Henry II of England
Henry II was King of England from 1154 to his death. He was the first king of the House of Plantagenet. Henry’s legal changes are generally considered to have laid the basis for the English Common Law. He controlled England, large parts of Wales, the eastern half of Ireland and the western half of France.
About Henry II of England in brief
Henry II was King of England from 1154 to his death. He was the first king of the House of Plantagenet. Before he was 40 he controlled England, large parts of Wales, the eastern half of Ireland and the western half of France. Henry was an energetic and sometimes ruthless ruler, driven by a desire to restore the lands and privileges of his grandfather Henry I. Henry’s legal changes are generally considered to have laid the basis for the English Common Law. His intervention in Brittany, Wales, and Scotland shaped the development of their societies and governmental systems. 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. 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. During the reign of his youngest son John, 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. In theory, Henry became the child of the Empress Matilda and her second husband, Geoffrey Plantagenett, Count of Anjous.
In reality, the royal power over the county became weakened during the 11th century and during the 12th century. The county became the seat of the French king, Geoffrey Anjoud. Henry became Duke of Normandy in 1150. King Louis VII of France made him Duke of Aquitaine in 1152. He became Count of Nantes by treaty in 1185. 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. 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, 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 appointed for their loyalty and administrative skills. The Norman invasion of Ireland provided lands for his son John, but they also expressed private life and treatment of Henry. Henry also partially controlled Scotland, Wales and the Duchy of Brittany. Henry attempted to extend their influence and power across France through careful marriages and political alliances through careful political marriages and alliances through the 10th and 11th centuries and attempted to weaken the French royal power. During his reign, Henry’s son John became king of Normandy at Le Mans in March 1133.
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This page is based on the article Henry II of England published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 25, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
