Overview of England's Henry II

The Rule of the First Plantagenet, One of the Great Medieval Kings

May 13, 2008

French by birth and mother tongue, Henry II was nevertheless one of England's most energetic rulers, propelling the kingdom to amongst the most powerful in Europe.

The First Plantagenet

The first King of the Plantagenet dynasty, Henry II ruled from 1154-1189 and was arguably the greatest English King (although he was born in France and spoke little English) since the Saxon Alfred the Great of the ninth century.

Henry succeeded Stephen, grandson of William the Conquer of Hastings fame, and brought peace and stability to England after the “nineteen long winters” of civil war that had plagued Stephen’s rule. He left behind the foundations of numerous institutions such as the Exchequer, and more importantly, the Common Law, both of which survive in today’s Britain.

His French Origins

Originally hailing from western central France, he succeeded his father as Count of Anjou in 1152, adding it to the domain of Normandy he already held. On paying homage to King Louis VII of France he made such an impression on the saintly King’s wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine that she obtained a divorce from Louis (who according to her was “a monk and not a King”), and married the young Henry two months later. Though this match effectively gave Henry control of most of France, after succeeding Stephen in 1154, he poured much of his energy into his new island kingdom.

Points of Interest During Henry’s Rule

Notable events of Henry’s reign included the founding of the University of Oxford in 1168 after a group of English scholars was expelled from Paris, and the 1166 Assize of Clarendon, which introduced trial by jury, or “honest men” for the first time. Ireland was also invaded, and Henry was accepted as overlord of the island, whose clergy he then forced to submit to the Roman Catholic Church of Rome.

The Constitutions of Clarendon

However, the most important event to mark the years of Henry’s rule was the introduction of the Constitutions of Clarendon and the ensuing quarrel with his close friend and colleague, Thomas à Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. The reforms introduced in 1164 attempted to re-assert many of the kingdom’s Saxon customs, such as the King’s Peace, which had begun to fade due to Continental influences.

Clashes With Thomas à Becket

Henry also attempted to encroach upon the Church’s authority regarding crimes committed by the clergy, who had always enjoyed the ability to make a final appeal to Rome which overruled any decisions made in England. Furious at Henry’s attack on the independence of the Church, a quarrel ensued and Becket exiled himself to France.

The two were reunited briefly in 1170 when the Archbishop returned to England, but another row soon broke out after Becket discovered that the Archbishop of York (a rival in the clergy hierarchy) had been chosen to crown Henry’s son as the future King. With Becket threatening open revolt against the Crown, Henry famously cried out “will not someone rid me of this turbulent priest?”. On hearing this, four of his knights crossed over from France and murdered Becket in his cathedral at Canterbury.

Henry later undertook regular penances for Becket’s death, one of which involved being “whipped” ( largely ceremonially) by monks with birch rods, and Becket was canonized later, in 1173.

Family Revolts

Towards the end of his reign Henry was undoubtedly one of the most powerful monarchs in Europe, with links to the Kings of Sicily and Castille and Henry of Saxony, through the marriages of his daughters. However, he faced rebellions from four of his sons (two of whom, Richard and John, would be future kings) both in England and his French territories, and upon hearing of a rebellion lead by John, who had previously remained loyal, he died at Chinon castle in France in 1189, aged 56.