Person:Henry II of England (1)

     
Henry II _____, King of England
m. Bet 1166 and 1176
  • HHenry II _____, King of England1133 - 1189
  • WYkenai _____Abt 1150 to 1151 -
m.
  1. Geoffrey Plantagenet, Archbishop of YorkAbt 1152 - 1212
m.
m. 1168
  1. Morgan _____, Bishop Elect of DurhamAbt 1156 -
  2. Peter Arch Lincoln1159 - 1218
  • HHenry II _____, King of England1133 - 1189
  • WIda de ToeniBef 1150 - 1199
m. Abt 1176
  1. William de Longespée, 3rd Earl of SalisburyAbt 1176 - 1226
Facts and Events
Name Henry II _____, King of England
Alt Name Henry Curtmantle
Alt Name Henry FitzEmpress
Alt Name Henry Plantagenet
Alt Name Henry _____, Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine
Alt Name Henry _____, Count of Anjou, Maine and Nantes
Alt Name Henry _____, Lord of Ireland
Gender Male
Birth[1] 5 Mar 1133 Le Mans, Maine, FranceHouse of Plantagenet
Christening? 1149 France
Marriage 18 May 1152 Poitiers, Vienne, Franceto Aliénor d'Aquitaine, Reine des Francs, Queen of England
Alt Marriage 18 May 1152 Bordeaux Cathedral
to Aliénor d'Aquitaine, Reine des Francs, Queen of England
Marriage Cohabitation?
to Ykenai _____
Marriage Cohabitation?
to Rosamund de Clifford
Marriage Bet 1166 and 1176 Cohabitation?
to Alix _____, de Porhoët
Marriage 1168 Cohabitation?
to Nest verch Iorwerth
Marriage Abt 1176 Cohabitation?
to Ida de Toeni
Will[6]
Death[4] 6 Jul 1189 Chinon, Anjou, FranceChâteau de Chinon
Burial[3] 8 Jul 1189 Chinon, Anjou, FranceFontevrault Abbey
Reference Number? Q102140?


Names

He was born Henri of Anjou, and was known as Henry Curtmantle (Henri Courtmanteau) or Henry FitzEmpress. Plantagenêt was not used as the family name until the fifteenth century.

Biography

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle, Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189. He was the first king of the House of Plantagenet. King Louis VII of France made him Duke of Normandy in 1150. Henry became Count of Anjou and Maine upon the death of his father, Count Geoffrey V, in 1151. His marriage in 1152 to Eleanor of Aquitaine, whose marriage to Louis VII had recently been annulled, made him Duke of Aquitaine. He became Count of Nantes by treaty in 1158. Before he was 40 he controlled England, large parts of Wales, the eastern half of Ireland and the western half of France; an area that was later called the Angevin Empire. At various times, Henry also partially controlled Scotland and the Duchy of Brittany.

Henry became actively involved by the age of 14 in the efforts of his mother Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England, to claim the throne of England, then occupied by Stephen of Blois. Stephen agreed to a peace treaty after Henry's military expedition to England in 1153, and Henry inherited the kingdom on Stephen's death a year later. Henry was an energetic and ruthless ruler, driven by a desire to restore the lands and privileges of his grandfather Henry I. During the early years of his reign the younger Henry 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 at Louis's expense, taking Brittany and pushing east into central France and south into Toulouse; despite numerous peace conferences and treaties, no lasting agreement was reached.

Henry and Eleanor had eight children—three daughters and five sons. Three of his sons would be king, though Henry the Young King was named his father's co-ruler rather than a stand-alone king. As the sons 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 (later king) and Geoffrey and by their mother, Eleanor. France, Scotland, Brittany, Flanders, and Boulogne allied themselves with the rebels. The Great Revolt was only defeated by Henry's vigorous military action and talented local commanders, many of them "new men" appointed for their loyalty and administrative skills. Young Henry and Geoffrey revolted again in 1183, resulting in Young Henry's death. The Norman invasion of Ireland provided lands for his youngest son John (later king), but Henry struggled to find ways to satisfy all his sons' desires for land and immediate power. By 1189, Young Henry and Geoffrey were dead, and Philip successfully played on Richard's fears that Henry II would make John king, leading to a final rebellion. Decisively defeated by Philip and Richard and suffering from a bleeding ulcer, Henry retreated to Chinon Castle in Anjou. He died soon afterwards and was succeeded by Richard.

Henry's empire quickly collapsed during the reign of his son John (who succeeded Richard, in 1199), but many of the changes Henry introduced during his long rule 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. Historical interpretations of Henry's reign have changed considerably over time. Contemporary chroniclers such as Gerald of Wales and William of Newburgh, though sometimes unfavorable, generally lauded his achievements, describing him as "our Alexander of the West" and an "excellent and beneficent prince" respectively. In the 18th century, scholars argued that Henry was a driving force in the creation of a genuinely English monarchy and, ultimately, a unified Britain with David Hume going so far as to characterize Henry as "the greatest prince of his time for wisdom, virtue, and abilities, and the most powerful in extent of dominion of all those who had ever filled the throne of England". During the Victorian expansion of the British Empire, historians were keenly interested in the formation of Henry's own empire, but they also expressed concern over his private life and treatment of Becket. Late 20th-century historians have combined British and French historical accounts of Henry, challenging earlier Anglocentric interpretations of his reign. Nevertheless, Henry has drawn continual interest from academic and popular historians, including Winston Churchill, who described Henry as a great king and the first great English lawgiver, whose reign left a deep mark on English institutions.


