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| Illustration in Topographia Hibernica (1188) |
Birth name: Henri Plantagenest d'Angevin
Born: 05 March 1133, Le Mans, County of Maine, Kingdom of France
Father: Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou 'The Fair'
Mother: Matilda, Lady of the English
House: Plantagenet
Nationality: Angevin
Religion: Catholicism
Claim: Grandchild of Henry I 'Beauclerc' and chosen by Stephen
Reign: 19 December 1154 - 06 July 1189 (34 years)
Coronation: 19 December 1154
Predecessor: Stephen
Successor: Richard I 'The Lionheart'
Died: 06 July 1189 (aged 56), Chinon, Touraine, Kingdom of France
Cause: Infected ulcer
Burial: Fontevraud Abbey
Motto: N/A
Spouse(s):
- Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine (m. 1152 - 1189)
Children:
- With Ykenai *disputed*
- Geoffrey, Archbishop of York (c. 1152 - 1212)
- With Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine
- William IX, Count of Poitiers (1153 - 1156)
- Henry, Junior King of England 'The Young King' (1155 - 1183)
- Matilda, Duchess of Saxony and Bavaria (1156 - 1189)
- King Richard I of England 'The Lionheart' (1157 - 1199)
- Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany (1158 - 1186)
- Eleanor, Queen of Castile (c. 1161 - 1214)
- Joan, Queen of Sicily (1165 - 1199)
- King John of England 'Lackland' (1166 - 1216)
- With Lady Ida of Tosny
- William, Earl of Salisbury (c. 1167 - 1226)
Appearance:
He was reported by chroniclers at the time to be very handsome, though often took little care of his appearance and dressed in a rather scruffy fashion. This included short capes which earned him the nickname 'Curtmantle'.
Henry was rather short, but well-built and strong. He possessed red hair, and his pale skin was covered in freckles. He was described as having a piercing stare.
Character:
Henry was notoriously energetic while also possessing a fiery temper, and was infamous for sulking when things did not go his way. During his youth, he received an excellent education, and could speak both Latin and French, as well as understand English. He was reported to have a sharp memory. He enjoyed battles and adventure and was known to be impulsive, though he was noted to have calmed down as he aged.
Despite his energy, he was more introverted in nature, and preferred spending time alone reading. He also possessed a humble and caring side, and was known for his fairness, especially towards those of a lower social class, personally aiding starving peasants in times of famine.
Throughout his married life, Henry had a rather tumultuous relationship with his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and did not remain loyal to her, fathering at least two known illegitimate children. Out of all his children, he favoured, and was particularly close to, his younger son, John, who often remained loyal to him during family dramas and rebellions. Though he frequently quarrelled with his children, he did show great distress when one of them would pass away, with one of his biggest regrets being not having made peace with his son, Henry, The Young King.
Biography:
Henry was born in Maine in the Kingdom of France in 1133. He was the eldest of three children born to Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou, and his wife, Empress Matilda, the eldest surviving child of King Henry I of England. He also had three half-siblings that were illegitimately born to his father.
His mother had largely been recognised as the heir to the throne of England, despite her gender, as it appeared that Henry I would not be able to sire any more legitimate sons. Henry was only 2 years old when his grandfather died, but before his mother could claim her title as queen, her cousin, Stephen of Blois, claimed the crown instead. This would plunge England into civil war known as 'the Anarchy'.
Not too much is known about Henry's childhood, but he appears to have spent the majority of his time with his mother, staying with her in Normandy which was eventually successfully captured by his father. After this, Henry was sent to Anjou to be educated, before being sent to Bristol in England by his father in an attempt to strengthen support for Matilda's claim to the throne.
For the most part, despite the ongoing war, Henry had a relatively typical childhood of the period, and enjoyed his time in education and the people that he stayed with. The later part of his adolescence was spent going back and forth between England and Anjou.
