Next up on the tour of the English Monarchy, we have a rather famous king, Henry II!
As the son of Matilda, he was known as Henry FitzEmpress, but was also known as Henry Curtmantle and, more famously, Henry Plantagenet. In many ways, he was the first "Real" English King.
- At 14 years old, led a military expedition against king Stephen in England. This ultimately failed, and both his mother and uncle refused to pay for it. Strangely, king Stephen paid not only for this foray into his own lands, but also young Henry's crusade, which also didn't come to much.
- Was, unlike his forebears, short and stocky, though like them, he was known for his red hair and freckles.
- Matilda taught him to be strong like his grandfather, Henry I.... to that end, when he inherited Stephen and Matilda's lands, he set about taking over... well, everything. He wound up as the owner of England, Normandy, Anjou, Maine, Touraine, Wales, Aquitaine, Nantes, and even parts of Ireland.
- Was known as a warmonger, but an intelligent one.
- Was called "Emperor" in his own time.
- Was known for his jaunty cap with a feather in it... thus earning him the name of "Plantagenet." It would be the family name of the royal family for more than 200 years.
- Fell in love with the King of France's sexy wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Eleanor had fallen out of favor with her husband, who annulled their marriage on the grounds of her not giving him a son. Henry quickly swooped in and married her. This gave him Aquitaine, and at that point, Henry owned more of France than the King of France. To add insult to injury, Henry and Eleanor had many children.... William, Henry, Richard, Matilda, Geoffrey, Eleanor, Joan, and John. Poor John, being the youngest of many sons, had no land of his own to claim... (this will be important later.)
- Eleanor was even more adept at politics than Henry. At first, this pleased him... but over time, he grew jealous, and she eclipsed him in power and popularity. She seems to have "Worn the pants" in their relationship... he spent most of his time at war or in England... she maintained a "Court of Love" in France. Their children were raised in France... with their mother.
- When the Archbishop of Canterbury died, Henry appointed one of his oldest and best friends to the post. That man's name was Thomas Becket... and though he was put in the church as the king's right hand man, he immediately turned on Henry II, demanding more freedom and rights for the church. This enraged Henry to no end, as he saw it as a direct betrayal of trust.
- Was known for his hot headed ranting... when he ranted for days about Thomas Becket, he famously said "WHO WILL RID ME OF THIS TEMPESTUOUS PRIEST?" Four of his more stupid knights took his rant at face value and flat-out MURDERED Becket... in his own church. The world was outraged.
- Walked barefoot in a hairshirt to do penance. Prostrated himself and threw himself on the mercies of the Pope. This humility worked, and, though he was heavily fined, he remained in the Pope's good graces.
- Becket, in death, was proclaimed a martyr and canonized. He became a sort of "Patron Saint" for English Catholics. Henry was villainized.
- Henry's son, Prince Henry, rose up with Richard and Geoffrey, joined with the King of France and their mother, Eleanor, and rose against Henry II. In the end, neither side won conclusively. Henry "The Young King" was allowed to "Co-Rule" with his father. This worked out about as well as you would guess. The war resumed quickly.
- Put his own wife on house arrest after she publicly and financially aided her sons in their wars against their father.
- Richard started out on his father's side, then switched to his own side later in the war. Geoffrey either died jousting or of a heart attack. John supposedly stayed on his father's side.
- Henry the Young king died. Richard attacked in earnest... as king Henry II lay dying, he knew his son Richard had bested him and would take the kingdom. When they read out the name of those that had helped the traitorous son that had usurped his throne, his youngest and dearest son, John, was at the top of the list. Heartbroken and betrayed, Henry II died, a miserable man... generally reviled and unlamented by pretty much everyone.
Sad story
As the son of Matilda, he was known as Henry FitzEmpress, but was also known as Henry Curtmantle and, more famously, Henry Plantagenet. In many ways, he was the first "Real" English King.
- At 14 years old, led a military expedition against king Stephen in England. This ultimately failed, and both his mother and uncle refused to pay for it. Strangely, king Stephen paid not only for this foray into his own lands, but also young Henry's crusade, which also didn't come to much.
- Was, unlike his forebears, short and stocky, though like them, he was known for his red hair and freckles.
- Matilda taught him to be strong like his grandfather, Henry I.... to that end, when he inherited Stephen and Matilda's lands, he set about taking over... well, everything. He wound up as the owner of England, Normandy, Anjou, Maine, Touraine, Wales, Aquitaine, Nantes, and even parts of Ireland.
- Was known as a warmonger, but an intelligent one.
- Was called "Emperor" in his own time.
- Was known for his jaunty cap with a feather in it... thus earning him the name of "Plantagenet." It would be the family name of the royal family for more than 200 years.
- Fell in love with the King of France's sexy wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Eleanor had fallen out of favor with her husband, who annulled their marriage on the grounds of her not giving him a son. Henry quickly swooped in and married her. This gave him Aquitaine, and at that point, Henry owned more of France than the King of France. To add insult to injury, Henry and Eleanor had many children.... William, Henry, Richard, Matilda, Geoffrey, Eleanor, Joan, and John. Poor John, being the youngest of many sons, had no land of his own to claim... (this will be important later.)
- Eleanor was even more adept at politics than Henry. At first, this pleased him... but over time, he grew jealous, and she eclipsed him in power and popularity. She seems to have "Worn the pants" in their relationship... he spent most of his time at war or in England... she maintained a "Court of Love" in France. Their children were raised in France... with their mother.
- When the Archbishop of Canterbury died, Henry appointed one of his oldest and best friends to the post. That man's name was Thomas Becket... and though he was put in the church as the king's right hand man, he immediately turned on Henry II, demanding more freedom and rights for the church. This enraged Henry to no end, as he saw it as a direct betrayal of trust.
- Was known for his hot headed ranting... when he ranted for days about Thomas Becket, he famously said "WHO WILL RID ME OF THIS TEMPESTUOUS PRIEST?" Four of his more stupid knights took his rant at face value and flat-out MURDERED Becket... in his own church. The world was outraged.
- Walked barefoot in a hairshirt to do penance. Prostrated himself and threw himself on the mercies of the Pope. This humility worked, and, though he was heavily fined, he remained in the Pope's good graces.
- Becket, in death, was proclaimed a martyr and canonized. He became a sort of "Patron Saint" for English Catholics. Henry was villainized.
- Henry's son, Prince Henry, rose up with Richard and Geoffrey, joined with the King of France and their mother, Eleanor, and rose against Henry II. In the end, neither side won conclusively. Henry "The Young King" was allowed to "Co-Rule" with his father. This worked out about as well as you would guess. The war resumed quickly.
- Put his own wife on house arrest after she publicly and financially aided her sons in their wars against their father.
- Richard started out on his father's side, then switched to his own side later in the war. Geoffrey either died jousting or of a heart attack. John supposedly stayed on his father's side.
- Henry the Young king died. Richard attacked in earnest... as king Henry II lay dying, he knew his son Richard had bested him and would take the kingdom. When they read out the name of those that had helped the traitorous son that had usurped his throne, his youngest and dearest son, John, was at the top of the list. Heartbroken and betrayed, Henry II died, a miserable man... generally reviled and unlamented by pretty much everyone.
Sad story