Henry II Plantagenet, King of England

Male 1133 - 1189  (56 years)


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  • Name Henry II Plantagenet 
    Suffix King of England 
    Born 05 Mar 1133  Le Mans, Sarthe, Pays de la Loire, France Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Died 06 Jul 1189  Chinon Castle, Indre-et-Loire, Centre, France Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Buried Fontevraud Abbey Fontevraud-l'Abbaye Departement de Maine-et-Loire Pays de la Loire, France Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Notes 
    • Source:

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

      Henry was the son of Geoffrey of Anjou and Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England. He became actively involved by the age of 14 in his mother's efforts to claim the throne of England, then occupied by Stephen of Blois, and was made Duke of Normandy at 17. He inherited Anjou in 1151 and shortly afterwards married Eleanor of Aquitaine, whose marriage to Louis VII of France had recently been annulled.

      He ruled as Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Count of Nantes, King of England (1154?89) and Lord of Ireland; at various times, he also controlled Wales, Scotland and Brittany.

      Henry was an energetic and sometimes ruthless ruler, driven by a desire to restore the lands and privileges of his royal grandfather, Henry I. During the early years of the younger Henry's reign he restored the royal administration in England, re-established hegemony over Wales and gained full control over his lands in Anjou, Maine and Touraine.

      Henry's desire to reform the relationship with the Church led to conflict with his former friend Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury. This controversy lasted for much of the 1160s and resulted in Becket's murder in 1170.

      Henry soon came into conflict with Louis VII and the two rulers fought what has been termed a "cold war" over several decades. Henry expanded his empire, often at Louis' expense, taking Brittany and pushing east into central France and south into Toulouse; despite numerous peace conferences and treaties, no lasting agreement was reached. By 1172, he controlled England, large parts of Wales, the eastern half of Ireland and the western half of France, an area that would later come to be called the Angevin Empire.

      Henry and Eleanor had eight children. Henry's relationship with his wife Eleanor was complex: Henry trusted Eleanor to manage England for several years after 1154, and was later content for her to govern Aquitaine; indeed, Eleanor was believed to have influence over Henry during much of their marriage. Ultimately, however, their relationship disintegrated and chroniclers and historians have speculated on what ultimately caused Eleanor to abandon Henry to support her older sons in the Great Revolt of 1173-74. Probable explanations include Henry's persistent interference in Aquitaine, his recognition of Raymond of Toulouse in 1173, or his harsh temper. Henry had several long-term mistresses, including Annabel de Balliol and Rosamund Clifford

      As the children grew up, tensions over the future inheritance of the empire began to emerge, encouraged by Louis and his son King Philip II. In 1173 Henry's heir apparent, "Young Henry", rebelled in protest; he was joined by his brothers Richard and Geoffrey and by their mother, Eleanor. France, Scotland, Flanders and Boulogne allied themselves with the rebels. The Great Revolt was only defeated by his vigorous military action and talented local commanders, many of them "new men" appointed for their loyalty and administrative skills.

      Henry had eight legitimate children by Eleanor, five sons: William, the Young Henry, Richard, Geoffrey and John, and three daughters: Matilda, Eleanor and Joan. Henry also had several illegitimate children; among the most prominent of these were Geoffrey (later Archbishop of York) and William (later Earl of Salisbury). Henry was expected to provide for the future of his legitimate children, either through granting lands to his sons or marrying his daughters well. Henry's family was divided by rivalries and violent hostilities, more so than many other royal families of the day. 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.

      Henry struggled to find ways to satisfy all his sons' desires for land and immediate power. Philip successfully played on Richard's fears that Henry would make John king, and a final rebellion broke out in 1189. Decisively defeated by Philip and Richard and suffering from a bleeding ulcer, Henry retreated to Chinon in Anjou, where he died.

      Henry's empire quickly collapsed during the reign of his youngest son John. Many of the changes Henry introduced during his long rule, however, had long-term consequences. Henry's legal changes are generally considered to have laid the basis for the English Common Law, while his intervention in Brittany, Wales and Scotland shaped the development of their societies and governmental systems.

    Person ID I35258  Master File
    Last Modified 27 Jun 2016 

    Father Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou,   b. 24 Aug 1113, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 07 Sep 1151, Château-du-Loir, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 38 years) 
    Mother Matilda of England,   b. 07 Feb 1102, Sutton Courtenay, Berkshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 10 Sep 1167, Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 65 years) 
    Family ID F14564  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Eleanor of Aquitaine,   b. 1122, Poitiers, Vienne, Poitou-Charentes, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 01 Apr 1204, Poitiers, Vienne, Poitou-Charentes, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 82 years) 
    Children 
     1. John I Plantagenet, King of England,   b. 24 Dec 1166, Beaumont Palace, Oxford, England Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 19 Oct 1216, Newark Castle, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 49 years)
    +2. Eleanor Plantagenet, Queen of Castille,   b. 13 Oct 1162, Domfront Castle, Normandy Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 31 Oct 1214, Burgos, Provincia de Burgos, Castilla y León, Spain Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 52 years)
    Last Modified 12 Sep 2016 
    Family ID F14558  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart