metup with Geoffrey who had fought valiantly for him, and commented, 'Myother sons have proved themselves bastards, this one alone is my trueand legitimate son.'

Returning to France, he quickly came to an agreement with Louis andhis three rebel sons, giving each a substantial income, though stillno share of power.

Richard set to work reducing the Duchy of Aquitaine to order, andquickly proved himself an able general who performed tremendous feats,such as capturing a fully manned and provisioned castle with threewalls and moats to defend it. But the people were less easy to subdue-- they loved war for its own sake as their poet-leader, Bertrand deBorn, shows well in his works: '. . . I love to see amidst the meadowstents and pavilions spread; and it gives me great joy to see drawn upon the field knights and horses in battle array; and it delights mewhen the scouts scatter people and herds in their path; and my heartis filled with gladness when I see strong castles besieged, and thestockades broken and overwhelmed, and the warriors on the bank, girtabout by fosses, with a line of strong stakes, interlaced . . . Maces,swords, helms of different hues, shields that will be riven andshattered as soon as the fight begins; and many vassals struck downtogether; and the horses of the dead and wounded roving at random. Andwhen battle is joined, let all men of good lineage think of nought butthe breaking of heads and arms: I tell you I find no such savour infood or in wine or in sleep as in hearing the shout "On! On!" fromboth sides, and the neighing of steeds that have lost their riders,and the cries of "Help! Help!"; and in seeing men great and small godown on the grass beyond the fosses; in seeing at last the dead, withthe pennoned stumps of lances still in their sides.'

These robust knights were actively encouraged by the young King Henry.He was handsome, charming and beloved of all, but also feckless andthoughtless -- far keener on tournaments and frivolity than theserious business of government. Then in the midle of his new rebellionhe caught disentery and shortly died. His devoted followers werethunderstruck -- one young lad actually pined to death -- and therebellion fizzled out.

The young king was dead, but Henry, wary of previous errors, was notgoing to rush into making a new one. He called his favourite youngestson, John, to his side and ordered Richard to give his duchy into hisbrother's hands. Richard -- his mother's favourite -- had madeAquitaine his home and worked hard to establish his control there; herefused to give his mother's land to anyone, unless it were back toEleanor herself.

Henry packed John off to Ireland (which he speedily turned againsthimself) whilst he arranged to get Eleanor out of her prison and bringher to Aquitaine to receive back the duchy. Meanwhile the new King ofFrance, Philip, was planning to renew the attack on Englishterritories, all the while the three, Henry, Richard, and Philip, weresupposed to be planning a joint crusade.

In 1188 Henry, already ill with the absessed anal fistula that was tocause him such an agonising death, refused pointblank to recogniseRichard as his heir. The crazy project for substituting John was atthe root of it all, though Henry may have deluded himself intothinking he was playing his usual canny hand.

But diplomacy was giving way to the Greekest of tragedies. In June1189, Philip and Richard advanced on Henry at his birthplace in LeMans, and he was forced to withdraw with a small company of knights,showering curses on God. Instead of going to the safety of Normandy,he rode hard, his usual long distance, deep into Anjou. This worsenedhis physical condition and, in high fever, he made no effort to callup forces to his aid. Forced to meet Philip and Richard, he was so illhe had to be held on his horse whilst he deliriously mumbled hisabject agreement to their every condition for peace.

Back in bed after his last conference he was brought the news thatJohn, for whom he had suffered all this, had joined the rebels' side.Two sons -- both rebels -- were dead, two sons -- both rebels --lived, and it was his bastard Geoffrey who now tended him in his lastsickness. There was not even a bishop in his suite to give him thelast rites. Over and again he cried out in agony "Shame! shame on avanquished king!"

After his death the servants plundered him, leaving him in a shirt anddrawers. When the marshall came to arrange the burial he had toscratch around for garments in which to dress the body. A bit ofthreadbare gold edging from a cloak was put around Henry's head torepresent his sovereignty.

And yet Henry had forseen it all. According to Gerald of Wales, he hadlong before ordered a fresco for one of his rooms at Winchester: thepicture showed an eagle being pecked by three eaglets, and a fourthperched on his head, ready to peck out his eyes when the time shouldcome. [Source: Who's Who in the Middle Ages, John Fines, Barnes &Noble Books, New York, 1995]

Henry II 'Curtmantle' d'Anjou

from thepeerage.com:

Henry II 'Curtmantle' d'Anjou, King of England was born on 5 March 1133 at Le Mans, France.2 He was the son of Geoffrey V Plantagenet, Comte d'Anjou et Maine and Matilda 'the Empress' of England. He married Eleanor, Duchesse d'Aquitaine, daughter of Guillaume X, Duc d'Aquitaine and Eleanor Châtellérault de Rochefoucauld, on 18 May 1152 at Bordeaux Cathedral, Bordeaux, Dauphine, France.2 He was also reported to have been married on 14 May 1152. He died on 6 July 1189 at age 56 at Chinon Castle, Chinon, Berri, France, from a fever.3 He was buried at Fontevraud Abbey, Fontevraud, France.3
Henry II 'Curtmantle' d'Anjou, King of England and Rosamund de Clifford were associated.4 He was also known as Henry FitzEmpress. He gained the title of Comte de Maine in 1151. He gained the title of Comte de Touraine in 1151.2 He succeeded to the title of 11th Comte d'Anjou on 7 September 1151.2 He succeeded to the title of 13th Duc de Normandie on 7 September 1151.2 As a result of his marriage, Henry II 'Curtmantle' d'Anjou, King of England was styled as Duc d'Aquitaine on 18 May 1152.2 He succeeded to the title of King Henry II of England on 25 October 1154.5 He was crowned King of England on 19 December 1154 at Westminster Abbey, Westminster, London, England, and styled 'Rex Angliae, Dux Normanniae et Aquitainaie et Comes Andegavaie.6'
He was the First of the Angevin kings. He was a powerful thickset, red-haired, freckled man. The name is derived from his emblem, the broom shrub, which bears the botanical name Planta Genesta later corrupted to Plantagenet. He spent much of his reign in France but did not neglect matters at home, carrying out important improvements in the legal system including widespread use of juries, and he did his best to ensure that justice was fair to all. He appointed his close friend Thomas Becket as Archbishop of Canterbury but once installed, Becket continually opposed him, particularly regarding the necessary reformation of the ecclesiastical courts. The King had the Pope's backing and he called a meeting of the Great Council at Clarendon after which the Constitutions of Clarendon were issued. Shortly after, Becket fled the country. He returned in 1170 but promptly fell out with King. Henry was furious and cried out 'Who will avenge me of this turbulent priest!'. Four knights who heard him mistook Henry's meaning and straightway rode off to Canterbury and on Tuesday, 29 December 1170 murdered Becket in the Cathedral. He has an extensive biographical entry in the Dictionary of National Biography.7

Child of Henry II 'Curtmantle' d'Anjou, King of England and Alice de France, Princesse de France
daughter d'Anjou 5
Child of Henry II 'Curtmantle' d'Anjou, King of England and Nesta (?)
Morgan of Beverley 5
Children of Henry II 'Curtmantle' d'Anjou, King of England and Rosamund de Clifford
Peter (?) 8
Geoffrey Longespée b. c 1152, d. 18 Dec 12125
Children of Henry II 'Curtmantle' d'Anjou, King of England and Eleanor, Duchesse d'Aquitaine
William de Poitiers, Comte de Poitiers b. 17 Aug 1153, d. c Apr 1156
Henry of England, Duc de Normandie+ b. 28 Feb 1155, d. 11 Jun 1183
Matilda of England+ b. Jun 1156, d. 28 Jun 1189
Richard I 'Coeur de Lion', King of England+ b. 8 Sep 1157, d. 6 Apr 1199
Geoffrey II Plantagenet, Earl of Richmond+ b. 23 Sep 1158, d. 19 Aug 1186
Eleanor Plantagenet+ b. 13 Oct 1162, d. 31 Oct 1214
Joan Plantagenet+ b. Oct 1165, d. 4 Sep 1199
John I 'Lackland', King of England+ b. 24 Dec 1167, d. 19 Oct 1216
Child of Henry II 'Curtmantle' d'Anjou, King of England and Ida (?)
William Longespée, 1st Earl of Salisbury+ b. bt 1160 - 1170, d. 12265
Children of Henry II 'Curtmantle' d'Anjou, King of England and Alice de Porhoët
Matilda of Barking d. b 12028
Hugh of Wells d. 12358
Richard (?) 8
child of England b. c 11685
Citations
[S11] Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Family: A Complete Genealogy (London, U.K.: The Bodley Head, 1999), page 56. Hereinafter cited as Britain's Royal Family.
[S11] Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Family, page 58.
[S11] Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Family, page 63.
[S35] Peter Townend, editor, Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry, 18th edition, 3 volumes (London, England: Burke's Peerage Ltd, 1965-1972), volume 1, page 580. Hereinafter cited as Burke's Landed Gentry, 18th ed..
[S106] Royal Genealogies Website (ROYAL92.GED), online ftp://ftp.cac.psu.edu/genealogy/public_html/royal/index.html. Hereinafter cited as Royal Genealogies Website.
[S4] C.F.J. Hankinson, editor, DeBretts Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage and Companionage, 147th year (London, U.K.: Odhams Press, 1949), page 20 . Hereinafter cited as DeBretts Peerage, 1949.
[S18] Matthew H.C.G., editor, Dictionary of National Biography on CD-ROM (Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1995). Hereinafter cited as Dictionary of National Biography.
[S105] Brain Tompsett, Royal Genealogical Data, online http://www3.dcs.hull.ac.uk/genealogy/royal/. Hereinafter cited as Royal Genealogical Data.

When his father Geoffrey died in 1151, by prior arrangement between hi s father and his brother Henry, Geoffrey was to suceed to the rule of Anjou, Maine and Touraine. But soon after their fathers death, Henry revoked his promise and took control of the three areas. This left Ge offrey with the effective control of the castles of Chinon (Indre-et- Lorie), Loudon (Vienne), and Mirebeau (Vienne) in France as his appana ge. In March of 1152, Geoffrey was involved in a plot to abduct El eanor d'Aquitaine near Port des Piles near the river Creuse, but she w as able to avoid capture. In 1155 Geoffrey rebelled against his olde r brother Henry so as to enforce his claims to Maine and Anjou. By Fe bruary of 1156, Henry had arrived in Normandie and spent the next seve ral months bringing Geoffrey into submission. Geoffrey died without i ssue.

The Plantagenet dynasty which ruled England from 1154 until 1485, wast he longest period for any Royal house since the Norman Conquest. The instant Henrys' father, Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou and Maine had the P lantagenet sobriquet applied to him. It has been variously spelled, b ut its exact derivation is not known for certain. Henry was a man of action, learning and is generally considered to have been a great king . He had a freckeled 'lion like' face, with a strong stocky frame, re d hair, grey eyes, a bull like neck, spectacular temper and unbounded energy. It is said that he had a tendency towards corpulence. His ni ckname of 'Curtmantle' is derived from his habit of wearing his robes only to his knee - the style of Anjou. The larger part of his educati on was completed at Angers and in Normandie under the guidance of Will iam of Conches. Henry inherited a control of the duchy of Normandie, a claim to the throne of England and control of the counties of Anjou and Maine. The instant Henry, sometimes styled as 'Henry Fitz Empres s ( as a result of his mother) was Count of Anjou, Duke of Normandie a nd by marriage to Eleanor d'Aquitaine (cast off of King Louis VII of F rance) Duke of Aquitaine when at the age of 21 he ascended to the thro ne of England. His realm, the 'Angevin Empire' extended from Ireland to the Pyrenees. He maintained his rule in England through his justic iar and on the continent through his sensecal. When Henry II moved, t he entire paraphernalia of his court moved with him, his treasury, hi s chancellor, his clerks and business documents, his chamberlain and t ailor, his ewerer (bath preparer) and the keeper of his hounds. The b iggest disaster of his reign, the murder of Thomas Beckett stemmed par tly from his ungovernable temper.

Henry was born on the 5th of March 1133 at Le Mans. He was the son of Matilda (daughter of Henry I), and of Geoffrey, the Count of Anjou. T he instant Henry, also bore the titles of Duke of Normandie and Aquita ine and was styled as Henry Fitz Geoffrey or Henry Fitz Empress. The counts of Anjou were known as the Angevins and Henry was to become th e first Angevin king. Henry was sent from Normandie to England by hi s father Geoffrey in 1142, but within the year was sent back. By the time that he was 14, Henry was fully convinced that both Normandie an d England were his as the rightful heir. He was knighted at Carlisle by his great uncle, David, King of Scotland in 1149. Henry first beca me the Duke of Normandie in 1151 and when his father died in the follo wing year, he inherited the Angevin empire. At the time that Henry (t hen 17) became Duc of Normandie, he is styled as a stocky reheaded you th endowed with energy and ambition, but his reaction to frustration w as often termed as violent. When his father died, Henry broke his pro mise to let his younger brother Geoffrey rule the families ancesteral fiefs and took over in Anjou, Maine & Touraine. In 1153 Henry marrie d Eleanor of Aquitaineand through this marriage added the territories of Aquitaine to his already large empire.

Matilda, Henry's mother, was heir to the English throne as she was th e eldest daughter of Henry I, King of England, but Matilda's cousin St ephen had claimed the throne with some backing from the English Baron s who were opposed to a female ruler. Matilda's attempts to reclaim th e throne lead to a damaging civil war in England between forces loyal to her and those loyal to King Stephen. In December of 1152, Henry ha d visisted his mother Matilda who then lent him the monies necessary t o finance his expedition to England. In January of 1153, Henry saile d from Barfleur for England with twenty-six ships and an army of 3,00 0 foot and 140 horse. Having landed, he took the castles of Malmesbur y and Warwick. He marched for Wallingford, but found Stephen held th e opposite bank of the Thames. Both of the banks of the river were pi led high with snow. William de Aubigny convinced Stephen to negotiat e with Henry to prevent further strife within the country. By the Tre aty of Winchester (Treay of Wallingford) in November 1153, Henry was recognized as King Stephen's heir. The treaty was ratified by Archbis hop of Canterbury Theobald at Winchester in December 1153. The ratifi cation was witnessed by 14 bishops and 11 earls. On Stephen's death in 1154 Henry became King of England as Henry II. Henry's empire now s tretched from the Cheviot Hills of Scotland all the way down through E ngland, across the English Channel to Normandie, Anjou and into Aquita ine, the heart of which was at Anjou, not England. Henry viewed Engla nd as a souce of income that he could exploit for his continental ambi tions. Henry, as king, carried on policies started by his grandfather . Henry, slowly, persistently, and tirelessly brought new order into the life of the realm. Henry II and Louis VII were reconciled in Augu st 1154. The empire was held together by diplomacy and force of arms . During his reign, he relied heavily upon three men; Theobald - Arch bishop of Canterbury, Robert - Earl of Leicester and Thomas Becket. H enry and Eleanor arrived in England at a harbour south of New Forest a nd headed to Winchester and then on to London. At the Christmas Cour t of 1154, Archbishop of Canterbury Theobald presented Thomas Becket t o King Henry. His friendship with the King became very friendly and h e was made Chancellor by Henry II. Thomas and Henry often played ches s together, dined together and hunted.

As Kink, Henry was not content with the surveilance of local developme nts by the officers of his government. He was constantly on the road . He was on the watch, inquiring, inspecting and prodding his royal s ervants to greater altertness.

Henry's domain included the direct rule over England and southern Wale s and a claim to the overlordship of northern Wales. In Henry's Engla nd, the King was supreme and answerable only to God. There was no par liament and government was carried out by the King and his Council of Lords, both spirtual and temporal. England was divided into shires, e ach under the control of a sheriff (shire-reeve). The Church administ ered its own courts and dominated most education. One of Henry's firs t acts as King was to recall the ministers of his grandfather who had been dismissed by Stephen. Henry's early years as king found him cont rolling the rebellious Barons who had used the chaos of the civil war to fortify their homes and illegally control their territories. The c astles they built are now known as the 'adulterine castles'. In Scot land and Wales Henry stamped his authority and began the process of su bduing Ireland. He sought papal permission for his plans to invade Ir eland. But soon, other matters on the continent diverted his attentio n. Once at Caen, his famous temper was unleased while addressing the issue of the King of Scotland. He broke out in abusive language again st Richard du Hommet for speaking in the King of Scotlands favor (ref : W.C. Warren, 'Henry II', 1973). He encouraged the development of ju ries of local men in the investigation of crimes, and trial of those a ccused by royal justices. His writs to sheriffs improved the disposit ion of claims over possession of property and benefices, thereby disco uraging local self-help of violent ejection and usurpation. Henry too k measures to ensure that coins bearing his image, which continued to be issued throughout the reigns of his sons were accepted as sound cur rency throughout Christendom. He was passionate about justice in his realm. He was the first king to attempt to break down the feudal syst em of government by bring its countless independent jurisdictions int o subjection to one uniform judicial administration. He divided the c ountry into administrative regions and instituted legal courts wehre h is justices administered justice via assize courts. On occassion as h e traveled the country, he would preside at a court and his judgement s are reputed to have been quite just. He began the process of replac ing trial by ordeal with trial by jury.

In 1155, Henry felt confident enough to leave the administration of hi s realm in the hands of his chancellor and justiciars. He marched thr ough East Anglia to York and besieged several castles in the area. I n March of 1155, Henry returned from his foray into East Anglia and is sued charters to the canons of Holy Trinity and Christ Church, witness ed by Eleanor and Robert de Lucy. At this point, it was Henry's inten t that his son William would acceed to England and his son Henry woul d acceed to the duchy of Anjou. It is likly that at this time he als o acknowledged his illigitimate son Geoffrey. Also, in 1155, Pope Adr ian IV issued the papal 'Bull Laudabilitier' ("Ireland and all the isl ands upon which Christ, the Sun of Justice, has shone, belong to the j urisdiction of the Blessed Peter and the Holy Roman Church"), which na med Henry as 'overlord' and granted him dispensation to invade Irelan d and bring the Irish Church under the control of the Church of Rome . He considered giving Ireland to his younger brother William, but th is was opposed by his mother just prior to her death. The pope also f orwarded an Emerald Ring to Henry II so as to influence him to extend the boundaries of the chruch.

The plans for Ireland were soon layed on the back burner, as Henry's b rother Geoffrey of Brittany taking up arms against Henry in hopes of e nforcing his claims in Maine and Anjou. On 5 February 1156, Henry na d Louis met on the Norman border where Henry paid homage for Hormandie , Anjou and Aquitaine. Henry then spent the next few months bringing his brother Geoffrey to submission. After Easter of 1157, Henry bega n to plan a new campaign against Owain Gwynedd - Prince of North Wale s who was threatening Chester. The campaign went bad for Henry and h e negotiated a truce with Owain Rhuddlan. In 1158 he vigorously reorg anized the Exchequer. In 1159, Henry assesembled forces and laid sieg e to the city of Toulouse and met Louis VII who took charge of the cit ies defenses. Henry eventually withdrew and by September of 1159 aban doned the campaign. Henry laid siege to Castillon-sur-Agen in 1161. In October of 1161, Henry met again with Louis VII at Freteval and the y made peace with Louis VII ceding the Vexin to Henry. At Christmas 1 161, Henry decided on Becket as the new Archbishop of Canterbury. Bec ket vigoursly protested the appointment, but Henry ignored his argumen ts.

Henry is most famous for his quarrels with his friend Thomas Becket (w hom Henry at times was fond of teasing and mocking), the Archbishop o f Canterbury (ca. May 1162), over the subject of Ecclesiastical court s (ref: W.C. Warren, 'Henry II', 1973). Henry failed to anticipate th at once Becket was named Archbishop that he would become an ardent cha mpion of the ecclesiastical over the royal perogative, Beckets former domain as Chancellor. Between 1160 and 1164, Henry began to take advi ce from his mother Matilda regarding his relationship with Becket. I n October of 1163, Henry and Becket had their first clash at Westminst er over the jurisdiction of ecclesiastical courts. In 1164 Henry's Co nstitutions of Clarendon (written by Henry's lawyers) tried to bring the church into line with the state and one statement required that a member of the church should be tried in a state court and not in a chu rch one. The Constitutions spelled a completed defeat for Thomas Beck et (who refused to put his seal to the constitution) and he quickly wi thdrew to Winchester and after 8 months he was ordered to stand trial for 'contempt of the King's person' before a Royal Court at Northampto n Castle. Eventually, Henry ordered that a charge of treason be levie d against Becket. The rift between Henry and Becket forced Becket (wh o ws granted asylum by Louis VII at the Cistercian Abbey of Pontigny i n Burgundy) to leave England from 1164 until 1170. During that time L ouis arranged twelve meetings between Becket and Henry of which ten ac tually occured. None of the meetings produced any agreement between H enry and Becket.
Henry moved on the Welsh in 1165, but by October of that year was bac k in England having failed to subdue them again. Henry was also respo nsible for bringing in new legal reforms including in 1166, the Assiz e of Clarendon which started the jury system. In March of 1166, Henr y crossed from Southampton to Falaise. He marched on Maine destroyin g castles of the various local barons and crushing their resistance. During this period, he quelled a rebellion by William Tallefer, one o f Eleanor's uncles in Aquitaine. In July of 1166, he turned his atten tion towards Brittany and deposed Conan IV. At Rennes, he took posses sion of Bretagne in the name of his son Geoffrey. At about this time , Henry presented his son Henry to the Poitevins as their future Duke . Also, in 1166, Dermot McMurrough, King of Leinster appealed to Kin g Henry for help in opposition to a confederation of Irish Kings. Hen ry sent a force led by Richard de Clare - Earl of Pembroke, thereby be ginning the English settlement of Ireland. Between 1166 and 1170, Hen ry II ordered that Windsor Castle be rebuilt of stone. On 6 January 1 169, Henry and his two sons Henry and Richard met with Louis VII to en shrine the peace treay of Montmirail. The treaty of peace provided th at young Lord Henry would receive Normandie and Anjou, that Lord Richa rd would receive Aquitaine as a vassel of the French crown and that Lo rd Geoffrey would recive Brittany as a vassel of his his older brothe r Henry & in right of his future wife Constance. Finally the betrothe l of Lord Richard and Alice (Alys) of France would take place immediat ely. On 22 July 1170, Henry and Becket met at Fretival near 'Traitor s Meadow', to no avail. In October of 1170, Henry II and Becket met f or the last time at Chaumont near Amboise.. When in 1170 Becket retur ned to England, an outburst of anger, "will no one rid me of this turb ulent priest", on 25 December 1170 (ref. F. Barlow, 'Thomas Becket', 1986), by Henry led to four knights, Reginald FitzUrse, William de Tra cy, Hugh de Morville and Richard de Brito to slip away Bures, make the ir way to England and to murder Becket at Canterbury on 29 December 11 70. Soon Henry was reviled throughout christendom. He learned of Bec kets death on either 31 December 1170 or 1 January 1171 at Argentau. He was paralyzed with horror and remorse. Although Henry was cleared of any direct involvement in the crime, he did penance before the Cath edral Avrances in Normandie. Henry would allow no one to comfort him ( ref: W.C. Warren, 'Henry II', 1973).

Also in 1170, Henry denounced the son of his kinsman Earl Robert of Gl oucester, Bishop of Worcester Roger as a 'traitor' (ref: W.C. Warren, 'Henry II', 1973). In 1171, Henry had already sailed for Waterford w ith a great armada of some 400 vessels carrying as many as 4,000 men o f whom 500 were knights. He reserved Dublin, Waterford and Wexford fo r himself, but allowed Richard 'Strongbow' de Clare to do homage for L einster. Henry II then created Richard 'Strongbow' as Earl of Strigui l and Buckingham and Lord of Tudenham and Leinster, in Ireland. Henr y was named Lord of Ireland where he remained for six months until th e spring of 1172. In 1171, he also granted Hugh de Lacy, the county o f Meath and appointed him the ruler of Ireland in the Kings name as h e did not entirely trust Strongbow. By 1172, Eleanor was in possessio n of a growing grudge against her husband Henry. During the Christma s season of 1172, Henry and count Humbert III of Mauriene concluded a n agreement regarding Humberts lands and a possible marriage between H enry's son John and Humberts daughter. Henry and his sons also quarre lled which led to conflicts in England and abroad, including a rebelli on by his Barons in 1173. By 1173, Henry believed that his own securi ty demanded the imprisonment of his wife Eleanor and he seems to have anticipated the disloyalty of his four sons. Some writers have sugges ted that Henry attributed the rebellion of his sons to divine retribut ion for his part in the murder of Becket. John remained loyal to his father during the rebellion. By 1174, Henry had put down the rebellio ns of his sons. He treated them generously at an armistice at Montlou is near Tours in September of 1174.
In 1175, Henry and his son Henry made a tour of England that included the Welsh marshes and York. In 1173, Young Henry and Richard moved a gainst their father and his succession plans, trying to secure the lan ds they were promised. The King's changing and revising of his inherit ance nurtured jealousy in his offspring, which turned to aggression. W hile both Young Henry and, Richard were relatively strong in France, t hey still lacked the manpower and experience to trouble their father u nduly. The Church remained loyal to Henry II during the hostilities. The King crushed this first rebellion between March and May of 1173 an d was fair in his punishment. During the twelve months of the rebelli on, Henry II remained cool and shifted from crisis to crisis. Richard for example, lost half of the revenue allowed to him as Count of Poito u. In September of 1173, Henry was faced with another revolt on the p art of William of Angouleme, the de Lusignan brothers Guy and Geoffre y and Geoffrey de Rancon. Henry moved on Poitou with a large army of Brabantine mercenaries and quickly quelled the revolt there as well a s in Brittany. The Church remaine loyal to Henry II during this perio d, gaining him great advantage. On 25 September 1173, Henry met with his three sons and Louis VII at Gisors in an effort to bring a peacefu l solutions to their problems. Henry's three sons however rejected hi s terms. In late 1173, England was invaded from the north by William 'the Lion' Stewart, but the invasion was repelled by Henry II's force s led by Richard de Lucy and Humphrey de Bohun. In 1174, Henry organi zed and held a festival and tournament at Beaucaire in order to foste r a reconciliation between Alfonso II of Aragon and Raymond V of Toulo use, though neither attended. As many an 10,000 knights are said to have participated in the tournament. On 12 May 1174, in the face of re bellion by his sons and wife, Henry marched into Poitiers and dismisse d Eleanor's courts. Henry dismantled Eleanors court at Poitiers and t ook his daughters Joanna, Marguerite and Alys of France, Emma of Anjou , Constance of Brittany and Alice of Maurienne from the ducal palace . In 1176, Henry divided England into six districts, each with three judges to hold courts and levy taxes. Henry became the master of the castle at Chinon with its tall towers overlooking the Vienne valley wh ich to him became a symbol of his power.
The struggle between Henry and his natural sons continued to grow as t he years went by and continued for some sixteen years till the time o f Henry's death. At times they fought amongst themselves, while at ot her times they were united against him. By 1177, the conflict betwee n his sons flew into open conflict and Henry returned to Normandie. H is sons Richard and Geoffrey of Brittany seemed to have a fatalistic a pproach to their lives. Henry soon sent envoys to his two sons to dis cuss peace and the envoys were murdered. In June 1180, Henry crossed from Portsmouth to France and met with Philip at Gisors and renewed th e peace of 1177. In 1182, the Plantagenet children's aggression turne d inward. Young Henry, Richard and their brother Geoffrey all began fi ghting each other for their father's possessions on the continent. Th e young Henry joined his brother Geoffrey in alliance with Bertran de Born against Richard over his harsh rule in Aquitaine. The situation w as exacerbated by French rebels and the French King, Philip Augustus. This was the most serious threat to come from within the family yet, a nd the King faced the dynastic tragedy of civil war. Henry II rode wo uth to intervene, but the brothers refused to listen. In 1182, Henry II stopped the allowance for his son Henry, the young King. However, on 11 June 1183, Henry the Young King died. The uprising, which had be en built around the Prince, promptly collapsed and the remaining broth ers returned to their individual lands. Henry quickly occupied the reb el region of Angouleme to keep the peace. In late 1183, Henry summone d Eleanor out of captivity and ordered her to come to Normandie. The y appeared in public together. He also sought to revise the provision s of the Treay of Montirail which prompted him to nickname his son Joh n as 'Lackland'. When Henry 'the young King' died in Jun 1183, Aquita ine was to revert to John, but Richard had no intention of allowing th at to happen. Henry told John, that it was his if he could take it. In December 1183, Henry II met with Phillippe of France and after agre eing to pay Margaret of France (the young Kings widow) an annual pensi on and in return Phillippe allowed Henry II to retain control of the V exin and the region surrounding Gisors. Henry subsequently ordered Ri chard to give up Aquitaine in return for Anjou and Normandie. Richar d refused and Henry soon ordered his son John to invade Aquitaine. Jo hn enlisted the support of his brother Geoffrey in the enterprise.
The final battle between Henry's Princes came in 1184. Geoffrey of Bri ttany and John of Ireland, the youngest brothers, had been promised Aq uitaine, which belonged to elder brother Richard. Geoffrey and John in vaded, but Richard had been controlling an army for almost 10 years an d was an accomplished military commander. Richard expelled his fickle brothers and they would never again face each other in combat, largel y because Geoffrey died two years later, leaving only Richard and John . Both were to become kings of England, Richard (the Lion Heart) and John. In 1185, in the face of John's failure to develope any leadersh ip talent while in Ireland, Henry appointed John de Courcy as Viceroy for Ireland. Conflicts with Eleanor and Henry's sons, helped by Phili ppe II of France continued until Henry died in 1189 at Chinon in Franc e. In 1187, Phillippe had marched into Berry and Richard and Henry I I joined forces to resist Phillip. In April 1187, Henry II divided hi s army into four divisions, Richard was in charge of the southern cont ingent, John was given a division which was to operate within Richard s command and the other two were commanded by William de Manville & He nry II's illegitimate son Geoffrey. On 23 June 1187 Henry II and Phil lippe reached a truce at Chateauraux (ref 'Ralph of Diceto'). Howeve r Richard soon deserted his father again and marched to Paris and alli ed himself with Phillip. Henry II raised an army and left England fo r the last time on 11 July 1188, where he was attacked and subsequentl y withdrew to the area of Lemans. On 30 August 1188, Henry invaded Fr ance and advanced through Mantes, Ivry-la-Bataille and Danville toward s Phllippe's headquarters. Phillippe soon proposed a peace conferenc e at Gisors, with no result. A second conference was held at Chatillo n-sur-Indre also without result. Finally a conference was held at Bon moulins on 18 November 1188 with Richard in attendance. Phillipp II re quested that Henry II grant his son Richard with Poitou, Touraine, Mai ne and Anjou and recognize Richard as his heir. Henry rejected the pr oposal and Richard, in fear that he would be passed over in favor of h is younger brother John, threw himself at the knees of Phillippe. A c easefire was agreed to until 13 January 1189. Richard stormed out of the meeting and Henry sent his illegitimate son Geoffrey and William M arshall after Richard, to no avail. Henry II and his son John were to gether at LeMans on 12 Jun 1189 as they faced Richard. Henry II was f orced into a surrender at Tours of 4 July 1189, whereby he renounced t he suzeranity of the Auvergne. At the same time he gave up the lordsh ips of Gracay and Issoudun. On 6 July 1189, he collapsed from fever a nd died at Chinon. He is said to have remarked 'Shame on a beaten Kin g, Shame on a beaten King'. As he lay dying, he was presented with a list of the Lords that had deserted him in favor of Richard. At the t op of the list was the name of his dearest son, John. (Johns switch t o Richard is dubious as he had been with Henry at LeMans only three we eks earlier). When Henry died, his illigitimate son Geoffrey was wit h him and Henry is said to have remarked 'Thy are my true son' to Geof frey. His body was removed to the abbey at Fontevrault, where Willia m Marshall carried the body. There, Richard came to view his father . Henry at the time of his death was styled as 'a firm and wise princ e, who brought peace and prosperity to a troubled realm'. The formida ble English tax system owes its existence to Henry II. Henry was succ eeded by Richard, his third and oldest surviving natural son. One sou rce references Henry and Eleanor sons Henry, Richard, Geoffrey and Joh n as the 'Devils Brood'.

WILL of Henry II

Henry, by the grace of God, King of England, Duke of Normandie and Aqu itaine, Count of Anjou, to King Henry, to Richard, Geoffrey, and John , my sons, to Archbishops, Bishops, Abbots, Archdeacons, Deans, Earls , Barons, Justices, Sheriffs, &c. and all other my faithful subjects,a s well clerks and laymen of my territories, within and beyond the seas , greeting. Know ye, that at Waltham, in the presence of R. Bishop of Winchester; J. Bishop of Norwich; G. Chancellor, my son; Master Walte r de Constantiis, Archdeacon of Oxford; Godfrey de Lucy, Archdeacon o f Derby; Ralph de Glanville; Hugh de Morewic; Ralph fitz Stephen, Cham berlain; and William Rufo; I have made division of some part of my mon ey in this manner: To ---, &c. To the religious houses of England MMMM M marks of silver, to be distributed by the hands of R Archbishop of C anterbury; R Bishop of Winchester; G. Bishop of Ely; and J. Bishop ofN orwich; and Ralph de Glanville, Justiciar of England.To the religious houses of the land of the Earl of Anjou, my father, M marks of silver ; towards the marriage of poor and free women of Normandie wanting ai d C marks of gold, to be distributed by the Archbishop of Rouen, and t he Bishops of Bayeaux, Avaranches, Sagiensis. Toward the marriage of p oor and free women of the land of my father, the Earl of Anjou, C mark s of gold, to be distributed by the Bishops of Main and Anjou. This di stribution I have made at the place before written, in the year of th e Incarnation 1182. And I charge you, my sons, by the fealty you owe m e, and the oath ye have sworn to me, that ye cause it to be firmly an d inviolably kept; and whoever shall oppose or contravene it, may he i ncur the indignation and anger of Almighty God, and mine and God's mal ediction. And I command you, the Archbishops and Bishops, by the oathy e have sworn to me, and the fealty ye owe to me and to God, that ye so lemnly, in your Synods, with lighted candles, excommunicate, and caus e to be excommunicated, all such as may presume to infringe my distrib ution. And know ye that our Lord the Pope has confirmed this my distri bution, under his hand and seal, on pain of anathema. ( Ref: http://ho me.earthlink.net/~kb60/plantagenet06.htm: From Testamenta Vetusta, Bei ng Illustrations from Wills, of Manners, Customs, &c., vol. 1, pp. 1-4 . Nicholas Harris Nicolas, Barrister at Law, Fellow of the Society ofA ntiquaries. London: Nichols & Son, 1826. )

Additional information on Henry and his reign may be found includes:

01.) John Harvey, The Plantagenets.
02.) Timbs & Gunn, Abbeys, Castles & Ancient Halls of England & Wales.
03.) Edward Burman, The Templars, Knights of God.
04.) Mike Salter, Castles and Moated Castles of Warwickshire.
05.) Preston Williams, Illustrations of Masonry.
06.) Derek Renn, Norman Castles, 1968.
07.) M.T.Clanchy, England and its Rulers.
08.) John Fines, Who's Who in the Middle Ages.
09.) Stephen Howarth, The Knights Templar.
10.) Colin Platt, Medieval England.
11.) Alan & Veronica Palmer, Pimlico Chronology of Britsh History.
12.) John Gillingham, The Life and Times of Richard I, 1974.
13.) Duc de Castries, The lives of the Kings and Queens of France.
14.) Micheal Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln, The Holy Blooda nd the Holy Grail.
15.) H.W.C. Davis, 'Regesta Regum Anglo-Normanorum 1066-1154, 3 (1968) .
Henry II was the first of three sons born to Matilda and
Geoffrey of Anjou on 4 March 1133. Raised in his father's
dominion, he did not visit English shores until 1142. At that
time England, split in a vicious civil war, was divided into
areas controlled by Matilda, the daughter of Henry I, and those
controlled by Stephen, grandson of William the Conqueror. The
nine-year old Henry returned quickly to the safety of Anjou.

In 1147, as a fourteen-year-old boy, Henry returned to England
with a small band of mercenaries to take up his mother's cause
in the civil war. The excursion was against his mother's wishes
and better judgement. When Henry found himself out of money,
Matilda refused to help him. So, with the brashness that would
be Henry's trademark, he applied to his enemy, Stephen, for
help; and with the characteristic lack of ruthlessness that
would be Stephen's undoing, he gave Henry the money to pay off
his mercenaries and go home. By 1151 Henry was lord of Normandy
and Anjou. The following year he married Eleanor of Aquitaine,
one of the most desirable women in Europe. Eleanor was recently
divorced from Louis VII of France, after fourteen years of
marriage and failure to bear him son.

Midwinter of 1153, Henry crossed the Channel and surprised
Stephen. The English barons were, by this time, convinced that
the only way to end the bitter war was to have Stephen declare
Henry as his successor. The death of Stephen's son, Eustace,
brought the end of Stephen's resistance. The Treaty of
Westminster left Stephen on the throne, but declared Henry his
successor. When Stephen died, less than a year later, Henry
ascended the throne unopposed. Now, with a kingdom that
stretched from the Scottish border to the Pyrenees, he was the
greatest prince in Europe. But his heart remained in Anjou, the
land of his father.

Throughout the first years of Henry's reign, his attention was
divided between England and Anjou. He first set out to destroy
those lands and castles granted without royal license during
Stephen's reign. He also reestablished overlordship of Scotland
and Wales which was a relationship lost during Stephen's reign.
His attention soon turned back to his homeland and an attempt
to establish overlordship of Toulouse, a region included in his
wife's inheritance. However, the most significant (and
certainly most famous) story of Henry's reign began in 1162.
That year Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury died. This very
important clerical post was open for over a year, when in June,
1162, Henry appointed Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury.
Becket at the time was Chancellor and well respected, but a
very good friend to the King, maybe too much so, his critics
claimed. He was also not known for his charity. A story told by
William FitzStephen, a friend and biographer of Becket,
illustrates not only Becket's friendship with Henry, but his
reputation as less that charitable:

One day they were riding together through the streets of
London. It was a hard winter and the king noticed an old man
coming towards them, poor and clad in a thin ragged coat. 'Do
you see that man?' said the king. 'Yes, I see him', replied
Becket. 'How poor his is, how frail, and how scantily clad!'
said the king. 'Would it not be an act of charity to give him a
thick warm coat?' 'It would indeed; and right that you should
attend to it my king.' [:ITAL]

But the world underestimated Thomas Becket. Fully aware of
public opinion, Becket decided he would be a good Archbishop,
perhaps even a great one. Some contemporaries claim he actually
had a conversion. Whatever the reason, Becket went out of his
way to oppose the King. It did not take Henry long to regret
his decision. The issue that brought Henry and Becket to the
brink of their destinies was and old one--what to do with a
churchman that breaks the laws of England. Like many layman,
Henry wanted criminous clerks defrocked and tried by a lay
court. Becket, of course, felt clerics should be tried in
ecclesiastical courts. At Clarendon, Henry presented the
bishops of England, led by Archbishop Becket, with a statement
of the King's customary rights over the church. Becket argued
for two days, but finally, with the bishops in tow, gave in. No
sooner was the ink dry, then Becket changed his mind. In
desperation, Henry had Becket arrested on false charges, found
guilty, and forced to forfeit all estates. In despair, Becket
fled across the Channel.

For the next five years Becket remained in exile and Henry
concentrated on other matters. He conquered Brittainy and
overhauled the English legal system. (His reforms were
revolutionary. The father of English common law, Henry made
innovations manifest today in the form of localized and complex
government.) But in 1170, Becket returned to England. Tales of
his outrageous behavior and continued opposition to the King
wasted no time in finding their way to Henry in Normandy. "Will
no one rid me of this turbulent priest?" Henry allegedly
shouted. True or not, Henry undoubtedly did mumble some words
of frustration, and in response four of Henry's knights went
looking for Becket. They found him at Canterbury Cathedral
where Becket had gone to hear evening vespers. They first
struck him with the flat of a sword. According to William
FitzStephen, the warning, "Fly, you are a dead man," was
shouted by one of the attackers, but Becket resisted and was
brutally murdered.

By all contemporary accounts, Henry appears to have been
horrified by the actions of his knights. A friend of the king,
Arnulf, Bishop of Lisieux wrote the following:

The king burst into loud lamentations and exchanged his
royal robes for sackcloth and ashes, behaving more like a
friend than the sovereign of the dead man. At times he fell
into a stupor, after which he would again utter groans and
cries louder and more bitter than before. For three whole days
he remained shut in his chamber and would neither take food nor
admit anyone to comfort him, until it seemed from the excess of
his grief that he had determined to contrive his own
death.[:ITAL]

While Henry mourned, the rest of Christiandom was outraged.
Becket, canonized in record time, became a symbol of resistance
against oppressive authority. Henry did penitence for his role
in Becket's death, but he ordered the Bishop of London to
declare in a sermon that he had not commanded Becket's death.
After the storm died down it became apparent that despite the
scandal, Henry was at the height of his power. The real threat
would come from his family.

Henry was plagued with rebellious sons. Henry the Younger, the
oldest son, was actually crowned successor in 1169, but wanted
more than just a title. Richard and John felt left out all
together, and spurred on by Eleanor, Henry's wife, launched one
plot after another. However, the Young King Henry died in 1183,
leaving Richard the oldest surviving son, poised for the
succession. But Henry's preference for John was obvious.
Richard, pushed to the point of open rebellion, joined with
Philip II of France in an attempt to destroy the Angevin empire
and Henry. In July, 1189, with his health failing, Henry
accepted a humiliating peace. When given a list of names of
those who had fought against him, he was shocked to find John's
name among them. He turned his face away and according his his
chroniclers said, "Enough; now let things go as they may; I
care no more for myself or for the world ... Shame, shame on a
conquered king." A month later Henry died.

Biographical information from The Lives of the Kings and Queens
of England, ed. Antonia Frasier , The Oxford Illustrated
History of the British Monarchy, ed. John Cannon and Ralph
Griffiths, and The Oxford Book of Royal Anecdotes, ed.
Elizabeth Longford.
NOTE
GEDCOM created by TMG...

GIVN Henry II
SURN Plantagenet
NSFX King of England
AFN 8WKP-WF
_PRIMARY Y
ID: I2102
Name: *Henry Plantagenet , II, King of England
Sex: M
Birth: 5 Mar 1132/33 in Le Mans, Maine, Anjou Orleanis, France
Death: 6 Jul 1189 in Chinon, Indre-et-Lr, France
Note:
Burial: 8 Jul 1189 Fontevrault Abbe, Mel, France
Skiles F. Montague, 1016 Main Street, Darby, Pennsylvania 19023
610-461-6861, (XXXXX@XXXX.XXX)
Henry II
1154-1189
Henry was born in 1133 and was married to
Eleanor, Duchess of
Aquitaine immediately after her divorce from
Louis VII, King of France.
They had nine children: William, Henry,
Matilda, Richard, Geoffrey,
Philip, Eleanor, Joan and John.
Henry was the first of fourteen hereditary
kings, who were later refered to
in the history oracles as Plantagenets. Henry
was the son of the Count of
Anjou, whose family emblem was the 'plante
genet', a yellow flowering
broom.
It was with the land bequeathed by the Count
to Henry and his auspicious
marriage to Eleanor, which gained him a vast
amount of lands in France.
These lands exceeded the lands owned in France
by the King of France,
himself. In those times, the King of France ruled from Paris
and its surrounding areas.
Henry had lands reaching for 1000 miles, and it was this vast
domain, which was called the Angevin Empire. Henry was the first
king to demonstrate that he was truly a sovereign, and he ended all the
anarchy and demonstration of strengths throughout his lands. He devoted
himself to the internal security of his land and promoted domestic and
foreign trade. Productivity doubled during his reign. He revolutionised
the law system, and even sat over cases himself. He was a notable lawye
and he built up the system of English Common Law, and began to develop
the traditional jury system. He was a gifted administrator.
Henry's notable failure was his attempt to curb the power and
strength of the Church, particularly
in the case of Thomas Beckett, who had been his wild pal until he was
made Archbishop of Canterbury. His death did little for Henry's
popularity.
He was unfortunate in love, relentlessly and romantically
pursuing the hand of his wife, Eleanor,
who became a selfish spoilt lady, and who turned her sons against their
own father. A rebellion by the eldest son, Henry was crushed, and Elean
was placed under house arrest for fifteen years. The other brothers
placed continual pressure on their father, in alliances with the King of
France. Henry died a lonely and griefstricken man deserted by all of
those he had loved and honoured.
Father: *Geoffrey de Gatinais , of Anjou b: 24 Aug 1113 in Anjou, France
Mother: *Matilda Alice , Emperess b: 5 Aug 1102 in Winchester, Hampshire, England
Marriage 1 *Alice Capet , Princess b: 1170 in France
Marriage 2 *Eleanor de Pointiers b: 1122
Married: 11 May 1152 in Bordeaux, Gironde, France
Children
*John Plantagenet , I, King of England b: 24 Dec 1166 in Beaumont Castle, Oxford, Osfordshire, England
*Eleanor Plantagenet b: 13 Oct 1162 in Domfront, Normandy, France
Geoffrey Plantagenet , Duke of Brittany b: 23 Sep 1158
Henry Plantagenet b: 28 Feb 1154/55 in Bermondsey, London, England
Richard Plantagenet , 1, King of England b: 8 Sep 1157 in Beaumont Castle, Oxford, Osfordshire, England
Matilda Plantagenet b: 1156 in London, England
William Plantagenet b: 20 Aug 1153 in Rouen, Normandy, France
Joanne Plantagenet b: Oct 1165 in Angers, Normandy, France
DATE 9 OCT 2000
TIME 21:59:47

Henry II, called Curtmantle (5 March 1133 - 6 July 1189) ruled as King of England (1154-1189), Count of Anjou, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry was the first of the House of Plantagenet to rule England and was the great-grandson of William the Conqueror. Henry was the first to use the title "King of England" (as opposed to "King of the English").
Henry II was born in Le Mans, France, on 5 March 1133. His father, Geoffrey V of Anjou (Geoffrey Plantagenet, son of Fulk of Jerusalem), was Count of Anjou and Count of Maine. His mother, Empress Matilda, was a claimant to the English throne as the daughter of Henry I (1100-1135), son of William The Conqueror, Duke of Normandy. His own claim to the throne was strengthened by his descent from both the English Saxon kings and the kings of Scotland through his maternal grandmother Matilda of Scotland, whose father was Malcolm III of Scotland and whose mother was Margaret of Wessex (Saint Margaret of Scotland), grand-daughter of Edmund Ironside.
He spent his childhood in his father's land of Anjou. At the age of nine, Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester took him to England where he received education from Master Matthew at Bristol, with the assistance of Adelard of Bath and possibly Geoffrey of Monmouth. In 1144, he was returned to Normandy where his education was continued by William of Conches.
On 18 May 1152, at Poitiers, at the age of 19, Henry married Eleanor of Aquitaine. The wedding was "without the pomp or ceremony that befitted their rank, "partly because only two months previously Eleanor's marriage to Louis VII of France had been annulled. Their relationship, always stormy, eventually died: After Eleanor encouraged her children to rebel against their father in 1173, Henry had her placed under house arrest, where she remained for fifteen years.
Henry and Eleanor had eight children, William, Henry, Richard, Geoffrey, John, Matilda, Eleanor, and Joan. William died in infancy. As a result Henry was crowned as joint king when he came of age. However, because he was never King in his own right, he is known as "Henry the Young King", not Henry III. In theory, Henry would have inherited the throne from his father, Richard his mother's possessions, Geoffrey would have Brittany and John would be Lord of Ireland. However, fate would ultimately decide much differently.
It has been suggested by John Speed's 1611 book, History of Great Britain, that another son, Philip, was born to the couple. Speed's sources no longer exist, but Philip would presumably have died in early infancy.
Henry also had illegitimate children. While they were not valid claimants, their Royal blood made them potential problems for Henry's legitimate successors. William Longespée was one such child. He remained largely loyal and contented with the lands and wealth afforded to him as a royal bastard. Geoffrey, Bishop of Lincoln, Archbishop of York, on the other hand, was seen as a possible thorn in the side of Richard I of England. Geoffrey had been the only son to attend Henry II on his deathbed, after even the King's favourite son, John Lackland, deserted him. Richard forced him into the clergy at York, thus ending his secular ambitions. Another son, Morgan was elected to the Bishopric of Durham, although he was never consecrated due to opposition from Pope Innocent III.
Several sources record Henry's appearance. They all agree that he was very strong, energetic and surpassed his peers athletically.
...he was strongly built, with a large, leonine head, freckle fiery face and red hair cut short. His eyes were grey and we are told that his voice was harsh and cracked, possibly because of the amount of open-air exercise he took. He would walk or ride until his attendants and courtiers were worn out and his feet and legs were covered with blistered and sores... He would perform all athletic feats.
John Harvey (Modern)
...the lord king has been red-haired so far, except that the coming of old age and grey hair has altered that colour somewhat. His height is medium, so that neither does he appear great among the small, nor yet does he seem small among the great... curved legs, a horseman's shins, broad chest, and a boxer's arms all announce him as a man strong, agile and bold... he never sits, unless riding a horse or eating... In a single day, if necessary, he can run through four or five day-marches and, thus foiling the plots of his enemies, frequently mocks their plots with surprise sudden arrivals... Always are in his hands bow, sword, spear and arrow, unless he be in council or in books.
Peter of Blois (Contemporary)
A man of reddish, freckled complexion, with a large, round head, grey eyes that glowed fiercely and grew bloodshot in anger, a fiery countenance and a harsh, cracked voice. His neck was poked forward slightly from his shoulders, his chest was broad and square, his arms strong and powerful. His body was stocky, with a pronounced tendency toward fatness, due to nature rather than self-indulgence - which he tempered with exercise.
Gerald of Wales (Contemporary)
Like his grandfather, Henry I of England, Henry II had an outstanding knowledge of the law. A talented linguist and excellent Latin speaker, he would sit on councils in person whenever possible. His interest in the economy was reflected in his own frugal lifestyle. He dressed casually except when tradition dictated otherwise and ate a sparing diet.
He was modest and mixed with all classes easily. "He does not take upon himself to think high thoughts, his tongue never swells with elated language; he does not magnify himself as more than man". His generosity was well-known and he employed a Templar to distribute one tenth of all the food bought to the royal court amongst his poorest subjects.
Henry also had a good sense of humour and was never upset at being the butt of the joke. Once while he sat sulking and occupying himself with needlework, a courtier suggested that such behavior was to be expected from a descendant of the bastard son of a tanner's daughter (referring to his great-grandparents William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders). The king rocked with laughter and even explained the joke to those who did not immediately grasp it.
"His memory was exceptional: he never failed to recognize a man he had once seen, nor to remember anything which might be of use. More deeply learned than any King of his time in the western world".
In contrast, the king's temper has been written about. His actions against Thomas Becket are evidence of his blinding temper, along with his conflict with William I of Scotland.
Henry's father, Geoffrey Plantagenet, held rich lands as a vassal from Louis VII of France. Maine and Anjou were therefore Henry's by birthright, amongst other lands in Western France. By maternal claim, Normandy was also to be his. From a contemporary perspective, however, the most notable inheritance Henry received from his mother was a claim to the English throne. Granddaughter of William the Conquerer, Empress Matilda was to be queen regnant of England, but was usurped by her cousin, Stephen I of England. Henry's efforts to restore the royal line to his own family would create a dynasty spanning three centuries and thirteen kings.
Henry's marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine placed him firmly in the ascendancy. His plentiful lands were added to his new wife's possessions, giving him control of Aquitaine and Gascony. The riches of the markets and vineyards in these regions, combined with Henry's already plentiful holdings, made Henry the most powerful vassal in France.
Realising Henry's royal ambition was far from easily fulfilled, his mother had been pushing her claim for the crown for several years to no avail, finally retiring in 1147. It was 1147 when Henry had accompanied Matilda on an invasion of England. It soon failed due to lack of preparation, but it made him determined that England was his mother's right, and so his own. He returned to England again between 1149 and 1150. On 22 May 1149 he was knighted by King David I of Scotland, his great uncle, at Carlisle.
Early in January 1153, just months after his wedding, he crossed the Channel one more time. His fleet was 36 ships strong, transporting a force of 3,000 footmen and 140 horses. Sources dispute whether he landed at Dorset or Hampshire, but it is known he entered a small village church. It was 6 January and the locals were observing the Festival of the Three Kings. The correlation between the festivities and Henry's arrival was not lost on them. "Ecce advenit dominator Dominus, et regnum in manu ejus", they exclaimed as the introit for their feast, "Behold the Lord the ruler cometh, and the Kingdom in his hand".
Henry moved quickly and within the year he had secured his right to succession via the Treaty of Wallingford with Stephen of England. He was now, for all intents and purposes, in control of England. When Stephen died in October 1154, it was only a matter of time until Henry's treaty would bear fruit, and the quest that began with his mother would be ended. On 19 December 1154 he was crowned in Westminster Abbey, "By The Grace Of God, Henry II, King Of England". Henry Plantagenet, vassal of Louis VII, was now more powerful than the French King himself. Henry used the title, Rex Angliae, Dux Normaniae et Aquitaniae et Comes Andigaviae (king of England, duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, count of Anjou). He was thus the first to be crowned "king of England", as opposed to "king of the English".
Shortly after his coronation, Henry sent an embassy to the newly elected Pope Adrian IV. Led by Bishop Arnold of Lisieux, the group of clerics requested authorisation for Henry to invade Ireland. Some historians suggest that this resulted in the papal bull Laudabiliter. Whether this donation is genuine or not, Edmund Curtis says, is one of "the great questions of history." It is possible Henry acted under the influence of a "Canterbury plot," in which English ecclesiastics strove to dominate the Irish church. However, Henry may have simply intended to secure Ireland as a lordship for his younger brother William.
William died soon after the plan was hatched and Ireland was ignored. It was not until 1166 that it came to the surface again. In that year, King Diarmait Mac Murchada, of Leinster, was driven from his land of Leinster by the High King of Ireland. Diarmait followed Henry to Aquitaine, seeking an audience. He asked the English king to help him reassert control; Henry agreed and made footmen, knights and nobles available for the cause. The most prominent of these was a Welsh Norman, Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, nicknamed "Strongbow". In exchange for his loyalty, Diarmait offered Earl Richard his daughter Aoife in marriage and made him heir to the kingdom.
The Normans restored Diarmait to his traditional holdings, but it quickly became apparent that Henry had not offered aid purely out of kindness. In 1171, Henry arrived from France, declaring himself Lord of Ireland. All of the Normans, along with many Irish princes, took oaths of homage to Henry, and he left after six months. He never returned, but he later named his young son, the future King John of England, Lord of Ireland.
Diarmait's appeal for outside help had made Henry Ireland's Lord, starting 800 years of English overlordship on the island. The change was so profound that Diarmait is still remembered as a traitor of the highest order. In 1172, at the Synod of Cashel, Roman Catholicism was proclaimed as the only permitted religious practice in Ireland.
In 1174, a rebellion spearheaded by his own sons was not Henry's biggest problem. An invasion force from Scotland, led by their King, William the Lion, was advancing from the North. To make matters worse, a Flemish armada was sailing for England, just days from landing. It seemed likely that the King's rapid growth was to be checked.
Henry saw his predicament as a sign from God, that his treatment of Thomas Becket would be rewarded with defeat. He immediately did penance at Canterbury for the Archbishop's fate and events took a turn for the better.
The hostile armada dispersed in the English Channel and headed back for the continent. Henry had avoided a Flemish invasion, but Scottish invaders were still raiding in the North. Henry sent his troops to meet the Scots at Alnwick, where the English scored a devastating victory. William was captured in the chaos, removing the figurehead for rebellion, and within months all the problem fortresses had been torn down. Southern Scotland was now completely dominated by Henry, another fief in his Angevin Empire, that now stretched from the Solway Firth almost to the Mediterranean and from the Somme to the Pyrenees. By the end of this crisis, and his sons' revolt, the King was "left stronger than ever before".
During Stephen's reign, the barons in England had undermined Royal authority. Rebel castles were one problem, nobles avoiding military service was another. The new King immediately moved against the illegal fortresses that had sprung up during Stephen's reign, having them torn down.
To counter the problem of avoiding military service, scutage became common. This tax, paid by Henry's barons instead of serving in his army, allowed the King to hire mercenaries. These hired troops were used to devastating effect by both Henry and his son Richard, and by 1159 the tax was central to the King's army and his authority over vassals.
Henry II's reign saw the establishment of Royal Magistrate courts. This allowed court officials under authority of the Crown to adjudicate on local disputes, reducing the workload on Royal courts proper and delivering justice with greater efficiency.
Henry also worked to make the legal system fairer. Trial by ordeal and trial by combat were still common and even in the 12th century these methods were outdated. By the Assize of Clarendon, in 1166, a precursor to trial by jury became the standard. However, this group of "twelve lawful men," as the Assize commonly refers to it, provides a service more similar to a grand jury, alerting court officials to matters suitable for prosecution. Trial by combat was still legal in England until 1819, but Henry's support of juries was a great contribution to the country's social history. The Assize of Northampton, in 1176, cemented the earlier agreements at Clarendon.
In the tradition of Norman kings, Henry II was keen to dominate the church like the state. At Clarendon Palace on 30 January 1164, the King set out sixteen constitutions, aimed at decreasing ecclesiastical interference from Rome. Secular courts, increasingly under the King's influence, would also have jurisdiction over clerical trials and disputes. Henry's authority guaranteed him majority support, but the newly appointed Archbishop of Canterbury refused to ratify the proposals.
Henry was characteristically stubborn and on 8 October 1164, he called the Archbishop, Thomas Becket, before the Royal Council. However, Becket had fled to France and was under the protection of Henry's rival, Louis VII of France.
The King continued doggedly in his pursuit of control over his clerics, to the point where his religious policy became detrimental to his subjects. By 1170, the Pope was considering excommunicating all of Britain. Only Henry's agreement that Becket could return to England without penalty prevented this fate.
"What miserable drones and traitors have I nurtured and promoted in my household who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low-born cleric!" were the words which sparked the darkest event in Henry's religious wranglings. This speech has translated into legend in the form of "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?" - a provocative statement which would perhaps have been just as riling to the knights and barons of his household at whom it was aimed as his actual words. Bitter at Becket, his old friend, constantly thwarting his clerical constitutions, the King shouted in anger but most likely not with intent. However, four of Henry's knights, Reginald Fitzurse, Hugh de Morville, Lord of Westmorland, William de Tracy, and Richard le Breton overheard their King's cries and decided to act on his words.
On 29 December 1170, they entered Canterbury Cathedral, finding Becket near the stairs to the crypt. They beat down the Archbishop, killing him with several blows. Becket's brains were scattered upon the ground with the words; "Let us go, this fellow will not be getting up again". Whatever the rights and wrongs, it certainly tainted Henry's later reign. For the remaining 20 years of his rule, he would personally regret the death of a man who "in happier times...had been a friend".
Just three years later, Becket was canonized and revered as a martyr against secular interference in God's church; Pope Alexander III had declared Thomas Becket a saint. Plantagenet historian John Harvey believes "The martyrdom of Thomas Becket was a martyrdom which he had repeatedly gone out of his way to seek...one cannot but feel sympathy towards Henry". Wherever the true intent and blame lies, it was yet another failure in Henry's religious policy, an arena which he seemed to lack adequate subtlety. And politically, Henry had to sign the Compromise of Avranches which removed from the secular courts almost all jurisdiction over the clergy.
“It is the common fate of sons to be misunderstood by their fathers, and of fathers to be unloved of their sons, but it has been the particular bane of the English throne.”
The "Angevin Curse" is infamous amongst the Plantagenet rulers. Trying to divide his lands amongst numerous ambitious children resulted in many problems for Henry. The King's plan for an orderly transfer of power relied on Young Henry ruling and his younger brothers doing homage to him for land. However, Richard refused to be subordinate to his brother, because they had the same mother and father, and the same Royal blood.
In 1173, Young Henry and Richard moved against their father and his succession plans, trying to secure the lands they were promised. The King's changing and revising of his inheritance nurtured jealousy in his offspring, which turned to aggression. While both Young Henry and Richard were relatively strong in France, they still lacked the manpower and experience to trouble their father unduly. The King crushed this first rebellion and was fair in his punishment, Richard for example, lost half of the revenue allowed to him as Count of Poitou.
In 1182, the Plantagenet children's aggression turned inward. Young Henry, Richard and their brother Geoffrey all began fighting each other for their father's possessions on the continent. The situation was exacerbated by French rebels and the French King, Philip Augustus. This was the most serious threat to come from within the family yet, and the King faced the dynastic tragedy of civil war. However, on 11 June 1183, Henry the Young King died. The uprising, which had been built around the Prince, promptly collapsed and the remaining brothers returned to their individual lands. Henry quickly occupied the rebel region of Angoulême to keep the peace.
The final battle between Henry's Princes came in 1184. Geoffrey of Brittany and John of Ireland, the youngest brothers, had been promised Aquitaine, which belonged to elder brother Richard. Geoffrey and John invaded, but Richard had been controlling an army for almost 10 years and was an accomplished military commander. Richard expelled his fickle brothers and they would never again face each other in combat, largely because Geoffrey died two years later, leaving only Richard and John.
The final thorn in Henry's side would be an alliance between his eldest son, Richard, and his greatest rival, Philip Augustus. John had become Henry's favourite son and Richard had begun to fear he was being written out of the King's inheritance. In summer 1189, Richard and Philip invaded Henry's heartland of power, Anjou. The unlikely allies took northwest Touraine, attacked Le Mans and overran Maine and Tours. Defeated, Henry II met his opponents and agreed to all their demands, including paying homage to Philip for all his French possessions.
Weak, ill, and deserted by all but an illegitimate son, Geoffrey, Archbishop of York, Henry died at Chinon on 6 July 1189. His legitimate children, chroniclers record him saying, were "the real bastards". The victorious Prince Richard later paid his respects to Henry's corpse as it travelled to Fontevraud Abbey, upon which, according to Roger of Wendover, 'blood flowed from the nostrils of the deceased, as if...indignant at the presence of the one who was believed to have caused his death'. The Prince, Henry's eldest surviving son and conqueror, was crowned "by the grace of God, King Richard I of England" at Westminster on 1 September 1189.

Henry II, first of the Angevin kings, was one of the most effective of all England's monarchs. He came to the throne amid the anarchy of Stephen's reign and promptly collared his errant barons. He refined Norman government and created a capable, self-standing bureaucracy. His energy was equaled only by his ambition and intelligence. Henry survived wars, rebellion, and controversy to successfully rule one of the Middle Ages' most powerful kingdoms.

Henry was raised in the French province of Anjou and first visited England in 1142 to defend his mother's claim to the disputed throne of Stephen. His continental possessions were already vast before his coronation: He acquired Normandy and Anjou upon the death of his father in September 1151, and his French holdings more than doubled with his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitane (ex-wife of King Louis VII of France). In accordance with the Treaty of Wallingford, a succession agreement signed by Stephen and Matilda in 1153, Henry was crowned in October 1154. The continental empire ruled by Henry and his sons included the French counties of Brittany, Maine, Poitou, Touraine, Gascony, Anjou, Aquitane, and Normandy. Henry was technically a feudal vassal of the king of France but, in reality, owned more territory and was more powerful than his French lord. Although King John (Henry's son) lost most of the English holdings in France, English kings laid claim to the French throne until the fifteenth century. Henry also extended his territory in the British Isles in two significant ways. First, he retrieved Cumbria and Northumbria form Malcom IV of Scotland and settled the Anglo-Scot border in the North. Secondly, although his success with Welsh campaigns was limited, Henry invaded Ireland and secured an English presence on the island.

English and Norman barons in Stephen's reign manipulated feudal law to undermine royal authority; Henry instituted many reforms to weaken traditional feudal ties and strengthen his position. Unauthorized castles built during the previous reign were razed. Monetary payments replaced military service as the primary duty of vassals. The Exchequer was revitalized to enforce accurate record keeping and tax collection. Incompetent sheriffs were replaced and the authority of royal courts was expanded. Henry empowered a new social class of government clerks that stabilized procedure - the government could operate effectively in the king's absence and would subsequently prove sufficiently tenacious to survive the reign of incompetent kings. Henry's reforms allowed the emergence of a body of common law to replace the disparate customs of feudal and county courts. Jury trials were initiated to end the old Germanic trials by ordeal or battle. Henry's systematic approach to law provided a common basis for development of royal institutions throughout the entire realm.

The process of strengthening the royal courts, however, yielded an unexpected controversy. The church courts instituted by William the Conqueror became a safe haven for criminals of varying degree and ability, for one in fifty of the English population qualified as clerics. Henry wished to transfer sentencing in such cases to the royal courts, as church courts merely demoted clerics to laymen. Thomas Beckett, Henry's close friend and chancellor since 1155, was named Archbishop of Canterbury in June 1162 but distanced himself from Henry and vehemently opposed the weakening of church courts. Beckett fled England in 1164, but through the intervention of Pope Adrian IV (the lone English pope), returned in 1170.He greatly angered Henry by opposing to the coronation of Prince Henry. Exasperated, Henry hastily and publicly conveyed his desire to be rid of the contentious Archbishop - four ambitious knights took the king at his word and murdered Beckett in his own cathedral on December 29, 1170. Henry endured a rather limited storm of protest over the incident and the controversy passed.

Henry's plans of dividing his myriad lands and titles evoked treachery from his sons. At the encouragement - and sometimes because of the treatment - of their mother, they rebelled against their father several times, often with Louis VII of France as their accomplice. The deaths of Henry the Young King in 1183 and Geoffrey in 1186 gave no respite from his children's rebellious nature; Richard, with the assistance of Philip II Augustus of France, attacked and defeated Henry on July 4, 1189 and forced him to accept a humiliating peace. Henry II died two days later, on July 6, 1189.

A few quotes from historic manuscripts shed a unique light on Henry, Eleanor, and their sons.

From Sir Winston Churchill Kt, 1675: "Henry II Plantagenet, the very first of that name and race, and the very greatest King that England ever knew, but withal the most unfortunate . . . his death being imputed to those only to whom himself had given life, his ungracious sons. . ."

From Sir Richard Baker, A Chronicle of the Kings of England: Concerning endowments of mind, he was of a spirit in the highest degree generous . . . His custom was to be always in action; for which cause, if he had no real wars, he would have feigned . . . To his children he was both indulgent and hard; for out of indulgence he caused his son henry to be crowned King in his own time; and out of hardness he caused his younger sons to rebel against him . . . He married Eleanor, daughter of William Duke of Guienne, late wife of Lewis the Seventh of France. Some say King Lewis carried her into the Holy Land, where she carried herself not very holily, but led a licentious life; and, which is the worst kind of licentiousness, in carnal familiarity with a Turk."

Source: Britannia.com

[The Saxon & Norman Kings, by Christopher Brooke] (1154-1189). [] date
of accession 1154. 1st. of the House of Plantagenet.. [T. Webster,
fidonet, Aug '95] Henry II, Curtmantle PLANTAGENET King. [reposted
from fidonet by mari -at- netcom.com] ..all data, ..'quarreled with
Thomas `a Becket (1118-1179), Archbishop of Cantebury, over the right
to punish clergy convicted of crimes; Becket was murdered in his own
Cathedral by four of Henry's Knights in 1170.'
[] ..did Henry II have a bastard son, William LONGASPEE/de LONGSPEE who
married the Countess of Salisbury?

[howard.ged]

Plantagenet, surname, originally nickname, of the English royal house of Anjou or the Angevin dynasty, founded by Geoffrey IV, count of Anjou (1113-51), husband of Matilda (1102-67), daughter of King Henry I of England. The name is derived from the Latin planta (“sprig”) and genista (“broom plant”), in reference to the sprig that Geoffrey always wore in his cap. Reigning from 1154 to 1485, the Plantagenet kings, in the main line of descent, were Henry II, Richard I, John, Henry III, Edward I, Edward II, Edward III, and Richard II; through the house of Lancaster, Henry IV, Henry V, and Henry VI; and through the house of York, Edward IV, Edward V, and Richard III.
"Plantagenet," Microsoft (R) Encarta. Copyright (c) 1994 Microsoft Corporation. Copyright (c) 1994 Funk & Wagnall's Corporation.[cownwall1.ged]

Name Suffix: King of England

Search The Website

Hadrianus IV, Pope
Henry Plantagenet
Stephen I died in 1154 and Henry Plantagenet became Henry II of England. He was descended from William the Conqueror and through his mother, Matilda, from the Anglo-Saxons.

He married Eleanor of Aquitaine who had been married to Louis VII of France and so Aquitaine passed from France to England.

Henry II saw the need for central government. He wanted to strengthen his control of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. In 1157 Malcolm of Scotland paid homage to Henry and Scotland did not regain her independence until Richard I's reign.

Wales continued to be fractious and it was not until 1176 that the Welsh made their peace with Henry.

Ireland was next.

HENRY II (1133-1189)

Aged 14 he was fighting for his mother's claim to the English throne
In 1151 his father died and he became Count of Anjou and Duke of Normandy
In 1152 he married Eleanor of Aquitaine
In 1154 he became King of England
In 1171 he invaded Ireland and was recognised as Lord by nearly all the Irish kings
In 1173 the Count of Toulouse paid homage
In 1173 his wife and sons turned against him and he quarrelled fatally with his one time friend Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury
Created the judicial system and the Common Law
Died 1189, Richard I became King

[Jeremiah Brown.FTW]

[from Rootsweb geneal database]

Henry II (of England) (1133-89), king of England (1154-89), first monarch of the house of Anjou, or Plantagenet, an important administrative reformer, who was one of the most powerful European rulers of his time. Born March 5, 1133, at Le Mans, France, Henry became duke of Normandy in 1151. The following year, on the death of his father, he inherited the Angevin territories in France. By his marriage in 1152 to Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry added vast territories in southwestern France to his possessions. Henry claimed the English kingship through his mother, Matilda. She had been designated the heiress of Henry I but had been deprived of the succession by her cousin, Stephen of Blois, who made himself king. In 1153 Henry defeated Stephen's armies in England and compelled the king to choose him as his successor; on Stephen's death, the following year, Henry became king.

During the first few years of his reign Henry quelled the disorders that had developed during Stephen's reign, regained the northern counties of England, which had previously been ceded to Scotland, and conquered North Wales. In 1171-72 he began the Norman conquest of Ireland and in 1174 forced William the Lion, king of the Scots, to recognize him as overlord. In 1164 Henry became involved in a quarrel with Thomas à Becket, whom he had appointed archbishop of Canterbury. By the Constitutions of Clarendon, the king decreed that priests accused of crimes should be tried in royal courts; Becket claimed that such cases should be handled by ecclesiastical courts, and the controversy that followed ended in 1170 with Becket's murder by four of Henry's knights. Widespread indignation over the murder forced the king to rescind his decree and recognize Becket as a martyr.

Although he failed to subject the church to his courts, Henry's judicial reforms were of lasting significance. In England he established a centralized system of justice accessible to all freemen and administered by judges who traveled around the country at regular intervals. He also began the process of replacing the old trial by ordeal with modern court procedures. From the beginning of his reign, Henry was involved in conflict with Louis VII, king of France, and later with Louis's successor, Philip II, over the French provinces that Henry claimed. A succession of rebellions against Henry, headed by his sons and furthered by Philip II and by Eleanor of Aquitaine, began in 1173 and continued until his death at Chinon, France, on July 6, 1189. Henry was succeeded by his son Richard I, called Richard the Lion-Hearted.

#Générale#Plantagenêt, dit Curtmantle, dit Fitzempress
s:ds02.82 et 83 ; hg86.310 ; PiMa

note couple : s:ds02.76 et 83 ; Auréjac

note couple : s:ds03.356a

inhumation : Fontevraud Abbaye 49

#Générale#Profession : Roi d'Angleterre de 1154 à 1189,
Duc de Normandie, Comte du Maine et d'Anjou.
Couronné à Westminster Abbey le 19 décembre 1154.

{geni:occupation} Enrique II rey de Inglaterra sucesor de Ricardo I desde 1154 to 1189, Rey de Inglaterra, 1ro de la dinastía "Plantagenet" que reinarían por más de 300 años., Duque de Normandía y Aquitania y Conde de Anjou., Conde de Anjou, King of England, King

{geni:about_me} ==Links:==
*[http://thepeerage.com/p10202.htm#i102013 The Peerage]
*[http://www.geneall.net/U/per_page.php?id=112 Geneall]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_II_of_England Wikipedia]
*'''King of England''' reign 1154–1189 with Henry the Young King
>'''Predecessor:''' [http://www.geni.com/people/%C3%89tienne-de-Blois-King-of-England-1135-1154/6000000000424802839 Stephen] '''Successor: [http://www.geni.com/people/Richard-the-Lionheart-King-of-England/5597288619460126496 Richard the Lionheart]
*'''Duke of Normandy Count of Anjou Count of Maine''' Reign 1151–1189 with Henry the Young King
>'''Predecessor:''' [http://www.geni.com/people/Geoffroy-V-le-Bel-comte-d-Anjou/4194887957440076070 Geoffrey Plantagenet] '''Successor: [http://www.geni.com/people/Richard-the-Lionheart-King-of-England/5597288619460126496 Richard I Lionheart]
*'''Duke of Aquitaine:''' Reign 1152–1189
>'''Predecessor: [http://www.geni.com/people/Eleanor-of-Aquitaine/6000000003582502504 Eleanor] as sole ruler '''Successor: [http://www.geni.com/people/Eleanor-of-Aquitaine/6000000003582502504 Eleanor] and [http://www.geni.com/people/Richard-the-Lionheart-King-of-England/5597288619460126496 Richard I Lionheart]
*'''Count of Poitiers:''' Reign 1152–1153 with Eleanor
>'''Predecessor: [http://www.geni.com/people/Eleanor-of-Aquitaine/6000000003582502504 Eleanor] as sole ruler'''Successor:''' [http://www.geni.com/people/William-Plantagenet/6000000007967181716 William IX]
*Henry had eight legitimate children by Eleanor, five sons—William, the Young Henry, Richard, Geoffrey and John, and three daughters, Matilda, Eleanor and Joan.[nb 20] Henry also had several illegitimate children; amongst the most prominent of these were Geoffrey (later Archbishop of York) and William (later Earl of Salisbury).[164] Henry was expected to provide for the future of his legitimate children, either through granting lands to his sons or marrying his daughters well.[165] Unfortunately Henry's family was divided by rivalries and violent hostilities, more so than many other royal families of the day, in particular the relatively cohesive French Capetians.[166] Various suggestions have been put forward to explain Henry's family's bitter disputes, from their inherited family genetics to the failure of Henry and Eleanor's parenting.[167] Other theories focus on the personalities of Henry and his children.[168] Historians such as Matthew Strickland have argued that Henry made sensible attempts to manage the tensions within his family, and that, had the king died younger, the succession might have proven much smoother.[1

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=millind&h=102510231&ti=5538&indiv=try&gss=pt http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=millind&h=102510231&ti=5538&indiv=try&gss=pt http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=millind&h=102510231&ti=5538&indiv=try&gss=pt Henry 2 http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=e865101a-3389-4676-92ec-917ece2670b4&tid=6870384&pid=-1088266504 King Henry II Plantagenet of England http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=77beed7a-9b58-48f0-9d63-434c8d715dea&tid=6870384&pid=-1088266504

Henery ll of England
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=fd59e57b-7fd5-4982-8957-9a821679f351&tid=10320707&pid=-185120372

Buried at Fontevrault Abbey.

180px-Henry_II_of_England[1]
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=6a73eb98-e0e7-4c0b-b133-48fcfdfe129b&tid=10145763&pid=-603931626

[FAVthomas.FTW]

Ruled 1154-1189Henry 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 of Poitou

Crowned: 19th December 1154 at Westminster Abbey, Middlesex

Married: 18th May 1152 at Bordeaux Cathedral, Gascony

Spouse: Eleanor daughter of William X, Duke of Aquitane & divorcee ofLouis VII, King of France

Offspring: William, Henry, Matilda, Richard, Geoffrey, Eleanor, Joan &John

Contemporaries: Louis VII (King of France, 1137-1180), Thomas Beckett(Archbishop of Canterbury), Pope Adrian IV, Frederick I (FrederickBarbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor, 1152-1190)
Henry II, first of the Angevin kings, was one of the most effective ofall England's monarchs. He came to the throne amid the anarchy ofStephen's reign and promptly collared his errant barons. He refinedNorman government and created a capable, self-standing bureaucracy. Hisenergy was equaled only by his ambition and intelligence. Henry survivedwars, rebellion, and controversy to successfully rule one of the MiddleAges' most powerful kingdoms.

Henry was raised in the French province of Anjou and first visitedEngland in 1142 to defend his mother's claim to the disputed throne ofStephen. His continental possessions were already vast before hiscoronation: He acquired Normandie and Anjou upon the death of his fatherin September 1151, and his French holdings more than doubled with hismarriage to Eleanor of Aquitane (ex-wife of King Louis VII of France). Inaccordance with the Treaty of Wallingford, a succession agreement signedby Stephen and Matilda in 1153, Henry was crowned in October 1154. Thecontinental empire ruled by Henry and his sons included the Frenchcounties de Brittany, Maine, Poitou, Touraine, Gascony, Anjou, Aquitane,and Normandie. Henry was technically a feudal vassal of the king ofFrance but, in reality, owned more territory and was more powerful thanhis French lord. Although King John (Henry's son) lost most of theEnglish holdings in France, English kings laid claim to the French throneuntil the fifteenth century. Henry also extended his territory in theBritish Isles in two significant ways. First, he retrieved Cumbria andNorthumbria form Malcom IV of Scotland and settled the Anglo-Scot borderin the North. Secondly, although his success with Welsh campaigns waslimited, Henry invaded Ireland and secured an English presence on theisland.

English and Norman barons in Stephen's reign manipulated feudal law toundermine royal authority; Henry instituted many reforms to weakentraditional feudal ties and strengthen his position. Unauthorized castlesbuilt during the previous reign were razed. Monetary payments replacedmilitary service as the primary duty of vassals. The Exchequer wasrevitalized to enforce accurate record keeping and tax collection.Incompetent sheriffs were replaced and the authority of royal courts wasexpanded. Henry empowered a new social class of government clerks thatstabilized procedure - the government could operate effectively in theking's absence and would subsequently prove sufficiently tenacious tosurvive the reign of incompetent kings. Henry's reforms allowed theemergence of a body of common law to replace the disparate customs offeudal and county courts. Jury trials were initiated to end the oldGermanic trials by ordeal or battle. Henry's systematic approach to lawprovided a common basis for development of royal institutions throughoutthe entire realm.

The process of strengthening the royal courts, however, yielded anunexpected controversy. The church courts instituted by William theConqueror became a safe haven for criminals of varying degree andability, for one in fifty of the English population qualified as clerics.Henry wished to transfer sentencing in such cases to the royal courts, aschurch courts merely demoted clerics to laymen. Thomas Beckett, Henry'sclose friend and chancellor since 1155, was named Archbishop ofCanterbury in June 1162 but distanced himself from Henry and vehementlyopposed the weakening of church courts. Beckett fled England in 1164, butthrough the intervention of Pope Adrian IV (the lone English pope),returned in 1170.He greatly angered Henry by opposing to the coronationof Prince Henry. Exasperated, Henry hastily and publicly conveyed hisdesire to be rid of the contentious Archbishop - four ambitious knightstook the king at his word and murdered Beckett in his own cathedral onDecember 29, 1170. Henry endured a rather limited storm of protest overthe incident and the controversy passed.

Henry's plans of dividing his myriad lands and titles evoked treacheryfrom his sons. At the encouragement - and sometimes because of thetreatment - of their mother, they rebelled against their father severaltimes, often with Louis VII of France as their accomplice. The deaths ofHenry the Young King in 1183 and Geoffrey in 1186 gave no respite fromhis children's rebellious nature; Richard, with the assistance of PhilipII Augustus of France, attacked and defeated Henry on July 4, 1189 andforced him to accept a humiliating peace. Henry II died two days later,on July 6, 1189.

A few quotes from historic manuscripts shed a unique light on Henry,Eleanor, and their sons.

From Sir Winston Churchill Kt, 1675: "Henry II Plantagenet, the veryfirst of that name and race, and the very greatest King that England everknew, but withal the most unfortunate . . . his death being imputed tothose only to whom himself had given life, his ungracious sons. . ."

From Sir Richard Baker, A Chronicle of the Kings of England: Concerningendowments of mind, he was of a spirit in the highest degree generous . .. His custom was to be always in action; for which cause, if he had noreal wars, he would have feigned . . . To his children he was bothindulgent and hard; for out of indulgence he caused his son henry to becrowned King in his own time; and out of hardness he caused his youngersons to rebel against him . . . He married Eleanor, daughter of WilliamDuke of Guienne, late wife of Lewis the Seventh of France. Some say KingLewis carried her into the Holy Land, where she carried herself not veryholily, but led a licentious life; and, which is the worst kind oflicentiousness, in carnal familiarity with a Turk."

Henry II. Plantaganet, first Plantaganet King of England (1154-1189),known as Curt Mantel, was born at Le Mans, France, on March 15, 1133. Ateighteen in 1151 he was invested with the Duchy of Normandie, hismother's heritage, and within a year became also, by his father's death,Count of Anjou; while in 1152 he married Eleanor d'Aquitaine, thedaughter of William X, Duke d'Aquitaine (see his ancestral lineageelsewhere in Vol. I.), and divorced wife of King Louis VII. of France,added Poitou and Guienne to his dominions. In January 1153 he landed inEngland, and in November a treaty was agreed to whereby Henry wasdeclared successor to King Stephen; he was crowned in 1154 and ruleduntil his death in 1189. He confirmed the laws of his grandfather, KingHenry I, reestablished the exchequer, banished the foreign mercenaries,demolished the hundreds of castles erected in Stephen's reign, andrecovered the royal estates. The whole of 1156 he spent in France,reducing his brother, Geoffrey of Nantes, who died in 1158, and havingsecured his territories, he spent the next five years warring andorganizing his possessions on the Continent. Henry's objective was thatof all Norman kings, to build up the royal power at the expense of thebarons and the church. From the barons his reforms met with littleserious opposition; with the clergy he was less successful. To aid him inreducing the church to subjection, he appointed his chancellor, Thomas aBecket to the see of Canterbury. Henry compelled him and the otherprelates to agree to the 'Constitution of Clarendon', but Bechet proved asturdy churchman, and the struggle between him and the monarch terminatedonly by his murder. In 1174 Henry did penance at Bechet's tomb, but heended by bringing the church to subordination in civil matters. Meanwhilehe organized an expedition to Ireland. The English Pope, Adrian IV, hadin 1155 given Henry authority over the entire island of Ireland; and anumber of Norman-Welsh knights had gained a footing in the country, amongthem Richard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke, styled Strongbow, who in 1155married the heiress of Leinster and assumed rule as the Earl of Leinster.Henry was jealous at the rise of a powerful feudal baronage in Ireland,and during his stay there (1171-1172) he broke the power of RichardStrongbow and the other nobles. Henry and Eleanor had many children asfollows:

1. William Plantaganet, the eldest son, was born in 1153, but died inchildhood in 1156.

2. Henry Plantaganet, Associate King of England, born February 28, 1155,known as Henry "the Young King," was crowned as his father's successor in1170. Henry married Margaret, daughter of Louis VII., King of France. In1173, incited by their jealous mother, Queen Eleanor, this prince and hisbrother Richard rebelled against their father, and their cause wasespoused by the King of France and the King of Scotland. The latter, KingWilliam the Lion, was ravaging the north of England when he was takenprisoner at Alnwick in 1174, and to obtain his liberty he submitted to dohomage to Henry II. In a few months King Henry II. had reestablished hisauthority in all his domains. During a second rebellion, Prince Henrydied June 11, 1183. He married Margaret, daughter of Louis VII., King ofFrance.

3. Matilda Plantaganet, born in 1156, died in 1189, married Henry theLion, Duke of Saxony and Duke of Bavaria. They had a son, Otto IV. ofBrunswick, Emperor (1208-1215).

4. Richard Plantaganet, the Lion-Hearted, born in 1157, marriedBerengaria of Navarre, daughter of Sancho VI. of Navarre. Richard d.s.p.April 6, 1199. He reigned as King Richard I. of England and Duke ofNormandie, 1189-1199. Richard was imprisoned by the Emperor Henry VI in1192, while returning from a Crusade. His freedom was obtained by ransomin 1194. After his release he was in constant battle with PhilipAugustus, King of France. Berengaria died in 1230.

5. Geoffrey Plantaganet, Duke de Brittany, 1171-1186, died in 1158,married Constance de Brittany, daughter of Conan IV. de Brittany. Shedied in 1201. In 1186, he was killed in a tournament. He and his wife hadtwo children:

1. Eleanor, who died in 1240.

2. Arthur, Duke de Brittany, born in 1187 and murdered in 1204, while inconflict with his uncle, King John I. King John saw him as a rival to thethrone.

Early influences
Look for the key to Henry's character and look no further than hischildhood. The son of Geoffrey of Anjou and Matilda (daughter of Henry I)against whom the barons of England and Normandie rebelled in favour ofthe usurper Stephen, his childhood was dominated by war and intrigue ashis mother and father strove to regain their inheritance. From the age of9 it was the young Henry to whom that inheritance would fall, and on whomthe responsibility of holding it together lay. Consequently, Henry II,king at the age of 22, was mature beyond his years and obsessed with therestoration of his ancestral rights.

Though not handsome, Henry was larger than most men, stocky and quitepowerful: a power which came across in his personality. His energy wasoverwhelming, and his anger legendary, as was his love of hunting. Hedressed simply in hunting clothes and was rarely seen either out of thesaddle or without a hawk on his arm. Yet paradoxically, this archetypalman of action was an intensely private intellectual. Multi-lingual, heliked to retire with a book, was well-polished in letters and enjoyedscholarly debate. He was also very approachable and never forgot a face.He shunned regular hours and his propensity to change his schedule atshort notice was infamous. This often translated into an ability to reactto unforeseen circumstances with astonishing rapidity and decisiveness.

He vaunted loyalty above all else, and his fits of rage against those hedeemed as traitors are so melodramatic as to be unbelievable. On morethan one occasion, he is said to have frothed at the mouth in a screamingrage, and is even known to have chewed the straw on the floor inapoplexy. This Henry was frightening, and could reduce internationalmagnates to quivering wrecks. Yet he understood honest opposition andcould deal with it equably. What he could not abide was betrayal.

Personal characteristics

Dover Castle, with Henry II's keep Above all, he was ruthless in pursuitof his rights. He would manipulate the courts, exploit any loophole andeven break his word to recover and defend his ancient rights as he sawthem. His fundamental policy was to re-establish 'all the rightfulcustoms which were had in the time of King Henry my grandfather, revokingall evil customs which have arisen there since this day.' For Henry, allelse came second to this, and his interpretation of these customs wasoften more rigorous than they actually had been in Henry I's day. Thisgoverned all his actions: his foreign policy, his religious policy, hiseconomic and legal policy and even his personal life; at times withdisastrous consequences.

In his personal life, his intense privacy seems to have alienated thosewho were closest to him. The perceived betrayals of first Becket and thenEleanor (both of whom were only acting in the interests of their ownpersonal offices) seem to have hurt him sorely; but the most woundingbetrayals were those of his sons. Yet these very betrayals were a naturalconsequence of his obsession with his rights: he failed to make his sonstrust him because he never included them fully.

Passionate, grasping, authoritative, Henry started his reign with ayouth's determined arrogance, and ended with a wily old miser's cynicism.He held his kingdom together by force of his personality, but that washis greatest weakness as well as his greatest strength.

Family background
If people know of Henry II at all, beyond his classic role in ThomasBecket's martyrdom, it is probably through the Lion in Winter image of apowerful man at odds with his family. This is not incorrect. Henry'srelationship with his family was a dramatic and turbulent one that notonly shaped the nature of his own reign, but was to have far-reachingeffects into the reigns of his successors.

The very nature of Henry's rule was in itself defined by his parentage.Henry was the son of Geoffrey of Anjou and the ex-Empress Matilda ofGermany. Matilda was the daughter of Henry I, and was married to Geoffreyin an attempt to recover the marriage alliance between the Anglo-Normanking and the count of Anjou which had been broken when Henry I's son,William Audelin, died with the sinking of the White Ship in 1120.However, the marriage of a daughter into the House of Anjou was a verydifferent thing in the eyes of his Norman barons to the marriage of ason. It meant that instead of Normandie taking over Anjou, Anjou waseffectively taking over Normandie.

So when Henry I died in 1135, the majority of his barons transferredtheir loyalty to his nephew Stephen of Blois, against Matilda. Henry,born in 1133, grew up during the civil war that followed. At the age of9, Matilda's claim to the throne was transferred to him after hersingular failure to capture the loyalty of the barons. At the same time,Geoffrey of Anjou conquered Normandie and very astutely passed itspatrimony to his son, effectively taking himself (an Angevin usurper) outof the picture. So by 1142, Henry had become the focus for opposition toStephen's inept reign. By the age of 22, he was king of England, hisattitudes forged in the fires of civil war.

BIO GRAPHY: He grew up in Anjou, but visited England as early as 1142 to defend his mother's claim to the disputed throne of Stephen; educated by famous scholars, he had a true love of reading and intellectual discussion.
His father Geoffre y of Anjou died in September 1151, leaving Normandy and Anjou to Henry. Henry's continental possessions more than doubled with his marriage to Eleanor of Aqui tane, ex-wife of KingLouis VII of France. After a succession agreement between Stephen and Matilda in1153, he was crowned Henry II in October 1154. Eleanor b ore Henry five sons and three daughters between 1153 and1167; the relationship between Henry, Eleanor, and their sons Henry, Richard, and John proved to be tu multuous and treacherous. The empire ruled by Henry and his sons was considerab ly larger than the loneEnglish is land - the French Angev in positions extende d from Normandy southward to the Pyrenees, covering the counties of Brittany, M aine, Poitou, Touraine, and Gascony, as well as Anjou, Aquitane, and Normandy. Henry was extremely energetic and traveled quickly and extensively within the b orders of his kingdom.
Henry revitalized the English Exchequer, issuing receip ts for tax payments and keeping written accounts on rolled parchment. He replac ed incompetent sheriffs, expanding the authority of royal courts, which brought more funds into his coffers. A body of common law emerged to replace feudal an d county courts, which varied from place to place. Jury trials were initiated t o end the old Germanic customary trials by ordeal or battle. Henry's systematic approach to law provided a common basis for development of royal institutions throughout the entire realm.
The process of strengthening the royal courts, ho wever, yielded an unexpected controversy. Church courts, instituted by William the Conqueror, became a safe haven for criminals of varying degree andability, for one in fifty of the English population qualified as clerics. Henry wished to transfer such cases to the royal courts, as the only punishment open to the Church courts was demotion of thecleric. Thomas Beckett, Henry's close friend and chancellor since 1155, was named Archbishop of Canterbury in June 1162. In an attempt to discredit claims that he was too closely tied to the king, heveh emently opposed the weakening of Church courts. Henry drove Beckett into exile from1164-1170, when the Archbishop returned to England and greatly angered Henr y over opposition to the coronation of Prince Henry. Exasperated, Henry publicl y announced a half-hearted desire to be rid off Beckett -four ambitious knights took the king at his word and murdered Beckett in his own cathedral on Decembe r 29, 1170. Henry is perhaps best remembered for Beckett's murder, but in fact, the realm was better off with out the contentious Archbishop. Henry endured a rather limited storm of protest over the incident, but the real threat to his p ower came from within his own family. Henry's sons - Henry the Young King, Rich ard, Geoffrey, and John -were never satisfied with any of their father's plans fordividing his lands and titles upon his death. The sons, at the encouragemen t (and sometimes because of the treatment) of their mother, rebelled against th e king several times. Prince Henry, the onlyman ever to be crowned while his f ather still lived, wanted more than a royal title. Thus from 1193 to the end of his reign Henry was plagued by his rebellious sons, who always found a willing partner in Louis VII of France.
Henry succeeded King Stephen in October 1154 , apparently after surviving a poisoning attempt by Stephen's supporters. He ru led his Empire of Britain, Normandy, Anjou, Maine, Poitou and Aquitaine with an iron rod and was the first king of England to add Ireland to his domains. With his fiery red hair and equally fiery nature, probably inherited from his mothe r, the Empress, Henry proved a king to be reckoneName Suffix: II King of England
Ancestral File Number: 8WKP-WF
BIO GRAPHY: He grew up in Anjou, but visited England as early as 1142 to defend his mother's claim to the disputed throne of Stephen; educated by famous scholars, he had a true love of reading and intellectual discussion.
His father Geoffre y of Anjou died in September 1151, leaving Normandy and Anjou to Henry. Henry's continental possessions more than doubled with his marriage to Eleanor of Aqui tane, ex-wife of KingLouis VII of France. After a succession agreement between Stephen and Matilda in1153, he was crowned Henry II in October 1154. Eleanor b ore Henry five sons and three daughters between 1153 and1167; the relationship between Henry, Eleanor, and their sons Henry, Richard, and John proved to be tu multuous and treacherous. The empire ruled by Henry and his sons was considerab ly larger than the loneEnglish is land - the French Angev in positions extende d from Normandy southward to the Pyrenees, covering the counties of Brittany, M aine, Poitou, Touraine, and Gascony, as well as Anjou, Aquitane, and Normandy. Henry was extremely energetic and traveled quickly and extensively within the b orders of his kingdom.
Henry revitalized the English Exchequer, issuing receip ts for tax payments and keeping written accounts on rolled parchment. He replac ed incompetent sheriffs, expanding the authority of royal courts, which brought more funds into his coffers. A body of common law emerged to replace feudal an d county courts, which varied from place to place. Jury trials were initiated t o end the old Germanic customary trials by ordeal or battle. Henry's systematic approach to law provided a common basis for development of royal institutions throughout the entire realm.
The process of strengthening the royal courts, ho wever, yielded an unexpected controversy. Church courts, instituted by William the Conqueror, became a safe haven for criminals of varying degree andability, for one in fifty of the English population qualified as clerics. Henry wished to transfer such cases to the royal courts, as the only punishment open to the Church courts was demotion of thecleric. Thomas Beckett, Henry's close friend and chancellor since 1155, was named Archbishop of Canterbury in June 1162. In an attempt to discredit claims that he was too closely tied to the king, heveh emently opposed the weakening of Church courts. Henry drove Beckett into exile from1164-1170, when the Archbishop returned to England and greatly angered Henr y over opposition to the coronation of Prince Henry. Exasperated, Henry publicl y announced a half-hearted desire to be rid off Beckett -four ambitious knights took the king at his word and murdered Beckett in his own cathedral on Decembe r 29, 1170. Henry is perhaps best remembered for Beckett's murder, but in fact, the realm was better off with out the contentious Archbishop. Henry endured a rather limited storm of protest over the incident, but the real threat to his p ower came from within his own family. Henry's sons - Henry the Young King, Rich ard, Geoffrey, and John -were never satisfied with any of their father's plans fordividing his lands and titles upon his death. The sons, at the encouragemen t (and sometimes because of the treatment) of their mother, rebelled against th e king several times. Prince Henry, the onlyman ever to be crowned while his f ather still lived, wanted more than a royal title. Thus from 1193 to the end of his reign Henry was plagued by his rebellious sons, who always found a willing partner in Louis VII of France.
Henry succeeded King Stephen in October 1154 , apparently after surviving a poisoning attempt by Stephen's supporters. He ru led his Empire of Britain, Normandy, Anjou, Maine, Poitou and Aquitaine with an iron rod and was the first king of England to add Ireland to his domains. With his fiery red hair and equally fiery nature, probably inherited from his mothe r, the Empress, Henry proved a king to be reckone

Henry II (5 March 1133 - 6 July 1189), ruled as King of England (1154-1189), Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the first of the House of Plantagenet to rule England. Henry was thefirst to use the title "King of England" (as opposed to "King of the English").
He is also known as Henry Curtmantle and Henry Fitz-Empress.

became duke of Normandy in 1151. The following year,on the death of

succession by her cousin, Stephen of Blois, who made himself king. In

became involved in a quarrel with Thomas Becket, whom he had

administrative reformer, who was one of the most powerful European

rulers of his time. Born March 5, 1133, at Le Mans, France, Henry

designated the heiress of Henry I but had been deprived of the

of Henry's knights. Widespread indignation over the murder forced

the king to rescind his decree and recognize Becket as a martyr.

