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The reign of Henry II
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In 1150, Henry became Duke of Normandy and in 1151, Duke of Anjou. In
1152 he married Eleanor of Aquitaine. This marriage brought
with it extensive landholdings in central and southern France. [See
map].
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Eleanor of Aquitaine
(c. 1122-1204)
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Eleanor had married Louis VII of France but
the marriage had been annulled in 1151 after the birth of two
daughters. Louis was unhappy with Eleanor's marriage to Henry,
for Louis had hoped that Aquitaine would pass to his
daughters, not into the control of Henry; by acquiring control of
Eleanor's lands Henry II became a
greater landholder in France than Louis himself. |
Eleanor bore Henry five sons and three
daughters. She also supported her sons when they rebelled
against Henry in 1173.
Henry imprisoned Eleanor and began a relationship with
Rosamond Clifford, "the Fair Rosamund." She died in 1177 - a
fourteenth century chronicle (implausibly) accused Eleanor of arranging her
poisoning. |
J.W.Waterhouse's highly romanticized Victorian
representation of the "Fair Rosamund" |
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Henry was fortunate in the death soon after
his accession of many of the earls who had supported Stephen.
Stephen's younger son, William Count of Boulogne, died childless in
1159, and in 1153 the Scottish throne passed to a boy of twelve,
Malcolm IV (1153-65). There was no dynastic rival nor any powerful leader
of potential
opposition to Henry. |
The restoration of royal authority
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In 1158 and 1165, Henry mounted partially successful campaigns in
Wales; he obliged the Welsh princes to do him homage, but was not able
to destroy their effective independence.
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Ireland
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With his hold on his inherited lands firm,
Henry began to expand his territory. In 1155, he had been granted a
license by Pope Hadrian/ Adrian IV (1154-1159) - the only English Pope
in history.
[Hadrian's name before his elevation was Nicholas Breakspear. He was
educated at the monastery of St. Albans, but then went to France and
became Abbot of the Monastery of St. Rufus in Avignon.
Nicholas got on badly with the monks, but impressed Pope Eugene III
(1145-1153), who appointed him to
high-profile diplomatic missions].
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The Papal Bull Laudabiliter
"… You [Henry II] have indicated to us, dearest son in Christ that you desire to
enter into the island of Ireland for the purpose of subjecting
its people to the laws and of rooting out from it the weeds of
vice, and that your are willing to pay a yearly tribute to
blessed Peter of one penny from every house, and to preserve
the rights of the churches of that land whole and unimpaired.
We, therefore, seconding with due favor your pious and
praiseworthy desire, and granting our generous assent to your
petition, are well pleased to agree that, for the extension of
the boundaries of the Church, for the restraint of vice,
increase of the Christian religion, you may enter that island
and perform there the things that have regard to the honour of
God and the salvation of that land…". |
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Henry II did not immediately act on his papal license to invade. In
fact the first Normans - a small force under Robert FitzStephen and
Maurice Prendergast - who landed in 1169 came at the invitation of
Dermot (Diarmait) Mac Murchada, the ousted ruler of Leinster. |
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In August 1170 they were joined by Richard FitzGilbert de Clare,
known as "Strongbow." Richard had been deprived of the earldom of
Pembroke by Henry II in 1154, because of his support for Stephen. Richard's forces promptly took the town of Wexford, and Richard
married Dermot Mac Murchada's daughter, Aife. With her came a dowry of
succession to the lordship of Leinster. |
Enniscorthy Castle,
built in County Wexford c. 1205
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Henry II had no desire to see
Strongbow establish an independent state in Ireland. He demanded that
Richard accept his overlordship, and in October 1171 landed at
Waterford with about 4,000 men. |
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Henry obtained not only Strongbow's
compliance but the submission of the main Irish secular and religious
leaders. Henry left Rory O'Connor as High-King of Ireland and
thereafter attempted to control the country through deputies. |
Thomas Becket (1163-1170)
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Henry's relationship with the Church was not always good. The greatest
dispute was with Thomas Becket.
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Becket (born c. 1118) was the son of a French merchant. Before
his elevation to the Archbishopric, he had been Henry's friend,
advisor and Chancellor (1155). As Chancellor he was an efficient
ambassador, administrator and military logistician, but spent
lavishly.
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When Henry made Becket Archbishop in 1162, his loyal friend
re-invented himself as an austere, clericalist papalist. He began to
oppose Henry almost immediately: in particular, on the issue
that clerics should be exempt from punishment by lay courts. Even Pope
Alexander III (1159-81) felt that Becket's stand was extreme and
intransigent.
In 1164, Henry demanded the acceptance of the
Constitutions of Clarendon reestablishing control over churchmen
that Henry I had enjoyed before Stephen's reign undermined royal
authority.
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Alexander III |
Becket fled England and took refuge with the
French king, Louis VII (1137-80).
Alexander III did his best to reach some accommodation with
Henry II as he was already involved in a
bitter dispute with Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. |
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Becket remained in exile from 1164 to 1170. After he returned to England, Becket showed himself no
more willing to compromise than before, and Henry lost his temper entirely.
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Legend has it that Henry on Christmas Day 1170,
asked rhetorically "Who will rid me of this turbulent priest"
and that four knights immediately set off for Canterbury and
killed Becket in the Cathedral on 29th December. (In fact no
contemporary source records Henry's precise words.) |
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The death of Becket shocked everyone; his murderers were
excommunicated, and Becket himself rapidly regarded as a martyr.
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"Zelo
justitiae fervidus, utrum autem plene secundum scientiam novit
Deus"
[Becket burnt with zeal for justice,
but whether sensibly, God only knows.]
(William of Newburgh) |
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Alexander III canonized Becket (21 February 1173) but pardoned Henry,
who did public penance for the murder in 1174.
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Henry "the Young king"
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In 1170, Henry had had his eldest son crowned joint king. (The fact
that he had the Archbishop of York perform this ceremony had added
another element to the dispute with Becket, who insisted that only
Archbishops of Canterbury could crown the king). |
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Although supposedly co-ruler, Henry had little power and was angered
by Henry II's decision to give his younger son John some castles in
Anjou. In 1173, Henry tried to capitalize on the popular
outrage at Becket's death by rebelling against his father. |
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Eleanor of Aquitaine encouraged Richard and Geoffrey to join the
rebellion but was herself soon captured and imprisoned. Many barons in
both England and Normandy joined the revolt, and they received support
from Louis of France and William the Lion of Scotland (1143-1214).
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William "the Lion" was so named for his flag
- a red lion rampant - this became the Scottish Royal
Standard, and included was alongside the arms of England and
Ireland in the present British Royal Standard |
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Henry went to France, while his justiciar, Richard of Lucy dealt with
the English rebels. Louis VII's half-hearted support was soon
withdrawn, and Henry's sons capitulated in September 1174.
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Alnwick Castle, Northumberland'
(It was rebuilt and restored in the 14th and 16th
Centuries).
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William the Lion laid siege to Alnwick castle
but was captured and taken as a prisoner to Henry in France. In
the Treaty of Falaise (1174), William recognized Henry II's
overlordship and agreed to the garrisoning of several Scottish
castles with English troops. |
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Henry , the young King, died in 1183, but Richard survived and
rebelled again and again. He and his father were at war when Henry
died (1189).
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