In 1147, Henry took part in his first invasion of England which was unsuccessful, and he was left unable to pay his soldiers, something which his allies refused to help him with. Instead, it was his enemy and rival to his mother's claim to the throne who stepped forward to help, and paid off Henry's army. Having failed to gain support in the south, Henry instead headed north, and formed an alliance with northern English lords, as well as with his great-uncle, King David I of Scotland. However, any invasion plans they made were quickly ruined by King Stephen's forces marching north, so Henry once again returned to Anjou. His mother had largely given up on claiming the throne of England, though continued to style herself as the rightful monarch.
By the year 1150, the Anarchy within England largely came to an end, with Stephen remaining on the throne, and both Henry and his father became more concerned with growing tensions between Anjou and King Louis VII of France. However, his father pursued for peace instead, which earned Henry recognition as the Duke of Normandy, as long as he continued to pay homage to the French king.
Once this quarrel was sorted, Henry planned once again to return to England, however, the sudden death of his father forced him to stay and secure his inheritance in Anjou. Around this time, it's also likely that he began having an affair with King Louis VII's wife, Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, and they made secret plans for marriage. Louis VII would eventually annul his marriage to Eleanor on the grounds of them being too closely related, and within just a few weeks, Henry and Eleanor were married; at this time, Henry was 19 years old, while Eleanor was 29. This once again sparked tension between Henry and the French king, as to marry Eleanor was viewed as an insult towards him, as she was supposed to ask for his permission to re-marry. Their marriage also meant that Henry was now in possession of more French land than the French king himself.
War then broke out between Henry and Louis, something which Stephen took advantage of to finally fully establish himself as king of England, while Henry remained distracted in France. Henry's younger brother, Geoffrey, sided with the French king, and Henry managed to hold out until Louis became ill and was forced to retreat. Henry and Geoffrey quickly made peace with each other, and Henry could finally turn his attentions back towards England.
Though Henry possessed a great deal of support, the Church remained loyal to Stephen, and hoped that things could be solved amicably. Henry and Stephen continued in their war with each other until they were forced to call a temporary truce due to increasingly bad weather. After this, Henry was able to gain control of a large degree of land in the south of England, and began fulfilling kingly duties. Siege after siege would occur, until finally, the clergy were able to call a truce, despite how unwilling Henry and Stephen were for such a thing.
During these peace talks, Henry and Stephen both retired to talk in private with each other to negotiate an end to the fighting. Eventually, the Treaty of Winchester was announced in 1153, in which Stephen recognised Henry as his adoptive son and his successor, as long as Henry remained loyal to him and paid homage. Stephen's biological sons would also relinquish any claim to the English throne, and Henry would be able to act as Stephen's advisor.
The peace between them lasted, though was always cautious and tense, to a point where Henry returned to Normandy, likely in fear of assassination attempts. However, Stephen would soon die just a year later, and Henry officially became King Henry II of England.
Henry's position as king was quickly secured by the deaths of any potential rivals, such as his brothers and Stephen's sons. After years of civil war, England was largely left devastated and poor. He immediately set to work to re-build the kingdom and continue his grandfather's legacy, as well as learn from the mistakes of his mother. He also still faced rivalry from King Louis VII of France, as Henry II had now inherited a vast empire which stretched from the border with Scotland all the way down to the south of France. As Henry established himself in England, he also began to increase his power on the continent, particularly turning his attention to gaining control of the Duchy of Brittany.
However, by 1160, the French king sought peace with Henry, and plans were made for Henry's eldest surviving son and heir, Prince Henry, to marry Louis VII's daughter, Princess Margaret. This deal also promised Henry his grandfather's lands in France, while also ensuring that homage would be paid. This truce would not last long, however, and relations would collapse again after betrayals on both sides. Henry forced his son to marry Margaret, who was now in his custody, while the both of them were only five and three years old. He seized land in Vexin, and the fighting continued until the Pope intervened, and forced the two kings to sign a peace treaty in 1162.
By the 1170s, many of Henry's problems became a lot closer to home. His marriage with Eleanor of Aquitaine began to collapse. Rivalries formed within his family, and his sons began to grow rebellious in their impatience for lands and titles. Both he and Eleanor were not great parents, and often displayed clear favouritism between their children, with Eleanor favouring Richard, while Henry favoured John. Inheritance was becoming unclear, and Henry was eventually forced to confront the issue, deciding that his empire would be divided upon his death. He decided his eldest son, Henry, would be granted England and Normandy, whereas Richard would receive Aquitaine, and Geoffrey would receive Brittany. John was left with very little, something which would further fuel resentment between the siblings.