Although he failed to subject the church to his courts, Henry's

judicial reforms were of lasting significance. In England he

and administered by judges who traveled around the country at

regularintervals. He also began the process of replacing the old

his reign, Henry was involved in conflict with Louis VII, king of

France, and later with Louis's successor, Philip II, over the French

1153 Henry defeated Stephen's armies in England and compelled the

72 he began the Norman conquest of Ireland and in 1174 forced William

the Lion,

king of the Scots, to recognize him as overlord. In 1164 Henry

appointed archbishop of Canterbury. By the Constitutions of

Clarendon, the king decreed that priests

accused of crimes should be tried in royal courts; Becket claimed

that such cases should be handled by ecclesiastical courts, and the

controversy that followed ended in 1170 with Becket's murder by four

his father, he inherited the Angevin territories in France. By his

marriage in 1152 to Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry added vast

territories in southwestern France to his possessions. Henry claimed

the English kingship through his mother, Matilda. She had been

following year, Henry became king. During the first few years of his

reign Henry quelled the disorders that had developed during Stephen's

reign, regained the northern counties of England, which had

previously been ceded to Scotland, and conquered North Wales. In 1171-

established a centralized system of justice accessible to all freemen

trial by ordeal with modern court procedures. From the beginning of

provinces that Henry claimed. A succession of rebellions against

Henry, headed by his sons and furthered by Philip II and by Eleanor

of Aquitaine, began in 1173 and continued until his death at Chinon,

France, on July 6, 1189. Henry was succeeded by his son Richard I,

Henry II
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henry2
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Henry II
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King Henry II
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The Eight Crusades
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Henry II of England
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Henry 2
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BIO GRAPHY: He grew up in Anjou, but visited England as early as 1142 to defend his mother's claim to the disputed throne of Stephen; educated by famous scholars, he had a true love of reading and intellectual discussion.
His father Geoffre y of Anjou died in September 1151, leaving Normandy and Anjou to Henry. Henry's continental possessions more than doubled with his marriage to Eleanor of Aqui tane, ex-wife of KingLouis VII of France. After a succession agreement between Stephen and Matilda in1153, he was crowned Henry II in October 1154. Eleanor b ore Henry five sons and three daughters between 1153 and1167; the relationship between Henry, Eleanor, and their sons Henry, Richard, and John proved to be tu multuous and treacherous. The empire ruled by Henry and his sons was considerab ly larger than the loneEnglish is land - the French Angev in positions extende d from Normandy southward to the Pyrenees, covering the counties of Brittany, M aine, Poitou, Touraine, and Gascony, as well as Anjou, Aquitane, and Normandy. Henry was extremely energetic and traveled quickly and extensively within the b orders of his kingdom.
Henry revitalized the English Exchequer, issuing receip ts for tax payments and keeping written accounts on rolled parchment. He replac ed incompetent sheriffs, expanding the authority of royal courts, which brought more funds into his coffers. A body of common law emerged to replace feudal an d county courts, which varied from place to place. Jury trials were initiated t o end the old Germanic customary trials by ordeal or battle. Henry's systematic approach to law provided a common basis for development of royal institutions throughout the entire realm.
The process of strengthening the royal courts, ho wever, yielded an unexpected controversy. Church courts, instituted by William the Conqueror, became a safe haven for criminals of varying degree andability, for one in fifty of the English population qualified as clerics. Henry wished to transfer such cases to the royal courts, as the only punishment open to the Church courts was demotion of thecleric. Thomas Beckett, Henry's close friend and chancellor since 1155, was named Archbishop of Canterbury in June 1162. In an attempt to discredit claims that he was too closely tied to the king, heveh emently opposed the weakening of Church courts. Henry drove Beckett into exile from1164-1170, when the Archbishop returned to England and greatly angered Henr y over opposition to the coronation of Prince Henry. Exasperated, Henry publicl y announced a half-hearted desire to be rid off Beckett -four ambitious knights took the king at his word and murdered Beckett in his own cathedral on Decembe r 29, 1170. Henry is perhaps best remembered for Beckett's murder, but in fact, the realm was better off with out the contentious Archbishop. Henry endured a rather limited storm of protest over the incident, but the real threat to his p ower came from within his own family. Henry's sons - Henry the Young King, Rich ard, Geoffrey, and John -were never satisfied with any of their father's plans fordividing his lands and titles upon his death. The sons, at the encouragemen t (and sometimes because of the treatment) of their mother, rebelled against th e king several times. Prince Henry, the onlyman ever to be crowned while his f ather still lived, wanted more than a royal title. Thus from 1193 to the end of his reign Henry was plagued by his rebellious sons, who always found a willing partner in Louis VII of France.
Henry succeeded King Stephen in October 1154 , apparently after surviving a poisoning attempt by Stephen's supporters. He ru led his Empire of Britain, Normandy, Anjou, Maine, Poitou and Aquitaine with an iron rod and was the first king of England to add Ireland to his domains. With his fiery red hair and equally fiery nature, probably inherited from his mothe r, the Empress, Henry proved a king to be reckoneName Suffix: II King of England
Ancestral File Number: 8WKP-WF
BIO GRAPHY: He grew up in Anjou, but visited England as early as 1142 to defend his mother's claim to the disputed throne of Stephen; educated by famous scholars, he had a true love of reading and intellectual discussion.
His father Geoffre y of Anjou died in September 1151, leaving Normandy and Anjou to Henry. Henry's continental possessions more than doubled with his marriage to Eleanor of Aqui tane, ex-wife of KingLouis VII of France. After a succession agreement between Stephen and Matilda in1153, he was crowned Henry II in October 1154. Eleanor b ore Henry five sons and three daughters between 1153 and1167; the relationship between Henry, Eleanor, and their sons Henry, Richard, and John proved to be tu multuous and treacherous. The empire ruled by Henry and his sons was considerab ly larger than the loneEnglish is land - the French Angev in positions extende d from Normandy southward to the Pyrenees, covering the counties of Brittany, M aine, Poitou, Touraine, and Gascony, as well as Anjou, Aquitane, and Normandy. Henry was extremely energetic and traveled quickly and extensively within the b orders of his kingdom.
Henry revitalized the English Exchequer, issuing receip ts for tax payments and keeping written accounts on rolled parchment. He replac ed incompetent sheriffs, expanding the authority of royal courts, which brought more funds into his coffers. A body of common law emerged to replace feudal an d county courts, which varied from place to place. Jury trials were initiated t o end the old Germanic customary trials by ordeal or battle. Henry's systematic approach to law provided a common basis for development of royal institutions throughout the entire realm.
The process of strengthening the royal courts, ho wever, yielded an unexpected controversy. Church courts, instituted by William the Conqueror, became a safe haven for criminals of varying degree andability, for one in fifty of the English population qualified as clerics. Henry wished to transfer such cases to the royal courts, as the only punishment open to the Church courts was demotion of thecleric. Thomas Beckett, Henry's close friend and chancellor since 1155, was named Archbishop of Canterbury in June 1162. In an attempt to discredit claims that he was too closely tied to the king, heveh emently opposed the weakening of Church courts. Henry drove Beckett into exile from1164-1170, when the Archbishop returned to England and greatly angered Henr y over opposition to the coronation of Prince Henry. Exasperated, Henry publicl y announced a half-hearted desire to be rid off Beckett -four ambitious knights took the king at his word and murdered Beckett in his own cathedral on Decembe r 29, 1170. Henry is perhaps best remembered for Beckett's murder, but in fact, the realm was better off with out the contentious Archbishop. Henry endured a rather limited storm of protest over the incident, but the real threat to his p ower came from within his own family. Henry's sons - Henry the Young King, Rich ard, Geoffrey, and John -were never satisfied with any of their father's plans fordividing his lands and titles upon his death. The sons, at the encouragemen t (and sometimes because of the treatment) of their mother, rebelled against th e king several times. Prince Henry, the onlyman ever to be crowned while his f ather still lived, wanted more than a royal title. Thus from 1193 to the end of his reign Henry was plagued by his rebellious sons, who always found a willing partner in Louis VII of France.
Henry succeeded King Stephen in October 1154 , apparently after surviving a poisoning attempt by Stephen's supporters. He ru led his Empire of Britain, Normandy, Anjou, Maine, Poitou and Aquitaine with an iron rod and was the first king of England to add Ireland to his domains. With his fiery red hair and equally fiery nature, probably inherited from his mothe r, the Empress, Henry proved a king to be reckone

Henry II (5 March 1133 - 6 July 1189), ruled as King of England (1154-1189), Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the first of the House of Plantagenet to rule England. Henry was thefirst to use the title "King of England" (as opposed to "King of the English").
He is also known as Henry Curtmantle and Henry Fitz-Empress.

King Henry of England II
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_P_CCINFO 1-7369

Henrique II Plantageneta (5 de Março, 1133 - 6 de Julho, 1189) foi Conde de Anjou, de Poitiers, Duque da Normandia e Rei de Inglaterra de 1154 até à sua morte, tendo sido o primeiro monarca da dinastia angevina, os Plantagenetas. Era filho de Matilde de Inglaterra e de Geoffrey V, Conde de Anjou e sucedeu ao primo em segundo grau Estevão I de Inglaterra no fim da Anarquia. Henrique foi apelidado com vários cognomes, entre eles "Curt Mantle", dado os mantos curtos que preferia usar, e "FitzEmpress" numa referência à sua mãe, em dada altura Imperatriz consorte do Sacro Império.

The Duke of Normandy
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Rey de Inglaterra (1154-1189)

1 NAME Henry of /Anjou/II, King of England 1 DEAT 2 DATE 1189

notes on Henry II Plantagenet, King of England
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Henry II, called Curtmantle (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189) ruled as King of England (1154–1189), Count of Anjou, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry was the first of the House of Plantagenet to rule England and was the great-grandson of William the Conqueror.

Henry II, King of England
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Henry II, King of England
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Henry II
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150px-Blason_duche_fr_Normandie_svg
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Henry Plantaneget -Henry II - King of England
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King Henry II of England
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King Henry II
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Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine Tomb Effigies
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Henry II of England
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=551eb2f2-723d-4c8a-b23f-352702a9746c&tid=822673&pid=-1385840051

[large-G675.FTW]

Source: 'The World Book Encyclopedia', 1968, p H178. 'Royalty forCommoners', Roderick W. Stuart, 1993, p 37-38. Reigned 1154-1189. Heruled an empire that stretched from the Tweed to the Pyrenees. In spiteof frequent hostitilties with the French King his own family andrebellious Barons (culminating in the great revolt of 1173-74) and hisquarrel with Thomas Becket, Henry maintained control over his possessionsuntil shortly before his death. His judicial and administrative reformswhich increased Royal control and influence at the expense of the Baronswere of great constitutional importance. Introduced trial by Jury. Dukeof Normandy. Henry II 'Curt Mantel,' Duke of Normandy, Count of Maine andAnjou, King Of England became king in 1154. At the height of his power,Henry ruled England and almost all western France. His marriage toEleanor of Aquitaine, the most famous woman of the age, brought the duchyof Aquitaine under his control. Henry also claimed to rule Scotland,Wales, and eastern Ireland. Henry II carried on his grandfather's policyof limiting the power of the nobles. He also tried to make the RomanCatholic Church in England submit to his authority. This policy broughthim into conflict with Thomas a Becket, Achbishop of Canterbury. Four ofthe king's knights murdered Becket while he was at vespers in hiscathedral. Henry made Anglo-Saxon common law, rather than the revisedRoman law, the supreme law of the land. He introduced trial by jury andcircuit courts. In his later years, Henry's sons often rebelled againsthim. Two of them, Richard the Lion-Hearted and John, became the next twokings of England.

REF: "Falls the Shadow" Sharon Kay Penman: William the Conquerorrequested a large number of Jews to move to England after his conquest.They spoke Norman & did well under his reign. They continued to thriveunder William's grandson Henry II.

REF: British Monarchy Official Website: Henry II (reigned 1154-89) ruledover an empire which stretched from the Scottish border to the Pyrenees.Married to Eleanor, the heiress of Aquitaine, the king spent only 13years of his reign
in England; the other 21 years were spent on the continent in histerritories in what is now France. By 1158, Henry had restored to thecrown some of the lands and royal power lost by Stephen. For example,locally chosen sheriffs were changed into royally appointed agentscharged with enforcing the law and collecting taxes in the counties.Personally interested in government and law, Henry strengthened royaljustice, making use of juries and re-introduced the sending of justices(judges) on regular tours of the country to try cases for the
Crown. His legal reforms have led him to be seen as the founder ofEnglish Common Law. Henry's disagreements with his Archbishop ofCanterbury,
Thomas Becket, over Church/State relations ended in Becket's murder in1170. Family disputes almost wrecked the king's achievements and he diedin 1189 at war with his sons.

Acceded 1154 - 1189.

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 à Becket, over Church-State relations endedin Becket's murder in 1170 and a papal interdict on England. Familydisputes over territorial ambitions 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.
[large-G675.FTW]

Source: 'The World Book Encyclopedia', 1968, p H178. 'Royalty forCommoners', Roderick W. Stuart, 1993, p 37-38. Reigned 1154-1189. Heruled an empire that stretched from the Tweed to the Pyrenees. In spiteof frequent hostitilties with the French King his own family andrebellious Barons (culminating in the great revolt of 1173-74) and hisquarrel with Thomas Becket, Henry maintained control over his possessionsuntil shortly before his death. His judicial and administrative reformswhich increased Royal control and influence at the expense of the Baronswere of great constitutional importance. Introduced trial by Jury. Dukeof Normandy. Henry II 'Curt Mantel,' Duke of Normandy, Count of Maine andAnjou, King Of England became king in 1154. At the height of his power,Henry ruled England and almost all western France. His marriage toEleanor of Aquitaine, the most famous woman of the age, brought the duchyof Aquitaine under his control. Henry also claimed to rule Scotland,Wales, and eastern Ireland. Henry II carried on his grandfather's policyof limiting the power of the nobles. He also tried to make the RomanCatholic Church in England submit to his authority. This policy broughthim into conflict with Thomas a Becket, Achbishop of Canterbury. Four ofthe king's knights murdered Becket while he was at vespers in hiscathedral. Henry made Anglo-Saxon common law, rather than the revisedRoman law, the supreme law of the land. He introduced trial by jury andcircuit courts. In his later years, Henry's sons often rebelled againsthim. Two of them, Richard the Lion-Hearted and John, became the next twokings of England.

REF: "Falls the Shadow" Sharon Kay Penman: William the Conquerorrequested a large number of Jews to move to England after his conquest.They spoke Norman & did well under his reign. They continued to thriveunder William's grandson Henry II.

REF: British Monarchy Official Website: Henry II (reigned 1154-89) ruledover an empire which stretched from the Scottish border to the Pyrenees.Married to Eleanor, the heiress of Aquitaine, the king spent only 13years of his reign
in England; the other 21 years were spent on the continent in histerritories in what is now France. By 1158, Henry had restored to thecrown some of the lands and royal power lost by Stephen. For example,locally chosen sheriffs were changed into royally appointed agentscharged with enforcing the law and collecting taxes in the counties.Personally interested in government and law, Henry strengthened royaljustice, making use of juries and re-introduced the sending of justices(judges) on regular tours of the country to try cases for the
Crown. His legal reforms have led him to be seen as the founder ofEnglish Common Law. Henry's disagreements with his Archbishop ofCanterbury,
Thomas Becket, over Church/State relations ended in Becket's murder in1170. Family disputes almost wrecked the king's achievements and he diedin 1189 at war with his sons.

[large-G675.FTW]

Source: 'The World Book Encyclopedia', 1968, p H178. 'Royalty forCommoners', Roderick W. Stuart, 1993, p 37-38. Reigned 1154-1189. Heruled an empire that stretched from the Tweed to the Pyrenees. In spiteof frequent hostitilties with the French King his own family andrebellious Barons (culminating in the great revolt of 1173-74) and hisquarrel with Thomas Becket, Henry maintained control over his possessionsuntil shortly before his death. His judicial and administrative reformswhich increased Royal control and influence at the expense of the Baronswere of great constitutional importance. Introduced trial by Jury. Dukeof Normandy. Henry II 'Curt Mantel,' Duke of Normandy, Count of Maine andAnjou, King Of England became king in 1154. At the height of his power,Henry ruled England and almost all western France. His marriage toEleanor of Aquitaine, the most famous woman of the age, brought the duchyof Aquitaine under his control. Henry also claimed to rule Scotland,Wales, and eastern Ireland. Henry II carried on his grandfather's policyof limiting the power of the nobles. He also tried to make the RomanCatholic Church in England submit to his authority. This policy broughthim into conflict with Thomas a Becket, Achbishop of Canterbury. Four ofthe king's knights murdered Becket while he was at vespers in hiscathedral. Henry made Anglo-Saxon common law, rather than the revisedRoman law, the supreme law of the land. He introduced trial by jury andcircuit courts. In his later years, Henry's sons often rebelled againsthim. Two of them, Richard the Lion-Hearted and John, became the next twokings of England.

REF: "Falls the Shadow" Sharon Kay Penman: William the Conquerorrequested a large number of Jews to move to England after his conquest.They spoke Norman & did well under his reign. They continued to thriveunder William's grandson Henry II.

REF: British Monarchy Official Website: Henry II (reigned 1154-89) ruledover an empire which stretched from the Scottish border to the Pyrenees.Married to Eleanor, the heiress of Aquitaine, the king spent only 13years of his reign
in England; the other 21 years were spent on the continent in histerritories in what is now France. By 1158, Henry had restored to thecrown some of the lands and royal power lost by Stephen. For example,locally chosen sheriffs were changed into royally appointed agentscharged with enforcing the law and collecting taxes in the counties.Personally interested in government and law, Henry strengthened royaljustice, making use of juries and re-introduced the sending of justices(judges) on regular tours of the country to try cases for the
Crown. His legal reforms have led him to be seen as the founder ofEnglish Common Law. Henry's disagreements with his Archbishop ofCanterbury,
Thomas Becket, over Church/State relations ended in Becket's murder in1170. Family disputes almost wrecked the king's achievements and he diedin 1189 at war with his sons.

king Henry II
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=0a7a4cac-58a9-47f4-8b12-0c7299cbacfc&tid=2308735&pid=-1330870873

