[GREATx27 GRANDFATHER]+ [A] [K]
Henry II 'Curtmantle' d'Anjou, King of England was the son of Geoffrey V Plantagenet, Comte d'Anjou et Maine and Matilda 'the Empress' of England. He was born on 5 March 1133 at Le Mans, Maine, France.2 He married Eleanor, Duchesse d'Aquitaine, daughter of William X, Duc d'Acquitaine 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, Berri, France.
He was also known as Henry FitzEmpress. He gained the title of Comte de Touraine in 1151. He gained the title of Comte de Maine in 1151. He succeeded to the title of 11th Comte d'Anjou on 7 September 1151. He succeeded to the title of Duc de Normandie on 7 September 1151. Through his marriage, Henry II 'Curtmantle' d'Anjou, King of England gained the title of Duc d'Acquitaine on 18 May 1152. He succeeded to the title of King Henry II of England on 25 October 1154. 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.
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 biography in the Dictionary of National Biography. - [1]
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. After Henry the Young King died, there was a power struggle between the three sons that were left. Henry had wanted John to be the next king, but Eleanor favored Richard. Henry had always loved John more than any of the other sons. Geoffrey tried to overcome both John and Richard, but he was unsuccessful. 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. His last words, according to Gerald of Wales, were "Shame, shame on a conquered king".
Richard the Lionheart then became King of England. This was unfortunate to Henry because he had always wanted John, his youngest son, to succeed him. John succeeded to the throne upon Richard's death in 1199, laying aside the claims of Geoffrey's children Arthur of Brittany and Eleanor. - [3]
[1] - http://www.thepeerage.com/p10202.htm
[2] - http://www.lorrainenorlund.com
[3] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_II_of_England |
