Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (French: Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, and Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189. At various points in his life, he controlled England , large parts of Wales , the eastern half of Ireland , and the western half of France , an area ...
- 19 December 1154 – 6 July 1189
- Empress Matilda
Henry II was king of England from 1154 to 1189. The first of three Angevin kings of England, he expanded the Anglo-French domains and strengthened the royal administration. His quarrels with the archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket , and with various family members (including his son, Richard the Lionheart ) ultimately brought about his defeat.
- Who was Henry II?Henry II was king of England from 1154 to 1189. The first of three Angevin kings of England, he expanded the Anglo-French domains and strengthened...
- How did Henry II become king of England?Henry, who was the duke of Aquitaine, had a claim to the English throne, and he invaded England in 1153. King Stephen agreed to accept Henry as his...
- How did Henry II expand the kingdom of England?Henry acquired most of the Continental possessions that would expand the kingdom of England before he became king in 1154. He inherited the duchy o...
- What were Henry II’s greatest accomplishments as king?Determined to assert his rights in all his lands, Henry II reasserted the centralized power of his grandfather, Henry I, in England. He issued the...
- Who succeeded Henry II?Henry II’s plans to divide the Angevin “empire” among his sons led to many quarrels and wars. Of his five sons, only Richard and John survived his...
- Early Life - The Plantagenets
- King Stephen, Empress Matilda & Succession
- Consolidating Royal Power
- Thomas Becket
- Rebellion
- Death & Successor
Henry of Anjou was born on 5 March 1133 CE at Le Mans, France, the son of Geoffrey, Count of Anjou (l. 1113-1151 CE). Henry's mother was Empress Matilda, the daughter of Henry I of England (r. 1100-1135 CE), who had gained her title when marrying her first husband Holy Roman Emperor Henry V (r. 1111-1125 CE) in 1114 CE. After Henry V's death, Matil...
Returning back to 1135 CE, King Henry I of England had left no legitimate male heir and so his nominated successor was his daughter Matilda whom the king had made his barons swear loyalty to. When it came to the actual coronation, though, many barons wanted neither a woman or an Anjou count anywhere near the throne and so supported instead the dead...
Henry's first important task was to bring the Anglo-Norman barons back into line after the period of civil war in England (1135-1153 CE) had enabled them to largely ignore royal authority and build castles, mint their own coinage, and generally deal with the peasantry how they wished without regard to the law. Many castles built in that period were...
A third area where Henry sought to reaffirm the power of the monarchy was its relationship with the medieval Church. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket (in office 1162-1170 CE), who had also been the chancellor (from 1155 CE) and a great friend of the king, proved troublesome, and his murder in 1170 CE would overshadow Henry's reign both a...
1173 CE proved to be quite a bad year for the king as his sons and wife rebelled against his rule from this point onwards. Eleanor of Aquitaine had become increasingly exasperated by her husband's unwillingness to delegate any real power to her and his infidelity, especially his public relationship with the noblewoman Rosamund Clifford (d. 1176 CE)...
Henry died of natural causes on 6 July 1189 CE at Chinon Castle, Anjou. Betrayed by his own nearest and dearest, legend has it the king's dying words were 'Shame, shame on a vanquished king'. The dead monarch was buried at Fontevraud Abbey in France. Henry, as agreed, was succeeded by his son Richard who was crowned on 2 September 1189 CE at Westmi...
- Mark Cartwright
- Publishing Director
Jun 20, 2011 · Henry II may be best known as the murderer of Thomas Becket, but he was also a complex man at war with his own family. What forces were at play in Henry's relationship with his wife and sons,...
Henry II seems to struggle to make an impact upon popular history. His reign falls in a century flanked by the Norman Conquest and Magna Carta . As great grandson of William the Conqueror, husband to Eleanor of Aquitaine and father of two of our more familiar monarchs, Richard the Lionheart and King John, it would seem understandable that he is ...
Henry II of England, also known as Henry II Curtmantle(Le Mans, France, 5 March 1133 – Chinon, France, 6 July 1189) was also Countof Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lordof Irelandand, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotlandand western France.
Henry II of England (March 5, 1133 – July 6, 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 ...
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- Henry II of England
English king
Henry II, also known as Henry Curtmantle, Henry FitzEmpress, and Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189. Wikipedia
- March 5, 1133, Le Mans, France
- July 6, 1189, Chinon Castle, Chinon, Touraine, Kingdom of France
- Eleanor of Aquitaine (m 1152 - 1189), Rosamund Clifford
- Rosamund Clifford, Ykenai, Ida de Tosny, Alys of France, Countess of Vexin
- Richard I of England, John, King of England, Henry the Young King, Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany, Eleanor of England, Queen of Castile, Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony, William IX, Count of Poitiers, William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, Joan of England, Queen of Sicily, Geoffrey, Morgan, Illegitimate:
- Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, Empress Matilda
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