Henry II Plantagenet, King of England
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BIO GRAPHY: He grew up in Anjou, but visited England as early as 1142 to defend his mother's claim to the disputed throne of Stephen; educated by famous scholars, he had a true love of reading and intellectual discussion.
His father Geoffre y of Anjou died in September 1151, leaving Normandy and Anjou to Henry. Henry's continental possessions more than doubled with his marriage to Eleanor of Aqui tane, ex-wife of KingLouis VII of France. After a succession agreement between Stephen and Matilda in1153, he was crowned Henry II in October 1154. Eleanor b ore Henry five sons and three daughters between 1153 and1167; the relationship between Henry, Eleanor, and their sons Henry, Richard, and John proved to be tu multuous and treacherous. The empire ruled by Henry and his sons was considerab ly larger than the loneEnglish is land - the French Angev in positions extende d from Normandy southward to the Pyrenees, covering the counties of Brittany, M aine, Poitou, Touraine, and Gascony, as well as Anjou, Aquitane, and Normandy. Henry was extremely energetic and traveled quickly and extensively within the b orders of his kingdom.
Henry revitalized the English Exchequer, issuing receip ts for tax payments and keeping written accounts on rolled parchment. He replac ed incompetent sheriffs, expanding the authority of royal courts, which brought more funds into his coffers. A body of common law emerged to replace feudal an d county courts, which varied from place to place. Jury trials were initiated t o end the old Germanic customary trials by ordeal or battle. Henry's systematic approach to law provided a common basis for development of royal institutions throughout the entire realm.
The process of strengthening the royal courts, ho wever, yielded an unexpected controversy. Church courts, instituted by William the Conqueror, became a safe haven for criminals of varying degree andability, for one in fifty of the English population qualified as clerics. Henry wished to transfer such cases to the royal courts, as the only punishment open to the Church courts was demotion of thecleric. Thomas Beckett, Henry's close friend and chancellor since 1155, was named Archbishop of Canterbury in June 1162. In an attempt to discredit claims that he was too closely tied to the king, heveh emently opposed the weakening of Church courts. Henry drove Beckett into exile from1164-1170, when the Archbishop returned to England and greatly angered Henr y over opposition to the coronation of Prince Henry. Exasperated, Henry publicl y announced a half-hearted desire to be rid off Beckett -four ambitious knights took the king at his word and murdered Beckett in his own cathedral on Decembe r 29, 1170. Henry is perhaps best remembered for Beckett's murder, but in fact, the realm was better off with out the contentious Archbishop. Henry endured a rather limited storm of protest over the incident, but the real threat to his p ower came from within his own family. Henry's sons - Henry the Young King, Rich ard, Geoffrey, and John -were never satisfied with any of their father's plans fordividing his lands and titles upon his death. The sons, at the encouragemen t (and sometimes because of the treatment) of their mother, rebelled against th e king several times. Prince Henry, the onlyman ever to be crowned while his f ather still lived, wanted more than a royal title. Thus from 1193 to the end of his reign Henry was plagued by his rebellious sons, who always found a willing partner in Louis VII of France.
Henry succeeded King Stephen in October 1154 , apparently after surviving a poisoning attempt by Stephen's supporters. He ru led his Empire of Britain, Normandy, Anjou, Maine, Poitou and Aquitaine with an iron rod and was the first king of England to add Ireland to his domains. With his fiery red hair and equally fiery nature, probably inherited from his mothe r, the Empress, Henry proved a king to be reckoneName Suffix: II King of England
Ancestral File Number: 8WKP-WF
BIO GRAPHY: He grew up in Anjou, but visited England as early as 1142 to defend his mother's claim to the disputed throne of Stephen; educated by famous scholars, he had a true love of reading and intellectual discussion.
His father Geoffre y of Anjou died in September 1151, leaving Normandy and Anjou to Henry. Henry's continental possessions more than doubled with his marriage to Eleanor of Aqui tane, ex-wife of KingLouis VII of France. After a succession agreement between Stephen and Matilda in1153, he was crowned Henry II in October 1154. Eleanor b ore Henry five sons and three daughters between 1153 and1167; the relationship between Henry, Eleanor, and their sons Henry, Richard, and John proved to be tu multuous and treacherous. The empire ruled by Henry and his sons was considerab ly larger than the loneEnglish is land - the French Angev in positions extende d from Normandy southward to the Pyrenees, covering the counties of Brittany, M aine, Poitou, Touraine, and Gascony, as well as Anjou, Aquitane, and Normandy. Henry was extremely energetic and traveled quickly and extensively within the b orders of his kingdom.
Henry revitalized the English Exchequer, issuing receip ts for tax payments and keeping written accounts on rolled parchment. He replac ed incompetent sheriffs, expanding the authority of royal courts, which brought more funds into his coffers. A body of common law emerged to replace feudal an d county courts, which varied from place to place. Jury trials were initiated t o end the old Germanic customary trials by ordeal or battle. Henry's systematic approach to law provided a common basis for development of royal institutions throughout the entire realm.
The process of strengthening the royal courts, ho wever, yielded an unexpected controversy. Church courts, instituted by William the Conqueror, became a safe haven for criminals of varying degree andability, for one in fifty of the English population qualified as clerics. Henry wished to transfer such cases to the royal courts, as the only punishment open to the Church courts was demotion of thecleric. Thomas Beckett, Henry's close friend and chancellor since 1155, was named Archbishop of Canterbury in June 1162. In an attempt to discredit claims that he was too closely tied to the king, heveh emently opposed the weakening of Church courts. Henry drove Beckett into exile from1164-1170, when the Archbishop returned to England and greatly angered Henr y over opposition to the coronation of Prince Henry. Exasperated, Henry publicl y announced a half-hearted desire to be rid off Beckett -four ambitious knights took the king at his word and murdered Beckett in his own cathedral on Decembe r 29, 1170. Henry is perhaps best remembered for Beckett's murder, but in fact, the realm was better off with out the contentious Archbishop. Henry endured a rather limited storm of protest over the incident, but the real threat to his p ower came from within his own family. Henry's sons - Henry the Young King, Rich ard, Geoffrey, and John -were never satisfied with any of their father's plans fordividing his lands and titles upon his death. The sons, at the encouragemen t (and sometimes because of the treatment) of their mother, rebelled against th e king several times. Prince Henry, the onlyman ever to be crowned while his f ather still lived, wanted more than a royal title. Thus from 1193 to the end of his reign Henry was plagued by his rebellious sons, who always found a willing partner in Louis VII of France.
Henry succeeded King Stephen in October 1154 , apparently after surviving a poisoning attempt by Stephen's supporters. He ru led his Empire of Britain, Normandy, Anjou, Maine, Poitou and Aquitaine with an iron rod and was the first king of England to add Ireland to his domains. With his fiery red hair and equally fiery nature, probably inherited from his mothe r, the Empress, Henry proved a king to be reckone

Henry II (5 March 1133 - 6 July 1189), ruled as King of England (1154-1189), Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the first of the House of Plantagenet to rule England. Henry was thefirst to use the title "King of England" (as opposed to "King of the English").
He is also known as Henry Curtmantle and Henry Fitz-Empress.

PMD POS 22 APR 1127;FGRA;PED OF WILLIAM FLOYD BONNER

!SOURCES:
1. Plantagenet Ancestry, Eng. 116, p. 41, 120
2. Dict. of Nat'l Biog., Eng. Pub. A, v. 17, p. 175-78, v. 26 p. 1-12
3. Royal Dau. of Eng., Eng. 120, v. 1, p. 57
4. Kings of Eng., Eng. 176, p. 59-87
5. Tab. Souv. Gen., France 22, Tab. 39
6. Burke's Peerage, Eng. P, 1949, pref. p. 252-53
7. Espolin (GS #12462 pt 1 p. 98-99)

Henry II was Count of Anjou (1151-1189) whose family emblem was the 'plantegenet', a yellow flowering broom; Duke of Normandy (1151-1189); Duke of Aquitane (1152-1189) and as King of England (1154-1189), ruled an empire that stretched from the Tweed to the Pyrenees. He was the Founder of the Angevin, or Plantagenet, line. Henry was the first of fourteen hereditary kings, who were later referred to in the history oracles as Plantagenets. He is more commonly known as FitzEmpress, Henry II Curtmantle, King of England. In spite of frequent hostilities 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 II maintained control over his possessions until shortly before his death. Henry II's judicial and administrative reforms, which increased Royal control and influence at the expense of the Barons, were of great constitutional importance. Henry II Introduced trial by Jury. Henry II, by marrying ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE immediately after her divorce from Louis VII, King of France, gained vast territories in France. Henry had lands reaching for 1000 miles, and it was this vast domain, which was called the Angevin Empire. In 1153 he invaded England and forced STEPHEN to acknowledge him as his heir. As king he restored order to war-ravaged England, subdued the barons, centralized the power of government in royalty, and strengthened royal courts. Henry's desire to increase royal authority brought him into conflict with THOMAS À BECKET, whom he had made (1162) archbishop of Canterbury. The quarrel, which focused largely on the jurisdiction of the church courts, came to a head when Henry issued (1163) the Constitutions of CLARENDON, defining the relationship between church and state, and ended (1170) with Becket's murder, for which Henry was forced by public indignation to do penance. During his reign he gained northern counties from Scotland and increased his French holdings. Henry II was also involved in family struggles. Encouraged by their mother and LOUIS VI of France, his three oldest sons, Henry, RICHARD I, and Geoffrey, rebelled (1173-74) against him. The rebellion collapsed, but at the time of Henry's death, Richard and the youngest son, JOHN, were in the course of another rebellion. He was unfortunate in love, relentlessly and romantically pursuing the hand of his wife, Eleanor, who became a selfish spoilt lady, and who turned her sons against their own father. Because of the rebellion by the eldest son, Henry was crushed, and Eleanor was placed under house arrest for fifteen years. The other brothers placed continual pressure on their father, in alliances with the King of France. Henry died a lonely and grief stricken man deserted by all of those he had loved and honored.

Contemporaries: Louis VII (King of France, 1137-1180), Thomas Beckett (Archbishop of Canterbury), Pope Adrian IV, Frederick I (Frederick Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor, 1152-1190) Henry II, first of the Angevin kings, was one of the most effective of all England's monarchs. He came to the throne amid the anarchy of Stephen's reign and promptly collared his errant barons. He refined Norman government and created a capable, self-standing bureaucracy. His energy was equaled only by his ambition and intelligence. Henry survived wars, rebellion, and controversy to successfully rule one of the Middle Ages' most powerful kingdoms.

Henry was raised in the French province of Anjou and first visited England in 1142 to defend his mother's claim to the disputed throne of Stephen. His continental possessions were already vast before his coronation: He acquired Normandy and Anjou upon the death of his father in September 1151, and his French holdings more than doubled with his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitane (ex-wife of King Louis VII of France). In accordance with the Treaty of Wallingford, a succession agreement signed by Stephen and Matilda in 1153, Henry was crowned in October 1154. The continental empire ruled by Henry and his sons included the French counties of Brittany, Maine, Poitou, Touraine, Gascony, Anjou, Aquitane, and Normandy. Henry was technically a feudal vassal of the king of France but, in reality, owned more territory and was more powerful than his French lord. Although King John (Henry's son) lost most of the English holdings in France, English kings laid claim to the French throne until the fifteenth century. Henry also extended his territory in the British Isles in two significant ways. First, he retrieved Cumbria and Northumbria form Malcom IV of Scotland and settled the Anglo-Scot border in the North. Secondly, although his success with Welsh campaigns was limited, Henry invaded Ireland and secured an English presence on the island.

English and Norman barons in Stephen's reign manipulated feudal law to undermine royal authority; Henry instituted many reforms to weaken traditional feudal ties and strengthen his position. Unauthorized castles built during the previous reign were razed. Monetary payments replaced military service as the primary duty of vassals. The Exchequer was revitalized to enforce accurate record keeping and tax collection. Incompetent sheriffs were replaced and the authority of royal courts was expanded. Henry empowered a new social class of government clerks that stabilized procedure - the government could operate effectively in the king's absence and would subsequently prove sufficiently tenacious to survive the reign of incompetent kings. Henry's reforms allowed the emergence of a body of common law to replace the disparate customs of feudal and county courts. Jury trials were initiated to end the old Germanic trials by ordeal or battle. Henry's systematic approach to law provided a common basis for development of royal institutions throughout the entire realm.

The process of strengthening the royal courts, however, yielded an unexpected controversy. The church courts instituted by William the Conqueror became a safe haven for criminals of varying degree and ability, for one in fifty of the English population qualified as clerics. Henry wished to transfer sentencing in such cases to the royal courts, as church courts merely demoted clerics to laymen. Thomas Beckett, Henry's close friend and chancellor since 1155, was named Archbishop of Canterbury in June 1162 but distanced himself from Henry and vehemently opposed the weakening of church courts. Beckett fled England in 1164, but through the intervention of Pope Adrian IV (the lone English pope), returned in 1170. He greatly angered Henry by opposing the coronation of Prince Henry. Exasperated, Henry hastily and publicly conveyed his desire to be rid of the contentious Archbishop - four ambitious knights took the king at his word and murdered Beckett in his own cathedral on December 29, 1170. Henry endured a rather limited storm of protest over the incident and the controversy passed.

Henry's plans of dividing his myriad lands and titles evoked treachery from his sons. At the encouragement - and sometimes because of the treatment - of their mother, they rebelled against their father several times, often with Louis VII of France as their accomplice. The deaths of Henry the Young King in 1183 and Geoffrey in 1186 gave no respite from his children's rebellious nature; Richard, with the assistance of Philip II Augustus of France, attacked and defeated Henry on July 4, 1189 and forced him to accept a humiliating peace. Henry II died two days later, on July 6, 1189.

A few quotes from historic manuscripts shed a unique light on Henry, Eleanor, and their sons. From Sir Winston Churchill Kt, 1675: "Henry II Plantagenet, the very first of that name and race, and the very greatest King that England ever knew, but withal the most unfortunate . . . his death being imputed to those only to whom himself had given life, his ungracious sons. . ."

From Sir Richard Baker, A Chronicle of the Kings of England: Concerning endowments of mind, he was of a spirit in the highest degree generous . . . His custom was to be always in action; for which cause, if he had no real wars, he would have feigned . . . To his children he was both indulgent and hard; for out of indulgence he caused his son henry to be crowned King in his own time; and out of hardness he caused his younger sons to rebel against him . . . He married Eleanor, daughter of William Duke of Guienne, late wife of Lewis the Seventh of France.

Henry II was born at Le Mans in 1133. He was the eldest son of the Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I, by her second marriage to Geoffrey the Fair of Anjou. His parents' marriage was tempestous, and both parties were glad when politics brought a separation, with Matilda going to England to fight King Stephen, and Geoffrey of Normandy to win a heritage for young Henry.

He first came to England at the age of nine when his mother made her dramatic escape from Oxford where she was besieged by Stephen, across the ice and snow, dressed all in white, to welcome him at Wallingford. His next visit, when he was fourteen, showed his character: he recruited a small army of mercenaries to cross over and fight Stephen in England, but failed so miserably in the execution of his plans that he ended up borrowing money from Stephen to get back home. A third expedition, two years later, was almost as great a failure. Henry was not a soldier, his were skills of administration and diplomacy; warfare bored and sometimes frightened him. For the meanwhile he now concentrated on Normandy, of which his father had made him joint ruler. In 1151, the year of his father's death, he went to Paris to do homage to Louis VII for his duchy. There he met Queen Eleanor, and she fell in love with him.

Henry was by no means averse. To steal a king's wife does a great deal for the ego of a young duke; he was as lusty as she, and late in their lives he was still ardently wenching with 'the fair Rosamund' Clifford, and less salubrious girls with names like 'Bellebelle'; finally, she would bring with her the rich Duchy of Aquitaine, which she held in her own right. With this territory added to those he hoped to inherit and win, his boundaries would be Scotland in the north, and the Pyrenees in the south.

Henry was, apart from his prospects, a 'catch' for any woman. He was intelligent, had learned Latin and could read and possibly write; immensely strong and vigorous, a sportsman and hard rider who loved travel; emotional and passionate, prone to tears and incredible rages; carelessly but richly dressed, worried enough in later life to conceal his baldness by careful arrangement of his hair, and very concerned not to grow fat.

But now he was in the prime of youth, and in 1153, when he landed with a large force in Bristol, the world was ready to be won. He quickly gained control of the West Country and moved up to Wallingford for a crucial battle with Stephen. This was avoided, however, because in thepreparations for the battle Henry fell from his horse three times, a bad omen. Henry himself was not superstitious -- he was the reverse, a cheerful blasphemer -- but he disliked battles and when his anxious advisers urged him to heed the omen, he willingly agreed to parley privately with Stephen. The conference was a strange occasion: there were only two of them there, at the narowest point of the Thames, with Henry on one bank and Stephen on the other. None the less, they seem to have come to an agreement to take negotiations further.

That summer Stephen's son died mysteriously, and Eleanor bore Henry an heir (about the same time as an English whore Hikenai produced his faithful bastard Geoffrey). The omens clearly showed what was soon confirmed between the two -- that when Stephen died, Henry should rule in his place. A year later Stephen did die, and in December 1154, Henry and Eleanor were crowned in London.

Henry was only 21, but he soon showed his worth, destroying unlicensed castles, and dispersing the foreign mercenaries. He gave even-handed justice, showing himself firm, but not unduly harsh. A country racked by civil war sighed with relief. Only two major difficulties appeared: first Henry's failure in his two Welsh campaigns in 1157 and 1165, when guerilla tactics utterly defeated and on the first occasion nearly killed him; second was the reversal of his friendship for Becket when he changed from being Chancellor to Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162.

The quarrel with Becket was linked with the King's determination to continue his grandfather's reform of the administration of justice in the country. He was anxious for a uniform pattern, operated by royal justices, to control the corrupt, ill-administered and unequal local systems operated by barons and churchmen. At Clarendon in 1166 and Northampton in 1176, he got his council's agreeemnt to a series of measures which established circuits of royal justices dealing with the widest range of criminal activities. The method of operation was novel, too, relying on a sworn jury of inquest of twelve men. Though not like a modern jury, in that they were witnesses rather than assessors, the assize juries were the ancestors of the modern English legal system.

Henry travelled constantly, and much of the time in his Contninental territories, for there were constant rebellions to deal with, usually inspired or encouraged by Louis of France. Henry was determined to keep the integrity of his empire, and to pass it on as a unity. To do this was no small task, but in 1169 Henry held a conference with the King of France which he hoped would achieve his objectives: he himself again did homage for Normandy, his eldest son Henry did homage for Anjou, Maine and Brittany, and Richard for Aquitaine. The next year he had young Henry crowned in his own lifetime. If anything could preserve the succession, surely this would, yet, in fact, it brought all the troubles in the world onto Henry's head, for he had given his sons paper domains, and had no intention that they should rule his empire. Yet a man with a title does not rest until he has that title's power.

Late in 1171 Henry had a pleasant interlude in Ireland -- escaping from the world's condemnation for the murder of Becket. He spent Christmas at Dublin in a palace built for him out of wattles by the Irish.

Meanwhile, Eleanor had been intriguing with her sons, urging them to revolt and demand their rights. Early in 1173 they trooped off to the French court, and with Louis joined in an attack on Normandy. Henry clamped Eleanor into prison and went off to meet the new threat. Whilst he was busy meeting this, England was invaded from Flanders and Scotland, and more barons who fancied a return of the warlord days of Stephen broke into revolt.

Plainly it was St. Thomas's revenge, and there was no hope of dealing with the situation without expiation. In July 1174 Henry returned to England, and went in pilgrim's dress to Canterbury. Through the town he walked barefoot, leaving a trail of blood on the flinty stones, and went to keep his vigil of a day and a night by the tomb, not even coming out to relive himself. As he knelt, the assembled bishops and all the monks of Christchurch came to scourge him -- each giving him three strokes, but some with bitterness in their hearts laying on with five.

It was worth it though, for the very morning his vigil ended Henry was brought the news that the King of Scotland had been captured. He moved quickly northwards, receving rebels' submission all the time. He met up with Geoffrey who had fought valiantly for him, and commented, 'My other sons have proved themselves bastards, this one alone is my true and legitimate son.'

Returning to France, he quickly came to an agreement with Louis and his three rebel sons, giving each a substantial income, though still no share of power.

Richard set to work reducing the Duchy of Aquitaine to order, and quickly proved himself an able general who performed tremendous feats, such as capturing a fully manned and provisioned castle with three walls and moats to defend it. But the people were less easy to subdue -- they loved war for its own sake as their poet-leader, Bertrand de Born, shows well in his works: '. . . I love to see amidst the meadows tents and pavilions spread; and it gives me great joy to see drawn up on the field knights and horses in battle array; and it delights me when the scouts scatter people and herds in their path; and my heart is filled with gladness when I see strong castles besieged, and the stockades broken and overwhelmed, and the warriors on the bank, girt about by fosses, with a line of strong stakes, interlaced . . . Maces, swords, helms of different hues, shields that will be riven and shattered as soon as the fight begins; and many vassals struck down together; and the horses of the dead and wounded roving at random. And when battle is joined, let all men of good lineage think of nought but the breaking of heads and arms: I tell you I find no such savour in food or in wine or in sleep as in hearing the shout "On! On!" from both sides, and the neighing of steeds that have lost their riders, and the cries of "Help! Help!"; and in seeing men great and small go down on the grass beyond the fosses; in seeing at last the dead, with the pennoned stumps of lances still in their sides.'

These robust knights were actively encouraged by the young King Henry. He was handsome, charming and beloved of all, but also feckless and thoughtless -- far keener on tournaments and frivolity than the serious business of government. Then in the midle of his new rebellion he caught disentery and shortly died. His devoted followers were thunderstruck -- one young lad actually pined to death -- and the rebellion fizzled out.

The young king was dead, but Henry, wary of previous errors, was not going to rush into making a new one. He called his favourite youngest son, John, to his side and ordered Richard to give his duchy into his brother's hands. Richard -- his mother's favourite -- had made Aquitaine his home and worked hard to establish his control there; he refused to give his mother's land to anyone, unless it were back to Eleanor herself.

Henry packed John off to Ireland (which he speedily turned against himself) whilst he arranged to get Eleanor out of her prison and bring her to Aquitaine to receive back the duchy. Meanwhile the new King of France, Philip, was planning to renew the attack on English territories, all the while the three, Henry, Richard, and Philip, were supposed to be planning a joint crusade.

In 1188 Henry, already ill with the absessed anal fistula that was to cause him such an agonising death, refused pointblank to recognise Richard as his heir. The crazy project for substituting John was at the root of it all, though Henry may have deluded himself into thinking he was playing his usual canny hand.

But diplomacy was giving way to the Greekest of tragedies. In June 1189, Philip and Richard advanced on Henry at his birthplace in Le Mans, and he was forced to withdraw with a small company of knights, showering curses on God. Instead of going to the safety of Normandy, he rode hard, his usual long distance, deep into Anjou. This worsened his physical condition and, in high fever, he made no effort to call up forces to his aid. Forced to meet Philip and Richard, he was so ill he had to be held on his horse whilst he deliriously mumbled his abject agreement to their every condition for peace.

Back in bed after his last conference he was brought the news that John, for whom he had suffered all this, had joined the rebels' side. Two sons -- both rebels -- were dead, two sons -- both rebels -- lived, and it was his bastard Geoffrey who now tended him in his last sickness. There was not even a bishop in his suite to give him the last rites. Over and again he cried out in agony "Shame! shame on a vanquished king!"

After his death the servants plundered him, leaving him in a shirt and drawers. When the marshall came to arrange the burial he had to scratch around for garments in which to dress the body. A bit of threadbare gold edging from a cloak was put around Henry's head to represent his sovereignty.