To further keep the peace with France, Richard was betrothed to another of Louis VII's daughters, Princess Alys, only for her to possibly become one of Henry's mistresses. Louis would further encourage the resentment between Henry's sons in the meantime.
One of the most major and famous events of Henry's life would then occur in 1170 when Henry would accidentally order the murder of one of his former closest friends, Thomas Becket, whom he had appointed Archbishop of Canterbury. It was likely that Henry appointed him to the position in the hopes that he would gain further control of the church within the kingdom, however, this plan would backfire when Becket completely threw himself into the role, and sided with the church rather than the king. Becket's decision making undermined Henry's power, and made him an international embarrassment.
Tensions rose further between the two when Henry had his son crowned by the Archbishop of York, when the rite was supposed to have been carried out by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Becket began involving the Pope in their disputes, and also excommunicated a number of Henry's supports.
In the midst of a temper tantrum, Henry loudly shouted about how his servants were traitors for letting him be treated this way by Becket. Though this was likely sarcastic and theatrical, four knights overheard his comment and took it seriously. In response, they confronted Thomas Becket and attempted to arrest him. When Becket resisted, the knights attacked and Becket was hacked to death in front of his altar.
This action horrified all of Europe and Becket was immediately proclaimed a Christian martyr. Pressure was placed on Henry to arrest the knights involved, though he remained distracted by his conflict with the High King of Ireland. Eventually, Henry was forced to agree to go on crusade to atone for his part in his former friend's death - however, this crusade would never happen.
In 1173, Henry's family tensions reached a crisis point, which resulted in the Great Revolt. His eldest sons, with the backing of his wife, Eleanor, and the kingdoms of France and Scotland, began a full scale rebellion against him. Barons also revolted in the hopes of reclaiming their traditional powers that Henry's reforms had stripped them of. Henry was now surrounded by enemies from all sides, both politically and personally. He came to believe that the rebellions were his divine punishment for what had happened with Thomas Becket, and as a result, he had himself publicly punished, which won him back the favour of his people. After this, the rebellion began to turn in Henry's favour, as the Scottish king was captured, and peace was eventually reached with the French king once again.
Henry was able to come to an agreement with his sons, which granted them more castles, lands, power, and wealth. However, his relationship with Eleanor would not recover, and she was kept under house arrest for her part in inciting the rebellion.
But the peace between Henry and his sons would not last long, as Henry the Young King once again desired more land and power which he believed he was owed. His sons also argued amongst themselves over land and who should pay homage to whom. The Duchy of Aquitaine also rebelled against his son, Richard, which Young Henry fuelled in the hopes of gaining his land.
But this new wave of fighting would quickly come to a halt when Young Henry died of a sudden illness. This devastated Henry, as he was never able to fully make peace with his eldest surviving son. He was forced to change the line of succession and his surviving sons' inheritance. This included making John the new Duke of Aquitaine, as Richard would now inherit England upon their father's death. This was not popular with Richard, who wanted to keep Aquitaine for himself.
Family fighting once again broke out, with Henry having to resort to forcing Eleanor to order Richard to stand down in his rebellion, and threaten to bypass him in the succession, and instead, give England and Normandy to his brother, Geoffrey, instead. Now without allies, and with these threats hanging over him, Richard reconciled with his father and begged for forgiveness, which Henry accepted with a kiss.
Henry and his family would be further devastated in 1186 when his son, Geoffrey, died suddenly in an accident. Meanwhile, his relationship with Richard remained tense, something that continued to be exploited by the new French king, Philip II. The two kings also fought over the Duchy of Brittany and who should have custody of Geoffrey's children now that he was dead. Philip would also attempt to ally himself with Richard against Henry, which once again resulted in war and rebellion. Henry began to refuse to acknowledge Richard as his heir, and delayed the marriage between his son and Princess Alys. The Pope once again attempted to intervene to broker peace.
