Biography of Henry II, King of England

1276 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The Reign of Henry the Eighth

Henry II was born in 1133, and died at 56 years old, in 1189. When he was only 2 years old, his grandfather Henry I, appointed his cousin Stephen to the throne, instead of Matilda, who would be rightfully eligible to the throne. Matilda was not found suitable, firstly because of her gender (in a sexist society), and secondly because she was married to a rival of the Norms, Geoffrey of Anjou. Born in Anjou, to Geoffrey of Anjou, (Plantagenet), the most powerful Duque of Central France, and Matilda (daughter of the King of England), Henry was also known as Plantagenet, since his father Geoffrey, got the nickname because he liked to sport a sprig on his helmet; coining the Plantagenet surname of one of England's greatest dynasties, which ruled to the end of the medieval era. Add here more about Henry II parents and also about his wife's parents. Henry's inherited a large amount of land. From his father side, his inheritance comprised of the Counties of Anjou and Maine; and from his mother's side, he received the Duchy of Normandy and his claim to the Kingdom of England. In addition to that, after marrying the heiress Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry also had Aquitaine and Poitou under his rule. On the death of his cousin, King Stephen, in 1154, Henry came to the English throne at the age of 21 in accordance with the terms of the Treaty of Wallingford, which came to end the 19 years of anarchy which England has gone through. Hobbies, Lifestyle and accomplishments as King Henry spent so much time in the saddle that his legs became bowed. Henry's voice was reported to have been harsh and cracked, he did not care for magnificent clothing and was never still. The new King was intelligent and had acquired an immense knowledge... ... middle of paper ... ...Richard coronation, she was set free, and became the regente of England when Richard left for the 3rd Cruzade (1189-1192). Eleanor died in 1204. Conclusion: Henry II could have been remembered as one the greatest rulers of his times, except for the death of his childhood friend, Thomas Becket, archbishop of England, which he was suspected of some type of participation in the murder. After 20 years of marriage, Eleanor plotted against Henry. Henry put her under house arrest. His sons tried to overthrow him, hungry for power they were. Once again the English throne was at a merce of a family flight. Henry, was defeated to Richard, his son (land and power to son), and pay homeage to the French King Phillip August. Died of blood poisoned. Shame, shame on a conquered King. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZHen6A_rrw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6uXB7aaJeQ

Show More
Related

  • Justifying The Mirror of All Christian Kings

    792 Words  | 2 Pages

    When we look at Henry as a king we have to look in the context of

    Read More

  • The Loss of the Throne by Richard III

    700 Words  | 2 Pages

    He eventually was weakening the nations funding in huge amounts. Richard had made large mistakes in his previous years, including when he offered the Duke of Brittany a whole legion of British Archers in return for Henry as a prisoner. This event backfired when Henry fled to France after hearing of the plot, he then revealed this offer to the King of France, which enraged him, as the British were cooperating with the Bretons. The King of France gave Henry huge support, including financial backing, and military backing so that he could overthrow Richard III. It is certain that lacking this support Henry Tudors attempted revolt would have been suppressed.

    Read More

  • How Did Eleanor Of Aquitaine Change Europe

    668 Words  | 2 Pages

    King Henry II died leaving the throne to his son Phillip who immediately freed his mother, Queen Eleanor, from semi incarceration. Once free, she took over the throne and ruled while King Richard left, against his mother’s wish, to the third

    Read More

  • Good Queen Bess

    811 Words  | 2 Pages

    Now, Henry had an heir to the throne, his son Edward. As time would pass, the future king of England was getting more and more weak and sicker. Henry passed on,

    Read More

  • The Lives and Wives of King Henry VIII

    942 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ad been in a state of economic crisis for an extensive time. These actions created a rift between his subjects; many remained loyal to the church and wanted Henry to reinstate it, while others believed it to be corrupted, and accepted the new change. Revolution hung in the air and threatened the stability Henry had been pushing to create. He knew that the tension would recede should he bear a son to carry on the Tudor name.

    Read More

  • French Absolutism and the French Revolution

    2294 Words  | 5 Pages

    honorble ruler. Henry IV was king of France between 1589 and 1610. He was supported

    Read More

  • Eleanor of Aquitaine

    1074 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...e over who should be the next king, John, or Eleanor's grandson, Arthur of Brittany. Eleanor helped defeat Arthur to help John to become the new King of England. Eleanor then started to take a less active political role and retired to Fontevrault Abbey. She died around 1204 at the age of 82 and was buried next to Richard's tomb.

    Read More

  • Eleanor of Aquitaine

    2809 Words  | 6 Pages

    Like many other women of her time Eleanor came from a long line of noble and royal blood. Her lineage can be traced back to the earliest kings of both England and France.(follow link to take a look at Eleanor’s very long family tree http://www.my-ged.com/db/page/scokin/12251) Her father William X was the son of France’s first troubadour, William IX and Eleanor’s early life was saturated with culture and learning. The court of her father and grandfather was thought to be the main culture center of the time. At age 15, with her father’s passing, Eleanor became the sole heiress and ruler of the largest duchy in France – Aquitane. Eleanor was then betrothed to Louis VII of France in order to unite their vast territories. In fifteen years however, Eleanor’s marriage and queenship were over. The pope on the pretext of close kinship ties annulled her unhappy marriage to Louis. At age 30 Eleanor had given up her throne and her daughters and returned to Aquitane to rule. Within a few years Eleanor was married to Henry Plantengent, the Duke of Normandy and ruler of the second most powerful duchy in France (second to her own Aquitane). In 1154 Henry was crowned King of England and Eleanor was now Queen of England, duchess of Aquitane and duchess of Normandy. Eleanor and Henry had eight children together, including Richard the Lionheart and John. In 1173, afte...

    Read More

  • Qualities and Weaknesses of Shakespeare's Henry V as a King

    740 Words  | 2 Pages

    Henry V is not a simple one as it has many aspects. By looking into

    Read More

  • Expectations of Kingship in Henry IV by William Shakespeare

    847 Words  | 2 Pages

    King Henry was not very proud or accepting of his son. This is shown very early in the play when he speaks about him to Westmoreland. The king states:

    Read More

  • Henry in Henry V

    509 Words  | 2 Pages

    Henry's past is described by Ely and Canterbury, the two bishops. Canterbury quotes, "Since his addiction was to cause vain, His companies unletter'd, rude, and shallow, His hours filled with riots, banquets, sports; And never noted in him any study, And retirement any sequestration, From open haunts and popularity. " Ely says, "The strawberry grows underneath the nettle. " And wholesome berries thrive and ripen best.

    Read More

  • King Henry VIII and his Great Impact on the History of England

    2162 Words  | 5 Pages

    At the age of just two years old Henry was named Constable of Dover Castle, and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. When he was three years old, he was created the Duke of York. As a child Henry VIII was an all around, well mannered, respectful child. His parents were Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, and he was their second son. His siblings consisted of Arthur (1486-1502), Margaret (1489-1541), and Mary (1496-1533).

    Read More

  • 1536: The Year That Changed Henry VIII?

    1224 Words  | 3 Pages

    He was a human that had emotions, he experienced grief with the multiple miscarriages and deaths of his sons and the betrayals of his wife’s, Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard. Also the death of Jane Seymour, the only wife to give him a male heir, brought him into a depression. These events changed Henry’s perspective of his own self, that he was without a legal heir, his health was horrendous and he was being betrayed by those closest to him. Lipscomb describes the transformation of Henry from the popular prince to the tyrant king know today. As shown, “the last decade of his reign, Henry VIII had begun to act as a tyrant. The glittering, brilliant monarch of the accession, toppled into old age by betrayal, aggravated into irascibility and suspicion as a result of ill health and corrupted by absolute power, had become a despot”. Henry is not thought of as the good Christian, but Lipscomb writes throughout this book that Henry was very serious about his religious affiliations. Lipscomb portrays Henry VIII as, “a man of strong feeling but little emotional intelligence, willful and obstinate but also fiery and charismatic, intelligent but blinkered, attempting to rule and preserve his honor against his profound sense of duty and heavy responsibility to fulfil his divinely ordained role”. In other words he was an emotional mess that did not know what to do with his feelings, so he bottled them up and south to seek

    Read More

  • Henry Vi's Weaknesses

    473 Words  | 1 Pages

    However, he didn't listen to the duke of york who desperately wanted a say. This could have been another reason for the outbreak of conflict because the people didn't think he always made the right decision and the duke of York didn't like not being listened to. Another problem was with patronage, as Henry was overgenerous, but only to some people, he would give lots of patronage to Somerset and Suffolk but none to York. This was even worse because he had borrowed from York and instead if paying him back, gave patronage to others. He gave away more and more money and land so that there wasn't much left for important times like war and to make people happy or come onto his side.

    Read More

  • Film Analysis: The Lion In Winter

    1465 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...historical background set forth in the film, with the broad details of the attempted rebellion propelled by Queen Eleanor and led by Richard and Geoffrey are accurate, as is the attempt by Philip of France to undermine the Angevin Empire to regain the provinces acquired by Henry through his marriage to Eleanor. As depicted in the film, the indecision, faced by Henry II in attempting to determine which son to name as successor resulted from his desire to have the empire that he had created remain intact, rather than dividing the empire between his sons and this, in turn, led to the fracturing of both family and political cohesion, leaving the empire vulnerable to outside forces. Both Richard and John eventually ruled the empire, supported and influenced by their mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, who was released from her Salisbury prison upon the death of King Henry II.

    Read More

More about Biography of Henry II, King of England

Open Document