Individual Details

Henry Plantagenent II, King of England (1154-1189)

(5 Mar 1132/33 - 6 Jul 1189)



King of England from 1154 to 1189. He was the first of the Plantagenet Kings.

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 the first to use the title "King of England" (as opposed to "King of the English").

Henry was knighted at Carlisle by his great uncle, David, King of Scotland, in 1849

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 Eleanor's prior marriage to Louis VII of France had been annulled only two months previously, 21 Mar 1152. Their relationship, always stormy, eventually disintegrated: 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 was crowned at Westminster, 19 Dec 1154. He encouraged development of juries of local men; issued writs to sheriffs which improved the disposition of claims over property; was the first king to bring down the feudal system of government. He asserted that the king had rights over the church and clerics were subject to his courts which led to his quarrel with Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, who was murdered in the cathedral in December of 1170.

Henry and Eleanor had eight children: William, Henry, Richard, Geoffrey, John, Matilda, Eleanor, and Joan. William died in infancy. In the custom of the Capetian Kings of France, whose heirs apparent were crowned during their own lifetime in order to avoid succession disputes, Henry was crowned as joint king when he came of age. However, because he was never king in his own right, he is known to history as "Henry the Young King", rather than Henry III. As the king's sons matured, it was expected that Henry would inherit the throne from his father, Richard his mother's possessions, Geoffrey would have Brittany through marriage, 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 was the son of Henry's mistress Ida de Tony [her surname is indicated by naming patterns, familial and political associations but not conclusively proved]. 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.

Henry's final years were marked with quarrels with and between his sons. He died at Chateau Chinon, Normandy on 6 Jul 1189. Henry and Eleanor were buried at Fontevrualt Abbey in France.

Events

Birth5 Mar 1132/33Le Mans, Maine, France
Birth5 Mar 1133
Marriage18 May 1152Brordeaux, France - Eleanor of Aquitaine
King of England19 Dec 1154 - 1189
Death6 Jul 1189

Families