Henry II is one of England's most well-known monarchs. A powerful personality and ruler, he was the father of two kings and the grandfather of one. His wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, was famous in her own right. His judicial reforms formed the basis of English Common Law. He also gifted to his sons a stable set of lands known as the Angevin Empire.
Henry was born on March 5, , in Le Mans, Anjou, in France. He was the son of the Empress Matilda&#;who would soon be engaged in a very uncivil war for succession to the throne, a period known as The Anarchy&#; and Count Geoffrey Plantagenet of Anjou, in France. Henry's grandfather, King Henry I, died in , and Matilda tried to cash in on a promise that her father had convinced his barons to make, that they would support her right to rule. That didn't happen. Instead, Henry's nephew Stephen seized the throne and kept it but not without a fight.
Henry had red hair and freckles and a fiery temper. Smart with a ready thirst for knowledge, he was 9 when his mother sent him to Bristol to be tutored. It was the first of a number of periods of study with famous academics; he soon knew three languages (English, French, and Latin
Henry II (5 March – 6 July ). King of England (–) Henry II achieved some significant accomplishments in his time asking. He helped end the infighting which had plagued the country during the reign of Stephen and re-established the central control that his grandfather Henry I had established. He also laid a framework for common law and the right for citizens to be tried in courts &#; the forerunner of our modern criminal justice system. He is often best remembered for his dispute with Thomas a Becket &#; a former friend, who on becoming Archbishop of Canterbury refused many of Henry&#;s wishes to strengthen the power of the state over the church. After expressing his frustration, knights loyal to Henry II murdered Thomas a Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. It was an event that shocked Europe and was a definining part of his reign.
Henry II was born in France and was the father of Geoffrey Plantagenet, the grandson of Henry I, and the great-grandson of William the Conqueror. In he became the Duke of Normandy. In , he married Eleanor of Aquitaine who was the heir to lands in Aquitaine, France. Eleanor was recently divorced from King Louis VII of France, and this led to a long riv
Claim to the English throne
Matilda, Henry's mother, was heir to the English throne as she was the eldest daughter of Henry I, King of England. But Matilda's cousin Stephen had claimed the throne with some backing from the English Barons who were opposed to a female ruler. Matilda's attempts to reclaim the throne led to a damaging civil war in England but Matilda and Henry were victorious and in Stephen was forced to recognise Henry as heir to the throne. On Stephen's death in Henry became King of England as Henry II. Henry's empire now str
Henry II ( - )
Henry II ©King of England from , Henry strengthened royal administration but suffered from quarrels with Thomas Becket and his own family.
Henry was born at Le Mans in north west France on 4 March His father was Count of Anjou and his mother Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England. Henry had named Matilda as his successor to the English throne but her cousin Stephen had taken over.
In - , Henry became ruler of Normandy and Anjou, after the death of his father. In , he married Eleanor of Aquitaine, the greatest heiress in western Europe. In , he crossed to England to pursue his claim to the throne, reaching an agreement that he would succeed Stephen on his death, which occurred in
Henry's now began to restore order. Using his talented chancellor Thomas Becket, Henry began reorganising the judicial system. The Assize of Clarendon () established procedures of criminal justice, establishing courts and prisons for those awaiting trial. In addition, the assizes gave fast and clear verdicts, enriched the treasury and extended royal control.
In , Henry reasserted his ancestral rights over the church. Now archbishop of Canterbury, Becket refused to comply.
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