And yet Henry had forseen it all. According to Gerald of Wales, he had long before ordered a fresco for one of his rooms at Winchester: the picture showed an eagle being pecked by three eaglets, and a fourth perched on his head, ready to peck out his eyes when the time should come. [Source: Who's Who in the Middle Ages, John Fines, Barnes & Noble Books, New York, 1995]

King of England, overlord of Wales, Scotland, eastern Ireland, and western France.
House of Anjou or Plantagenet. The Angevin dynasty began with Henry II. Since the 1400s this dynasty has also borne the name Plantagenet from a supposed nickname of Geoffrey.
Henry FitzEmpress had a strong claim to the throne. His mother was the proud childless widow of the Emperor Henry V and the only surviving legitimate child of King Henry I. She had, at her fathers's behest, been married to Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou and Maine, with the express purpose of providing male heirs when it became obvious tht no issue was likely to be forthcoming from Henry's own second marriage. Although married somewhat unwillingly to the fourteen-year-old Count, ten years her junior, she did bear him three sons, of whom Henry was the eldest.
During the civil war in England, Geoffrey Plantagenet had taken the opportunity to acquire Normandy from the preoccupied Stephen and in 1150 had invested son Henry with the duchy. The following year, Geoffrey died and the young Duke also succeeded to the counties of Anjou and Maine. In 1152 Henry was seduced by the newly divorced Queen of France, Eleanor of Aquitaine, a women eleven years or sohis senior, and their subsequent marriage added further to his French dominions. Stephen's agreement to his claim to the English throne the next year and his accession on Stephen's death in 1154 made him the ruler of a greater empire than any of his predecessors.
This French-born first English Angevin or Plantagenet king proved an outstanding medieval monarch who strengthened royal administration and ruled from Scotland to the Pyrenees.
The early years of the reign were spent in restoring law and order and recovering the Crown lands and prerogatives dissipated by Stephen. In this Henry was ably assisted by the Church, and a brilliant young cleric Thomas a Becket, a protege of Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury, rose swiftly to power as the King's chief advisor. Plans to invade Ireland in 1155 fell through, but Malcolm IV, Kingof Scots was forced to restore the northern counties of England which had been ceded to his grandfather David I. An invasion of North Wales took place in 1157 followed in 1159 by a campaign in France to assert Queen Eleanor's claim to the county of Toulouse. This proved unsuccessful and an uneasy peace was concluded with Eleanor's former husband Louis VLL, whose daughter Margaret (by his secondwife) was betrothed to Henry and Eleanor's eldest surviving son.
Henry returned to England in 1163 and almost at once began a quarrel with the Church which was to occupy the next few years of his reign. Henry had raised his Chancellor Thomas a Becket to the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162, and in order to show that he was no mere cipher of the King, Becket set out to prove his independence. An argument developed between them over the issue of 'criminous clerks' and in 1164 Becket was forced to leave the country and Henry impounded the revenues of the archbishopric. Eventually, in spite of Henry's finesse, threat of a papal interdict forced a reconciliation and Becket returned to England in 1170. The well-known story of Henry's exasperated utterance 'will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?', leading to Becket's murder in his own cathedral on 29 December 1170, was disastrous to Henry's cause against the Church, but he cannot be considered altogether culpable. He was stricken with remorse and his public penance at Becket's tomb, while expediently obtaining papal absolution at the price of a complete surrender over the matters in dispute, exhibited a genuine sorrow at the loss of a once dear and trusted friend.
In 1170 Henry had his eldest surviving son, a boy of fifteen also named Henry, crowned at Westminster Abbey, borrowing a custom which had grown up at the French court to ensure a peaceful succession. Louis VLL took exception to the fact that his daughter Margaret, the 'Young King's' wife, had not also been crowned, and to satisfy him the ceremony was repeated at Winchester, with Margaret participating, in August 1172. At the banquet which followed the coronation King Henry II served his son himself, remarking that 'No other King in Christendom has such a butler.' 'It is only fitting', came the pert reply from his son, 'that the son of a Count should wait on the son of a King.' Alas, young Henry did not live to become King Henry III, dying long before his father in 1183. His only childdied in infancy and Margaret remarried and ended her days as Queen of Hungary.
Able, energetic, intelligent, and ruthless, Henry worked to curb nobles' powers (over 70 castles demolished or confiscated) and the authority of the Church. He reformed English law and built a royal bureaucracy. By war and diplomacy he mastered more of Europe than any other English monarch. Henry inherited England, Anjou (1151), Maine, Normandy (1149) and Touraine; acquired Aquitaine, Gascony, Poitou, and Brittany by dynastic marriages; and, partly by war, laid claim to Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. He spent only 14 years in England.
Henry's law reforms introduced circuit courts and trial by jury, and established Anglo-Saxon common law as the law of England.
Henry's divide-and-rule policy led to frequent and ultimately successful revolts by his sons Richard and John. The latter part of Henry's reign was taken up by quarrels with and between his sons, stirred into rebellion by their mother from whom he had separated. In 1189 Henry was at Tours when he received the news that his youngest and favorite son John was in league with his enemies. It broke his heart. At fifty-six he was prematurely aged, worn out by the strenuous exertion of trying to hold together his unwieldy empire. On 30 June he was struck down by fever, yet nevertheless on the 4 July set out to meet Philip of France at Colombieres. While the two Kings spoke, still mounted, a sudden thunder clap cause Henry's horse to rear and throw him. He made his peace with Philip and was carried in a litter to the Castle of Chinon. His last two days were embittered by wrangling with a deputation of monks from Canterbury come to demand further concessions for their order. Nearing his end, Henry asked to be carried before the altar of the castle church where, deliriously cursing the day he was born and calling down heaven's vengeance on his sons, he suffered a violent hemorrhage and died almost immediately. He was buried in the Abbey of Fontevraud.
Henry's effigy, though stylized, gives some impression of his appearance. Sturdily built with a large head, he was clean shaven, had grey eyes and had inherited the red hair of his Norman ancestors which he wore cut short. His nickname of 'Curtmantle' was derived from the short Continental cloak he wore, which appeared strange to English eyes. Essentially a man of action, athletic, energetic and self-disciplined, Henry stands out among his contemporaries. We are told he spoke not only Latin and French but also had a good knowledge of all languages 'from the French sea to the Jordan'. Hismother, who retained a great influence on him until her death in 1167, had taken care with his education and he was well-grounded in law and history. Although a man of strong passions, hasty, and often bad-tempered, Henry's good qualities outweigh the lesser and he was undoubtedly a great king and the dominant figure of his day in western European politics.
Henry died in France of a fever, a beaten monarch.

1 NAME Henry of /Anjou/II, King of England 1 DEAT 2 DATE 1189

Four ofthe king's knights murdered Becket
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=b6aa44ca-2eb1-44e4-93de-4acac145d1d4&tid=6812061&pid=-803298643

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_II_of_England

Henry II (of England) (1133-89), king of England (1154-89), first

monarch of the house of Anjou, or Plantagenet, an important

king to choose him as his successor; on Stephen's death, the

called Richard the Lion-Hearted.

King of England 25 Oct. 1154-1189.

EVEN:
TYPE Acceded
DATE 1154
PLAC Westminster Abbey, London, EN

!BIRTH
Count of Anjou, Maine, Fouraine Duke of Normandy

EVEN:
TYPE Acceded
DATE 1154
PLAC Westminster Abbey, London, EN

"Curtmantle"

Henry II (1133-1189) was king of England from 1154 to 1189. He restored and extended royal authority, supervised great legal reforms, and clashed with Thomas Becket.

Born on March 5, 1133, Henry II was the eldest son of Geoffrey, Count of Anjou, and Matilda, daughter of King Henry I. On her father's death Matilda failed to secure England and Normandy, but Geoffrey of Anjou conquered Normandy and in 1150 invested Henry with the duchy. On Geoffrey's death a year later Henry became Count of Anjou. To these lands he added the duchy of Aquitaine by his marriage (May 18, 1152) to Eleanor, daughter of the late duke. These lands were not independent states; they were separate fiefs of the kingdom of France, and for each of them Henry did homage to King Louis VII as his overlord. Louis, like other kings in this period, was trying to convert feudal overlordship into real authority to govern and deeply resented Henry's strength. The duchy of Aquitaine, often regarded as a great loss to Louis, was in many ways a liability to Henry; it had no internal unity, and it had never been effectively governed.

Recovery of England

In 1153 Henry led an expedition to claim the throne of England from his mother's rival, King Stephen. Many of the nobles had objected to a woman ruler; now they were ready to accept Henry, influenced no doubt by his power as Duke of Normandy to seize their Norman lands. The death of Stephen's son Eustace in August made a settlement possible, and at Winchester in November Stephen recognized Henry as his heir, while Henry left the throne to Stephen for the rest of his life. When Stephen died (Oct. 25, 1154), Henry succeeded peacefully and was crowned on December 19 at Westminster.

The new king was a tough, intelligent young man of 21, well educated, ambitious, and ruthless. His violent temper and his enormous energy soon became proverbial; he was constantly on the move, surprising friend and foe and exhausting his followers by his long journeys.

Henry's first objective was to regain all the rights and powers of his grandfather King Henry I. He reclaimed royal lands and castles, destroyed castles built without royal permission, and reorganized the machinery of finance, justice, and administration. He had a wise adviser in Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury, and the service of able and experienced administrators such as Nigel, Bishop of Ely, and Richard de Lucy, justiciar till 1179. In the next 4 years he reasserted his overlordship of Scotland, the Welsh princes, and Brittany and married his eldest son to the daughter of the King of France; she brought as her dowry the Norman Vexin. He had already forced his brother Geoffrey to take money instead of the county of Anjou, promised to Geoffrey by their father.

Quarrel with the Church

Triumphant elsewhere, Henry met some opposition in his attempts to assert his authority over the clergy. On the death of Archbishop Theobald in 1161, he arranged the election as archbishop of Canterbury of his chancellor and friend Thomas Becket, hoping for his cooperation. But Thomas opposed him, and Henry's reaction was bitter and violent. The first serious quarrel was about the punishment of clergy accused of crimes; Henry wanted at least the right to punish them when convicted, but Thomas claimed them for the Church courts.

In October 1163 Henry demanded general acceptance of the customs of his grandfather's time. The following January at Clarendon the customs setting out the king's rights over the Church were defined in writing in 16 clauses, now known as the Constitutions of Clarendon. Thomas withdrew his acceptance, and Henry now determined to humiliate him. At Northampton in October 1164 Thomas was accused on trumped-up charges, and ruinous fines were imposed on him; it was clear that his resignation was required. Finally he fled secretly from England after appealing to the Pope. Henry had the support of some of the bishops and a reasonable case, for most of the disputed customs had indeed been exercised in Henry I's time. Pope Alexander III, hard pressed in his own quarrel with Emperor Frederick I, did not dare to offend Henry. Negotiations dragged on, but Thomas remained in exile till 1170.

In that year the dispute took a new turn. Henry put himself in the wrong by having his son crowned by the archbishop of York, in defiance of the known right of the archbishop of Canterbury to perform the ceremony. He now allowed a patched-up peace to be arranged, not mentioning the customs, and carefully avoided giving Thomas the formal kiss of peace, which would have been regarded as binding him not to harm the archbishop. Reports of Thomas's actions soon drove the king into one of his violent rages, and four of his knights, hoping to please him, hurried to Canterbury and murdered Thomas in his Cathedral on Dec. 29, 1170.

Henry made a great show of distress and prudently removed himself to Ireland while tempers cooled. The Pope still had to take care not to drive him into the party of the Emperor, and as all parties now desired a settlement, peace was made and Henry was reconciled to the Church on May 21, 1172, at Avranches. He promised to give up any customs which had been introduced in his time against the Church and to permit appeals from the Church courts in England to the Pope's court. The appeals were allowed from that date to the Reformation. The problem of "criminous clerks" was settled by a compromise in 1176. Broadly speaking, Henry conceded the point disputed with Thomas in return for the right to judge clergy accused of forest crimes.

Rebellion of 1173

By 1173 Henry seemed to have overcome all opposition. But in that year he had to meet rebellion and attack from all sides, partly as the result of his high-handed treatment of his own family. He had been constantly unfaithful to his proud wife, and he gave his sons, now growing up, titles but no power and no independent income. Eleanor and his three eldest sons now allied against him with King Louis VII of France, the Count of Flanders, King William of Scotland, and disaffected nobles in many places. But Henry had some warning (he had spies in his eldest son's household); he also had effective, paid soldiers and loyal, capable officials. His wife was captured and the rebels defeated. The Scottish king, defeated and imprisoned, had to make humiliating concessions to gain his freedom (Treaty of Falaise, December 1174).

Later Years

In the British Isles, Henry's triumph was decisive and final. In France too his prestige had never been greater. He made generous terms with his sons; the king of France was cowed. The king of Sicily sought his daughter Joanna in marriage; the kings of Castile and Navarre chose him to arbitrate between them in 1177. But his sons were dissatisfied and jealous, always ready to fly to arms and to ally with the most dangerous enemy of their house, the young king of France, Philip II. Philip had many grievances against the king of England, and he exploited the situation for his own advantage. The heir to the throne, Henry "the young king," died while in rebellion against his father (June 11, 1183); the new heir, Richard, opposed by force Henry's plan to endow his youngest son, John, with Aquitaine. Finally both allied with Philip against their father, who was forced to make a humiliating peace and died 2 days later (July 6, 1189). He was buried in the abbey church of Fontevrault, where his effigy remains.

Administration and Justice

The most constructive and enduring part of Henry's work lay in England. Here his reign saw continuing advances in the techniques of government, based on those made under his grandfather. The administration became more elaborate, more professional, and better documented, but always under the King's control, as Henry demonstrated in 1170, when he suspended all the sheriffs, sent commissioners to inquire into their behavior, and subsequently dismissed all but seven of them. The King's court was still a general center of government, but finance and justice were becoming provinces for experts, such as the treasurers Nigel, Bishop of Ely, and his son Richard, Bishop of London, who wrote the first account of the working of a government office, the Dialogue of the Exchequer.

In law and the administration of justice, progress was dramatic. Only a few points can be noted out of many. Judges were sent out on circuit from the royal court with increasing regularity, ensuring uniformity and central control. The Assizes of Clarendon (1166) and Northampton (1176) laid down new rules for the presentment of criminals by sworn freemen, who had to cooperate with sheriffs and the itinerant justices. Henry and his lawyers also made use of the Roman legal concept of a distinction between the possession of property and the absolute right to property. By the Assizes of Novel Disseisin and of Mort d'Ancestor those who had been violently dispossessed of their land could get trial in the king's court, not by the old crude method of duel but by the evidence of sworn neighbors. The treatise On the Laws of England describes the new system. King Henry wanted order, power, and the profits of justice; his lawyers, Richard de Lucy and Ranulf de Glanville chief among them, could draw on great experience and the revived knowledge of Roman law to carry out his wishes.

Henrik II av England (engelsk: Henry II of England) (født 5. mars 1133, død 6. juli 1189) regjerte som greve av Anjou, hertug av Normandie og som konge av England (1154-1189). Til tider kontrollerte han også Wales, Skottland, østre Irland og vestre Frankrike.

Biografi
Tidlig liv
Henrik II blei født i Le Mans den 25. mars 1133, den første dagen i det tradisjonelle året. Han var sønn av Geoffrey V, greve av Anjou (Geoffrey Plantagenet), som også var greve av Maine. Moren hans, keiserinne Matilda (eller Maud), gjorde krav på den engelske tronen da hun var datter av Henrik I av England. I barndommen bodde Henrik II sammen med foreldrene i farens landområder i Anjou. Da han blei ni år tok Robert, 1. jarl av Gloucester ham med til England hvor han fikk undervisning av mester Matthew ved Bristol. Han reiste til England igjen som 16-åring, da for å skaffe støtte for morens mulige overtakelse av den engelske tronen.

Ekteskap og barn
Han giftet seg med Eleanor av Aquitaine i Bordeauxkatedralen den 18. mai 1152. Han var da 19 år. Det ble sagt at "bryllupet var uten den prakt og høytidelighet som passet deres rang", dette var noe grunnet det annullerte giftermålet med Ludvig VII av Frankrike to måneder tidligere. Forholdet deres var alltid urolig, og da Eleanor oppfordret barna til å gjøre opprør mot faren, satte Henrik henne i husarrest i 1173 der hun forble i seksten år.

Henrik og Eleanor fikk åtte barn, William, Henrik den yngre, Rikard, Geoffrey, Johan, Eleanor og Joan. William døde som barn, som betød at Henrik ble konge sammen med faren i 1170. Henrik var ikke konge i ordets rette forstand, og ble derfor kalt Henrik, den unge kongen, i stedet for Henrik III. Det var meningen at Henrik skulle arve farens posisjoner, Rikard morens, Geoffrey skulle arve Bretagne, Johan skulle bli herre av Irland. Slik blei det allikevel ikke.

Det har senere blitt antatt at paret fikk enda en sønn, Philip. Det var John Speed som kom med påstanden i en bok som kom ut i 1611, History Of Great Britain. Kildene hans eksisterer ikke lenger men dersom antagelsen stemmer døde Philip trolig veldig ung.

Henrik II hadde også utenomekteskapelige barn.

Henry II Biography
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=b574264d-434f-46a4-b882-a79939a62c5e&tid=10771688&pid=-518423297

Henry II
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=df014969-566b-4ac3-abdf-11d761e6b3d1&tid=10771688&pid=-518423297

_P_CCINFO 1-887

!SOURCES:
1. Plantagenet Ancestry, Eng. 116, p. 41, 120
2. Dict. of Nat'l Biog., Eng. Pub. A, v. 17, p. 175-78, v. 26 p. 1-12
3. Royal Dau. of Eng., Eng. 120, v. 1, p. 57
4. Kings of Eng., Eng. 176, p. 59-87
5. Tab. Souv. Gen., France 22, Tab. 39
6. Burke's Peerage, Eng. P, 1949, pref. p. 252-53
7. Espolin (GS #12462 pt 1 p. 98-99)

BIOGRAPHY: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a9/Henry_II_of_England_-_Illustration_from_Cassell%27s_History_of_England_-_Century_Edition_-_published_circa_1902.jpg/481px-Henry_II_of_England_-_Illustration_from_Cassell%27s_History_of_England_-_Century_Edition_-_published_circa_1902.jpg" height=300>

BIOGRAPHY: Henry II, perhaps the greatest king of England, ruled a vast Anglo-Norman domain from 1154 to 1189, founding a structure of government both flexible and well defined and patronizing toward scholarship and literature. The son of Geoffrey Plantagenet, count of Anjou, and Matilda, daughter of Henry I and briefly queen of England, Henry was born in France on Mar. 5, 1133. Made duke of Normandy in 1150, he inherited his father's lands in 1151 and in 1152 married Eleanor of Aquitaine, thus acquiring her large domain. After several unsuccessful attempts to recover his mother's throne, Henry invaded England in 1153 and was recognized as the heir of King Stephen, whom he succeeded in 1154.

Henry was a man of high intelligence, practical wisdom, and physical vigor. His early years as king were occupied with recovering his royal rights from the barons who had wrested them from Stephen. Although he could not effectively rule the entire so-called Angevin empire, Henry created a stable royal government within England.

Under Henry many governmental reforms were instituted. A new class of professional royal officials emerged, and new record-keeping practices reflected the increasing complexity of English society. The king ordered inquiries into the operations of local government and a survey (1166) of knight service. During his reign, money payments called scutage replaced knight service as the principal means of raising his army, the largest and most highly organized in Europe.

Perhaps Henry's greatest accomplishment was the development of the system of royal justice and hence of common law, which was to become the basis of the legal systems of most English-speaking peoples. Common law employed the jury, made the king's legal initiative (in the form of a writ) available to all free men for a modest price, and began due process under the law.

Henry was primarily interested in extending royal law at the expense of feudal jurisdictions and reaping the financial benefits that accrued. Nonetheless, the ultimate effect of the legal reforms of this reign was to protect the weak from abuse by the strong.

The most famous episode of Henry's reign was the king's quarrel with his friend Thomas Becket, whom he had made archbishop of Canterbury. Henry had hoped to isolate his kingdom's church from papal leadership and thereby subject it to his own. Becket, however, firmly opposed this policy, often unsupported by his own bishops. His murder (1170) in Canterbury Cathedral, inadvertently instigated by Henry himself, caused considerable uproar but little change in Henry's relations with the church.

Henry's final years were troubled by quarrels with his wife and four sons. They rebelled against him several times, most notably in 1172-74. When Henry II died on July 6, 1189, he was succeeded by his son Richard I; Richard was succeeded in turn by his brother John.

-- James W. Alexander, Grolier Online

Henry 2
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_P_CCINFO 1-20792
Original individual @P2308128973@ (@MS_NHFETTERLYFAMIL0@) merged with @P2442106109@ (@MS_NHFETTERLYFAMIL0@)
Original individual @P2308128973@ (@MS_NHFETTERLYFAMIL0@) merged with @P2308130179@ (@MS_NHFETTERLYFAMIL0@)

He was also duke of Normandy, and first monarch of the house of Anjou, or
Plantagenet, an important administrative reformer, who was one of the most
powerful European rulers of his time.

Henry became duke of Normandy in 1151. The following year, on the death of
his father, he inherited the Angevin territories in France. By his
marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry added vast territories in
southwestern France to his possessions. Henry claimed the English kingship
through his mother. She had been designated the heiress of Henry I but
had been deprived of the succession by her cousin, Stephen of Blois, who
made himself king. In 1153 Henry defeated Stephen's armies in England and
compelled the king to choose him as his successor; on Stephen's death, the
following year, Henry became king. During the first few years of his reign
Henry quelled the disorders that had developed during Stephen's reign,
regained the northern counties of England, which had previously been ceded
to Scotland, and conquered North Wales. In 1171-72 he began the Norman
conquest of Ireland and in 1174 forced William the Lion, king of the
Scots, to recognize him as overlord.

In 1164 Henry became involved in a quarrel with Thomas à Becket, whom he
had appointed archbishop of Canterbury. By the Constitutions of Clarendon,
the king decreed that priests accused of crimes should be tried in royal
courts; Becket claimed that such cases should be handled by ecclesiastical
courts, and the controversy that followed ended in 1170 with Becket's
murder by four of Henry's knights. Widespread indignation over the murder
forced the king to rescind his decree and recognize Becket as a martyr.

Although he failed to subject the church to his courts, Henry's judicial
reforms were of lasting significance. In England he established a
centralized system of justice accessible to all freemen and administered
by judges who traveled around the country at regular intervals. He also
began the process of replacing the old trial by ordeal with modern court
procedures.

From the beginning of his reign, Henry was involved in conflict with Louis
VII, king of France, and later with Louis's successor, Philip II, over the
French provinces that Henry claimed. A succession of rebellions against
Henry, headed by his sons and furthered by Philip II and by Eleanor of
Aquitaine, began in 1173 and continued until his death. Henry was
succeeded by his son Richard I, called Richard the Lion-Hearted.

!SOURCES:
1. Plantagenet Ancestry, Eng. 116, p. 41, 120
2. Dict. of Nat'l Biog., Eng. Pub. A, v. 17, p. 175-78, v. 26 p. 1-12
3. Royal Dau. of Eng., Eng. 120, v. 1, p. 57
4. Kings of Eng., Eng. 176, p. 59-87
5. Tab. Souv. Gen., France 22, Tab. 39
6. Burke's Peerage, Eng. P, 1949, pref. p. 252-53
7. Espolin (GS #12462 pt 1 p. 98-99)
SURNAME: Also known as "Fitz Empress"
?? Line 3669: (New PAF RIN=6378)
1 NAME Henry II "Plantagenet" King Of /ENGLAND/
?? Line 3679: (New PAF RIN=6378)
1 BURI
2 PLAC Fontevrault Abbey, Fontevrault, Maine-Et-Loire, France

!SOURCES:
1. Plantagenet Ancestry, Eng. 116, p. 41, 120
2. Dict. of Nat'l Biog., Eng. Pub. A, v. 17, p. 175-78, v. 26 p. 1-12
3. Royal Dau. of Eng., Eng. 120, v. 1, p. 57
4. Kings of Eng., Eng. 176, p. 59-87
5. Tab. Souv. Gen., France 22, Tab. 39
6. Burke's Peerage, Eng. P, 1949, pref. p. 252-53
7. Espolin (GS #12462 pt 1 p. 98-99)

Reigned 1154-1189. He ruled an empire that stretched from the Tweed tothe
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 wereof
great constitutional importance. Introduced trial by Jury. Duke ofNormandy.

FitzEmpress, Henry II Curtmantle, King of England : Henry II was King ofEngland from 1135-1154. His titles included Duke of Normandy, Count ofBrittany, Count of Anjou, Duke of Aquitaine. He ruled an empire thatstretched 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 wereof
great constitutional importance. Introduced trial by Jury. During his 35year rule he created the Angevin empire which covered much of France andthe British Isles. His success made him one of the most powerful rulersof medieval English kings and European monarchs. "The Encyclopedia of theMiddle Ages" Norman F. Cantor, General Editor.

Henry II, King of EnglandHenry II, King of England Henry II, perhaps the greatest king of England, ruled a vast Anglo-Norman domain from 1154 to 1189, founding a structure of government both flexible and well defined and patronizing toward scholarship and literature. The son of Geoffrey Plantagenet, count of Anjou, and MATILDA, daughter of Henry I and briefly queen of England, Henry was born in France on Mar. 5, 1133. Made duke of Normandy in 1150, he inherited his father's lands in 1151 and in 1152 married ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE, thus acquiring her large domain. After several unsuccessful attempts to recover his mother's throne, Henry invaded England in 1153 and was recognized as the heir of King STEPHEN, whom he succeeded in 1154. Henry was a man of high intelligence, practical wisdom, and physical vigor. His early years as king were occupied with recovering his royal rights from the barons who had wrested them from Stephen. Although he could not effectively rule the entire so-called ANGEVIN empire, Henry created a stable royal government within England. Under Henry many governmental reforms were instituted. A new class of professional royal officials emerged, and new record-keeping practices reflected the increasing complexity of English society. The king ordered inquiries into the operations of local government and a survey (1166) of knight service. During his reign, money payments called scutage replaced knight service as the principal means of raising his army, the largest and most highly organized in Europe since the days of the Roman Empire. Perhaps Henry's greatest accomplishment was the development of the system of royal justice and hence of COMMON LAW, which was to become the basis of the legal systems of most English-speaking peoples. Common law employed the jury, made the king's legal initiative (in the form of a writ) available to all free men for a modest price, and began DUE PROCESS under the law. Henry was primarily interested in extending royal law at the expense of feudal jurisdictions and reaping the financial benefits that accrued. Nonetheless, the ultimate effect of the legal reforms of this reign was to protect the weak from abuse by the strong. The most famous episode of Henry's reign was the king's quarrel with his friend Thomas BECKET, whom he had made archbishop of Canterbury. Henry had hoped to isolate his kingdom's church from papal leadership and thereby subject it to his own. Becket, however, firmly opposed this policy, often unsupported by his own bishops. His murder (1170) in Canterbury Cathedral, inadvertently instigated by Henry himself, caused considerable uproar but little change in Henry's relations with the church. Henry's final years were troubled by quarrels with his wife and four sons. They rebelled against him several times, most notably in 1172-74. When Henry II died on July 6, 1189, he was succeeded by his second son, RICHARD I; the latter was succeeded in turn by his youngest brother, JOHN. James W. Alexander Bibliography: Warren, W. L., Henry II (1973)

EVEN:
TYPE Acceded
DATE 1154
PLAC Westminster Abbey, London, EN

Henry II Curtmantle (Eleanor Aq)
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Henry II Biography
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Henry II Biography
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Henry II "Curt Mantel" ruled England 1154-1189 SOURCE: F. L. Weis "The Magna Charta Sureties 1215" 5th Ed. Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore 1999, pg 189, line 161-11.

HenryII-a
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180px-Henry_II_of_England[1]
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"FITZ-EMPRESS"; 13TH DUKE OF NORMANDY; ACCEDED 12/19/1154 (CROWNED WESTMINSTER);
RULED FROM 1154-1189; KNOWN AS "CURTMANTLE"; 1ST ANGEVIN, OR PLANTAGENET, KING
OF ENGLAND

COUNT OF NANTES

25th great grandfather

Notes on Henry II, King of England
Henry, born at Le Mans, inherited the titles of Count of Anjou, and Duke of Normandy in 1151. The following year, on the death of his father, he inherited the Angevin territories in France. By his marriage in 1152 to Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry added vast territories in south-western France to his possessions. Henry claimed the English kingship through his mother, Matilda. She had been designated the heiress of Henry I but had been deprived of the succession by her cousin, Stephen of Blois, who made himself King. In 1153, Henry defeated Stephen�s armies in England and compelled the King to choose him as his successor; on Stephen�s death, the following year, Henry became king. During the first few years of his reign, Henry quelled the disorders that had developed during Stephen�s reign, regained the northern counties of England, which had previously been ceded to Scotland, and conquered North Wales. In 1171-72 he began the Norman conquest of Ireland and in 1174 forced William the Lyon, King of the Scots, to recognize him as overlord. In 1164 Henry became involved in a quarrel with Thomas a Becket, a childhood friend and military companion, whom he had appointed Archbishop of Canterbury. By the Constitutions of Clarendon, the King decreed that priests accused of crimes should be tried in royal courts; Becket claimed that such cases should be handled by ecclesiastical courts. The controversy that followed ended in 1170 with Becket�s murder by four of Henry�s knights who believed they were following Henry�s wish to be rid of "that troblesome priest". Widespread indignation over the murder forced the King to rescind his decree and recognize Becket as a martyr. Although he failed to subject the church to his courts, Henry�s judicial reforms were of lasting significance. In England, he established a centralized system of justice accessible to all freemen and administered by judges who traveled around the country at regular intervals. He also began the process of replacing the old trial by ordeal with modern court procedures. From the beginning of his reign, Henry was involved in conflict with Louis VII, King of France, and later with Louis�s successor, Philip II, over the French provinces that Henry claimed. A succession of rebellions against Henry, headed by his sons and furthered by Philip II and by Eleanor of Aquitaine, began in 1173 and continued until his death at Chinon, France, on 6 Jul 1189. Henry was succeeded by his son Richard I, called Richard Lion-Heart. [GADD.GED]

Encouraged the settlement of Dutch and Flemish woollen experts in South Pembrokeshire. [THELMA.GED]

Henry II King of England (1154-89), the first monarch of the House of Anjou, or Plantagenet, an important administrative reformer, who was one of the most powerful European rulers of his time. [unknown.GED]

Additional information: Britannia.com http://britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon26.html

Count of Anjou and Nantes. Died unmarried and without issue. {Burke�s Peerage} [GADD.GED]

?? Line 2236: (New PAF RIN=9511)
1 NAME Henry II, King Of /ENGLAND/
?? Line 2246: (New PAF RIN=9511)
1 BURI
2 PLAC Fontevrault Abbey, Fontevrault, Maine-Et-Loire, France
?? Line 2236: (New PAF RIN=9851)
1 NAME Henry II, King Of /ENGLAND/
?? Line 2246: (New PAF RIN=9851)
1 BURI
2 PLAC Fontevrault Abbey, Fontevrault, Maine-Et-Loire, France
?? Line 497: (New PAF RIN=10237)
1 NAME Henry II, King Of /ENGLAND/
?? Line 507: (New PAF RIN=10237)
1 BURI
2 PLAC Fontevrault Abbey, Fontevrault, Maine-Et-Loire, France

!SOURCES:
1. Plantagenet Ancestry, Eng. 116, p. 41, 120
2. Dict. of Nat'l Biog., Eng. Pub. A, v. 17, p. 175-78, v. 26 p. 1-12
3. Royal Dau. of Eng., Eng. 120, v. 1, p. 57
4. Kings of Eng., Eng. 176, p. 59-87
5. Tab. Souv. Gen., France 22, Tab. 39
6. Burke's Peerage, Eng. P, 1949, pref. p. 252-53
7. Espolin (GS #12462 pt 1 p. 98-99)

PLANTAGENET
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=85443f0b-de76-449b-82a9-803730aa25ad&tid=8976248&pid=-819685567

Reigned from 1154 to 1189. He ruled an empire that stretched from the Tweed to the Pyrenees. In spite of frequent hostilities with the French King, his own family and rebellious Barons (culminating in the great revolt of 1173 -1174 and his quarrel with Thomas Becket, Henry maintained control over his possessions until shortly before his death. His judicial and administrative reforms which increased Royal Control and influence at the expense of the Barons were of great constitutional importance. Introduced trial by Jury. Duke of Normandy. He was also the father of Richard the Lion Hearted.

1. Henry, II was Count of Anjou (1151-1189) whose family emblem was the 'plante genet', a yellow flowering broom; Duke Normandy (1151-1189); Duke Aquitane (1152-1189) and as King of England (1154-1189), ruled an empire that stretched from the Tweed to the Pyrenees. He was the Founder of the Angevin, or Plantagenet, line. Henry was the first of fourteen hereditary kings, who were later referred to in the history oracles as Plantagenets. He is more commonly known as FitzEmpress, Henry, II Curtmantle, King of England.

2. In spite of frequent hostilities 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, II maintained control over his possessions until shortly before his death.

3. Henry, II's judicial and administrative reforms, which increased Royal control and influence at the expense of the Barons, were of great constitutional importance.

4. Henry, II Introduced trial by Jury.

5. Henry, II, by marrying ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE immediately after her divorce from Louis, VII, King of France, gained vast territories in France. Henry had lands reaching for 1000 miles, and it was this vast domain, which was called the Angevin Empire.

6. In 1153 he invaded England and forced STEPHEN to acknowledge him as his heir. As king he restored order to war-ravaged England, subdued the barons, centralized the power of government in royalty,and strengthened royal courts. Henry's desire to increase royal authority brought him into conflict with THOMAS

180px-Henry_II_of_England[1]
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=6a73eb98-e0e7-4c0b-b133-48fcfdfe129b&tid=10145763&pid=-603931626

King Henry Plantagenet III
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=33929e98-1b8b-452c-b5d8-1169ad557b16&tid=5698773&pid=-1280930089

English Royal
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Henry II title
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henry2
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_STATMARRIED

200px-Henry_II_of_England_-_Illustration_from_Cassell%27s_History_of_England_-_Century_Edition_-_published_circa_1902
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Henry II
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=98163ca8-b5c2-464e-ad0b-7bfe88c15a9a&tid=7275060&pid=-1129009432

Henry II
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Henry II King of England
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King Henry of England II
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=8fa987ca-1a5f-4e64-a5d0-2e8472a0fbda&tid=10524335&pid=-607768566

He was Count of Anjou, King of England and Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine from 1154 to 1189.

Bio
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=6c139e46-86c4-40dd-a8ae-9fa8b5baf694&tid=15273766&pid=308483309

henry plantagenet
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=2c314823-848f-4fad-a563-e2fdccaa03a7&tid=15273766&pid=308483309

He doted on his son John who hated him and conspired against him. His wife
also distained him and did her best to turn the children against their father. He had 5 sons and 3 daughters. One son was Richard the Lion-hearted.

He was Count of Anjou, King of England and Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine from 1154 to 1189.

Henry II, King of England
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=ab34744a-3dc0-4f7a-9ed5-01f3ed1bbcae&tid=11063440&pid=-342346730

07-02-2008 04;03;15PM
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King Henry II Plantagenet (Wikipedia Entry)
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=4b55365a-32aa-4d1a-9728-f64d4978fac6&tid=11063440&pid=-342346730

Henry II, first of the Angevin kings, was one of the most effective of all England's monarchs. He came to the throne amid the anarchy of Stephen's reign and promptly collared his errant barons. He refined Norman government and created a capable, self-standing bureaucracy. His energy was equaled only by his ambition and intelligence. Henry survived wars, rebellion, and controversy to successfully rule one of the Middle Ages' most powerful kingdoms.

Henry was raised in the French province of Anjou and first visited England in 1142 to defend his mother's claim to the disputed throne of Stephen. His continental possessions were already vast before his coronation: He acquired Normandy and Anjou upon the death of his father in September 1151, and his French holdings more than doubled with his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitane (ex-wife of King Louis VII of France). In accordance with the Treaty of Wallingford, a succession agreement signed by Stephen and Matilda in 1153, Henry was crowned in October 1154. The continental empire ruled by Henry and his sons included the French counties of Brittany, Maine, Poitou, Touraine, Gascony, Anjou, Aquitane, and Normandy. Henry was technically a feudal vassal of the king of France but, in reality, owned more territory and was more powerful than his French lord. Although King John (Henry's son) lost most of the English holdings in France, English kings laid claim to the French throne until the fifteenth century. Henry also extended his territory in the British Isles in two significant ways. First, he retrieved Cumbria and Northumbria form Malcom IV of Scotland and settled the Anglo-Scot border in the North. Secondly, although his success with Welsh campaigns was limited, Henry invaded Ireland and secured an English presence on the island.

English and Norman barons in Stephen's reign manipulated feudal law to undermine royal authority; Henry instituted many reforms to weaken traditional feudal ties and strengthen his position. Unauthorized castles built during the previous reign were razed. Monetary payments replaced military service as the primary duty of vassals. The Exchequer was revitalized to enforce accurate record keeping and tax collection. Incompetent sheriffs were replaced and the authority of royal courts was expanded. Henry empowered a new social class of government clerks that stabilized procedure - the government could operate effectively in the king's absence and would subsequently prove sufficiently tenacious to survive the reign of incompetent kings. Henry's reforms allowed the emergence of a body of common law to replace the disparate customs of feudal and county courts. Jury trials were initiated to end the old Germanic trials by ordeal or battle. Henry's systematic approach to law provided a common basis for development of royal institutions throughout the entire realm.

The process of strengthening the royal courts, however, yielded an unexpected controversy. The church courts instituted by William the Conqueror became a safe haven for criminals of varying degree and ability, for one in fifty of the English population qualified as clerics. Henry wished to transfer sentencing in such cases to the royal courts, as church courts merely demoted clerics to laymen. Thomas Beckett, Henry's close friend and chancellor since 1155, was named Archbishop of Canterbury in June 1162 but distanced himself from Henry and vehemently opposed the weakening of church courts. Beckett fled England in 1164, but through the intervention of Pope Adrian IV (the lone English pope), returned in 1170.He greatly angered Henry by opposing to the coronation of Prince Henry. Exasperated, Henry hastily and publicly conveyed his desire to be rid of the contentious Archbishop - four ambitious knights took the king at his word and murdered Beckett in his own cathedral on December 29, 1170. Henry endured a rather limited storm of protest over the incident and the controversy passed.

Henry's plans of dividing his myriad lands and titles evoked treachery from his sons. At the encouragement - and sometimes because of the treatment - of their mother, they rebelled against their father several times, often with Louis VII of France as their accomplice. The deaths of Henry the Young King in 1183 and Geoffrey in 1186 gave no respite from his children's rebellious nature; Richard, with the assistance of Philip II Augustus of France, attacked and defeated Henry on July 4, 1189 and forced him to accept a humiliating peace. Henry II died two days later, on July 6, 1189.

A few quotes from historic manuscripts shed a unique light on Henry, Eleanor, and their sons.

From Sir Winston Churchill Kt, 1675: "Henry II Plantagenet, the very first of that name and race, and the very greatest King that England ever knew, but withal the most unfortunate . . . his death being imputed to those only to whom himself had given life, his ungracious sons. . ."

From Sir Richard Baker, A Chronicle of the Kings of England: Concerning endowments of mind, he was of a spirit in the highest degree generous . . . His custom was to be always in action; for which cause, if he had no real wars, he would have feigned . . . To his children he was both indulgent and hard; for out of indulgence he caused his son henry to be crowned King in his own time; and out of hardness he caused his younger sons to rebel against him . . . He married Eleanor, daughter of William Duke of Guienne, late wife of Lewis the Seventh of France. Some say King Lewis carried her into the Holy Land, where she carried herself not very holily, but led a licentious life; and, which is the worst kind of licentiousness, in carnal familiarity with a Turk."

from Britannia.com ©2000 Britannia.com, LLC @http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon26.html

!SOURCES:
1. Plantagenet Ancestry, Eng. 116, p. 41, 120
2. Dict. of Nat'l Biog., Eng. Pub. A, v. 17, p. 175-78, v. 26 p. 1-12
3. Royal Dau. of Eng., Eng. 120, v. 1, p. 57
4. Kings of Eng., Eng. 176, p. 59-87
5. Tab. Souv. Gen., France 22, Tab. 39
6. Burke's Peerage, Eng. P, 1949, pref. p. 252-53
7. Espolin (GS #12462 pt 1 p. 98-99)

HenryII-a
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=65f7b6dd-9d92-4fd9-af94-47b90b187c1f&tid=9784512&pid=-603627955

180px-Henry_II_of_England[1]
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=5ef442d6-1078-4d99-a795-3596277d23f1&tid=9692367&pid=-537522584

HenryII-a
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=55829849-b273-407d-86b2-94f7ea76219e&tid=9692367&pid=-537522584

Henry II Biography
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=586473c9-ff03-4d54-a3bc-3140e30b4c22&tid=9692367&pid=-537522584

Henry was the first of the Plantagenet-Angevin Dynasty.
He was preceded by Stephen de Normandy. The nobility didn't take to Henry I naming Matilde as his successor to the throne. This opened the way for Stephen to take the throne from Matilde, Edith Sigulfson.
The ensuing war was called the time of Anarchy for England. In the end, Stephen ceded and promised Matilde, Edith, that her son Henry II would ascend the throne after he died.
Source:
Stuart Roderick, W.
Royalty for Commoners, 3rd Edit. Published, Genealogical Publishing Co, Inc. Baltomore, MD. 1998,
ISBN-0-8063-1561-X Text 324-40
Source II
Alison Weir, Britains Royal Family A Complete Genealogy 1999, ppg 41-44

180px-Henry_II_of_England[1]
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=009dc762-b391-4540-b4d7-c0430db4ddef&tid=9784512&pid=-559761382

?? Line 5421: (New PAF RIN=6514)
1 TITL [COUNT OF NANTES]/
?? Line 1457: (New PAF RIN=10048)
1 TITL [COUNT OF NANTES]/

Name Suffix: [COUNT OF NANTES
Ancestral File Number: 9FTJ-JQ

EVEN:
TYPE Acceded
DATE 1154
PLAC Westminster Abbey, London, EN

Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists(7th Ed) by Frederick Lewis Weis, Th.D.; F.A.S.G. (line 30)

The Pearsall Family, Chap 24, sec 2. (where the ancestry of Helena Harcourt is traced in great detail).

Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists(7th Ed) by Frederick Lewis Weis, Th.D.; F.A.S.G. (line 1)

Henry II Restores the Royal Power

The strong ruler was found in Henry Plantagenet, count of Anjou. His mother was Matilda (or Maud), daughter of Henry I of England; his father was Geoffrey of Anjou. He came to the throne of England as Henry II, first of the Plantagenet line of kings, who were to rule England for 245 years. By marriage and inheritance, he came into possession of all western France. He spent most of his long reign, 1154-89, in his French possessions; yet he became one of England's great rulers.

Henry II sent out trained justices (judges) on circuit to different towns in England to sit in the county courts. The judges kept records of their cases. When one judge had decided a case, other judges trying the same kind of case were likely to adopt the decision that had been recorded. In the course of years, legal principles came to be based on these decisions. Because this case law applied to all Englishmen equally, it came to be called the common law. The circuit justices also made more extensive use of juries and started the grand jury system in criminal law. (See also Jury System; Law.)

Henry carried on a long and bitter struggle with Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, who asserted the independence of the church courts against the king's authority. The church triumphed when Becket was murdered. After making peace with the pope, Henry did penance at Becket's tomb. Becket became a sainted martyr, and for centuries people made pilgrimages to his shrine at Canterbury. (See also Henry, Kings of England; Becket

Henry II Restores the Royal Power

The strong ruler was found in Henry Plantagenet, count of Anjou. His mother was Matilda (or Maud), daughter of Henry I of England; his father was Geoffrey of Anjou. He came to the throne of England as Henry II, first of the Plantagenet line of kings, who were to rule England for 245 years. By marriage and inheritance, he came into possession of all western France. He spent most of his long reign, 1154-89, in his French possessions; yet he became one of England's great rulers.

Henry II sent out trained justices (judges) on circuit to different towns in England to sit in the county courts. The judges kept records of their cases. When one judge had decided a case, other judges trying the same kind of case were likely to adopt the decision that had been recorded. In the course of years, legal principles came to be based on these decisions. Because this case law applied to all Englishmen equally, it came to be called the common law. The circuit justices also made more extensive use of juries and started the grand jury system in criminal law. (See also Jury System; Law.)

Henry carried on a long and bitter struggle with Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, who asserted the independence of the church courts against the king's authority. The church triumphed when Becket was murdered. After making peace with the pope, Henry did penance at Becket's tomb. Becket became a sainted martyr, and for centuries people made pilgrimages to his shrine at Canterbury. (See also Henry, Kings of England; Becket

Richard the Lion-Hearted, the brave and reckless son of Henry II, succeeded his father in 1189. After a few months he left England and went off on his long crusade. The country suffered little in his absence because Hubert Walter governed it better than Richard himself would have. (See also Richard, Kings of England; Crusades.)

---------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from Compton’s Interactive Encyclopedia
Copyright © 1993, 1994 Compton’s NewMedia, Inc.

Becket, Thomas à (1118?-70), chancellor of England and archbishop of Canterbury, who became a saint of the Roman Catholic church.
Thomas was born in London, on December 21, probably in 1118. His parents were Norman by birth, his father, Gilbert Becket (“little beak”), a London merchant of wealth and position.
Education and Early Life
Thomas was destined by his parents for the church and was educated at Merton Priory in Surrey, then one of the leading schools of London, and later in Paris. On his return to England he served as secretary to the lord of Pevensey, who inducted him into the life of a gentleman, hunting with hawk and hounds. Because his father had suffered financial reverses, Thomas worked for three years as a clerk and auditor in the City. Then, when he was 25 years old, he determined to apply for a place in the household of the archbishop of Canterbury, Theobald of Bec, a distant relative. There he entered the world of power and policy. He accompanied the archbishop to the papal council held at Rheims in 1148, made several trips to Rome, and was sent to study law at Bologna, Italy.
Chancellor
Thomas's life changed again in 1154, when the new king, Henry II, appointed him his chancellor. Theobald and other bishops had recommended him, hoping that the church would find in him a protector and defender at the king's right hand. The eight years of his office as the king's principal minister were a time of unstinting service. In return, Thomas was rewarded with great wealth, which he displayed in unprecedented magnificence of ceremony. Churchmen grumbled that the chancellor gave little heed to the interests of the church. Yet his biographers say that he preserved his chastity amid the promiscuous court; that he was personally sparing of food and drink despite the plenitude of his official hospitality; that he prayed often at night and attended masses at dawn; and that he employed clerks to scourge him as penance for his sins.
Archbishop
When Theobald died in 1161, the king decided to make his chancellor the archbishop of Canterbury, the most important ecclesiastical officer in England. Much to Henry's surprise and annoyance, Thomas resigned the chancellorship almost as soon as he was consecrated archbishop in 1162. No open break between the king and the archbishop occurred, however, until 1163, when they quarreled over the relations of church and realm. Then, at a council at Clarendon on January 13, 1164, Henry set forth 16 written articles of law, the so-called Constitutions of Clarendon, which he claimed represented the customs of the realm in relation to the church in the days of his grandfather, Henry I. The king wanted Thomas and his fellow bishops to accept these articles, but Thomas, although he at first acquiesced, later repudiated them as contrary to canon law as it had developed. See CLARENDON, CONSTITUTIONS OF.
Deeply angered, the king determined to break Thomas and charged him with various offenses. Thomas fled the court and, disguised, made his way circuitously to France, to begin an exile of six years, while the conflict between archbishop and king divided more and more of the Western world.
Martyr and Saint
At last, under threat of papal sanctions, Henry and Thomas agreed to a reconciliation of sorts, and on November 3, 1170, Thomas returned to England. When, however, he excommunicated some of the king's bishops and barons, Henry raged against this “lowborn clerk.” Four of the king's men, acting on their own accord, crossed over from France to Canterbury and, in the archbishop's own cathedral, murdered Thomas on December 29, 1170. Thus, Thomas à Becket became a martyr, and after miracles were said to have been worked at his tomb, he was canonized in February 1173. Pilgrims then began to visit Canterbury in such numbers that it became one of the three most popular shrines in Europe. Only the Reformation, when Becket's shrine was destroyed and all its treasures confiscated by Henry VIII, brought the pilgrimages to an end.
Not even Henry VIII, however, ended the “benefit of clergy,” which Henry II had to accept after Becket's death. The pope and king compromised: The pontiff allowed most of the English customs, but Henry had to bow to canon law and the jurisdiction of church courts over accused clergy. As historians have attempted to understand people in the context of the times, the whole controversy has come to seem tragic—a conflict between the growing self-consciousness of church and realm personified in the heroic figures of Henry and Thomas."Becket, Thomas a," Microsoft (R) Encarta. Copyright (c) 1994 Microsoft Corporation. Copyright (c) 1994 Funk & Wagnall's Corporation.

Portrait Henry II
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=e798bf26-4d33-431d-ac94-3468f44f0538&tid=8627488&pid=-914566972

Henry II
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=f0b85498-9272-4ee1-9c6a-0d16ac8880e2&tid=8627488&pid=-914566972

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Voorouders (en nakomelingen) van Henri II 'Curtmantle' Plantagenêt

Foulques V 'le Jeune' d'Anjou
± 1092-1143

Ermengarde or Aremburge de Beaugency de la Flèche,
± 1096-± 1126

Henry I "Beauclerc" of England
± 1068-1135

Matilda /Edith Eadgyth
± 1079-1118

Geoffroy V 'le Bel' d'Anjou
1113-1151

Mathilda (Adelaïde) of Scotland
1102-1167

Henri II 'Curtmantle' Plantagenêt
1133-1189

1152

Aliénor d'Aquitaine
± 1122-1204



				Aliénor d'Angleterre 1162-1214		Jean I 'Sans Terre' Plantagenêt 1167-1216

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