By this point, Henry was growing increasingly ill due to an ulcer he had developed. He narrowly managed to escape a surprise attack from Richard and Philip's forces, retreating to Anjou. It appeared that Henry knew he was likely to die soon, and Richard also seems to have recognised this. The two of them entered in peace negotiations in which Henry offered his complete surrender. He recognised Richard as his heir, and agreed to the humiliation of paying compensation to King Philip II.
Eventually, Henry grew so ill that he had to be carried by his servants while travelling.
During his travels across France, Henry was also told of the news that his favourite and most loyal son, John, had deserted him and now sided with Richard. Shocked and heartbroken, Henry collapsed and drifted in and out of consciousness before finally dying, completely abandoned by his family.
Rule:
When Henry came to the throne, England had been left devastated by years of civil war and anarchy. Many disputed territories on the borders had been seized by Scotland and Welsh kingdoms, unauthorised castles had been built, and law and order had practically collapsed. Overall, Henry had a monumental mess to clean up, which he blamed on Stephen usurping the throne.
Despite his frequent family feuds, his reign is largely regarded to be a successful one.
He is regarded as the founder of the English Common Law due to his reforms of the legal system, and the border territories between England, Scotland and Wales were once again firmly established.
Although he lost a lot of his popularity due to the incident with Thomas Becket, he was eventually able to manipulate it to his advantage, and gain support back by demonstrating penance, and proved that God was on his side in the rebellions due to his atonement. He was also able to reign in the powers of the barons, who had largely gone unchecked during the period of Anarchy.
One of his most notable achievements was the creation of the Angevin Empire. Through his marriage alliances and military prowess, he was able to conquer and obtain many regions within France, eventually ruling over more French territory than the French king himself. However, this also meant that his reign was plagued by frequent wars with France which proved to be divisive, especially within his own family.
Eventually, despite all the successes of his reign, it was his family dramas that would ultimately be his downfall. He was unable to control and appease his children, which resulted in open rebellions and chaos within his realms towards the end of his reign. Consequently, there was a great deal of uncertainty surrounding what would happen when Henry finally died.
Trivia:
- N/A
Quotes:
"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!"
"He cost me much, but I wish he had lived to cost me more."
Timeline of Reign:
| 1155: Overlord of Ireland - The Pope grants Henry overlordship of Ireland.
| 1163: England's overlordship of Wales begins - Henry recognised as overlord of Welsh kingdoms.
| 1164: Constitutions of Clarendon - English Common Law begins.
| 1170: Henry and Eleanor formally separate - Queen Eleanor returns to her own lands in Aquitaine.
| 1170: Henry the Young King crowned - Henry's eldest son crowned Junior King of England.
| 1170: Thomas Becket murdered - Archbishop of Canterbury murdered by the king's knights.
| 1171: England invades Ireland - Henry invades Ireland to establish overlordship there.
| 1173: The Great Revolt - Henry's eldest sons begin rebelling against him.
| 1174: Queen Eleanor arrested - Queen Eleanor imprisoned by Henry for her role in the rebellions.
| 1174: Battle of Alnwick - King William I of Scotland is captured by Henry's forces.
| 1174: Treaty of Falaise - Recognition of Henry's overlordship of Scotland.
| 1175: Treaty of Windsor - Territory agreement with Ard Rí, High King of Ireland.
| 1181: Assize of Arms - All freemen ordered to carry weapons and fight for the king if needed.
| 1185: Lord of Ireland - Henry's youngest son, Prince John, is made Lord of Ireland.
Sources & Further Reading:
Henry II Illumination.jpg - Wikimedia Commons. (2022). Wikimedia.org. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Henry_II_Illumination.jpg
Knowles, M. D. (2019). Henry II | Biography, Accomplishments, & Facts. In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-II-king-of-England
Oehring, C. (2017). King Henry II, first Plantaganet King of England. Historic UK. https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/King-Henry-II-of-England/
pixeltocode.uk, P. (n.d.). Henry II. Westminster Abbey. https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/royals/henry-ii
Simkin, J. (2013). King Henry II. Spartacus Educational. https://spartacus-educational.com/MEDhenryII.htm
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