Henry was made duke of Normandy, and upon his father's death in 1151 he inherited the Angevin territories. His early attempts to reclaim the British throne, which he claimed through his mother, were unsuccessful. His marriage to Eleanor brought him vast territories in France. He invaded England in 1152-3, forcing King Stephen to acknowledge him as heir to the throne, which he ascended in 1154, thus controlling much of France and all of England. His sons and wife joined with Philip of France to defeat Henry in 1189, the year in which he died. He was succeeded by his son Richard. His son John later became king also.

Titles

Henry became Duke of Normandy when his father abdicated in his favor in 1150, and inherited the titles of Count of Anjou, Maine and Mortaine upon his father's death in 1151. After his marriage in 1152 he became Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Poitiers, by right of his wife. When King Stephen of England died in 1154, he inherited his mother's claim and became King of England. Finally, he created the title of Lord of Ireland with its partial conquest in 1171. He gave Mortain to King Stephen's son, William of Blois, in 1153. From 1170-1183 he shared his original patrimony of Normandy, Anjou, Maine and Mortaine with his son, Henry, the Young King. In 1172 he gave his wife's inheritance of Aquitaine and Poitiers to their son, Richard, and in 1185 he gave the Lordship of Ireland to their son, John.

  • 1154-1189 1st Anjevin King of England
  • 1150-1189 2nd Anjevin Duke of Normandy
  • 1151-1189 8th Anjevin Count of Anjou, 1170-1183 co-ruler with Henry, the Young King
  • 1151-1189 8th Anjevin Count of Maine, 1170-1183 co-ruler with Henry, the Young King
  • 1151-1153 2nd Anjevin Count of Mortaine
  • 1152-1172 1st Anjevin Duke of Aquitaine, in right of his wife
  • 1152-1189 1st Anjevin Count of Poitiers, in right of his wife
  • 1171-1185 1st Anjevin Lord of Ireland

Links

References
  1. Henry II of England, in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
  2.   Henry II 'Curtmantle' d'Anjou, King of England, in Lundy, Darryl. The Peerage: A genealogical survey of the peerage of Britain as well as the royal families of Europe.
  3. King Henry II, in Find A Grave.
  4. HENRI d’Anjou, son of GEOFFROY "le Bel/Plantagenet" Comte d'Anjou et de Maine & his wife [Empress] Matilda [Maud] of England (Le Mans, Anjou 5 Mar 1133-Château de Chinon 6 Jul 1189, bur Abbaye de Fontevraul, in Cawley, Charles. Medieval Lands: A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families.
  5.   Henry II of England, in Baldwin, Stewart, and Todd Farmerie. The Henry Project (King Henry II ): Ancestors of King Henry II.
  6. Nichols, John. A collection of all the wills, now known to be extant, of the kings and queens of England, princes and princessess of Wales, and every branch of the blood royal: from the reign of William the Conqueror to that of Henry the Seventh, exclusive, with explanatory notes and a glossary. (London: J. Nichols, 1780)
    pages 7 to 10.

    The will may be read here (in Latin).

  7.   Henry had at least 12 illegitimate children by five or more women.
    *Ikenai (1150-1151)
    **Geoffrey, Archbishop of York
  8.   *unknown mistress
    **Hugh of Wells, Bishop of Lincoln (before 1154-1235)
  9.   *Alix de Porhoët, daughter of Eudes II de Porhoët, Duke of Brittany (1168)
    **Matilda ( -before 1202), Abbess of Barking, Essex
  10.   *Rosamund de Clifford , daughter of WALTER de Clifford & Margaret (1173-1176)
    **Peter
  11.   *Ida de Tosny
    **William de Longespée, Earl of Salisbury (1176- 7 Mar 1226)
  12.   *Nesta Iorwerth, She married Sir Ralph Bloet or Blewer.
    **Morgan (1180/89-after 1213) Provost of Berkeley, Yorkshire 1201.
  13.   *unknown mistress
    **Richard
Succession of Monarchs of the United Kingdom
Matilda

1141
his mother

Stephen

1135-1141, 1141-1154
his mother's cousin

King of England

1154-1189
with Henry the Young King

Richard I

1189-1199
his son

John

1199-1216
his son

French Nobility
Eustace IV of Boulogne

1135-1141
his second cousin
King Stephen's son

Geoffrey V of Anjou

1141-1151
his father

Count of Mortain

1151-1153

William I of Boulogne

1153-1159
his second cousin
King Stephen's son

Marie I of Boulogne
with Matthew I, her husband

1167-1173
his second cousin
King Stephen's daughter

Stephen

1135-1144
his mother's cousin

Geoffrey V of Anjou

1144-1150
his father

Duke of Normandy

1151-1189
with Henry the Young King

Richard I

1189-1199
his son

John

1199-1204
his son

Fulk V

1106-1129
his grandfather

Geoffrey V of Anjou

1129-1151
his father

Count of Anjou

1151-1189
with Henry the Young King

Richard I

1189-1199
his son

Arthur I

1199-1203
his nephew

Fulk V

1110-1126
his grandfather

Geoffrey V of Anjou

1126-1151
his father

Count of Maine

1151-1189
with Henry the Young King

Richard I

1186-1199
his son

John

1199-1203
his son

William X

1126-1137
Eleanor's father

Louis VII

1137-1152
Eleanor's first husband
with Eleanor of Aquitaine

Duke of Aquitaine

1152-1189
with his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine

Richard I

1189-1199
his son
with Eleanor of Aquitaine'

John

1199-1204
his son
with Eleanor of Aquitaine'

William VIII

1126-1137
Eleanor's father

Louis VII

1137-1152
Eleanor's first husband
with Eleanor of Aquitaine

Count of Poitiers

1152-1189
with his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine

William IX

1153-1156
his son

Otto IV

1196-1218
his grandson